Washington State Rising

Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest

Marc Arsell Robinson

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Year: 2023
• Print ISBN: 9781479810406
• eBook ISBN: 9781479810413
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Higher Education
• Index: Social Sciences

Documents the origins, actions, and impacts of the Black Student Union in the state of Washington during the tumultuous late 1960s.

Washington State Rising documents the origins, actions, and impact of the Black Student Union (BSU) in Washington from 1967 to 1970. The BSU was a politicized student organization that had chapters across the West Coast and played a prominent role in the student wing of the Black Power Movement. Through accounts of Black student struggles at two different college campuses in Washington, one urban and one rural, Marc Arsell Robinson details how the BSU led highly consequential protest campaigns at both institutions and beyond, which led to reforms such as the establishment of Black Studies programs, increased hiring of Black faculty and staff, and new initiatives to recruit and retain students of color.

Washington State Rising is the first book to document 1960s Black student activism in the Pacific Northwest and includes extensive oral history interviews with former BSU members. Robinson uncovers new insights into Black politics, locating the Black Power Movement in Seattle, Washington, a city and state not typically associated with 1960s black protest. At once fascinating and revelatory, Washington State Rising provides historical insights for current and future social justice activism.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction: Evergreen “Ungawa” and the Black Power Movement
• 1. Seattle and the Foundations of the Black Student Union, 1940s–1960s
• 2. “You Done Really Changed”: The BSU at the University of Washington, Fall 1967–Spring 1968
• 3. “We Tired of Y’All’s Half-Stepping”: The BSU’s May 1968 Sit-In and Its Aftermath
• 4. “Never Just a Tea Party”: The BSU and Black Power at Washington State University, 1967–1968
• 5. “Well, Glenn-Baby, What’s Up Now?”: The BSU and Black Studies at Washington State University, 1968–1970
• Conclusion: “Fighting for Our Freedom Was Exhilarating”
• Acknowledgments
• Notes
• Index
• About the Author