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Student African American Society Collection

An inventory of the collection at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Halsey Van Allen
Date: 2022

Revision history:

Historical Note

The Student African American Society (SAS) is a student organization at Syracuse University. It was founded as the Student Afro-American Society in spring 1967 during the civil rights movement when there were only approximately 150 Black Syracuse University students. The shift from "Afro-American" to "African American" in the name occurred around 1988, although it was inconsistently applied by local newspapers for a period afterward. SAS is the largest and one of the oldest Black student organizations at Syracuse University.

The organization has always had political activism as one of its central values. During its early days, SAS lacked the funding and meeting facilities of other student organizations. In the late 1960s, SAS's intangible goals were to improve Black unity on campus and the experience of the Black student, and its tangible goals included the establishment of an African American Studies (AAS) Department, annual funding from the University, and a Black cultural center. These goals were represented in their Ten Demands, which they issued in front of the Tolley Administration Building, now Tolley Hall, on March 14, 1969. SAS is also responsible for the creation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) Memorial Library in Sims Hall, where the AAS Department has historically been housed. MLK Library was founded in 1971 as an extension of the AAS Department. Through determined protests, SAS's tangible goals were achieved by 1971.

Of SAS's subcommittees, one of the most notable was the Freshman Action Committee (FAC), which worked independently and with the Syracuse University administration to recruit Black students to the University, organize freshman orientation events for Black students, and help them overcome the barriers keeping Black people out of higher education. In coordination with the admissions department, SAS members visited high schools and provided support for Black students' applications. FAC was very active throughout the late 1960s and 1970s. The subcommittee's goal was to increase Black student enrollment to 10% of all undergraduates, compared to 2.7% Black student enrollment in 1968-1969. This goal was unsuccessful, but because of FAC, applications from Black students increased 50-75% over the year before.

Throughout its history, SAS has called out and protested the University's periodic neglect of the needs of Black students and the commitments it made in the late 1960s. In 1974, the Black cultural center was asked to relocate to a smaller shared building so the 900 block of Crouse Avenue could be torn down for new University buildings. In 1989, the AAS Department had been lacking a chair for multiple years and Sims Hall was in poor condition, with leaking and falling ceiling tiles that even led to the temporary closure of MLK Library. Sims Hall was renovated in 1995, but in 2019-2020 Black student-led protests again demanded, among other things, a new Black student center. SAS has continued to advocate for change and protest the treatment of Black students and faculty by the University as a community and administrative body.

In addition to its political activism, SAS is well known for its programming, which includes inviting prominent speakers to campus and (co)sponsoring events and panel discussions. Notable invited speakers to SAS-sponsored events include Huey P. Newton, Shirley Chisholm, Ossie Davis, Louis Farrakhan, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Common. SAS has historically viewed bringing Black speakers to campus as an extension of its political activism and a benefit to the entire Syracuse University community.

Scope and Content Note

The Student African American Society Collection comprises a photograph of a 1969 student protest, Student African American Society (SAS) event and meeting posters, an SAS flier, and a Syracuse University press release. The SAS flier reintroduces the Black Artist League, a subcommittee of the organization, and the Syracuse University press release announces a Black freshman orientation weekend in 1975 that was cosponsored by SAS. The photograph was taken on March 14, 1969 depicting SAS rallying after members marched from SAS headquarters at 119 Euclid Avenue, then Beebe College, to the old administration building.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions for this collection.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The University Archives holds a number of files in its Clipping Files relevant to this collection including the Student African American Society, African American Studies Department, Black student activism, and Black student experience files. The Archives also contains material related to this collection in the Syracuse University Poster Collection and the Constance Timberlake Papers.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- Student African American Society.

Subjects

African American students.
Student activities.
Student protesters.
Students -- Political activity.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Fliers.
Photographs.
Posters.
Press releases.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Student African American Society Collection,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Photograph was the gift of Dana J. Harrell in 2021.

Processing Information

Along with the donated photograph, materials from the Syracuse University Student Organizations Reference Collection and selected materials from the University Archives' Student African American Society clipping file were combined to form this collection. The photograph was placed in a mylar sleeve and all materials were placed in archival folders.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged alphabetically.

Table of Contents

Records

Inventory