Black Liberation 1969 Archive

Narratives of Black Student Protest at Swarthmore College

In the forty-five years between the events of 1969 and the creation of this archive, there have been a few accountings of the events that transpired. One of these articles appeared in Life Magazine in the spring of 1969, and narrated the events through the lens of Courtney Smith's death. Two of them appeared in Swarthmore College publications -- published in 1987 and 2014 -- and described the so-called "crisis" of 1969 as one of many important points in Swarthmore's history. A fourth article was written by Clinton Etheridge for the College Bulletin and provided his perspective on SASS' actions. 

This exhibit also contains a selection of narratives from students enrolled in Black Liberation 1969 using the documents in this archive.