Activism at Ohio Wesleyan University - On Racial Equality Again

On Racial Equality Again

Mary King, class of 1963, worked alongside the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the U.S. civil rights movement when she was a young student, and was a member of the staff of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Reverend Martin Luther King frequently spoke in the U.S. against the South African government in the 1960s, urging Americans to end trade and investments in that country. Following political activity by South Africa's blacks in 1985, the government declared a state of emergency.

The resurgence of campus activism regarding racism existing elsewhere in the world came in response to David Warren's, the 13th president, involvement in the issue. In his inauguration Warren stated: "If there is one phrase which I believe best characterizes our Wesleyan education, it is: 'Here I stand.' Within these three words of Martin Luther -- 'Here I stand' -- is compressed the whole of our historical endeavor..."

In the 1980s the most organized campus movement was against investments in companies doing business in South Africa. By February 1987, student political action had brought Ohio Wesleyan to pledge to fully divest any holdings connected to South Africa. The OWU Committee on Divestment was organized in 1988 and funded many activities related to its cause. It sponsored an Anti-Apartheid Week, candlelight vigils, and protest marches. One event which drew a lot of media attention was the 1988 demonstration before the Board of Trustees. Students carried a black and white paper chain as they climbed up the student union ballroom. As their leader announced "Divest!", students broke the symbolic paper chain.