Time is running out to see the current exhibit at WSU’s Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections (MASC), which will be taken down on Feb. 17. “Protest: Students, War + Racism, WSU 1969-70” explores the student protests of 1969-70 and other instances of student activism at the university, with examples taken from MASC collections.
Mark O’English, university archivist and the exhibit’s curator, said the inspiration for “Protest” came from a wall at the former WSU Koinonia House where WSU students posted fliers in the 1970s. In 2015, the university demolished the building, but several sections of the wall were saved and are being stored in Holland Library until a permanent home for them can be found.
“I think it’s worth looking at what students were passionate about,” O’English said. “Students took risks by protesting for something they thought was worth fighting for. You have to admire that. Without these types of protests, we wouldn’t have the space for students to voice their present-day concerns.”
MASC hours are 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact O’English at markoe@wsu.edu.
