After World War II, residents of Morningside Heights became concerned about the neighborhood’s conditions. Initially, the whites were the predominant residents of the area, but the end of World War II resulted in a new wave of African American migration that marked the beginning of numerous changes to come. The emerging white-black dichotomy structure sparked a series of criticisms and marked the beginning of discrimination in the area.
Institutional conflicts increased as Columbia University expanded its reach. By 1970s, Columbia had claimed over ninety residential buildings (Garb). Further, it had bought single-room hotels and transformed them into dormitories (Garb). The Single Room Occupancy (SRO) buildings also became a point of contention. The minority enclave in Harlem alleged that Columbia was evicting residents to fulfill its discriminatory mission of “sanitiz[ing] the nearby neighborhood” (“This is Harlem Heights”). Initially, the SROs were rented to students, but the lure of cheap prices struck interests of the elderly and poorer population (“This is Harlem Heights”).
As the area underwent gentrification and suffered a decline in civic services and increase in criminal activities, the cost of land plummeted. Cheaper land further prompted Columbia to expand its buildings (“This is Harlem Heights”).In the 1950s, the university removed about 7,500 Harlemites, 85% of whom were African Americans and Puerto Ricans (“This is Harlem Heights”). Confrontations struck from time to time, but the most salient protest that changed the relations between Columbia and the neighborhood occurred in 1968.
In 1961, the institution proposed a deal with the government that would allow it to acquire two acres of Morningside Park for its athletes for a mere rent of $3,000 a year (“Exhibition: 1968: Columbia in Crisis”).
Source: “Unbuilt: Columbia Gymnasium Proposal (1968).” Morningside Heights: 1968 Columbia Gym. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.morningside-heights.net/gym.htm>.
To appease those who may be miffed at the settlement, it announced a plan to construct a gymnasium that would be open for Harlem residents as well. The two problems that ensued were that the residents—mostly African Americans—could only access one-fifths of the property and had to use a special entry through the east passageway. Reminiscing the separate but equal facilities, many African Americans accused Columbia of discriminating. The proposal’s unjust rules were deemed “Gym Crow Laws,” based on the Jim Crow laws of the antebellum period.
However, public disapproval over losing a public property was not the only factor leading to the controversial 1968 protest. Public ire, perhaps, acted as a catalyst. Several underlying causes and minor altercations built into the violent and unfortunate riot of 1968.
Given the backdrop of chaos in the 1960s (Vietnam War, ongoing Cold War, assassination of remarkable leaders etc.), many students were motivated to protest against Columbia’s open recruitment policy for the CIA, the military, and the Dow Chemicals. The first protest, though a peaceful sit-in, occurred with members of Columbia’s mostly white Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) voicing their opinion against the CIA recruitment. By April 21, 1967, matters had worsened, and the first student-to-student clash—with 500 people favoring open recruitment and 800 fighting against it—occurred (“1968: Columbia in Crisis”). As government drafted more African Americans college students, the group became particularly aware and more inclined to rebel (“This is Harlem Heights”). The increasing number of protests led Columbia’s president Grayson Kirk to ban picketing and demonstrations inside the campus buildings as of September 1967 (“1968: Columbia in Crisis”).
Source: “1968: Columbia in Crisis.” Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions. Columbia University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. <https://exhibitions.cul.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/causes>.
However, six student activists violated the ban when the news of Columbia’s membership in Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA), an organization created by the Department of Defense, surfaced. Vehemently opposing warfare, the student body knew that the tie-up would result in the secret research and creation of more war weapons (“Gym Crow Must Go!”164). Thus, the concealed association engendered another peaceful protest in in the Low Library wing of the university. The six students who protested faced suspension for violating university’s policies.
However, one of the most important motives and causes behind the protest was the emerging “Black Power” movement. In this case, the activism was initiated by average Ivy League black students who invented the “Black Student Power” to question the old values, increase their community’s involvement in politics, and find alternative measure for solving political and economic problems (“This is Harlem Heights”). In 1964, SAS declared that its ultimate objective was to acquire a unique identity for them and their community (“This is Harlem Heights”). In essence, SAS’s participation was a stepping-stone that augmented the gravity of the situation.
Refer to the following letter written in 1968 in opposition to the gym proposal: “”Stop Columbia’s Gym Crow”,” Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions, accessed May 13, 2014, https://exhibitions.cul.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/item/5519
When Columbia’s mostly white Student for Democratic Society (SDS) joined hands with Students Afro-Americans Society (SAS), it seemed as if the two organizations would eradicate racial barriers and unite under one goal. However, difference in objectives—SDS just wanted to radicalize the white student body while SAS was devoted to prevent segregation—led to separate approaches for the same problem (“Gym Crow Must Go” 164). In effect, the movement to stop the construction of the gym resembled the black and white movements to stop slavery (“Gym Crow Must Go! 165).
Therefore, the protest against “Gym Crow Laws” entailed more than a clear-cut disapproval of Columbia’s occupation of Morningside Park. Had the issue been limited to Morningside Park, the residents would not have waited for eight years after the announcement of proposal to actively protest. In the larger scheme of things, the construction of the gymnasium was a road for African Americans to strengthen the Civil Rights movement and acquire a unique identity (“This is Harlem Heights” 163). In fact, the protest became a form of political opportunism that allowed the Harlemites to exercise greater control of their surroundings. Finally, the protest brought into light the power of an organized movement in general. Student organizations inspired participation of other groups like Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and Strike Coordinating Committee (SCC). The remarkable unity of these organizations paved a path to victory.
Refer to the following website to see pictures of the protest, go to: https://exhibitions.cul.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/causes
For an in-depth discussion of the “Gym Crow” protest, read: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/25/remembering-columbia-1968/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
After the tumultuous protests, the government found it in the best interest of the community not to build the gymnasium. Since only Columbia undergraduates would have been able to access the gym, the other colleges and their respective student body had no incentive to support the proposal. Consequently, the proposal was cancelled. Although the blueprints for the plan were sold to Princeton University (which then went on to creating the gymnasium), Columbia University built its own gymnasium; the only difference was that it was closed to the residents (“Unbuilt: Columbia Gymnasium Proposal (1968)).
Today, Columbia owns a large portion of Morningside Heights.
Source: “Morningside Heights & Surrounding Neighborhoods, New York City.” Morningside Heights. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://www.morningside-heights.net/map1.htm>.
Nevertheless, the relationship between Columbia and the neighborhood seems to be improving. Maritta Dunn, president of Community Board 9, admits, “In the past…when Columbia had a building that needed some repairs, they would repair it with the cheapest stuff and not pay any attention to the history of the building. But with the new plan, they had a lot of community involvement” (qtd. in Garb). For instance, Columbia participates in community development and sponsors popular events like the Common Ground Festival.
Common Ground Festival (Source: “”Our Common Ground” A Fall Festival in Morningside Park.” Friends of Morningside Park: Our Common Ground. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 May 2014. <http://morningsidepark.org/events/commonground.php>.)
Works Cited:
“1968: Columbia in Crisis.” Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions. Columbia University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. <https://exhibitions.cul.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/causes>.
Bradley, Stefan. “”Gym Crow Must Go!” Black Student Activism at Columbia University, 1967-1968.” The Journal of African American History 88.2, The History of Black Student Activism (2003): 163-81. JSTOR. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3559064?ref=search-gateway:d8687b322836ebe3006e19a2c1aaf864>.
Bradley, Stefan. ““This is Harlem Heights”: Black Student Power and the 1968 Columbia University Rebellion.” Afro – Americans in New York Life and History 32.1 (2008): 99-122. ProQuest. Web. 13 May 2014.
“Exhibition: 1968: Columbia in Crisis.” Columbia University Libraries Online Exhibitions. Columbia University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014. <https://exhibitions.cul.columbia.edu/exhibits/show/1968/item/5519>
Garb, Maggie. “If You’re Thinking of Living In/Morningside Heights; 2 Parks Sandwich Town and Gown.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 21 Nov. 1999. Web. 22 Apr. 2014. <http://www.nytimes.com/1999/11/21/realestate/if-you-re-thinking-living-morningside-heights-2-parks-sandwich-town-gown.html?ref=morningsideheights&src=pm&pagewanted=1&pagewanted=all>.
Slonecker, Blake. “The Politics of Space.” Thesis. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2006. Web. 12 May 2014. <http://dc.lib.unc.edu/cgi-bin/showfile.exe?CISOROOT=/etd&CISOPTR=91&filename=92.pdf>.
“Unbuilt: Columbia Gymnasium Proposal (1968).” Morningside Heights: 1968 Columbia Gym. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 May 2014. <http://www.morningside-heights.net/gym.htm>.
