History

Prior to 1966, Northwestern University was essentially homogeneous in racial, religious, and socioeconomic terms. Wrote one black student in a letter to the Northwestern Daily in spring 1966, "Race is not a problem because the Negro does not exist here." The truth of this statement would fade quickly, for in fall 1966, over 100 black freshmen entered. The number of black students rose from five enrolled in the class entering in 1965 to 186 students in the class which arrived in the fall of 1973. Total enrollment during that short period ballooned from about two dozen to approximately 700, nearly 10% of the undergraduate population.

The increase in black student enrollment was the direct consequence of a decision made by Northwestern University administrators to actively recruit in black urban centers, particularly Chicago. Cognizant of the latent political potential of Chicago's black community and stirred to action by the national move to end racial inequality and segregation in the American South, these men sought both to bring the "movement" home to Evanston and to assure that Northwestern might place its stamp on what they successfully predicted would become a new generation of "movers and shakers" in Chicago. With seed money from the Wieboldt Foundation and the incentive of continuing support from the Higher Education Act of 1965, Northwestern instituted a program, Summer Academic Workshop (SAW), which eventually led to the matriculation of the 54 freshmen.

The University invited black students to join the Northwestern University community unaware that a significant black presence might present a fundamental challenge to the University's social structure. The University had assumed that, in the spirit of 1960's-style integration, the new black students would quietly assimilate into the dominant structure. They failed to recognize that the prevailing social scene was generally inhospitable and that black students themselves did not arrive as blank slates.

Black students came to Northwestern with a unique cultural and social history that demanded acknowledgement. Neither the curriculum nor the social life on campus recognized the unique perspectives or the cultural and social requirements of the new group. Pressures for change mounted and exploded, catalyzed by the shocking assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in early April 1968. On May 3-4, 1968, according to oral and recorded accounts, 110 of 120 black students on campus occupied 619 Clark Street, the Bursar's Office, presenting Northwestern with a list of demands. A peaceful resolution came quickly as student leaders and University officials worked late into the night to hammer out an agreement which committed Northwestern to improve "both qualitatively and quantitatively, the role of black men and women in the activities of the University...." Northwestern agreed to increase the number of black applicants in the admissions pool such that, in the future, one might reasonably expect the numbers of enrolling black students to approximate the percentage of African Americans in the national population (10 - 12%); to encourage the faculty to introduce black studies into the curriculum; and to create a home base for black students to congregate and pursue their own social, cultural, and political agendas. Just two weeks before the takeover, the University had hired a black counselor to work part-time in Admissions and part-time in Student Affairs. Students objected to a selection process which had excluded them. The May 3rd-4th Agreement assured that black students would be consulted in future employment decisions which directly impacted upon them.

The physical facility won by the students -- popularly known as the House -- was first located at 619 Emerson, and in 1972-73, was moved to a larger facility at 1914 Sheridan Road. At first named Minority Student Affairs and staffed with one professional staff member, the office was renamed African American Student Affairs and grew to encompass three professional staff and two secretaries in 1973.

For more information, check out the University Archives.