Cornell's President Skorton Reflects on '69 Events

At an April 17 event commemorating the Straight takeover, Cornell's President David Skorton spoke about the meaning and impact of those events forty years past.

At Cornell and elsewhere, Skorton noted,

"the Straight takeover spoke to the frustration and lack of empowerment that many students of color were feeling." He noted that despite Brown v. Board of Education and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, "in the late 1960s, people of color were poorly represented in American higher education, and most particularly in the most selective institutions. Unfortunately, but undeniably, it remains a challenge that we continue to face."

After speaking at the Africana Center, Skorton marched with students to several sites connected with the '69 events, and then on to Willard Straight Hall. The full story by George Lowery is on Cornell's "Chronicle Online" here.
That site also has links to several other related stories.

Cornell Daily Sun Retrospective on 1969

On April 16, the Cornell Daily Sun published a retrospective on the 1969 events, titled "Forty Years Later: Assessing our Progress" at this link. The special issue features retrospective analysis by current Sun reporters; interviews with and reflections by participants and observers at the time of the Straight takeover (including an interview with Tom Jones); a reflection on the fate of Cornell professor Clinton Rossiter; a story on the photojournalism of the event; a timeline; and photographs.

40th Anniversary Panel at Cornell

The Cornell Daily Sun hosted a panel in Ithaca last weekend to reflect on the events of April 1969. The panel included Zach Carter ’72, who participated in the Straight takeover; Robert Gottlieb ’72, who witnessed it and was one of the first students on the Board of Trustees; former English Professor Dan McCall, who taught the first Black literature class at Cornell; David Burak ’67, who was a grad student and president of the Students for a Democratic Society; and Professor Robert Harris, Africana studies, former vice provost for diversity. The panel was chaired by Ed Zuckerman ’70 and Stan Chess ’69, former Sun editors in chief, who questioned the panelists.

The discussion revealed that even forty years after the fact, the events of that spring are still contentious. The Sun's report on the panel, "Straight Takeover Still Ignites Heated Debate," is at this link.

April 20, 1969 Extra Edition of Cornell Daily Sun

My freshman roommate John Berkoben sent me a saved and yellowed copy of the Cornell Daily Sun "Extra Edition" from April 20, 1969. I post here a scan of the the top half of the front page, with the headline "Black Students Seize Straight." The paper reports that the weather that day is sunny, high near 50. The Extra Edition is 4 pages, and cost 10 cents! (You should be able to expand and read the image by clicking on it).

It is fascinating to read these stories, and the Sun's editorial, which begins: "The occupation of Willard Straight Hall yesterday morning by members of the Afro-American Society was an irresponsible action, unsoundly motivated and setting forces in motion that may wreak harmful consequences on black and white Cornellians alike."

I do not know if the current editors of the Sun are planning to reprint all or part of this issue in their commemorative edition this week. But if they do not, and some of you would like to see more of the stories, statements and photos in this issue of the Sun, let me know and I will post more next week.

Current Cornell Student Journeys Back to 1969

Matt, a junior at Cornell and the photography editor for the Cornell Daily Sun, has an interesting post on his blog about his perusal of 1969 issues of the Sun, in preparing the special issue of the newspaper commemorating the WSH events. His post is at this link.. This Sun's special supplement will be published next Thursday, April 16.

Cornell '69 Commemorative Events

The Cornell Press Relations Office has sent me the following list of events scheduled for this spring, in connection with the 40th anniversary of the Straight takeover events.

The ALANA student group is having events starting the week prior to commemorate the anniversary. Below is their tentative schedule. The contact is Iris Delgado (imd3@cornell.edu).

Monday, April 13th: posters will be on the Arts Quad with facts and pictures of the WS TO

Friday, April 17th, 5pm: Beginning at Africana Center, Eric Acree will be speaking about Africana Library and the ways in which it has been a vital role in the WSH TO as well as explaining any false ideas students may have about Africana's formation. The walk will continue to Wari House with a member of the Wari House speaking of its history and its role in the TO. We will then go to Old Africana site while Ken Glover will speak of its history, and then finish at WSH with a group picture and the banquet. Speakers contacted are: Lucy Brown, Dr. Turner and Alexis de Vaux. One or two possible Sun members may also join the panel.

Saturday, April 18th: There is a tentative collaborative lunch with Wari House Alums. Details to be determined.

Sunday, April 19th: The Welfare Poets will be performing. Location is to be determined due to the conflict of Cornell Days.

Other than that:


There will be displays in the Africana Center, Uris Library, and I believe Willard Straight.


Gary Stewart's "East Hill Notes" April show will include interviews with Ithaca residents who lived here in 1969 and an interview and tour of the Straight with Kent Hubbell. This is aired on a local Ithaca cable channel, as well as taped and posted to CornellCast at this link.

The Chronicle will include articles.


The September issue of Ezra Magazine will include info about the takeover, but primarily focus on the Africana Center's 40th anniversary.


There is a NYC WSH TO Meeting on April 17. Renee Alexander in Alumni Affairs and Development is the contact. Gayraud Townsend '05 (former Ithaca councilmember) is the organizer. Takeover alums are being invited. Cornell ILR Prof. Nick Salvatore is one of the NYC event invitees. Nick was at Cornell for the takeover and he has been involved in chronicling it over the years, and apparently he is planning a book.


The Cornell Alumni Magazine's April issue features the TO. The end of the article has a place for comments. I hope we can have a spot on cornell.edu linking to it that will encourage more people who were around in 1969 to add to this archive. See this link.

Crystal Sarakas from WSKG has been in contact with us about doing a radio program.

This may also be of interest to you--the library's collection of images connected to the takeover a this link.

Thanks to Linda Mikula from Cornell's Press Relations Office for putting this together and sending it on.