The North Hall takeover at UCSB is an event that I, Cynthia George, will never forget. 1968 and the years leading up to it was a period of great reform and along with that came a flurry of emotions ranging from great confidence to great fear. The event at North Hall was no small endeavor that was planned overnight. This came up through countless nights of careful planning and was brought on as a result of years of neglect, oppression, and injustice toward the Black student community. The North Hall takeover was the Black student community "assertively seeking change" on campus (Biondi, p.13). We were not interested in trying to integrate ourselves into the university, we wanted the university to be relevant to the needs of the Black community (Biondi, p.22). The students were fed up with their lack of representation on campus and wanted the school to know that not only did they have a voice, but they also had power and were a force to be reckoned with.
I personally was an active member in the Black student community. Immediately after my arrival to campus I was contacted by Tom Crenshaw (who was an occupier during the takeover) and taken to Murad Rahman's place to begin organizing and planning activities to spread awareness of injustices on campus (Awakening, p.50). Now even though I was an active member, I cannot take credit for what happened in North Hall because I was not in North Hall. The planning and execution was fully done by men so I did not even know when the event was going to take place until the day it happened (Awakening). However, the moment I knew that the men had taken North Hall, I felt great fear inside me for I knew that people were going to try to stop them and I was going to do everything in my power to slow them down (Awakening, p.52). I supported them because I knew the campus was about to face a huge transformation and I could see it happening as the takeover took place.
I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to prevent the school or the police from stopping the takeover. I made it very clear that I was not a non-violent reformer who was just going to get pushed around (Awakening, p. 51). Regardless of my size or physical capabilities, I was going to make sure that the men inside the building were protected. My personal philosophy did not align with those who practiced non-violence. My views were afrocentric in that I practiced cultural nationalism (Awakening, p.57). I was no pacifist and I was not about to let people step all over me. I knew that this was risky for me. Supporting them from the outside came with some consequences which is why I felt such great fear once I knew that the men had taken over the building. I had never felt such fear before because I knew that I was going to let myself possibly be harmed in order to give the men the time they needed (Awakening, p.52). This risk was worth it because I knew all of the men inside and I knew that they needed support and protection. If they did not have support from their fellow community members, then there was no way that the school would take their cause seriously.
I was also willing to take the risk because I knew that I was not alone in supporting them. I could see that students, not only Black students, had recognized their effort and were willing to take the risk to support them. This is how I could tell that their takeover had been a success. Some had even taken the risk to enter the building with them (Awakening, p.54). They wished for change too and this was their way of showing that this was everyone's business, not just the Black students'. Their success was confirmed when the chancellor agreed not to suspend the students as long as they cooperatively exited the building (Awakening, p.55). We knew that our power had been felt and we managed to make a strong impact.
This demonstration was a learning experience for all the students and staff of the university. We all learned that we could spark change by uniting together and demanding that something had to be done.
I personally was an active member in the Black student community. Immediately after my arrival to campus I was contacted by Tom Crenshaw (who was an occupier during the takeover) and taken to Murad Rahman's place to begin organizing and planning activities to spread awareness of injustices on campus (Awakening, p.50). Now even though I was an active member, I cannot take credit for what happened in North Hall because I was not in North Hall. The planning and execution was fully done by men so I did not even know when the event was going to take place until the day it happened (Awakening). However, the moment I knew that the men had taken North Hall, I felt great fear inside me for I knew that people were going to try to stop them and I was going to do everything in my power to slow them down (Awakening, p.52). I supported them because I knew the campus was about to face a huge transformation and I could see it happening as the takeover took place.
I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to prevent the school or the police from stopping the takeover. I made it very clear that I was not a non-violent reformer who was just going to get pushed around (Awakening, p. 51). Regardless of my size or physical capabilities, I was going to make sure that the men inside the building were protected. My personal philosophy did not align with those who practiced non-violence. My views were afrocentric in that I practiced cultural nationalism (Awakening, p.57). I was no pacifist and I was not about to let people step all over me. I knew that this was risky for me. Supporting them from the outside came with some consequences which is why I felt such great fear once I knew that the men had taken over the building. I had never felt such fear before because I knew that I was going to let myself possibly be harmed in order to give the men the time they needed (Awakening, p.52). This risk was worth it because I knew all of the men inside and I knew that they needed support and protection. If they did not have support from their fellow community members, then there was no way that the school would take their cause seriously.
I was also willing to take the risk because I knew that I was not alone in supporting them. I could see that students, not only Black students, had recognized their effort and were willing to take the risk to support them. This is how I could tell that their takeover had been a success. Some had even taken the risk to enter the building with them (Awakening, p.54). They wished for change too and this was their way of showing that this was everyone's business, not just the Black students'. Their success was confirmed when the chancellor agreed not to suspend the students as long as they cooperatively exited the building (Awakening, p.55). We knew that our power had been felt and we managed to make a strong impact.
This demonstration was a learning experience for all the students and staff of the university. We all learned that we could spark change by uniting together and demanding that something had to be done.
Hi Kavya,
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting piece of writing on Cynthia George's perspective of the North Tower Takeover. Since I chose to write in the shoes of Murad Rahman, it was very interesting to see the contrasts between those fighting on the inside and those fighting on the outside of North Hall. One thing I found interesting about your blog is that although Cynthia George makes it clear that they could have used pacifistic tactics, she shows that aggressive behavior would ultimately spread awareness for the injustices on campus.
HI,
ReplyDeleteI also chose to write from the perspective of Cynthia George, and I must say that I enjoyed your writing. I feel that you really captured her character in your retelling of the events. I especially liked how you took time to explain her feelings toward non-violence in this situation and that it was further fueled by the support of those surrounding her that weren't in the tower. I also mentioned this in my piece, but I know that mine could have benefited from greater detail on the subject.
Hi Kavya!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your essay through the perspective of Cynthia George. I chose to write about her as well. You wrote eloquently and concisely. I liked your use of citations; makes it very clear where you got your information from. Good closing sentence, pretty powerful.