For the past 31 years, Boston College students of many different backgrounds have petitioned the administration for the improvement of particular academic disciplines concerning persons of color. This began in 1969, with the emergence of the Black Studies Program, which came about as a result of what some would say was; (1) related to Father General Pedro Arrupe's letter to Jesuit colleges and universities on the "Inter-Racial Apostolate," or (2) a result of negotiations between students and the administration after students shut down and took control of Gasson Hall. For BC to create such a program was a progressive move on the part of the University and BC should be applauded for becoming one of the first universities in the nation to create a Black Studies Program. However, we must remember, although it is a "hard pill to swallow," that the program was born out of protest and demands by students, in addition to the university living up to its Jesuit mission at the recommendation of Pedro Arrupe. Understanding this would assist us in our understanding of what black studies would face throughout its 30-year tenure. Over the years, students would petition the university to: (1) add more professors to the program, (2) add the program's courses to the universities' course catalogue, (3) to give the program more funding so that it could promote itself. Students understood that it was not enough to just create a Black Studies Program, but that it should also be given the same level of dignity and respect as any other academic discipline. Although there was no evidence of the malicious intent to not improve Black Studies, the University not moving forward with the improvement of the Black Studies Program could be characterized as benign neglect. When examining this dilemma one, must take into consideration: (1) the student protest and struggle that occurred in order to create the program, and (2) the culture of racial sensitivity created in America by the legacy of slavery, followed by Jim Crow-ism in the south and institutionalized racism in the north. Taking the latter into consideration, it becomes a moral obligation for students and administrators alike to give proper attention to the constant and steady improvement of the Black Studies Program.
Spring Break
