In the spring of 1968, after endless requests to increase the population of Black students, faculty and staff at Rutgers-Newark were denied, Black students of Rutgers-Newark barricaded the doors of Conklin Hall. Professor Clement A. Price, today Board of Governors’ Distinguished Service Professor of History at Rutgers-Newark and director of the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience, was at the time a professor at Essex County College. In this interview with Samantha Perkins of the Black Organization of Students (BOS) at Rutgers-Newark, he talks about the protests and how people of color will progress socially, economically and financially in America.
Were you a professor at Rutgers University at the time of the takeover by the Black students at Conklin Hall?
No, I was a professor at Essex County College; in fact, that was my first year as a professor. But I came to Rutgers-Newark to protest in support of BOS.
The late 1960s caused a lot of grief for the Black community with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, not to mention that America was in the midst of the Vietnam War. Do you think these situations only heightened tensions between Blacks and whites at Rutgers University?
Yes, the late 1960s was a period of energized consciousness because of Dr. King’s assassination. There were the 1960s riots in Newark, as well as in other cities with a high population of Blacks, which caused high racial tensions. The “Black protest movement” at Rutgers was used as a rhetorical device because in the late 1960s there was resistance to Black students at this school. For Rutgers, being a state college, there were very few resources designed to assist needy students. It was a very emotional period.
What is your opinion on the Black students’ population of Rutgers in terms of their consciousness levels now, compared and contrasted with those in the late 1960s?
Black students historically have been deeply concerned with the social injustices that hinder Blacks’ receiving quality treatment like their white classmates. There is now a diversification of interest, which is different from when Black students attended here 30 years ago. There has been a positive change with Black students being considered matriculated students at the Rutgers campuses, although I feel that there are not nearly enough Black professors teaching at Rutgers University.
What is your opinion about the Black Organization of Students at Rutgers? Do you feel that they are keeping up with their part to help their community, or do you feel they are not as active as they used to be?
BOS used to represent Black American students; now this particular group represents the African Diaspora. There are more social arrangements now. I believe that the Black organizations are doing an excellent job in terms of being active within the campuses. The issues that Black students faced in the late 1960s have been changed for the better, so this new generation does not have to be nearly as aggressive as it used to be in the past. What I do notice now is that Black students in these times when passing each other in the hallways do not say hello or even smile at one another. In the late 1960s, Black students would greet each other by saying hello or putting up a fist, which symbolizes Black power.
What form of changes do you feel need to be made at Rutgers now?
I feel that there need to be more professors of color from the Hispanic, Asian and African communities. Rutgers should also develop more Ph.D. programs; such as one for African and African-American Studies.
Where do you feel Black people will be financially, economically and socially in the years to come?
African Americans will be in better shape. Most Black Americans are now in the middle class and have been since the middle of the last century. Blacks will become more assertive. I see the Black community being in a good position. I do, however, worry for those Blacks who are not in the middle class. If these families do not have access to good housing, their plight will be difficult.
Thank you for your time, Dr. Price. Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
I think there is still a great role for BOS to play. Had it not been for BOS Rutgers-Newark, Rutgers University would have delayed longer its diverse student population.
Clement A. Price is Board of Governors’ Distinguished Service Professor of History at Rutgers-Newark, where he is also the director of the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience. Samantha Perkins is a student at Rutgers-Newark and a member of the Black Organization of Students.
