By Erasmus Baxter
The year 1968 is probably one of the most eventful in American history. What was happening at Western was no exception. With so much to cover, here is “Western in 1968” part three.
Vietnam Protests
Dick Gregory, a black comedian and civil rights activist, spoke to a crowd of 1,500 students on campus. Despite being on day 44 of a 47-day hunger strike protesting the Vietnam War he still gave a rousing speech. He told students if they stopped smoking cigarettes or getting haircuts till the war ended the barbers and the tobacco industry would ensure the war would be ended immediately.
Twenty-four students were summoned before a disciplinary committee for participating in a sit in in the Eden’s Hall basement. The basement, where visiting military recruiters were conducting interviews, was originally occupied by 75 students, but their numbers fluctuated. Six students stayed and fasted for all three nights.
Several letters were issued with the occupier’s demands. The first letter asked for the removal of military recruiters from campus. The second letter asked for more student input to help make Western work as a tool for improving humanity. The third asked for Western to work to prevent the root causes of the Vietnam war.
The sit in began from a teach-in outside the building where a person dressed in an faux army uniform seized the uniform and claimed they had captured another student who was acting to as a member of the Viet Cong. Saying that they were going to execute the student acting as a member of the Viet Cong, they led them into the Eden’s Hall basement.
Unfortunately for the protestors, the Marines saw double the usual number of interviewees due to the publicity.
Racial Strife
While the local chapter of Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was declaring the importance of Black Power on campus, the White community was showing it still had some ways to go.
In a display of whitesplaining akin to Rob Schneider trying to explain Martin Luther King’s philosophy to John Lewis, a bunch (the editorial page literally had to be extended just to include all their letters) of self-proclaimed “white liberals” responded in force to the Black Student Union’s editorial calling them out.
What is surprising is how strikingly similar their comments are to those one might see in the comments section of news article about Black Lives Matter rally. People who claim to be sympathetic to the struggle for equal rights but are upset that it’s not catering to them, invocations of MLK quotes out of context, general self-serving interpretations of his philosophy, calls for respect and equality that really mean “Don’t make me uncomfortable” and the old stand-by, “You need us.”
Two white liberals were so offended that they paid to take out ads in the paper to respond. One, another self-proclaimed ally and white liberal, had no problem addressing black people as “boy” and with racial slurs. All of this really just proved the Black Student Union’s point.
The Western Front staff suffered a major lack of judgement and certainly tarnished the reputation of journalists by publishing an ad that used racial slurs to refer to fellow students.
In conclusion, here’s a definition of White Fragility by academic Robin DiAngelo who has studied the issue extensively (and recently spoke at Western!): “White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.”
In Lighter News
The debate team wrote a letter to the editor complaining about their lack of coverage compared to the sports teams. Speaking of which, do we even still have a debate team? (We do.)
There was a “Daisy Daze bed race” which I hope was a race involving specialized beds being launched down High Street. Anything else would be underwhelming.
An assistant professor of sociology, freshly returned from Latin America, placed a bearskin rug on his floor and claimed to have infiltrated every group “of interest” in the city he studied, including underground communist organizations. His photo featured him smoking a pipe and longing for the days of Empire.
Remember when you had to be 21 years old to vote? Rough days. Fortunately, that’s been rectified, now on to the drinking age!
Also, Campus Christian Ministries was a co-sponsor of a voter registration drive. WYA civilly engaged Christian Ministries on Western’s campus.
The early rumblings of a parking fee began to emerge. However, as was noted at the time, those who live furthest from campus and must commute by car are those least likely to be able to afford housing near campus. Not super fair. At least in 1968 they were told the money was going towards expanding parking capacity!
All excerpts are from copies of the Western Front available through the Western Library Website.
ABOVE: Red Square has always been a popular place for students to gather. Photo by Jaden Moon // AS Review