Black Student Union and Afro-American Society Records

The Williams College Afro-American Society (WAAS) was founded in 1967 by the only black students enrolled at Williams: John H. Gladney, Jr.; David E. Jackson; Clarence S. Wilson, Jr.; and Don Jackson (Don Jackson did not graduate from Williams but still played a pivotal role in the establishment of the WAAS). In light of major national events at the time such as the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., and the war in Vietnam, the WAAS was propelled into action. After observing the lives of black students at other colleges such as Yale, Columbia, Dartmouth, Oberlin and Simmons, on March 12, 1969 the WAAS drew up a proposal with a list of potential solutions to the problems of institutional racism at Williams, including lack of representation in faculty, administration and curriculum. In the Spring of 1969 following the creation of this proposal, the WAAS and Williams faculty met to discuss the proposal and the WAAS leaders felt as though their concerns were dismissed and undermined. The WAAS, led by Preston Washington ’70, planned what would be a significant act of protest that would resonate within the college for years, the Hopkins Hall Occupation of 1969. The occupation came to an end with a meeting between Williams administrators, provost and professor Stephen R. Lewis ’60, and around three fourths of the student body. The college administration agreed to 12 out of the 15 demands previously set forth by the WAAS - which included the hiring of more people of color, the inclusion of new classes focused on Black History, and the active development of the Afro-American Society. It is not clear when the WAAS merged with, or transitioned into, the Black Student Union. There are records that indicate that the BSU was established around 1972 but it is possible that both of these organizations existed simultaneously and eventually merged, or perhaps the names were both used simultaneously before settling on the Black Student Union. According to the BSU’s website in 2016, its current mission is as follows: “In recognition that group solidarity and consciousness are important for the improvement of all peoples of African ancestry, that there is a need to create a foundation on which we can establish and sustain traditions unique to us, and that Williams College and other institutions have historically been inadequate in addressing our cultural, political, and social needs, we find the need for the establishment of the Williams Black Student Union (BSU). Our mission is to ensure that Williams students of color, especially students of African descent, have all the resources they need to thrive Williams academically, socially and emotionally, during their time here at Williams and thereafter.” For more information see: http://davis-center.williams.edu/files/2015/10/Black-Williams-A-Written-History-complete-edited-document.pdf