Police arrest Black Student Union member John Cleveland during the student strike that began in 1968 at San Francisco State College. Credit: San Francisco State University Photographic Timeline Project, Photo by Nacio Jan Brown
San Francisco State College suspended classes in response to a strike that began a month earlier. Students, faculty and local activists carried out the strike to call for equal access to higher education, for more senior faculty of color and for a curriculum that would embrace the history and culture of all people.
The Black Student Union and a coalition of other student groups led the strike. Clashes between the students and San Francisco police tactical squads made national news. The strike lasted five months, longer than any other student strike in higher education history in the U.S.
As the result of the strike, the college established departments of Black Studies and Ethnic Studies, leading the way for universities across the nation.
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The stories of investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. His stories have also helped free two people from death row, exposed injustices and corruption, prompting investigations and reforms as well as the firings of boards and officials. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a longtime member of Investigative Reporters & Editors, and a winner of more than 30 other national awards, including a $500,000 MacArthur “genius” grant. After working for three decades for the statewide Clarion-Ledger, Mitchell left in 2019 and founded the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting.
