Introducing the Black at Stanford Anthology
Above: Protest against Western Civilization requirement, Stanford University, 1988. Peninsula-Times Tribune, Stanford University photographs (PC0065), Special Collection & University Archives, Stanford Libraries.
Black at Stanford: An Anthology of Black Activism and Community at Stanford is a new collaborative archive launched by the Black Community Services Center and the Stanford Archives. The Anthology will feature archival documentation and information showcasing the history of Black activism and community at Stanford: from Ernest Houston Johnson -- the first Black student to graduate Stanford in 1895 -- to present day.
Although the website will remain a work-in-progress as contributors share content and information, the current site already provides access to a treasure trove of photographs, posters, publications, performance recordings, syllabi, and oral histories across 50 subjects.
Black at Stanford: An Anthology of Black Activism and Community at Stanford
The Anthology also shares information about several featured historical events, including the Taking of the Mic (1968), last year’s Vigil for Black Lives (2020), and the recent From Black Power to BLM: Reimagining Dr. King’s Dream (2021). In addition to making content shared with the Anthology team more discoverable and accessible, we also plan to provide opportuntities for participants to share student organizational histories, as well as narrative submissions on topics as varied as Black diversity, advocacy and activism, community building, and student life. Content submitted to the Anthology will be preserved in collaboration with the Stanford Archives.
Dr. Frank Omowale Satterwhite Ph.D. ’77 discusses the Black Student Union's Taking of the Mic (1968) in these excerpts from his interview with the Stanford Historical Society's Oral History Program.
Acknowledgements
The Black at Stanford Anthology channels the efforts of dozens of individuals and groups. The Anthology team would like to acknowledge the work of students Micheal Brown, Devia Terry, Sierra Porter, Emily Nichols, and Munira Alimire, for driving this project, managing communications, and structuring the Anthology website. We would also like to thank Black House professional staff, including Dr. Rosalind Conerly and Domonique Johnson, for their ongoing support of this project, and for providing regular feedback over the past year as the project took shape. Thanks also to the faculty and staff of African and African American Studies, the Institute for Diversity in the Arts, the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute, and the Center for African Studies, for providing feedback on the Anthology website.
We are grateful to the many students, faculty, staff, and others who have saved and shared materials created and compiled during their time at Stanford, making this project possible.
In 1971, Students for the Defense of Angela Davis and All Political Prisoners demonstrated and advocated on behalf of Davis on campus by holding rallies and fundraising events, as depicted in this image from the publication, For What It's Worth, produced by Stanford staff and students.
Help compile the Anthology!
To learn how you can help build this collaborative archive by sharing content and information, please contact the Anthology team at basanthology@gmail.com.
