Black Student Alliance records, 1969-2019

Using These Materials Teaser

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:
Access note. Contains electronic records that must be requested and accessed in our reading room. Contact Research Services with questions.
More about accessing and using these materials...

Summary

Creator:
Duke University. Black Student Alliance
Abstract:
The Afro-American Society (now the Black Student Alliance) was established at Duke University in 1967, four years after the first Black undergraduates were admitted. The Afro-American Society was a social and activist group created to support students as they dealt with the challenges of Black life at a previously segregated institution. Contains fliers, memoranda, correspondence, printed e-mail, minutes, newsletters, reports, charts, a scrapbook, printed materials, and electronic records pertaining to the activities of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and related Black and African American student groups at Duke University from 1969-2019.
Extent:
1 Linear Foot
387 Megabytes
Language:
Materials are in English.
Collection ID:
UA.31.04.0003
University Archives Record Group:
31 -- Student/Campus Life
31 -- Student/Campus Life > 04 -- Student Organizations- Religious and Cultural Organizations

Background

Scope and content:

Contains fliers, memoranda, correspondence, printed e-mail, minutes, newsletters, reports, charts, a scrapbook, printed materials, and electronic records pertaining to the activities of the Black Student Alliance and related Black and African American student groups at Duke University from 1969-2019. Forms part of the University Archives at Duke University.

Biographical / historical:

The Afro-American Society (now the Black Student Alliance) was established at Duke University in 1967, four years after the first Black undergraduates were admitted. The Afro-American Society was a social and activist group created to support students as they dealt with the challenges of Black life at a previously segregated institution.

The Afro-American Society's first political statement was made at the Hope Valley Study-In on November 13, 1967. Thirty-five members of the Afro-American Society staged a day long study-in protest in the lobby of President Knight's office. The study-in denounced the use of segregated facilities by University organizations and the membership of key University officers, including President Knight, in the segregated Hope Valley Country Club. The 1960s continued to be a turbulent time for race relations at Duke University. On February 13, 1969, Afro-American Society students led a Black student takeover of the Allen Building to spark University action on the concerns of Black students. The Allen Building takeover brought attention to issues such as establishment of an Afro-American studies program, a Black cultural center, and increasing the number of Black faculty and students.

In 1971, the Afro-American Society was renamed the Association of African Students (The Association). In 1976, the Association assumed its present title, the Black Student Alliance (BSA). The BSA continued to provide a cultural base for Black students at the University, growing into a major student organization on campus.

In the 1980s, when Black enrollment began to decrease, the BSA joined forces with the Undergraduate Admissions Office to make Black recruitment a primary goal. The Black Student Alliance Invitational Weekend, held each spring, allows prospective students to visit the campus and get to know the Duke experience from a Black perspective. The Reggie Howard Memorial Scholarship honors the first Black student government president, who served during 1976. This scholarship is offered to freshman students who demonstrate academic achievement and leadership potential.

The BSA is an active voice on campus, continuing to encourage University administration to take action to meet the needs of Black students, and during national events of concern such as systematic police violence against people of color. As a student group BSA notes misrepresentation in the student paper the Duke Chronicle; presents race relation panels; protests environmental abuse; and promotes Black and Jewish student discussion. The BSA also sponsors and cosponsors events such as performances by The Black Dance troupe; Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations; Black History month events; and occasionally hosting on campus speakers such as Reverend Jesse Jackson. The Black Student Alliance also coordinates events for Duke University Black Alumni. Some of the publications of the Black Student Alliance have been Prometheus Black, Revelations, The Talking Drum, and The Grapevine.

Acquisition information:
The Black Student Alliance Records were received as gifts from 1977 to 2019.
Processing information:

Processed by Emily Glenn, completed March, 2003. 2005 addition processed by Jill Katte, May 2005. 2006 addition processed by Jill Katte, Sept. 2006.

Encoded by Emily Glenn, March 2003

Accessions described in this finding aid: UA2020-0023, UA2006-0043, 2005-0026, 98-35, 90-27, 82-61, and 77-200.

Updated by Jill Katte, Sept. 2006, and encoded for digitization by Jessica Carew, May 2012

Updated by Leah M. Kerr, 2020 June

This collection guide was created or updated with information provided by donors or external parties, and box or file lists have not been verified by Rubenstein Library staff. Errors may be present and can be reported to AskRL@duke.edu.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Access note. Contains electronic records that must be requested and accessed in our reading room. Contact Research Services with questions.

Terms of access:

Copyright for Official University records is held by Duke University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Digitized materials from this collection are made available for use in research, teaching and private study. The digital reproductions have been made available through an evaluation of public domain status, permissions from the rights' holders, and authorization under the law including fair use as codified in 17 U.S.C. ยง 107. Although these materials are publicly accessible for these limited purposes, they may not all be in the public domain. Users are responsible for determining if permission for re-use is necessary and for obtaining such permission. Individuals who have concerns about online access to specific content should contact the Rubenstein Library.

Before you visit:
Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Black Student Alliance records, 1969-2019, Duke University Archives, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

Permalink:
https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m15105