Washington State Rising: Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest - Softcover

Robinson, Marc Arsell

Softcover

ISBN 10: 147984022X ISBN 13: 9781479840229

Publisher: NYU Press, 2025

Synopsis

Documents the origins, actions, and impacts of the Black Student Union in the state of Washington during the tumultuous late 1960s.

Washington State Rising documents the origins, actions, and impact of the Black Student Union (BSU) in Washington from 1967 to 1970. The BSU was a politicized student organization that had chapters across the West Coast and played a prominent role in the student wing of the Black Power Movement. Through accounts of Black student struggles at two different college campuses in Washington, one urban and one rural, Marc Arsell Robinson details how the BSU led highly consequential protest campaigns at both institutions and beyond, which led to reforms such as the establishment of Black Studies programs, increased hiring of Black faculty and staff, and new initiatives to recruit and retain students of color.

Washington State Rising is the first book to document 1960s Black student activism in the Pacific Northwest and includes extensive oral history interviews with former BSU members. Robinson uncovers new insights into Black politics, locating the Black Power Movement in Seattle, Washington, a city and state not typically associated with 1960s black protest. At once fascinating and revelatory, Washington State Rising provides historical insights for current and future social justice activism.

About this title

About the Author

Marc Arsell Robinson is Associate Professor in the Department of History at California State University, San Bernardino.

Edition details

• Publisher: NYU Press
• Publication date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 147984022X
• ISBN 13: 9781479840229
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224