Dr. Jesse Parks and protesters outside of Administration Building (May 14, 1969)
Description:
This slide shows Dr. Jesse Parks, a faculty member at Springfield College, leading a group of Black student protesters out of the Administration Building. The three men behind Parks are John Woodruff (left of him) and Robert McCarthy (right of Parks), with Woodruff and McCarthy both giving the closed-fist “Black Power Salute.” In the crowd lined up to greet the student protesters is Gloria Williams (second from the left facing Parks), who worked for the Concentrated Employment Program (CEP), a Great Society program that aimed to aid members of communities where unemployment rates were highest to find jobs. The students occupied the building for 12 hours to protest the prejudices suffered by the Black community and lack of response to their demands. The image was published on May 15, 1969 in the Springfield Daily news. The event took place on May 14, 1969. Legacy Alumni of Color idenfication on June 8th, 2021: Dr. Jesse Parks (center w/ bullhorn) leads SC Black student activists out of the Administration Building. To Parks's left is John Woodruff. To Parks's right (wearing a dashiki) is Robert (Bob) McCarthy, one of the student protesters. In the crowd lined up to greet the student protesters is Gloria Williams (second from the left facing Parks), who worked for the Concentrated Employment Program (CEP), a Great Society program that aimed to aid members of communities where unemployment rates were highest to find jobs.
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