Exhibit celebrates student action

On Nov. 6, 1968, students at San Francisco State College went on strike. Their actions transformed the campus and influenced changes at universities throughout the nation. 

Our ongoing exhibition, “On Strike! Shut it Down! SF State Strikes of 1968–69,” includes photographs, video, documents, posters, and other artifacts that tell the story of how it happened.

Led by the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, a coalition of ethnic student organizations, the strike shut down the university for 115 days, attracting worldwide media attention and the consternation of politicians and administrators. It led to the creation of the College of Ethnic Studies — the first in the nation — and other enduring changes.

You can see the exhibition in the Special Collections Gallery on the fourth floor anytime — the doors are always open. To arrange a class visit, email specialcollections@sfsu.edu.