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Omowale Satterwhite

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Omowale Satterwhite (PhD Education, 1977), then a student at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, describes the events surrounding Taking the Mic in 1968, including the process of drafting the demands that were presented to the administration, his role in reading the demands on the day of the action, and the work of the committee that negotiated with the administration to implement them. Reflecting on his path to activism, Satterwhite recalls how the “political crucible” of the Bay Area in the late 1960s caused him to become politically conscious and committed to serving the black community, describes the involvement of Black Student Union members in East Palo Alto, and reflects on how the BSU enabled him to take his first step into activism.

Headshot of Omowale Satterwhite
Omowale Satterwhite. (Stanford Historical Society)

Interview Excerpt

Omowale Satterwhite describes some of the organizing by Black students at Stanford following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, eventually leading to the students taking the mic from administrators and presenting a list of demands.

Taking the Mic -- Omowale Satterwhite