Demonstrations
During the late 1960s and early 1970s, demonstrations occurred more often across the United States. In her interview, Nelson pointed out that "part of being a cool kid was going on marches, you know, you got caught up in it." This new phenomenon inspired those opposed to the war to take action in not only peaceful marches but also illegal demonstrations, which led to arrests and police presence. Nelson took part in two critical anti-war demonstrations, which will be presented in this portion of the exhibit: the 1968 Columbia Uprising and the 1970 Kent State Protest in Washington, D.C.
1986 Columbia Uprising
“It was very exciting. It was very empowering. For somebody just about to turn eighteen and to suddenly have peers taking matters into their own hands in asserting themselves. It was incredibly empowering. I think it was very important for a generation” -Janis Nelson, on the Columbia Uprising
On April 23, 1968, over a thousand students were involved in a protest which led to the occupation of a building used by Columbia University's administration: Hamilton Hall. The students occupied the building for nearly a week. Nelson aided those who occupied the building. She descibres that there was "a whole cadre of Barnard women who would go there, spend the day there and make peanut butter sandwiches for the kids in the building."
Students for a Democratic Society
The Columbia Uprising in 1968 was provoked by a demonstration initially organized by Columbia's chapter of Students for a Democratic Society or SDS. SDS was an organization that began in 1962 at the University of Michigan and started its chapter at Columbia University in the spring of 1965. In the weeks leading up to the Columbia Uprising, members of SDS sent a letter addressed to Colombia's president Grayson Kruk on April 12, 1968; the SDS lists the Vietnam War, racist expansion policies, and unfair labor practices as its primary concerns within the university. About two weeks earlier, on March 27, 1968, another letter addressed to Kirk adamantly opposed Columbia's support for the Institute for Defense Analysis and, therefore, support of the Vietnam War, saying, "Until Columbia ends all connections with the IDA, we must disrupt the functioning of those involved." As a result, Columbia University's support of the IDA became a source of frustration among many students, especially those involved in the SDS. This led to the publication of a calendar on April 22, 1968, listing actions proposed by the SDS, one of which was a demonstration against Columbia's support of the IDA starting at noon on April 23, 1968. This demonstration would lead to the Columbia Uprising and the occupation of Hamilton Hall, a building that the Columbia administration used. Nelson was not on campus when this demonstration occurred but did her best to support the individuals who occupied Hamilton Hall for nearly a week until April 30, 1968. On April 30, 1968, New York City police forcibly removed the students occupying Hamilton Hall. As a result, 712 students were arrested, and 142 students were injured.
Comparing Columbia to Dartmouth
Joan Rachlin recalls the protests that she heard about at Columbia University and compares them to the one's happneing on Dartmouth's campus:
"....There were very active SDS protests at Columbia and it was very threatening to a lot of the administrators. But it never felt that way at Dartmouth. It didn't feel like us versus the college, other than the Parkhurst takeover. It felt like us versus the government. And those were two very different and distinct entities."
Similarly, Charlotte Albright reflected upon the political environment at Bennington College compared to other women's colleges:
“Bennington was one of the few schools that did not go on strike. During those turbulent years, I mean, places like Columbia and University of Chicago, you know, they cancelled classes…The other interesting thing is Bennington was a school that, I mean, I would say people were, we didn't have parietals, you know, so if you wanted a boy in your room you can have a boy in your room. But everybody I knew was on birth control. If you wanted it, you could get it from the school nurse. So yes, it was liberal in that sense, but that meant that there was nothing for us to fight for. If you went Wellesley, or you went to Smith or you went to a large university, you were mixing your revolutionary zeal against the war, with your demand for personal freedom. Those two things were intertwined. At Bennington, we already had personal freedom. So when we were protesting, it was focused against the war. But we didn't have to do sit ins at our dean's office to get what we wanted from our own schools.”
May 10, 1970 March on Washington
In early May of 1970, was involved in the production of a play called Ghost Sonata at Dartmouth which won a regional award and was to be performed in Washington DC. Nelson claims that her time in the theater department at Dartmouth was completely a-political and despite theater movements like gorilla theater being used to protest the Vietnam war, her activism was not linked with her involvement in the theater. However, while she was in Washington DC she witnessed and participated in the May 10, 1970 Kent state and Cambodia incursion protest. On May 10, 1970, over a hundred thousand students and citizens marched on Washington to express their frustrations with the handling of the Kent State shooting and the United States’ invasion of Vietnam which prevented many troops from returning to the United States and instead being sent to fight in Cambodia. Even though it was only by happenstance that Nelson was in Washington at that time, she felt honored to be a part of a demonstration that she felt was extremely powerful.
"The DC one I went with a busload of Dartmouth students, and we spent the night in the basement at my good friend David Aylward’s [‘71] house, his family lived in Washington. And it was just wonderful to be in Washington protesting the war with Dartmouth friends." - Joan Rachlin
Cambodia Incursion
"To protect our men who are in Vietnam and to guarantee the continued success of our withdrawal and Vietnamization programs, I have concluded that the time has come for action" -Richard Nixon, April 30, 1970
On April 13, 1970, President Richard Nixon announced in a speech that for the safety of Americans in Vietnam, it was essential that the United States take action in parts of Cambodia that were entirely controlled by the North Vietnamese troops. However, many pointed out that an invasion of Cambodia could lead to a devastating war leaving thousands of refugees and citizens caught in the middle. This growing concern led to demonstrations around the United States, including the demonstration at Kent State University.
Kent State
"I remember sobbing when I heard there had been a shooting on the Kent State campus. And then that iconic photo of this woman, leaning over a body of a student who had been shot–that's still iconic–that I will never get out of my brain–the Rorschach of my brain; the celluloid of my brain. I just will never forget that photo and it was on every newspaper, and every TV screen, and it was inconceivable to me that someone murdered students." - Joan Rachlin
On May 4, 1970, students from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, protested the United States' invasion of Cambodia and were shot at by members of the Ohio National Guard. Tear gas was thrown at a group of about a thousand student protestors. As a result, four students were killed, and no less than eight others were seriously injured. This event caused a nationwide student strike, forcing many universities across the United States to close and inspiring tens of thousands of Americans to vocalize their views in Washington DC on the Cambodia Incursion and continue what the Kent State students had started.
"A boy that I had gone to the prom with in Altoona, Pennsylvania, went to Kent State. And he was about 50 yards away, when those students were shot. And he was a Vietnam vet. So that hit home, that hit home, he could have been shot, this friend of mine at Kent State." - Charlotte Albright