Power of a United People

Power of a United People

This March 2019 special issue commemorates 50 years of Black student activism, looking back at the occupation of New South five decades prior and highlighting more recent activists. 

This March 2019 special issue commemorates 50 years of Black student activism, looking back at the occupation of New South five decades prior and highlighting more recent activists. 

Toward inclusive, international scholarship

Fifty years ago, the Association of Black Collegians occupied New South to protest the University’s investments in apartheid South Africa. Those students examined South African history and contemporary affairs beyond the constraints of traditional Western scholarship. They pursued an expansive, provocative understanding of the human experience, one that transcended geographic and racial boundaries. We should heed their example.

A walk past Nassau: the historically black Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood

Beyond FitzRandolph Gate, the hustle and bustle of Nassau Street — full of trendy restaurants, University apparel shops, and retail chains — serve as the facade of the town, the first image that tourists, visitors, and University students encounter upon leaving campus grounds. But unbeknownst to many non-residents, past Nassau lies a history of segregation and an ongoing struggle to preserve the culture of the town’s historically African-American Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood, whose first inhabitants settled in the 1680s.

Alumni speak on the Black Justice League’s fight against the University’s racist legacies

At the forefront of calls for a name change to the Wilson School was the Black Justice League (BJL), a student activist organization that coordinated one of the biggest protests in Princeton history — a demonstration on the steps of Nassau Hall in 2015 followed by a 33-hour sit-in.

AAS department grows rapidly, adds more interdisciplinary courses

With its first cohort of concentrators graduating in June 2018, the African American Studies (AAS) Department is looking to continue its work in education and research. In the past seven years, the department has hired a large number of faculty, growing rapidly to the six fully-appointed and eight jointly-appointed faculty members they have today. The new hires shaped the team, adding their own unique insights, backgrounds, and visions.  Currently, the AAS department is focused on its academic offerings, developing its curricula and opening courses to a broader swath of the University community. Upcoming classes will continue to cut across traditional disciplines, attracting students in many departments.  

Liberating New South: How black student activists inspired change through protest

At 7 a.m. on March 11, 1969, four students lurked in the weeds in front of the New South Building. Shortly afterwards, over 40 black students from the Association of Black Collegians (ABC) rushed the building, according to a log from the Department of Public Information. The students then chained the north doors of the building shut and secured the east doors with a mop.

Members discuss BSU, hopes for the organization’s future

Several Black Student Union (BSU) members discuss their experiences with the organization. The group organizes multiple events each year, but BSU leaders hope to increase funding in order to give back to black communities near Princeton, bring more speakers and alumni to campus, and build up a BSU alumni network, among other initiatives.

The death of neutrality: Princeton’s investments in a politicized era

Across the country, 48 U.S. universities have either partially or fully divested from fossil fuels. So, why does Princeton consistently avoid shifting its investments?

Every great team needs a Sydney Jordan: How Princeton’s senior forward excels on and off the court

Women’s basketball senior forward Sydney Jordan is excelling on and off of the court. She is the first women’s basketball player to be a recipient of the Pyne Honor Prize, she participates in many extracurriculars outside of basketball, and she has been a participant of the national social movement of athletes kneeling during the national anthem.

What it means to live in Wilson

And herein lies the problem. The pervasiveness of Wilson’s legacy on campus forces me to associate myself with a legacy I wholeheartedly reject.