On April 19, 1969, Cornell students made history when they occupied Willard Straight Hall after a year long struggle for a more inclusive and diverse University. 33 hours later their courageous stance led to the establishment of the Africana Studies and Research Center— an internationally acclaimed institution that has been a leader in the field of Africana Studies ever since.
42 years later, the struggle continues… On December 1, 2010, Provost made a unilateral autocratic decision to subsume the Africana Studies and Research Center to the College of Arts & Sciences by July 1. Not only has Cornell University failed to outline a detailed plan of action, it is also evident that the decision was made without open consultation and discussion with the faculty and students of the ASRC We stand resolute in our solidarity with the Africana Studies faculty in opposition to Provost Kent Fuchs’ brazen and appalling attempts to undermine the Africana Center with a hasty and unilateral decision to reposition this institution— relegating it to the status of a “unit” within the College of Arts and Sciences. For more information: Our official campaign website has a lot of information, please check it out http://saveasrc.blogspot.com/p/campus-activism.htmlOur online petition: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveafricana/ has been signed with over 2000 people including Ali Mazrui, Cornel West, Kimberle Crenshaw, Charles Ogletree, G. Okihiro, the Late Manning Marable etc… Follow us on twitter @SaveAfricana In Solidarity, Awuor, member of the Save the Africana Center- Action Committee
