Back to Results
Photograph

Police watching Black Student Union (BSU) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) protest on Seattle Community College's Edison campus, Seattle, 1969

Order an Image
In 1969, Seattle Community College (SCC) faced boycotts, demonstrations, and rioting in protest of disparities in funding and academic focus between the College's central campus, located near the city's Black residential area, and the north and south campuses, located in predominantly white neighborhoods. Out of $33 million in capital funds for the three campuses, the central campus, located on Capitol Hill near the Central Area, was slated to receive only $2 million, and "the most menial of vocational offerings." The protests also objected to the lack of African American representation on the Board of Trustees of the college.

On May 22, protesters marched on three SCC facilities: the Edison South building, Summit building and the administration building at 1718 Broadway. The next day there were additional protests and confrontations with police, culminating in brick throwing and tear-gas. The students demanded that a white trustee resign and an African American be appointed to the Board of Trustees. On May 27, trustee Carl Dakan resigned, and on July 24, Governor Dan Evans appointed African American Marvin E. Glass to the SCC Board of Trustees.

This image shows the shoes of a police officer blocking access to the SCC's Edison South Building. The figure in the center with left arm raised is A. Frank Williams, SCC student, Black Student Union chairman, and Navy veteran speaking to the crowd of protesters.

Handwritten on sleeve: B.S.U. and S.D.S. invade Edison and Summit campuses of S.C.C.
Date photograph was filed at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (date of photograph and file date may differ by a month or more): May 22, 1969.

Caption information source: Seattle Times, May 23, 1969, p. 8
Caption information source: "Governor Dan Evans appoints Marvin Glass to Seattle Community College Board of Trustees on July 24, 1969," by David Wilma, HistoryLink.org Essay 2036
Caption information source: http://depts.washington.edu/civilr/BSU_intro.htm
ID Number: 1986.5.50743.1
Date: 1969
Creator(s): Barlet, Tom, Photographer
Physical Description: 1 acetate negative : b&w ; 35 mm
Credit: MOHAI, Seattle Post-Intelligencer Collection, 1986.5.50743.1, photo by Tom Barlet
Copyright: All Rights Reserved