Black Studies: Education in Action

In 1974, 100 black students set out for the Chancellor's office to protest the appointment of Ronald Smith as chairman of Black Studies instead of Curtiss Porter. This demonstration lasted 4 hours to get an agreement with the administration.   

On January 15, 1969, The Black Action Society (BAS) held a sit-in in the computer center in the Cathedral of Learning. During this demonstration, the Black Action Society presented the University of Pittsburgh with 5 demands, including the creation of a Black Studies Department. 

After many heated discussions and protests by the Black students in the University of Pittsburgh, in 1969 the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Council finally approved the Black Studies Department (later renamed Africana Studies). 

The late 1960s was a time of change across college campuses. Many protests brewed a storm, but one key point that the protestors wanted to emphasize was the importance of a Black Studies department. Students and other community members at the University of Pittsburgh took part in these protests and constantly explained to the administration why a Black Studies department for the Black community was important. They argued that Black Studies would help develop a body of Black knowledge both in the University and Black communities and everyone would be able to learn more about the daily combination of deprivation, oppression, and Black spirit that lives in Black people throughout the world (see Black Paper for Black Studies). In 1969, they finally became successful when the Faculty of Arts and Sciences approved the program. The original Black Studies Program was centered around the themes of awareness, catharsis, Black functioning, development, and liberation. They also offered initiatives, such as exchange programs with different countries in Africa. Now called the Africana Studies Department, they offer an Africana Studies major and minors that include classes like West African Dance, History of Jazz, and Black Consciousness. They also offer study abroad programs to Ghana and Cuba.