Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Finding aid to the San Francisco State College Strike Collection
asc.1977.01
No online items
View entire collection guide
Search this collection
Table of contents
Title: San Francisco State College strike collection
Date (inclusive): 1961-2022
Date (bulk): 1968-1970
Creator:
Whitson, Helene
Source:
Whitson, Helene
Extent:
15.37 Cubic Feet
(32 boxes, and 1 oversize box)
Box 32 contains two microfilm reels titled "Strike materials, 1968-69".
Collection number: asc.1977.01
Accession number: 1977.01
Contributing Institution: Special Collections and Archives, J. Paul Leonard Library
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
San Francisco State University
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA 94132-1722
(415) 338-1856
Abstract: This collection contains materials pertaining the 1968-1969 San Francisco State College student strike and the simultaneous
and supportive faculty strike. The materials were collected by librarian Helene Whitson during and after the strike events.
Physical Location: Collection is available on site.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English.
Copyright has not been assigned to the University Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials
must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University
Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
The collection includes unpublished drafts of manuscripts and articles by third-party authors, including students and other
scholars. By accessing the collection, researchers agree to respect the intellectual rights of these individuals and to refrain
from citing or publishing from materials without the permission of the authors.
Collection is open for research.
[Identification of item], San Francisco State College Strike Collection, Accession # 1977.01, San Francisco State University,
J. Paul Leonard Library, Special Collections and Archives.
Related materials providing additional information on the 1968 strike at San Francisco State College may be found in the following
collections in this repository: Martinas (Sharon) Papers, Ecumenical House Papers, Hyink Family Papers, EOP Records, Dr. Richard
H. Fine Papers, Nacio Jan Brown Papers, John Levin Papers, and Harvey Yorke Records.
Related materials providing video documentation of news media coverage of the 1968 strike is available online as a part of
the J. Paul Leonard Library Bay Area Television Archive's San Francisco State Strike Collection.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials collected by Helene Whitson, accession number 1977.01
The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject or creator by Helene Whitson. Each folder contains an inventory listing
its contents.
About the 1968-1969 San Francisco State College Strike
The San Francisco State College student strike, lasting from November 1968 to March 1969, was the longest running academic
strike in U.S. history. It began after a series of events, starting in May 1967, increased political organizing and tension
on campus. [For more detail see Helene Whitson's "Strike! A Chronology, Bibliography, and List of Archival Materials Concerning
the 1968-1969 Strike at San Francisco State College"]
The strike was led by the Black Student Union (BSU) and the Third World Liberation Front (TWLF), a coalition of Latinx, Filipino
and Asian student groups. The strike also had support from progressive white students, community groups, the Parents Strike
Support Committee, and faculty members who joined the picket line.
The strike was waged under the tenure of three college presidents. The first two, Presidents John Summerskill and Robert Smith,
resigned. It ended under the tenure of acting President S.I. Hawakaya, who became known for his dramatic responses to keep
the College open, including ripping the wires out of the audio system during a student rally.
The major outcomes of the demands were the establishment of the School of Ethnic Studies, which was the first in the nation,
and faculty positions, funding and staffing for an Economic Opportunity Program (EOP), increased enrollment of students of
color, and amnesty for students involved in strike activities.
This collection contains materials pertaining the 1968-1969 San Francisco State College student strike and the simultaneous
and supportive faculty strike. The materials were collected by librarian Helene Whitson during and after the strike events.
The collection contains a large number of student-generated documents that chronicle the strike and its underlying motivations.
Topics include the value of "relevant education," questioning the status-quo, student organizing, the empowerment of BIPOC
students, and racial tensions on campus and in society.
Materials include position statements, flyers, correspondence, official documents, memos, reports, publications and clippings.
Materials also include those generated by the relevant student organizations, the Black Student Union (BSU), the Third World
Liberation Front (TWLF) and its member student organizations, the Philippine-American Collegiate Endeavor (PACE), the Latin
American Student Organization (LASO), the Mexican-American Student Confederation (MASC), the Intercollegiate Chinese for Social
Action (ICSA), the Asian American Political Alliance (AAPA), and many other student groups, movements and social committees.
The collection also includes student newspapers published during the strike, and books and publications published after the
strike.
Other materials include correspondence, memos, publications, leaflets, reports, election information, committees and executive
committee minutes and agendas of faculty organizations and groups, including the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and
the Association of California State College Professors. Other materials document the response to the strike by the College
Administration and chancellor's office, including campus presidents, trustees, legislature and Governor Reagan, with correspondence,
memos, communications, reports, studies and orders revealing their opposition to the strike and efforts to end it.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San Francisco State College -- Student strike, 1968-1969.
San Francisco State College -- Students
San Francisco State College -- Faculty -- Political activity.
San Francisco State University -- College of Ethnic Studies
Third World Liberation Front
Student movements -- United States
Whitson, Helene