Black Philosophies of Liberation

During the spring 1969 semester, Black Swarthmore students organized and led a course called "Black Philosophies of Liberation." Later that semester, many of these students graduated with a concentration in Black Studies, even though Swarthmore College did not have an official Black Studies program.

Critics of Black student activism at Swarthmore argued that the 1969 and 1970 protests disrupted the intellectual, Quaker environment of the institution. However, these documents show that Black students connected the academic lessons of "Black Philosophies of Liberation" with their efforts to achieve racial equality on campus.

These documents were provided by Marilyn Allman Maye '69.