Disrupt, Defy, and Demand: Movements Toward Multiculturalism at the University of Oregon, 1968-2015

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man

This essay explores the history of activism among students of color at the University of Oregon from 1968 to 2015. Students pursued democratizing and diversifying curriculum and support services through institutional reform. Beginning with the Black Student Union’s demands and proposals for sweeping change, including a School of Black Studies, it traces how later coalitions in the 1990s pressed the university toward culturally pluralistic policies, while situating these efforts within Oregon and Eugene’s documented racism and exclusion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Campus activism and the 2015 rally

The 12 demands and Black Student Task Force

Continuity with 1968 proposals

Overall impact on curriculum and institutional structures

UC Berkeley Berkeley Review of Education Title Disrupt, Defy, and Demand: Movements Toward Multiculturalism at the University of Oregon, 1968-2015 Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zq0b64q](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/3zq0b64q) Journal Berkeley Review of Education, 9(2) Author Patterson, Ryan Publication Date 2020 DOI 10.5070/B89242323 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Available online at [http://eScholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://eScholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre) Disrupt, Defy, and Demand: Movements Toward Multiculturalism at the University of Oregon, 1968–2015 Ryan Patterson William & Mary Abstract This essay explores the history of activism among students of color at the University of Oregon from 1968 to 2015. These students sought to further democratize and diversify curriculum and student services through various means of reform. Beginning in 1968 with the Black Student Union’s demands and proposals for sweeping institutional reform, which included the proposal for a School of Black Studies, this research examines how the Black Student Union created a foundation for future activism among students of color in later decades. Coalitions of affinity groups in the 1990s continued this activist work and pressured the university administration and faculty to adopt a more culturally pluralistic curriculum. This essay also includes a brief historical examination of the state of Oregon and the city of Eugene, Oregon, and their well-documented history of racism and exclusion. This brief examination provides necessary historical context and illuminates how the University of Oregon’s sparse policies regarding race reflect the state’s historic lack of diversity. Keywords: multicultural, activism, University of Oregon Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Ryan Patterson. Email: [rbpatterson@email.wm.edu](rbpatterson@email.wm.edu) Berkeley Review of Education Vol. 9 No. 2 Patterson Disrupt, Defy, and Demand “Black lives matter! Black lives matter! Black lives matter!” Those three words reverberated across the University of Oregon’s campus on November 12, 2015 as hundreds of students gathered outside Johnson Hall, the university’s central administration building. Students held signs proclaiming, “None of my professors look like me” and “We need equity”(Daily Emerald, 2015, 0:44) . At times students chanted in unison; at other times students wielded megaphones to share their lived experiences as students of color attending a predominantly White institution. Together, those students demanded better representation and institutional support on behalf of marginalized groups on campus. After the rally, Black student leaders gathered in a lecture hall and planned their next steps. As they discussed the problems they endured on campus, one of the students began to make a list. Not long after, the group of students had created an action plan that included 12 demands for the university’s administration. These 12 demands captured key obstacles they regularly encountered: (a) There were too few Black students and faculty;(b) financial aid and scholarships for Black students were paltry; and (c) every day many Black students attended class in Deady Hall, a building named after the University of Oregon founder and staunch slavery advocate, Matthew Deady. Four days after the rally, a group of 10 Black student leaders, who became known as the Black Student Task Force, sent the list of demands to the university’s president, Michael Schill. After the list of demands became public, the Black Student Task Force received a call from an alumnus, Johnny Holloway, who attended the University of Oregon in 1968 and served as president of the Black Student Union (Matsumoto, 2016) . Holloway told the Task Force that in 1968 he, too, wrote a list. This list, which the Black Student Un

FAQs

What period and issue does the essay examine?

It examines student activism among students of color at the University of Oregon from 1968 to 2015, focusing on movements toward multiculturalism and institutional reform.

What prompted the 2015 action and demands?

In November 2015, students gathered outside central administration, then leaders developed an action plan including 12 demands addressing representation, financial support, and the symbolic and practical realities of campus race.

How does the essay link activism in 2015 to earlier efforts in 1968?

After 2015 demands became public, the Black Student Task Force obtained a 1968 list from archives. The essay shows the lists were strikingly similar, highlighting continuity in student goals and approaches over decades.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Mary Man