On Monday, March 25, Ithaca College will be holding a special commemoration ceremony to remember the importance and impact of a significant event in Ithaca College’s history – the march and sit-in of Egbert Student Union coordinated by members and allies of IC’s then known Afro-Latin Society (currently the African-Latino Society or ALS). This event, which took place over six days beginning April 9, 1970, marked a pivotal moment in our college’s history and showcased the enduring spirit and determination of our community in its pursuit of equity and justice. This event served as a catalyst for change at IC and laid a foundation for many reforms to policy and increased availability and access to resources for students of historically marginalized backgrounds and identities that are still felt in the modern day.
We will be welcoming back over 30 alumni from the 1970’s and 1980’s who participated in the march and sit-in demonstrations, as well as additional activism to impact positive change at IC. We will be hosting a series of events over the course of the afternoon where these alumni will share their unique perspectives and lead dialogue, as we honor the past and reaffirm our dedication to creating a more equitable and inclusive future for our campus.
Please see the following schedule of events, which are open to our entire campus community:
- 3:00 – 3:30 PM: Commemoration Event led by Dennis Byron ’71 (Job Hall)
- 4:30 – 5:30 PM: Moderated Conversation with Mural Artist Nicholas Moore ’80 (ALS Lounge – West Tower)
- 6:00 – 7:30 PM: Student Performances, Presentations and Video Interviews (Campus Center - Klingenstein Lounge)
To ensure adequate preparations are made, we please request that if you intend to attend any of the events associated with this commemoration to submit an RSVP on IC Engage. We kindly request that individuals who may need an accommodation to please contact the BIPOC Unity Center at bipocunity@ithaca.edu.
We hope you can join us for this meaningful and deeply reflective series of events!