Black Student Experience
In the wake of a broader civil rights movement across the U.S. along with the legalization of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the late 60's marked a significant period of advocacy for policy change and uproar of race-based activism. These social narratives remained true for Black students attending Washington University in Saint Louis. Jonathan Weaver, BSBA '72, faced isolation and racism in describing encounters of racialized language in lack of respect, like being called "boy" instead of his name within his dormitory.
Some students like Robert Johnson experienced similar isolating experiences noting that racial hostility from faculty was faced by many within his program. In 1967, Johnson was admitted as a member of the Consortium for Graduate Study in Business for Negroes. This program maintained the goal of increasing Washington University's Black student population; within this initiative, there were seven students enrolled at Washington University and 14 others enrolled at various universities.
Due to the unified prejudice and commonality of experiences faced by Black students within this campus, Johnson and about thirty other students formed the Association of Black Collegians (ABC) with Johnson serving as president; ABC formed just within one month of Johnson attending as an on-campus student. The goal of ABC was to address police harassment, organize and strengthen Black students on campus, and authenticate narratives of Black students.