In the late 1960s, Madison College experienced two dramatic changes: it finally began to admit Black students and to allow men students to live on campus. This decade, the 1960s, is remembered by Americans as a time of grassroots protest movements led largely by young college students, but the actual climate on most campuses, especially in the rural South, was quite conservative. At Madison, activist students in a group called Harambee created an underground newspaper, The Fixer, and flooded the hallways and staircases of Wilson Hall asking for anyone wanting change to stand up with them. However, this group, like other student organizations, was run entirely by white underclassmen. The lack of racial diversity in student-run organizations meant that Black voices were minimized. The formation of the Black Student Alliance (BSA) offers insight into the history of desegregation at Madison College and shows how their efforts helped make this institution more inclusive and welcoming to all people.
The BSA was founded in 1969 by a small handful of students, all of whom identified as Black or African American. The organization grew but its size remained representative of the demographics of Madison College throughout the 1970s: Black students comprised only 1.2% of the total student body and the BSA never surpassed 5% of the total enrollment of Black students. Though small, the BSA created a sense of community for a broader group that, at the time, struggled to feel they belonged on the predominantly white campus. With a mission statement centered on the wants and needs of Black students, the BSA also worked on bringing African American pride and heritage to the forefront of Madison College.
The Bluestone, 1975. Image from JMU Special Collections.
The BSA worked to make Madison more inclusive to African American heritage and their effort to bring a Martin Luther King Day celebration is one of their first efforts. On January 15th of 1970, the BSA organized an unofficial march to celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, a national movement sponsored by New Mobe. The march was to begin at Wilson Hall with students and members of the community marching all the way to the court house. These marches continued yearly with student and community speakers participating and expanding the yearly demonstration at Wilson Hall, despite the College’s lack of formal acknowledgement of the holiday and participation in organizing a march. However, James Madison’s administrative refusal boiled over in 1999, when students protested having to attend classes on the day. Today, students have MLK Day off as a nationally recognized holiday and can participate in a celebration at Wilson Hall organized by the Center for Multicultural Students Services (CMSS).
The Breeze, April, 6, 1973. Image from JMU Special Collections.
Although the goal of the BSA was to build an alliance with Black and white students, the club remained composed of only African American students, and the majority is AA students today. However, in 1973, the BSA was approved to hold speakers, concerts, and film nights for an entire week in April, titled Black Emphasis Week. Famous African American poets and professors spoke during the week and there were concerts that showcased African American influence in music that were held in Wilson Hall for all students and faculty to enjoy. This was a milestone for the BSA as African Americans were formally given a chance to express their own identity and see a reflection of themselves at Madison College. Black Emphasis Week was seen as a success and expanded further in 1975 with a larger budget and more social recognition among all facets of Madison’s community outreach. The mission statement was concise and represented the goal of this week-long event stating that the mission was to “provide recognition for Blacks on campus and to foster Black awareness among its members.” Black Emphasis Week expanded as the years went on and in the 1980s, the Black Emphasis Week had expanded to cover the entire month of February.
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