On this date, in 1969, more than 80 Cornell Afro American Society members took over Willard Straight Hall, Cornell University’s student union.
The takeover had been prompted by a reprimand of three Black students for an incident the previous December and a cross burning (both incidents occurred the previous day) in front of the Black women's cooperative and other cases of alleged racism. A deal was eventually cut between protesters and Cornell administrators, and the students left the building a day later.
Five days later, a counterprotest occurred when 16 professors decided not to teach until order was restored at Cornell.
