Protests in the '70s

“Strike Prevents Classes At Pratt” -NY Times

May, 14th, 1972

The New York Times Archives May, 14th, 1972

  • Student‐faculty strike and the take over of two buildings by dissident students

  • One group aimed at obtaining the removal of the school's president (Saltzman) by the 20‐member board of trustees

  • The other aimed at having the dean of students replaced

  • Both groups protested the administration's lack of sensitivity to student needs

  • They protested what they saw as President Saltzman's threats to close the school of engineering and science

  • Black students, angered over the incidents affecting them, blame Richard Streiter, the dean of students

  • 80 of the school's 464 faculty members supported the strike

May 18th, 1972

“Pratt Students End 8-Day Occupation”-NY Times

  • Eight‐day occupation of the Student Center by Black and Puerto Rican students

  • Ended when the school said that they would look into their demands

  • DeKalb Hall was still occupied with participants asking for President Saltzman and Dean Streiter’s removal

Though the articles are published 4 days apart, they are referring to the same strike.

“When they were talking about making demands it didn't sound like a strike originally they just wanted to make demands to the administration.”

-Connie Harold

"Black Student Union’s at different universities, we called upon them because of the black student population. I remember we had one meeting in North Hall and people from all over the city came to that and it was like this massive presence on campus, it was students from all these other universities."

-Pat Cummings



Connie says that part of the reason as to why the '72 strikes happened was due to the administration not caring about the students.