February 2011

The Library has decided to highlight the 1970s for Black History Month. This is an important decade in American history and in Black History in particular as cultural awareness and attention to racial heterogeneity were brought to the forefront of black thought and the struggles for equality. Black History Month was first celebrated in February 1976. It grew out of Negro History Week, initiated by Carter G. Woodson 50 years earlier. Throughout the 1970’s many people across the country, and students in particular, began pushing for change in American institutions. Growing out of the seeds that were planted in the 1960’s, people demanded equality, but also recognition of their unique cultural experiences. Chatham University was aware of these political sentiments and many students were actively involved on campus. In 1969 the Black Student Union was formed and demands were submitted to then President Dr Edward Eddy to address the concerns of the minority student body. The university welcomed and acknowledged the views of the students as took action to remedy grievances. Chatham proudly brought many black authors to speak or perform on campus, including LeRoi Jones, Nikki Giovanni, Ntozake Shange, and Alex Haley. In 1976, four more courses were added to the existing two that had been created in 1970 under the title of “Black Studies”. The courses have changed over the years to reflect student interests and contemporary political thought. TodayAfrican American Studies can be found under “Cultural Studies”, an umbrella discipline focusing on Gender as well. Check out the display located on the first floor of the library to see just a few books that reflect this time in history. Many more materials are available in the library’s general collection as well as in the Wendell Wray Collection. If you are interested in the Wray collection or the history of Chatham University contact Rachel Grove Rohrbaugh, the university archivist. Browse our catalog or ask a librarian to learn more about our nation’s history, artists, and intellectuals.