The Experimental College Matters

                Activism, as I would define it, is to perform a task with an ultimate goal of driving social or political change. The task may be fairly unnoticeable such as writing a letter to voice ones concerns to an influential individual or entity. Growing up I was relatively unaware of injustices occurring around my community or even injustices to me. As I grew older and became more conscious of my surroundings, I witnessed or heard of things that I found to be unfair. During High school for example, I remember attending a protest for budget cuts to our educational system which forced the school district to fire several well qualified teachers and staff members. I showed my disagreement to the situation by joining a group of protestors lined up in the sidewalk of a busy street holding signs demanding more funding for schools. In addition, I also joined the youth council (and eventually became an executive officer) of an activist group who fought for equality; focusing on Latinos. As a youth member I would be regularly be aware of projects that the adult group would be working on. In one specific instance I remember the council taking a case where parents of one school were upset because they had become aware of some actions of the principal which showed that he treated Hispanic students differently from the whites. During the meeting I witnessed the anger of the parents and their eagerness to have something done about the situation. The adult council decided to look into the case which also involved confronting the principal and the school district.

                The activism that was going on in 1968 is far more complex than anything I have been a part of thus far. Considering how I have reacted in the past, had I been present in the 1968 riots my role would be minor. I would play the part of a sheep. By this I mean that I would expect to find myself attending riots and protesting; I do not however see myself involved in violent acts such as fights or destroying property. Although I disagree with violence and disturbance of the peace, I think that the strike of 1968 had to have both of these components being how the civil rights movement did not produce the result that the activists had expected. The Black community had to demonstrate that they were unsatisfied and the best way to be heard and acknowledged would be to create a real crisis.

                The series of events that took place during the 1960 in San Francisco align so perfectly that it seems like not one event, person, or group was more important than the other in the adoption of a black studies department. After much consideration I find that perhaps this is not quite true. The experimental college is responsible in large for the establishment of the new department. Although it was not directly involved in the riots drawing attention to the issue it drew in something much more important. The experimental college proved the success that a black studies program would have in the university.

                Students at San Francisco state were able to use the experimental college in their favor. Through it they created the first complete black studies curriculum (Rojas). In doing so, the students made the idea of the program legitimate. They had created the pillars to the new department. The curriculum showed that the students were serious about the program and that they knew what they wanted out of it. Not only did it make the program realistic, the curriculum also sped the process of implementing the department. Without the curriculum, the development of the program may have taken longer because by the time that the university gave in, the curriculum would have had to be made from scratch. Instead the students were well prepared and already had a clear idea of how they wanted the program to function.

                Since the experimental college had been established in the early 1960s, by the time of the strike it had been well established and running smoothly. In fact, college proved to be a great success: “In fall 1966, four hundred students enrolled in twenty-three courses sponsored by the student government”(Rojas 60). Many of classes offered at the experimental college by this time revolved around Blacks and their involvement in society. Universities do not want to establish departments which they may have to later close if it is not bringing in the revenue that the university intended. The success of the courses in the experimental college proved that if the program was introduced in the university it would likely be a highly impacted department. 

                Overall the experimental college was responsible for minimizing concerns that the university may have; mainly monetary. By 1968 when the strike took place, the students already had a black studies program established, it just had to be renamed.  The program was complete: curriculum was in place- with traditional divisions of labor within the university and the success of the department had been proved much before it had been officially established. At this point the university could put forward no excuses: they would not lose any money, more students would be drawn to attend the campus, students of color better represented, and a university which now had more departments from which to choose.