Sometimes we have to do the work,
even though we don't yet
see a glimmer on the horizon
that it's actually going to be possible.
Greetings. I'm Terrance Harris, Director
of the Lonnie B. Harris
Black Cultural Center.
Today, we're going to take you on
a journey of the untold stories
African-American students here at
Oregon State University and
their fight for social justice and
racial equity on this campus.
This is the BCC,
a place of refuge, liberty and life.
Join me as we take
a journey and learn
more about this person.
I had this building.
April 2020, marked the 45th anniversary of
the Lonnie B. Harris Black Cultural Center
at Oregon State University.
Its mission is to support
OSU's Black students and to
educate the campus and local community
on the histories and
legacies of black people.
The Center's establishment was
a direct result of
the 1969 Black Student Union walkout.
And since opening its doors in April of 1975,
it serves as a beacon
for racial and social justice on
the OSU campus and
in the Corvallis community.
Lonnie B. Harris served
as the first director of OSU 's
Educational Opportunities Program
developed in 1969.
His impact ignited a spirit
of Black pride and liberation,
opening the door for blackness that
become relevant at Oregon State University.
The campus gates are symbol of
the 1969 Black Student Union walk out.
One of OSU's earliest racial justice protests,
and certainly it's most renowned.
The OSU Black Student Union
was founded in the fall of
1968 to provide a unified voice
to Black students at the university.
The walkout and
related protest from early 1969
brought light to the struggles faced by
OSU's issues Black students
and other students of color.
OSU's iconic basketball arena,
Gill Coliseum
has several connections to OSU's
fight for social justice and racial equity.
It opened in late 1949
and was formally named for Armory T. Gill,
OSU's basketball coach
from 1929 to 1964.
Gill's teams were very
successful over the years,
but he was criticized late in
his tenure for not integrating his team.
During the 2017-18 school year,
OSU engaged in
a process to consider renaming
five buildings
because the potential association
to racists and racism,
Gill Coliseum was one
of the buildings evaluated.
After an in-depth review of Gill's,
efforts have recruiting black athletes,
it was decided not so renamed the coliseum,
at the time.
As part of the University's
centennial celebration in 1968-69,
it sponsored a series
of centennial lectures in
late February of 1969
to be given in Gill Coliseum.
One of the lectures was given on
February 25th by Dr. Linus Pauling, renowned
chemist and two-time Nobel Peace Prize winner
and OSU's most famous to alumnus.
During the lecture,
members of the Black Student Union and
other students interrupted the lecture
with the peaceful sit-in.
Gill Coliseum was also the site of
the OSU's November 2015
students of colors Speak Out an event that again,
brought to light the injustices
and barriers is encountered by OSU's
Black students, and other students of color.
The event was attended by
more than 500 persons at Gill Coliseum.
A primary outcome that speak out was
the creation of the
Office of Institutional Diversity.
It was just like super, super
important to get those student voices out.
Because after the Speak Out,
a lot of administrators
reached out to us and we're like,
wow, I didn't know that this was going on
on campus and were, like,
completely shocked at the things that students were
saying was going down in
classrooms and happening
in other parts of campus and
was shocking to me that they didn't know
For several decades.
The Memorial Union quad,
literally the heart of campus,
has also served as the focal point for
numerous student gatherings,
protests, demonstrations,
and sit-ins to address issues ranging
from tuition increases to the Vietnam War,
to racial and social justice.
What empowered me
that I wasn't given
because of the color of my skin. It drives me to work harder
so that there's no question about why I'm here.
If I can lead a march, if I can talk to people,
if I could educate those around me,
then, that's really what's empowering me.
I feel like I can make a little change here.
And in the long-term
that's going to make
a change for other people.
Yeah, the social justice movements of the past and
present have inspired me and my work
in various ways. For these tangible aspects,
whether it was the summer at my
internship at Nike,
or just being able to move
into this new platform with other student
athletes in Dam Change
or daily conversation that we're having,
we're seeing, we're seen happen right now,
or even just as a testament
I heard some of my brothers like Adam, Mateo, Joel Shungu
who went to D.C., just seeing the work that they did out there
and just the testament that everyone could have
And it's moments like these from the past that connect
with the present Actually inspiring day to day
Where do I see OSU's
future in this this movement:
one, I want to see more love
for all mankind on our campus.
I also want to see more opportunities for
the Black communities in all people of color.
And lastly,
I want to see more Black faculty- staff members on
our campus with good pay
because these people also
have families to take care of.
I see OSU's feature as creating
a mandatory anti-racist
Black history class for all students to go to.
I feel like so far this conversation has been
between a lot of Black people,
Think it needs to become a conversation
for everyone in our community.
I also hope and am
optimistic for a more Black staff so I
think that looks like professors,
head coaches, counselors,
In order to support the Black Students on campus.