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Raw Footage of a Press Conference on the Amherst College Takeover

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Williams, Wilburn Plimpton, Calvin

Description

Raw footage of a press conference about the peaceful takeover of several buildings at Amherst College by members of the Five College Black Community. Part of the Black Student Movement, these protestors sought to improve the black experience at the Five Colleges through institutional changes. They demanded increased representation of the black experience in the curriculum, increased support for the Five College Black Studies Program, increased black student enrollment and financial aid, and the implementation of black studies departments. This recording includes initial reactions to Amherst College takeover by bystanders and by an unnamed campus administrator. The footage starts with background conversation about the order of the speakers and the scheduled arrival of student leaders. An unidentified male speaker representing the administration answers some questions about the events on Amherst's campus and how the administration will react to the students' actions. Wilburn Williams, representing the students, reads a statement voicing their demands. President Calvin Plimpton of Amherst College responds in a statement and answers questions from the press. All of the colleges, except Mount Holyoke College, began to immediately enact changes after the protest.
Type:
Sound
Format:
Unedited Event Coverage Sound Recordings
Rights:
Rights status not evaluated.Contact host institution for more information.
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Record Contributed By

WFCR

Record Harvested From

Digital Commonwealth