Reflecting on the Past, Working Towards the Future

By Patrick Bohn and Charles McKenzie, April 1, 2024

Recalling the African-Latino Society’s iconic 1970 sit-in.

Founding members of the college's African-Latino Society, including Dennis Byron ’71 (front row, far right), Steven A. Centeno ’82 (front row, second from left), and Vernard McBeth '72 (front row, far left) returned to Ithaca College to share their experiences.

(Photo by Charles McKenzie)

It was a time for reconnecting with former classmates, telling war stories, and forging bonds with current students. On Monday, March 25, 2024, alumni returned to campus for a day of events commemorating the 1970 sit-in staged by the founding members of the college’s Afro-Latin Society (ALS), now known as the African-Latino Society.

Though these alumni had once battled with IC’s fourth president, Howard Dillingham, on this day they were welcomed home by the college’s tenth president, La Jerne Terry Cornish.

“I know that for some of you during your time on campus, Ithaca College did not feel like home, or at least not the home you wanted or not the home you deserved,” she said.

“I admire those of you who saw enough promise here—or at least in yourselves—to roll up your sleeves and to work to make a better home not just for yourselves but also for those who came behind you.”

Co-sponsored by the Students of Color Coalition (SOCC); the Center for Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging; IC Unity; the BIPOC Unity Center; and the Division of Philanthropy and Engagement, the March 25 event featured discussions and reflections from alumni as well as current staff and administrators.

“My hope is that we create a baseline of honesty and candor. When people protest, they do so because they, individually or collectively, have been treated unfairly and they want their voices to be heard.”

Dennis Byron ’71

Dennis Byron ’71, Steven A. Centeno ’82, and Vernard McBeth '72 shared their experiences and memories of their time on campus, including the events that led to the formation of the ALS and the group’s sit-in of the president’s office in the spring of 1970.

“My hope is that we create a baseline of honesty and candor,” said Byron at the start of the event. “When people protest, they do so because they, individually or collectively, have been treated unfairly and they want their voices to be heard.”

Alumnus Nick Moore also took part in the event, sharing his story about his creation of the murals on the walls of the ALS room. (Photo by Charles McKenzie)

All three discussed their experiences candidly, talking about how they dealt with racism both on campus and in the community. They also discussed the challenges Black students faced by faculty and their quest to be heard by the IC administration in 1970.

“The students in the 1970 class were a cohort of about 40 kids from big cities. We were highly intelligent and politically and culturally aware,” said McBeth. “But we were teenagers dealing with grown people, and their attitude was that we were less than. And we were all astute and aware, and we decided that we weren’t putting up with this anymore, so we formed the ALS. And when ALS spoke, IC listened because we spoke truth to power.”

“The camaraderie back then in 1970 was amazing,” said Centeno. “There was an esprit de corps that I credit with helping us.”

The commemoration’s organizer, Tanya Hutchins ’89, was a member of ALS as a student, and as an alumna she has been involved with the College’s Alumni Board Association Board of Directors as well as the alumni group, ICUnity. The latter group is a network of IC students, alumni, staff, parents, and friends that supports diversity-related programs and events. Hutchins said she was happy to “see unity” between the protestors and a large group of white students, as noted in a United Press article about the sit-in.

"I didn't expect to read that,” she said. “That's an example of racial unity during a time of racial unrest. I was glad to read that there were allies on campus that week from students here on South Hill and on East Hill. So there's so much history, so many untold stories, some that are painful, and some that are healing, but they're all stories that we can learn from.

Moore's iconic murals helped to create a sense of community in the ALS room.

(Photo by Charles McKenzie)

“What's special for me today is that so many different generations are here learning about Ithaca College's history and from each other.”

The trio also praised supportive members of the campus community during that tumultuous time, including Dean of Students John Brown and professor Emma Corinne Brown Galvin. And they shared their hope for a better future for the students who follow them.

“I want this college to create an environment where you aren’t seeking students, they are seeking you,” said Byron. “I want people seeking out this school because it’s the best environment in the country.”

Hutchins, who has also served as president of the college’s Alumni Association Board of Directors, expressed her thanks to those who participated in the sit-in.

“The actions paved the way for the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity; BIPOC Unity Center; and the MLK Scholars program. I am thankful for the actions of 54 years ago, because without them I would not be here. We learn from the past, and we remember the past today to make the future better and brighter for those who follow in our footsteps. Alumni, we are grateful for you.”

Tanya Hutchins '89

“The second week of April in 1970 was a busy one in the history of the college,” she said. “The actions paved the way for the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity; BIPOC Unity Center; and the MLK Scholars program. I am thankful for the actions of 54 years ago, because without them I would not be here. We learn from the past, and we remember the past today to make the future better and brighter for those who follow in our footsteps. Alumni, we are grateful for you.”

Later in day, the group reconvened in the ALS room in West Tower, led by Nick Moore ’80, the artist who had to climb chairs stacked on chairs to create the iconic murals that cover almost every wall. He offered a cultural history of what has become a sacred space for generations of students of color at IC. His talk was interlaced with music and the magic of old friends coming together, boisterously interjecting their own memories and friendly ribbing. They were back home.

“Coming from Buffalo, Binghamton, Queens, and all of these places, we all came to this room to share our experiences. This room became our savior,” he said, looking around to take in the changes.

“In this corner was a stereo, and we wore that system out,” interjected McBeth.

“ Did we have some parties in here or what? They shook the building,” Moore added.

“This was our house. I’ve heard that theme all day. It’s awesome to hear the legacy that you gave to us,” motioning to the older alumni, “and we carried that torch.”

Hearing the perspectives of alumni who took part in the sit-in was a crucial component of the programming. (Photo by Patrick Bohn)

But Moore wanted to make sure one thing from the day was clear.

“What is central for me is that we have to maintain the integrity of what ALS was no matter what else it graduates toward. I hope you keep that in your hearts,” he said, noting the power of Black and Latinx students coming together at IC, not just politically, but culturally, something he saw the first day he stepped foot on campus.

“It brings joy to my face. That was the first time in my life I had ever met such a diverse group of people, people from the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, and hearing the languages and the music. I got on the phone, and I said, ‘Hey, Ma! You ain’t gonna believe this!’ and what came out of that time was a cultural experience, a dialogue. I’m learning about plantanos, about rice and beans.” Moore said this new overload of music, language, food, and community in the ALS Room made him feel like he had “gone to heaven.”

Moore played songs from the period and moved across the room as he shouted over them, summoning his old friends turned family, alumni like Fe Nunn ’80. “This song was reverberating off the walls of the Terraces. Everybody was dancing: salsa, merengue, so many beautiful things."

“What is central for me is that we have to maintain the integrity of what ALS was no matter what else it graduates toward. I hope you keep that in your hearts."

Nick Moore '80

“I remember!” Nunn shouted back.

“When I first came here, I fell in love with Ithaca,” Moore recalled. “I came from a concrete jungle, and I got up to South Hill, and I thought, ‘That lake is pretty awesome,’ but I also found an absolute community here. We could go down to GIAC [Greater Ithaca Activities Center] and the Southside Community Center. There was a continuity in the legacies we had and the tastes and the smells and the sounds of our cultures.”

Much of that Moore attributed to the generations who came before him and the power of having an ALS room that could be a safe, rejuvenating space amid racial and political strife.

To conclude the evening, alumni heard from the newest generation of students, gathering back in Klingenstein Lounge where several student organizations, including the Black Student Union and the Latinx student association PODER.

“There is no way for our current students to move forward, to build new opportunities, to become the geniuses and innovators we need them to be, without being grounded in history,” said historian and education professor Sean Eversley Bradwell, who moderated several of the day’s discussions.

The alumni were excited to see the changes on campus and say they are committed to helping that progress continue.

“I wanted to continue to give back through my presence and through my conversations with the students,” said Gary Gilbert ’91, who is the current president of ICUnity. “I was a recipient of incredible professors and coaches here, and I believe in giving back things which I received. I don’t want to keep that gift to myself, I want to share it.”