San Francisco State Strike 1968, Black Students & Third World Liberation Front, [email protected]

San Francisco State College, a commuter school for working-class students, became the site of a bitter college strike in late 1968. Lasting five months, the strike saw over 80% of students supporting the action, largely due to the disparity in funding and educational opportunities compared to the University of California system.

Black students, alongside other people of color in the Third World Liberation Front, demanded fundamental changes to the class and racist nature of education. They sought an education that recognized the dignity of their communities and equipped them to return as teachers and social workers to address poverty and racism. Efforts to institute a black studies program were met with bureaucratic delays and lack of funding, leading to frustration and the belief that direct confrontation was necessary.

The demands of the black students and the Third World Liberation Front were declared non-negotiable and uncompromisable. Speakers emphasized that the struggle was about fundamental needs affecting their lives and communities. They argued against compromise, drawing parallels to how bankers and corporations operate without compromising, stating that liberation of their people was essential.

The video highlights a significant decline in black student enrollment at State College, from 12% in 1960 to 3% in 1968, attributing this to the 'tracking system.' This system, driven by corporate needs, sorted children based on IQ tests into college or vocational tracks, effectively limiting opportunities for working-class and minority students. The students demanded open admission for all applicants, a demand opposed by corporate interests who sought a readily available workforce and cheap labor.

The protestors articulated that liberation from oppression and racism required direct confrontation with the real power structures, represented by figures like trustees with vast corporate interests. They asserted that racism was a tool to divide the working class, making them easier for big business and government to control. They emphasized that real power meant direct control over their lives.

As students struggled, a common understanding of oppression emerged, leading to real human relationships replacing sterile authoritarian ones. After six weeks, the faculty union (AFT) joined the strike, fighting for student demands and their own trade union demands. They faced repression similar to other union struggles, including police intervention, political opposition, and court injunctions aimed at breaking the strike.

The video concludes with a powerful call for unity among the 'proletariat of the world' and a defiance against those who enforce the status quo. It criticizes those who comply with the system, urging resistance against the 'blue meanies' and emphasizing that the will of the people is stronger than the technology of the oppressors, echoing the words of Huey P. Newton.