Eastern Michigan University’s Halle Library is hosting a two-day conference on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2, to examine the history and ongoing impact of Black student activism on campus. Organized by the Department of Africology and African American Studies, the event brings together students, faculty, and alumni across multiple generations.
The gathering addresses three primary goals: exploring past student activism at the university, evaluating progress toward improving the campus experience for Black students, and discussing the future direction of student organizing. Tony Pressley-Sanon, chairperson of the Africology and African American Studies department, stated in a news release that the conference offers a moment to reflect on past and present activism while paving the way for genuine inclusivity.
Roots of Activism and the 1969 Demands
Campus organizing traces its roots to the founding of the Black Student Association in 1969, a period heavily influenced by the Black Power movement, the 1967 Detroit Rebellion, and the national emergence of the Black Panther Party, Peter Blackmer, an associate professor in EMU’s Department of Africology and African American Studies, said. That political consciousness led students to issue a 10-point series of demands to university administrators in 1969.
Those original demands laid the groundwork for subsequent generations to secure dedicated spaces and establish what is now the Department of Africology and African American Studies. Organizers from the late 1960s and early 1970s form part of an intergenerational panel at the conference, joining alumni from the 1990s and early 2000s to discuss how national contexts—such as hip-hop culture and the 2008 election of Barack Obama—shaped local campus politics alongside ongoing battles against systemic racism and police brutality.
The current event also coincides with the 10th anniversary of 2016 demonstrations, when students protested racist vandalism on campus and aligned with the broader Black Lives Matter movement. Those 2016 protests generated a subsequent Black Student 10-Point Plan calling for structural changes, increased hiring of Black faculty, cultural competency training for the Department of Public Safety, and mandatory race relations courses.
To help preserve this history, the Africology and African American Studies department is collaborating with University Archives to collect historical items and record oral history interviews with alumni. The conference is free and open to the public, featuring complementary parking and light refreshments.
Who organized the EMU campus activism conference?
Who is organizing the EMU campus activism conference?
The event is organized by Eastern Michigan University’s Department of Africology and African American Studies, with events primarily taking place at Halle Library.
When did the conference take place?
The two-day conference was scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2.
What specific historical demands are highlighted at the event?
Organizers are examining the 10-point demands issued by the Black Student Association in 1969, as well as the Black Student 10-Point Plan that followed campus protests in 2016.
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