FroshMemo Archived Issue 30 Spring 2021

Learn about some of the history regarding the student voices/movements that have occurred here at San Francisco State University

While the decision in the Chauvin/Floyd case a couple weeks ago is a step in the correct direction, it can never make up for the wrongdoings enacted and lives lost at the hands of police brutality.  San Francisco State University has been a school that has exercised this very fact throughout its history by promoting the voices and causes that it’s students have aligned themselves with, being a beacon for social justice and political change/activism.  Here, we will take a look at some of the social/political activism campaigns and movements that have taken place in our very own community over the years, and learn of the great stories they have left behind.  

Early 60’s Free Speech, Civil Rights, Anti-War Movements

Throughout the early 1960s, the free speech, civil rights, and anti-war movements found a home at San Francisco State University.  Described by Professor Robert Smith, he states, “there was a confluence of different protest movements and they eventually moved into one mass protest against the Vietnam War.”  These protests against the violence of the war and the lack of free speech among all Americans had a ripple movement to other universities and colleges around the world, as various other universities across California as well as other states followed in suit to protest similar matters.  San Francisco State students were also present on other campuses during this time, igniting the movements and even helping Brandeis in organizing their own Black Studies department. 

1968-1989 Strike at SFSU

From November 1968 to March 1969, “On Strike! Shut it down!” could be heard throughout the entirety of our college campus.  A five month strike of the school sought to expose the racism and authoritarianism found on the campus, demanding increased representation for students of minority backgrounds.  The result of this strike was a successful effort, bringing about the creation of the very first Department of Black Studies and Ethnic Studies in the entire country.  

Summer of Love Programs

While the infamous “Summer of Love” campaign was occurring all throughout San Francisco and creating hotspots in areas such as Haight-Ashbury and the Golden Gate Park, SF State students instead came together to network and do activism work in the community.  This resulted in the Experimental College being founded in 1965, combatting the large influx of individuals and resulting rises in homelessness and starvation by developing free courses taught by professors, students, and community members.  It became a social driving force on campus, offering tutoring by students to at-risk kids, offering advice on the military draft and forming service learning programs, and creating work-study programs.  Overall, this aided in establishing the self-sufficient and community-centered spirit of our school that lasts even in today’s age, with so many of our students working to better the surrounding community and overall world.