“We Demand” (text)
We Demand:
1. A school of Black and Puerto Rican studies
This school will be controlled by the community, students and faculty. The courses and programs offered at this school will be totally geared to community needs. For the first time, we will be able to study our true past history in relation to our present condition. We will know our heroes and our culture, which has been denied us by the present racist society. The school will bring about an increased understanding of the political, social and economic forces, which work to exploit us in this society.
2. A freshmen orientation for Black and Puerto Rican students
Since Black and Puerto Rican children are alienated and destroyed in the New York city school system, by the time that those few of us reach College. We’d find that we suffer from many basic problems. For example, because of racist attitudes of the teachers throughout the City. Our children turn out graduating from high school without being able to read, write, or do simple mathematics. These racist teachers teach our children that they are inferior and not worth educating.
3. That the Seek students have a determining voice in the setting of guidelines for the Seek program, including the hiring and firing of Seek personnel
Seek is a program which recruits Black, Puerto Rican and other minority people who otherwise would be unable to afford a college education and the opportunities which are opened by such an education. Yet there is fault to be found in the program. The fault is that teachers, counselors and tutors are not really accountable to the Seek students. What the students demand is that they have a determining voice in setting the guidelines for the Seek program, including the hiring and firing of Seek personnel. For up to now, Seek Personnel has not been accountable to anyone.
4. That the racial composition of the entering freshmen class be racially reflective of the high school population
This demand is the most important of our demands. At present, Blacks and Puerto Ricans comprise 40% of the high school population. Yet at City College (now renamed Harlem University). There are only 9% Blacks and Puerto Ricans and 91% whites (Day Session)––even though City College is located in Harlem, which is 98% Black and Puerto Rican. Along with these shocking figures comes the fact that 95% of all Black and Puerto Rican people are working class people and pay for all schools including the colleges directly through their taxes. Beyond the fact that we pay for the college and are excluded from them is the abuse to which our children are subjected in the High Schools. At present the schools with the aid of their racist teachers force our children to drop out at fantastic rates (84% of all Black and Puerto Ricans are forced to drop out). This forces our children to take the lowest positions in the society. Others are drafted against their will to fight a racist war in Viet Nam, which kills our children in far greater proportion than our numbers. The few that manage to struggle through are advised to seek vocational diplomas, general diplomas, and to join Job Core training centers, etc. This is done by the people who run the City to promote white privilege. That is, the ruling class forces our children out of the high schools so that their children can be the only ones to attend college. We demand that this abuse stop. Our new admissions policy would guarantee high school graduates a seat on the entering freshman class at City College, regardless of their high school grades. By high school graduates, we mean holders of all types of diplomas. Our new admissions would also allow people who have graduated in the past to attend college. Every person entering through our special admissions would receive checks and the proper courses to overcome individual deficiencies.
5. That all education majors are required to take Black and Puerto Rican history and the Spanish language
This demand is designed to deal with the attitudes of teachers towards Black and Puerto Rican children. City College produces 40% of the teachers in New York city. We find that a teacher will be better able to teach and relate to our students if he has some understanding of the social, economic and political oppression under which they live. The demand requires that he take a course in Black history and a course in Puerto Rican history. The demand also requires that teachers take Spanish in order to, in order that they be more effective when teaching Puerto Rican children.
Summary of Events
On April 22nd, 1969, a contingent of Black and Puerto Rican students moved onto City College, secured it and occupied it for two weeks. This was done to bring attention to the five demands that had been ignored since they were originally presented to the college administration six months ago.
During the two weeks negotiations were initiated and progress was made on three of the demands. Negotiators from the faculty and the president were represented and all agreed that the College should remain closed as long as the talks progressed. Former president Gallagher, negotiators J. Copeland (now acting president), Prof. Bierman and Prof. J. Schulman all signed a statement to that effect.
On the very day that our Special Admission demand had been completely presented and our research made available, the Supreme Court, in cahoots with puppet politicians (Mario Procaccino and Francis X. Smith), the Board of Higher Education and the College administration attempted to defeat undermine all progress by issuing an injunction and bringing the Police (pigs) on campus.
The College is now under police control (pig control). The violence that the media has projected has been totally inaccurate and irresponsible. The real issue is that New York City does not want to allow Black and Puerto Rican people in the colleges in direct proportions to the high school population.