Gerald Lenoir recalls blocking the entrance to Bascom Hall as students and police shuffled around him. To his left he saw a fellow student beaten by a police officer. He knew another who had gotten their academic scholarships revoked. He feared for his physical being and his academic opportunity, but he stood tall — peaceful knowing his protest was justified.
2019 marks 50 years since thousands of UW-Madison students, including Lenoir, marched in solidarity, demanding retention of black students, formation of a black studies department, support of a black cultural center and hiring black faculty.
The Black Student Strike was a movement built on outrage caused by racism nationwide and the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968.
In 1969, there were roughly 500 black students enrolled at UW-Madison. According to Lenoir, a majority of those black students, along with thousands of white students, participated in the Black Student Strike.
The strike lasted nine days, with students peacefully protesting during every moment, Lenoir said. Students continued their protest even as campus filled with police and National Guard officers, called in by then Gov. Warren P. Knowles.
Lenoir recalls police officers treating students with disrespect, despite their “disciplined, nonviolent approach” to the protest.
“The police knocked students over, beat students and took students to jail,” Lenoir said. “There was a lot of chaos and a lot of repression.”
The leadership of the movement kept Lenoir determined to push forward with the protest, despite his fear of police and university officials. He said leaders would keep other protestors informed about the outcomes of daily demonstrations and negotiations, which reminded him that his contribution was important.
“The police were brutal,” Lenoir said. “I was scared, but I was determined to be apart of the movement because it was righteous.”
Despite the sacrifices made, when the protest was over Lenoir said being on campus felt “exhilarating” because the protesters' demands were met. Following the strike, UW-Madison added an Afro-American Studies department and made a commitment to recruit more black students and faculty.
However, 50 years later, current UW-Madison student and co-chair of the Black History Month Planning Committee Breanna Taylor said the same issues protested by students during the strike have resurfaced.
Taylor said the Black History Month Planning Committee seeks an equal rights campus. She said the faculty and university officials must be more intentionally present, and that attending some of the events planned for Black History Month would be a good first step. She said UW-Madison should also advocate for students who may not be able to advocate for themselves.
Throughout February, Black History Month will be celebrated on UW-Madison’s campus with events remembering the Black Student Strike including a recollection of the strike, a protest self-defense course and protest art-making gatherings.
Lenoir said racism is still alive across the country and movements such as Black Lives Matter and university-run celebrations, such as Black History Month, must continue in order to transform our society.
“We’re still living in tough times,” Lenoir said. “But I think there’s a growing movement out there challenging it.”
