Campus Alert Archive
SF State

133 Days That Created Black Studies: The Longest Campus Strike in U.S. History at SF State

CAcivil unrestemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On November 6, 1968, the Black Students Union and the Third World Liberation Front at San Francisco State College launched what became the longest student strike in U.S. history, lasting 133 days until March 20, 1969, to demand the creation of the nation's first Black Studies department. Acting president S.I. Hayakawa declared a state of emergency on December 2, 1968, and ordered mass police deployments; on 'Bloody Tuesday' hundreds of club-swinging officers attacked a large rally, injuring scores of students and bystanders. The strike ended when the university agreed to establish a School of Ethnic Studies, home to the first Black Studies department in the United States.

Alerts
4
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
San Francisco State College
Public Masters · CA
~18,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

4 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTother
Approximate reconstruction254 chars
The Black Students Union and Third World Liberation Front have called a student strike. Classes and university operations are disrupted. Administration urges all students and faculty to report to their classes as normal. Police are monitoring the campus.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The immediate catalyst for the strike was the suspension of English instructor George Mason Murray, a Black Panther Party Minister of Education, who had encouraged Black students to bring guns to campus for self-defense
The BSU presented 10 demands including creation of a Black Studies department with degree-granting authority, increase in Black student enrollment, and Black faculty hiring; the TWLF added 5 more demands for other ethnic communities
No electronic mass notification system existed at SF State College in 1968; the administration communicated through posted notices, radio, and department-level faculty announcements
UPDATEPA System
Approximate reconstruction237 chars
A state of emergency is in effect at San Francisco State College. All demonstrations and unauthorized gatherings are prohibited. Police officers are authorized to enforce order. Classes will not be interrupted by unauthorized activities.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

S.I. Hayakawa was appointed acting president on November 26, 1968, specifically because the trustees and Governor Reagan wanted a hard-line administrator to end the strike by force; he enthusiastically obliged
On December 2, Hayakawa famously jumped onto a sound truck from which strikers were broadcasting, and ripped out the wiring of the amplification system, becoming a national hero to conservatives
The December 2 'Bloody Tuesday' saw hundreds of police officers club a large rally at the Speakers Platform; students threw dirt, cafeteria mugs, and whatever was available in return
UPDATEradio
Approximate reconstruction221 chars
More than 400 people have been arrested on campus today. Police have cleared the campus. Classes are suspended for the remainder of the day. Students should leave campus property. The state of emergency remains in effect.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

January 23, 1969, saw the largest mass arrest of the five-month strike, with more than 400 people arrested and processed by San Francisco police
The American Federation of Teachers also struck the campus during this period, with more than 50 AFT members setting up informational picket lines in support of the student demands
The strike required deployment of the Tactical Squad, the California Highway Patrol, and local police departments over its 133 days; the total cost to the state in law enforcement was estimated in the millions of dollars
ALL CLEARradio
Approximate reconstruction224 chars
The student strike has ended. An agreement has been reached between the administration and student representatives. San Francisco State College will establish a School of Ethnic Studies. Normal campus operations will resume.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The agreement on March 20-21, 1969, established a School of Ethnic Studies that included what became the first Black Studies department in the United States, a direct fulfillment of the BSU's central demand
The 133-day SF State strike remained the longest student strike in U.S. history and became the template for Black Studies and ethnic studies programs at hundreds of institutions nationwide
S.I. Hayakawa's notoriety from the strike propelled him to election to the U.S. Senate in 1976 as a Republican from California, riding a wave of conservative backlash to campus unrest
Context

Background

The San Francisco State College student strike of 1968-1969 began November 6, 1968, and lasted 133 days, making it the longest student strike in U.S. history. The Black Students Union's 10 demands and the Third World Liberation Front's 5 additional demands centered on creation of a Black Studies department, increased enrollment of students of color, and hiring of Black and Third World faculty. The strike was triggered by the suspension of English instructor George Mason Murray, a Black Panther. When acting president S.I. Hayakawa was appointed on November 26, the strike escalated: he declared a state of emergency on December 2, famously ripped the amplification wiring from a strikers' sound truck in an act that made him a conservative icon, and ordered mass police deployments that produced hundreds of arrests and 'Bloody Tuesday' violence. The American Federation of Teachers also struck in solidarity. On January 23, 1969, more than 400 people were arrested in the largest single-day bust of the strike. The strike ended March 21 with the university agreeing to create a School of Ethnic Studies. By the early 1970s, more than 500 African American studies programs had been established nationwide, a direct legacy of the SF State strike. No electronic mass notification system existed at SF State in 1968-69; all communication relied on bullhorns, posted notices, radio, and word of mouth.
Analysis

Key Findings

The 133-day BSU/TWLF strike at San Francisco State College, November 6, 1968 to March 21, 1969, remains the longest student strike in U.S. history
The strike succeeded in establishing the first Black Studies department and first School of Ethnic Studies in the United States
No electronic mass notification system existed at SF State in 1968-69; communication relied on bullhorns, posted notices, and radio
The mass arrests, police violence, and acting president Hayakawa's hard-line response made the strike a national flashpoint and template for both student activism and administrative counter-tactics at universities nationwide
Outcome
The strike ended March 20, 1969, with SF State agreeing to create a School of Ethnic Studies. By the early 1970s, more than 500 African American studies programs had been established at U.S. colleges and universities, largely through the activism that grew from the SF State strike.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Source
    Third World Liberation Front strikes of 1968 - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  2. Source
    The Campus Walkout That Led to America's First Black Studies Department - HISTORY
    history.com
  3. Source
    50 Years After: The Student Protests at San Francisco State - NPR Code Switch
    npr.org
  4. Official
    Remembering the Strike - SF State Magazine
    magazine.sfsu.edu
  5. Source
    STRIKE! Concerning the 1968-69 Strike at San Francisco State College - FoundSF
    foundsf.org
Tags
civil-unrestproteststrikeblack-student-activismcivil-rights-erapre-cleryno-alert-system19681969historicalcaliforniablack-studiesethnic-studieslongest-strike
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion