Black History and the HistoryMakers at Simmons University
Over the past year and a half away from Simmons, one of the things I missed the most was the Multicultural Center. The Multi is one of the main hubs where students of color can gather at Simmons, and it provides a space where we can hold meetings, discussions, and just commiserate with each other on attending a predominantly white institution. I met new and interesting people in the Multi, and I spent time in there doing everything from working on my assignments to sneaking in a quick nap between classes. The Multi was located in the basement of the Main College Building, in a side hallway, and some people complained that it was difficult to find, but I kind of enjoyed having it hidden away. Maybe it was the nerd in me that liked the idea of secret societies and hidden rooms, but I liked that you had to look a little to find it. Now, after a year of construction on the academic campus, the Multi has moved to the first floor of the School of Management building. There are a few pictures of what the new Multi looks like, and it’s much larger now, full of natural light. Seeing the images of the new space made me reflect on how grateful I am for the Multi and for all the people before me who advocated for students of color to have a space to themselves. One of the most important people in the history of Simmons and the Multicultural Center is Paula Ann Sneed, who is featured in the Digital Archive.
Paula Ann Sneed, when she was attending Simmons.
Sneed, during the time of her HistoryMakers interview.
Sneed graduated Simmons in 1969, and in her senior year, she was the President of the Black Student Union. That year would prove to be an important one in Simmons history, because the Ten Demands were created that year.
The Ten Demands grew out of a statement the BSO published to the Simmons faculty, where they talked about the lack of financial aid for Black students, the need for more Black faculty members and staff, and the absence of diversity in the curriculum. The BSO also called for a center where they could store their records and materials. The Ten Demands were presented to President William Park on April 25, 1969, and they called for changes in the curriculum to include the accomplishment and history of Black Americans, an increase in the recruitment of Black students, professors, and staff members, and that more financial aid be provided specifically for Black students. As Sneed says in her interview, “we went to the faculty and administration after having worked for two years trying to get people to pay attention to us and they didn't so we took over the president's office. I was president and we issued, we had ten demands, we went in and we told him he wasn't leaving until he signed them.” The BSO held a sit-in in the President’s office and refused to move until Park agreed to the changes in administrative policy. Group members also handed out flyers around campus to discuss the sit-in and the Demands. It was not until May 7th that President Park and the rest of the faculty formally accepted the Demands, and that changes started to be made. However, concessions were made. The Demands pushed for 20% of the incoming class to be Black, but it was eventually agreed that this number could be made up of Black students already attending Simmons. At the same time though, things were changing. 65% of financial aid that year was directed towards minority students, and William Sutton’s appointment to Vice President of Program Development helped to initiate the development of the Black Studies program. Sneed also says, “Part of the ten demands was setting up a watchdog committee of community members, students, faculty and administration to ensure that these demands were implemented. It was a very interesting situation because we all graduated, the seniors graduated. The next year there were juniors who were then going to be responsible for having this happen.”
Simmons Recruitment Poster
The rest of the Demands continued to be implemented over the next few decades. A Black Studies program was created, and Simmons continued trying to recruit Black students. On November 16, 2015, 100 student and faculty demonstrators hosted a sit-in to protest the mistreatment of students of color on campus. Later that afternoon, the protestors read aloud from their list of Ten Demands, among which included an increase in mental and physical health services for students of color, a multicultural center, the hiring of a civil rights lawyer, diversity training for faculty and staff, and changes in the curriculum to include more people of color. On November 19th, 2015, a public forum was held where students discussed their frustrations and concerns. Morgan Ward, President of the BSO, presented the 2015 Ten Demands and emphasized the necessity of administrative support.
The 2015 Ten Demands
Over the next six months, plans were made to coordinate a Student Health Advisory Committee to support students of color and advise the Counseling and Health centers were made, staff and faculty diversity training was planned, and financial aid workshops were discussed. The Simmons Multicultural Center opened on January 31st, 2018. It took forty-nine years for a center of any kind to be established for students of color at Simmons, and though it took a long time, I am nonetheless grateful that it is there. I hope that the sophomores who didn’t get to come to campus last year and the incoming freshman enjoy the Multicultural Center as much as I have.
