For a larger, pdf. version of this page, use the link here:   1972 protest in 20th century room

1972 Protests and the Creation of a Black Library

Last week’s post focused on the Twentieth Century Room in Burling Library, that existed from 1958 to 1982. This week’s items offer a glimpse into how and why that particular space became central to students protests over racism and inclusivity at the College. Frustrated by the lack of institutional change that had followed an earlier round of protests in 1970—in which black students had negotiated with the administration over a series of reforms, including the creation of black cultural center, a black library, a black studies major, a new admissions board, and target goals of dramatically increasing the size of Grinnell’s black student body—a group of students and faculty “commandeered” the Twentieth Century room in order to transform it into the promised black library, that had yet to materialize.  This page, from the S&B,  offers some images and context surrounding the event, including an interview with Virginius Thornton III, a professor of History and American Studies at Grinnell, who participated in the protests, and who was an important figure in the activism of the 1960s (he was a co-founder, for example, of SNCC, the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee). The Twentieth Century Room did, in fact, become the home of the college’s black library, until 1982, when Burling was remodeled, and the black library collection was moved to its current location.