They Demanded Courageously

On April 22, 1968, members of Black student organizations, For Members Only (FMO) and Afro-American Student Union (AASU), submitted a list of demands to university administrators. These demands challenged the pervasive discrimination that Black students faced. When the administration did not adequately respond, more than 100 Black students took decisive action. On May 3, 1968, they occupied the Bursar’s Office, the university’s business office, in a protest that lasted 38 hours. The Bursar’s Office Takeover marked the first major student-led protest in the University’s history. As a result of the protest and ensuing negotiations, Northwestern agreed to implement several of the students’ demands, including the creation of advisory boards to influence recruitment of Black students, the review of financial aid, support for open housing in Evanston, the provision of a Black counselor, and establishment of both a Department of African American Studies and a dedicated Black student union, now known as the Black House.