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BW|50+

INSPIRED BY THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OF AFRICANA STUDIES AT

WILLIAMS COLLEGE, HELD APRIL 4-7, 2019, THIS SITE EXISTS TO SUPPORT EXCELLENCE IN BLACK LIFE AND FOSTER COMMUNITY AMONG ALL WHO ARE CONNECTED TO WILLIAMS COLLEGE.

 

 

 

50th Anniversary Home  |  SPRING 2019  >  AFR50  >  Four Special Days  >  Overview

 

 

AFR50 A   S P E C I A L   A N N I V E R S A R Y   C E L E B R A T I O N

1969

2019

 

WHAT WAS AFR50?  |  FOUR SPECIAL DAYS  |  REFLECTIONS  |  THE 15 DEMANDS
 

FOUR SPECIAL

DAYS

OVERVIEW

 
DAY
1

SELECT
DAY
2

SELECT
DAY
3

SELECT
DAY
4

SELECT

 

 

Use the menu above to experience AFR50, day by day, and event by event.

We recommend you first read A Special History (below) and then The 15 Demands.

 

  A   S P E C I A L   H I S T O R Y

Hopkins Hall, 50 years after being occupied by Black Students at Williams.

In 1969, Black Students Took Over Hopkins Hall, the Administration Building at Williams College.

Why Did They Do It;

 and What Did They Achieve?

The first scheduled event of the Africana Studies 50th Anniversary Celebration was "The Call," which consisted of a gathering of mostly students at the front steps of Hopkins Hall.  The crowd was there to pay homage to the Black Students who seized control of the Administration Building in 1969.  Despite a series of windy gusts that added an unmistakable chill to the proceedings, roughly 50 spectators stood in a circle at the main entrance of the building, and listened to drummers play beautiful instruments, and orators recount moments of the takeover.  The occupying students called on the College to provide resources for a more Afro-centric social and academic life on campus.  Their demands, which took the Administration by surprise, included the establishment of a Black Studies Program.  Fifty years after that historic confrontation, Williams College has a vibrant Africana Studies Program, led by distinguished and respected faculty.  It is a program that unites students and alumni across generations in support of the College's pursuit of academic excellence.  Learn more about this special history through the links below.

A 50-YEAR ARC:  FROM FERVENT REVOLUTION TO JOYOUS REUNION

A Special History

Williams:

Pre-Occupation

The Occupation

The Rippling Effects

Homage

to the Occupiers
A Few of the Hopkins Hall Occupiers Return to Williams

Shown above are three Williams Alum who participated in the occupation of Hopkins Hall in 1969.  From left to right, Richard Jefferson '70, Kahlil Abdullah '72, Vernon Manley '72.  Joining the men, is Maria Washington, widow of Preston Washington '70. Preston also participated in the occupation with the support of his then wife, Maria.

 

 

 

BLACK WILLIAMS 50 PLUS is a presentation of Dan Perkins, a cultural historian and business diversity consultant; and a proud member of the Class of 1978.

Throughout his professional life, Dan Perkins has been a Minority Business Advocate (MBA); connecting people, businesses and communities for good.

Copyright 2019.  All Rights Reserved.