5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ... ACTIVISM: A Black & White Snapshot of the Bursar's Office Takeover

This docupoem reflects on Northwestern's Bursar's Office Takeover

The year is 1968:

5 years from the March on Washington 

4 years from the Civil Rights Act

Now, 3 white signs declaring the March has not concluded 

2 white cars parked in front of another act of Civil Rights 

All this, leading to 1 brick building with a bustling crowd at its front steps

A Black & White filter furthers the feeling of oppression

Color stripped away and pushed aside

Trees frail and slim like the chances Black students succeed at this institution 

Inside, Black students are trapped, surrounded by the watchful eyes of whites

Victory nowhere to be seen on the grey horizon 

Inviting the violent views, vigilant visionaries take a stand

Sitting in that brick, ivy-covered building: The Bursar's Office Takeover

Making their own path where one was not visible.

The year is 2026:

Now, I sit in the spaces created by students before me with similar faces

To break free and own their color in a Black & White world.

Teetering on the Wildcat Wall between past and future 

Like the Black people occupying that brick building before me

The B100* tilted the balance, building a foundation for the brilliance and beauty of Blackness to be seen.

The B100 refers to the 100 or more Black students who were involved in Northwestern’s Bursar's Office Takeover in May of 1968. These students took over the building of 619 Clark Street for 38 hours, which was then the Bursar's Office. In light of the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. four days prior, this protest opposed the mistreatment of Black students and demanded that Black students be fully recognized as Northwestern students. Advocating for access to the same opportunities as white students to create a sense of belonging and community. The Takeover led to the establishment of what is now the Black Studies department, an increase of Black faculty and students, adequate financial aid, spaces like the Black House and a dedicated Black student union, among other things.