THE BLACK AND WHITE BEHIND THE BLUE AND WHITE: A HISTORY OF BLACK STUDENT PROTESTS AT PENN STATEA Thesis by Robin Hoecker (2001) submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a baccalaureate degree in Bachelor of Philosophy with interdisciplinary honors in Communications and African and African-American Studies.
In April of 2001, members of Penn State’s Black Caucus and their supporters occupied the student union building for ten days. The protest was initially caused by overt racism in the form of death threats to black student leaders, although the underlying reasons for protest were ongoing problems concerning racial tensions on campus as well as curriculum deficiencies at the university. Black student protests occur at Penn State on an approximate ten-year cycle that began as early as 1948, with major disturbances in 1960, 1968, 1979, 1988, and 2001. This study used document analysis to examine each set of protests with regards to the national context, the racial climate at the university, the initial cause, the chronology of events, and the results. This historical perspective reveals many similarities among the demonstrations, and establishes a pattern. Some possible causes for the protests are the demographic characteristics of Pennsylvania, the rural location of the university, and the failure of the majority white community to understand alienation felt by many black students. A photo-documentary of events from the 2000-01 academic year shows the personal struggles of the black students involved and emphasizes the need for university and community action.