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On May 4, 1970, 100 years after Syracuse University’s founding, thousands of students gathered on the Quad to rally for an end of American involvement in the Vietnam War, and advocate for the Black Panther Party’s principles of combating police violence.

Set against the backdrop of political unrest, the civil rights movement of the late 1960s and SU’s centennial, the student protests left a legacy that continues today, according to “Shut It Down”, a commemorative digital exhibition created by the SU Libraries archives. The exhibition, released this year, is accessible online via the SU Libraries website, and physical materials are available on the sixth floor of Bird Library.

Library archivist Vanessa St. Oegger-Menn, the primary curator for the project, researched materials from SU’s archives, including administrative and personal memos, student publications and strike flyers to create the exhibit. She said she strived to examine the major events and actions of the time in-depth rather than just constructing a timeline.

“It’s kind of just trying to bring things together in a way that we’re not necessarily interpreting the material, but we’re trying to present it in a way that lends itself to folks – drawing their interpretations and understanding of that archival material,” said St. Oegger-Menn, who is also the curator of the Pan Am Flight 103 Archives.

SU students formed The Strike Committee of the May 4th Coalition as part of a national movement that organized protests across college campuses. The committee produced and distributed flyers and protest materials that are now part of the digital exhibition.

“They were just running off flyers and newsletters and bulletins,” St. Oegger-Menn said. “Selecting a sample of those that really showed the spirit behind what these protests were and how the student leaders were getting the word out was kind of a challenge.”

Kiran Ramsey | Daily Orange File Photo

The series of protests continued into a strike that lasted through the final two weeks of the spring semester of 1970, with students abandoning classes to attend sit-ins and teach-ins about the Vietnam War, anti-draft movement and Black Panther Party. Though the protests were mainly peaceful, some students vandalized and destroyed property and constructed barricades, St. Oegger-Menn said.

“[The teach-ins] really came to make up what the demands were, but then there was also the interplay between the student activists and the university and just sort of how the students also orchestrated their participation in this massive nationwide movement on college campuses,” St. Oegger-Menn said.

The library produced “Shut It Down” in conjunction with “A Courageous Stand: The Story of the Syracuse 8,” which focuses on protests against racial discrimination in SU football. SU Libraries has also released digital exhibitions about other aspects of SU history, such as previous chancellors and presidents, the tradition of SU sports rivalries and fashion at SU over the years.

St. Oegger-Menn said that “Shut It Down” serves as a reminder of the power of protest that is still relevant today.

“Our current students are involved in issues that matter to them and are trying to find ways to make their voices heard, to communicate effectively about what they would like to see in terms of community change,” St. Oegger-Menn said. “Looking at the legacy of how students did this before is significant.”

Published on May 5, 2022 at 12:48 am

Contact Stephanie: spwright@syr.edu