By Lev D. Zilbermints
Call it Round 2, five years later after Round 1.
Students at Seton Hall University are demanding that the school administration support the African American Studies program. According to a flyer distributed by the Protect AFAM Collective and Movement, at the start of the Fall 2022 semester, there was one full-time faculty member. Now, in Spring 2023, there are none.
According to the flyer, “This is not a new fight at Seton Hall. Black students organized and protested to establish the Africana Studies Department, which was established in 1978 with five full-time faculty. Students reignited these demands most recently in 2018 in a movement called Concerned 44. Students occupied President’s Hall for 8 days and 7 nights, making them impossible to ignore. The students eventually received answers to some of their demands. Unfortunately, Black students on SHU’s campus are still organizing to receive fundamental resources that we are entitled to. There has been no substantial change from admin(istration)…”
Protest begins May 3, spread. South Orange and Ward entrances to Seton Hall blocked by students
On May 3, students took over President’s Hall. The Setonian wrote in its May 6 online edition that “donations from the local community continue to arrive: toothbrushes, sleeping bags are expected to get here soon.” “Local Talk” visited the building on May 5. The building itself is full of students who are studying for finals, texting their families, resting, talking, or doing other tasks. Students were careful to keep the building clean and orderly.
On May 5, protests spread. Students blocked both the South Orange and Ward Street gate entrances to the Seton Hall University campus. Peoples Organization for Progress, a Newark-based group, joined SHU students in their protest. “Local Talk” arrived in the evening of May 5, when POP had left already.
About 25 students and their allies wearing hoodies sat on the pavement. They were blocking the entrance to Seton Hall University. This entrance is located at the intersection of Centre Street and South Orange Avenue. Students had warm blankets and shawls to protect them from the cold.
Signs reading, “We can’t wait… We need professors now!” “Never Be Limited by Other Peoples’ Limited Imagination!” “We Will Not Back Down. Power to the People. Protect AFAM!” “The Future Is Black. Let’s Keep it In Tact.” “We Deserve a well-Rounded Education. Protect Our AFAM Program At SHU.”
South Orange Police put orange cones and a SOPD barrier to mark the boundary of the protest. As cars honked in support, students cheered, raising clenched fists in the air.
Student Demands
According to the flyer distributed by students, “Seton Hall University’s protest policy is a direct attack on our First Amendment rights (freedom of speech and freedom of assembly). We demand that any and all participants of Protect AFAM demonstrations be pardoned from any and all punishment proposed by Seton Hall University policy.”
A total of seven demands are listed by the Protect AFAM group and their allies.
The second demand includes a cluster hire of 3-4 full-time professors at a minimum who are experienced and recognized as Africana professionals.
The third demand is that the Africana Studies Program be reinstated as a department that is fully funded and supported by the institution by Spring 2024.
The fourth demand is the hire of a full-time tenured director of the Africana Studies program. This hire will not be included as part of 3-4 full-time professors.
The fifth demand is the inclusion of Africana Studies students to serve as liaisons with voting power on the search committee for new directors and professors.
The sixth demand is to have both increased and truthful advertisements for AFAM (African American Studies program).
The seventh demand is to have Black House be reinstated physically as a safe space for black students and a center for the organization of the Black Caucus.
Students speak out
“Local Talk” interviewed Tawanna Brown, a sophomore Africana Studies/Political Science major. Ms. Brown told “Local Talk” that AFAM (African American Studies) “came out of Concerned 44. Our demands are very similar. Asking for the Africana Studies Program to be supported and reinstated.”
According to Ms. Brown, the university is not doing anything to support AFAM.
“The university has strategically pushed out our professor. We do not have enough professors to teach (African American) classes. Was one in the Fall 2022 semester, none now. This is what we are fighting for, to get more professors,” Ms. Brown told “Local Talk” on May 4.
AFAM has an account, protect.afam.shu on Instagram.
“Local Talk” asked Ms. Brown about the reaction of the university to the protest.
“First thing the University did was address punishment” for the protesters, Ms. Brown said. Moreover, the University’s governing organ, the “Board of Regents did not allow students to address their grievances” at its March 2023 meeting, Ms. Brown said.
Students have told both “Local Talk” and the Setonian, the student newsletter, that the administration does not want to negotiate with them. One student, who asked to be anonymous, told “Local Talk,” “since December 2022 we have had a lot of meetings with the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and other administrators. There were no positive results. This led to the students protesting.”
Another student, also asking for anonymity, said, “We met with President (Joseph E.) Nyre in December 2022. He said it is all based on logistics.”
The Setonian reported in its May 6 online edition that the students told a similar story. According to the Setonian, an anonymous student said that the movement has been intentionally misled by campus leadership. “We’ve been meeting since December,” the Setonian reported the student as saying. “They’ve (University administration) been intentionally misleading us, hoping we will burn out. President’s email last night (May 5), all cap.”
“Local Talk” spoke to a Seton Hall student on May 5. Asked what is so difficult about Seton Hall administration asking students to help with recruiting for the African American Studies program?
“Exactly. That is why we are here,” the anonymous student said. The anonymous student explained that the administration did not want to cooperate with students in recruiting potential students for the Africana Studies program.
According to the anonymous student, “Fast Forward program is for low-income students. The Equal Opportunity Program is for minority students. They are supposed to bring students.”
However, it looks like the administration is not making any effort to recruit more potential students.
“Students who are in the Africana Studies, they (administration) still don’t make an effort to retain them,” one of the students at the protest said.
