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Third World Liberation Front
In 1968, the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition of the Black Students Union, the Native Students Room, the Latin American Students Organization, the Filipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) the Filipino-American Students Organization, the Asian American Political Alliance, and El Renacimiento, a Mexican-American student organization, formed at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to call for campus reform. Another Third World Liberation Front was formed at University of California, Berkeley in January 1969. These coalitions initiated and sustained the Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968, one of the longest student strikes in US history.
Various student actions began in June of the 1967–1968 school year when students protested the administration's decision to provide students' academic standing to the Selective Service Office in June 1967. When students returned from summer break, tensions escalated. On November 6, 1967, James Vasko, Gater editor, was assaulted by black students who were offended by the content and tone of one of his articles. Students began to protest both the changes the students were facing and the Vietnam war. As a result of the campus unrest, Dr. John Summerskill, the president of the college, resigned in February 1968, effective in September. On March 23, 1968, the TWLF occupied the YMCA office on campus and evicted the YMCA. Student actions continued throughout May, calling for an end to Air-Force ROTC on campus, the admission of 400 students in the fall semester, and the hiring of nine minority faculty members to help the minority students. 26 people were arrested.
In June 1968, Dr. Robert Smith was hired to replace Summerskill as the President of San Francisco State College. In the following September, George Mason Murray, a graduate student in English and Black Panther Minister of Education, was hired as a teaching assistant to teach special introductory English classes for 400 special students admitted to the college. President Smith also announced the creation of a Black Studies Department and named Professor of Sociology, Dr. Nathan Hare, Acting Chair. At the end of the month, California State College Trustees voted to ask President Smith to reassign George Murray to a non-teaching position after he reportedly made controversial statements at Fresno State College and at San Francisco State. President Smith refused.
On 31 October, Chancellor Glenn Dumke ordered President Smith to suspend Murray. The BSU proposed a strike on November 6 if Murray was suspended, and presented their 15 demands. The next day, 1 November, President Smith suspended George Murray.
On 6 November, exactly a year after the Gater incident, the Black Students Union and Third World Liberation Front members struck for a larger Black Studies Program and for the reinstatement of George Murray. Administration called police after students marched on the Administration Building. The campus closed during the week of 13 November, due to the escalating number of student-police confrontations. Governor Ronald Reagan and school trustees called for the reopening of campus on November 18, 1968. Additionally, a faculty grievance committee reported back that George Murray was suspended without due process. On 20 November, approximately 10% of the students returned to campus for departmental discussions. The administration had also created a Convocation to discuss the protests, which continued throughout the 26th. During this time, President Smith resigned, and his position was filled by Dr. S. I. Hayakawa, whose first official act was to keep the campus closed.
When the campus was reopened on 2 December, students resumed striking at the corner of 19th and Holloway Avenues, urging students to continue the strike and not attend classes. However, President Hayakawa climbed on top of the truck and disconnected the wires from the speakers. Later in December, on the 11th, more than 50 American Federation of Teachers members set up an informational picket line around the campus, to pressure the Trustees to negotiate with the students. Two days later, the campus closed for the winter holidays, one week earlier than usual.
When school resumed on 6 January 1969, actions by teachers and students continued, including more pickets and a "book-in," where students took books from around a library and placed them back at the Circulation Desk to clog library functions. In a 16 January interview with KQED, Ronald Reagan called the protesters, "a dissident faction of outright lawbreakers and anarchists." On January 24, the New York Times reported that 380 protesters were arrested on campus.
On 4 February 1969, Judge Henry Rolph of San Francisco Superior Court ordered the San Francisco State AFT local to end the strike. Nathan Hare and George Mason Murray were both not rehired for the second year and strikes continued.
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Third World Liberation Front
In 1968, the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition of the Black Students Union, the Native Students Room, the Latin American Students Organization, the Filipino American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE) the Filipino-American Students Organization, the Asian American Political Alliance, and El Renacimiento, a Mexican-American student organization, formed at San Francisco State University (SFSU) to call for campus reform. Another Third World Liberation Front was formed at University of California, Berkeley in January 1969. These coalitions initiated and sustained the Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968, one of the longest student strikes in US history.
Various student actions began in June of the 1967–1968 school year when students protested the administration's decision to provide students' academic standing to the Selective Service Office in June 1967. When students returned from summer break, tensions escalated. On November 6, 1967, James Vasko, Gater editor, was assaulted by black students who were offended by the content and tone of one of his articles. Students began to protest both the changes the students were facing and the Vietnam war. As a result of the campus unrest, Dr. John Summerskill, the president of the college, resigned in February 1968, effective in September. On March 23, 1968, the TWLF occupied the YMCA office on campus and evicted the YMCA. Student actions continued throughout May, calling for an end to Air-Force ROTC on campus, the admission of 400 students in the fall semester, and the hiring of nine minority faculty members to help the minority students. 26 people were arrested.
In June 1968, Dr. Robert Smith was hired to replace Summerskill as the President of San Francisco State College. In the following September, George Mason Murray, a graduate student in English and Black Panther Minister of Education, was hired as a teaching assistant to teach special introductory English classes for 400 special students admitted to the college. President Smith also announced the creation of a Black Studies Department and named Professor of Sociology, Dr. Nathan Hare, Acting Chair. At the end of the month, California State College Trustees voted to ask President Smith to reassign George Murray to a non-teaching position after he reportedly made controversial statements at Fresno State College and at San Francisco State. President Smith refused.
On 31 October, Chancellor Glenn Dumke ordered President Smith to suspend Murray. The BSU proposed a strike on November 6 if Murray was suspended, and presented their 15 demands. The next day, 1 November, President Smith suspended George Murray.
On 6 November, exactly a year after the Gater incident, the Black Students Union and Third World Liberation Front members struck for a larger Black Studies Program and for the reinstatement of George Murray. Administration called police after students marched on the Administration Building. The campus closed during the week of 13 November, due to the escalating number of student-police confrontations. Governor Ronald Reagan and school trustees called for the reopening of campus on November 18, 1968. Additionally, a faculty grievance committee reported back that George Murray was suspended without due process. On 20 November, approximately 10% of the students returned to campus for departmental discussions. The administration had also created a Convocation to discuss the protests, which continued throughout the 26th. During this time, President Smith resigned, and his position was filled by Dr. S. I. Hayakawa, whose first official act was to keep the campus closed.
When the campus was reopened on 2 December, students resumed striking at the corner of 19th and Holloway Avenues, urging students to continue the strike and not attend classes. However, President Hayakawa climbed on top of the truck and disconnected the wires from the speakers. Later in December, on the 11th, more than 50 American Federation of Teachers members set up an informational picket line around the campus, to pressure the Trustees to negotiate with the students. Two days later, the campus closed for the winter holidays, one week earlier than usual.
When school resumed on 6 January 1969, actions by teachers and students continued, including more pickets and a "book-in," where students took books from around a library and placed them back at the Circulation Desk to clog library functions. In a 16 January interview with KQED, Ronald Reagan called the protesters, "a dissident faction of outright lawbreakers and anarchists." On January 24, the New York Times reported that 380 protesters were arrested on campus.
On 4 February 1969, Judge Henry Rolph of San Francisco Superior Court ordered the San Francisco State AFT local to end the strike. Nathan Hare and George Mason Murray were both not rehired for the second year and strikes continued.