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.
The protests began on February 26 with a peaceful five-hour sit-in by the Black Student Union (BSU) at the office of College president Dr. Ed Erickson. This image shows Black Student Union chairman A. Frank Williams, left, and others in the president's office waiting to speak with Erickson about Central Campus funding.
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 also derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
