The 1960s were a transformational time in the United States in regard to civil rights and the struggle to end racial segregation. Some major moments include the Freedom Rides of 1961 during which Black and white activists took bus trips through the segregated south and tried to gain access to “whites only” spaces such as waiting areas, lunch counters, and restrooms. The Freedom Riders were often met with great resistance and violence. August 28th of 1963, the March on Washington took place. Approximately 250,000 people came together to demand the passage of civil rights laws, and during this gathering Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. In 1964, the Civil Rights Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The law outlawed racial segregation and prohibited employment discrimination based on “race, color, religion, sex and national origin”. 

        Despite the progress represented by the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the struggle for rights, justice and freedom continued. In 1965, The Southern Christian Leadership Council, (SCLC) organized voter registration and rights marches in Alabama, which included the infamous “Bloody Sunday” on March 7th, 1965, when a group of approximately 600 marchers on the Edmund Pettis Bridge in Selma were tear gassed and violently attacked and beaten by Alabama State Troopers and local police. Later that year the Voting Rights Act was passed. In 1966, the Black Panther Party was formed, and on April 4th, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.  

         “The national struggles for civil rights, justice, and integration were also visible during the sixties at La Salle. The university graduated its first Black student, Edward Murray, in 1946, but Black enrollment remained low in the 1940s and 1950s. In the 1960s the Black Student population remained small but became increasingly vocal and active in claiming space and rights for Black students at La Salle. The 1968-1969 was particularly important and transformational in regard to Black student activism at La Salle. In October of 1968, the Black Student Union formed. Leaders of the organization who announced its need and purpose explained: “ 

Those who control the education content and apparatus of a society control to large extent the people within it. For white people, or any white institution to control the complete education of Black People has been proven dangerous and detrimental to the development of Black People culturally, economically, and politically. Therefore, the Black Students of La Salle College have unified to make certain that the educational experience of Black Students is both relevant to us and beneficial to Black People. (“Black Students Unite”) 

      Throughout the academic year students used the school’s newspaper the Collegian to bring forth issues and concerns relevant to being a Black Student at La Salle as well as broader issues impacting Black people in the US and beyond.  In November of 1968 in an article about the Black Student Union, members of the group call out racism at La Salle, “You white cats know damn well Black students are discriminated and segregated from the mainstream of life at La Salle, except for the Black brothers you recruit to participate in some athletic endeavor.” (“Discrimination Charged”). In February 1969, the Black Student Union calls for a National Black Holiday, possibly in honor of an important figure like Marcus Garvey, Malcolm X, or Martin Luther King Jr., among others (National Black Holiday”). Yet, it’s not until 1983 that the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday is signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, and Juneteenth did not become a federal holiday until it was signed into law by President Joe Biden. Students also call for a Black Studies program in February of 1969, yet it was not until the 2022-2023 academic year that La Salle first offered a Black Studies minor.  

      La Salle College, as it was known then, did provide resources for programming relevant to Black Students and issues involving racism and other social issues, as is evident by the numerous Black luminaries brought to campus during the 1968-1969 academic year. For example, in November of 1968 Julian Bond, a Georgia state legislator at the time and who later became the first president of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and also served as the president of the NAACP for many years, discussed what he called “a society ‘dominated by racism’” (“Julian Bond Attacks Racism in Our Society). Renowned author Ralph Ellison, who won the National Book award in 1953 for his novel The Invisible Man spoke on campus in December (“Ralph Ellison to Speak”). The activities culminated with Afro-American Week which took place in late March of 1969. The purpose of this event was to educate people about and celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Black people to the world. Prominent figures such as Muhamad Ali and Sammy Davis Jr., among others, participated (“Afro-American Week).  

      The 1968-1969 academic year was an incredibly important year for Black student activism at La Salle. The Black Student Union was formed and through the organization students were able to draw attention to serious issues at La Salle, such as Black students being discriminated against and the lack of a Black Studies curriculum as well as broader issues in the United States such as the lack of a Black National Holiday and issues of racism in the US and beyond. The work and commitment of these students has had a lasting impact and set the foundation for La Salle to finally have a Black Studies minor many years later.