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SmitHistory
Thirty-eight years ago,
on May 5, 1970, Smith College participated in a nationwide
protest of the war in Vietnam. The events became known
as the Strike of 1970 (photos courtesy of Smith College
Archives). For more information about the Strike of
1970, see under
the entry "Women's
War Work."
More than 300 students gathered
on Davis Lawn and voted to strike, joining campuses across
the United States. The students protested President Nixon's
decision to invade Cambodia, racial injustice in the
United States, the Black Panther trials, and the student
deaths at Kent State University and Jackson State College. |
During the spring of 1970,
Smith, like other American schools, suspended classes
and exams in protest of the Vietnam War and domestic
racial injustice. Students planned mass demonstrations,
educational fora, trips to Washington, D.C. to meet with
political representatives, and working groups to discuss
issues. A majority of students and faculty members supported
the strike. |
Professor of Government Donald
Robinson (pictured here), along with students and other
faculty members, formed the People's Lobby, which sought
to "give effective political expression to the determination
of students and faculty members at Smith College to change
the course of American policy in Indo-China and at home." |
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