Part I of a documentary film produced for NET looking at how and why Howard University (Washington D.C.) was shut down by African American students, who occupied the Administration Building over four days in March 1968.


The disciplining of 39 students led to this initial protest but students are demanding a much wider review of issues relating to racial equality, black identity and power. Includes interviews with: President of the Freshman Class Michael Harris; College President James M. Nabrit, Jr. (1900-1997); Marie Brown Frazier (wife of E. Franklin Frazier); Samuel DeWitt Proctor and Dr. Nathan Hare as he trains on December 4th & 5th 1967 for a boxing match at the Washington Coliseum on December 29th 1967.


A group of actors and filmmaker Ben Land are also seen discussing a short film about "black awareness" which can be viewed in Part II. Note that a 20 second scene from a play by Frank Barbour called Auto Sacramental was cut from this web screener, due to copyright issues. This film was produced, written and directed by Dick McCutcheon, edited by John Carter, with Don Lenzer on camera and sound by John Payne and Eugene Smalls. Thanks to historical researcher and consultant Paul Lee for providing the first broadcast date of this film.