(Courtesy of the Association of Black Students)

At 6 p.m. this evening, WashU alumni Rev. Jonathan Weaver will be addressing an audience at Graham Chapel to talk about his role in organizing a sit-in at Brookings Quadrangle in 1968 where students protested against racism. 

As part of the Association of Black Students’ (ABS) programming for Black History Month, Weaver will talk about his experience organizing the sit-in just a few months into his first year as a college student and the lessons he has carried over from his time at WashU. 

The Brookings sit-in was a pivotal moment of activism that has had a long-lasting impact on the WashU community — notably, one of the demands made by student activists led to the creation of the African and African American Studies Department. 

After a Black student on campus was arrested and physically harmed by campus police, roughly 30 students occupied Brookings and eventually wrote a document called the Black manifesto, which listed 10 demands aimed at bettering the quality of life for Black students at WashU. University administrators agreed to six of the demands, including eliminating an offensive history course, providing sensitivity training for staff around issues of race, and giving protestors amnesty. 

Weaver described the protest as “transformative,” according to a WashU Magazine article. Before he graduated in 1972, he also served as a student representative on the Board of Trustees and as president of the Association of Black Collegians, which later became ABS. 

In the years since, in addition to becoming a Reverend, Weaver also founded the Pan African Collective, which aims to “heighten, discuss and engage in the awareness of issues affecting the Diaspora” through faith-based organizations. 

Weaver, along with the other organizers of the sit-in, were given the Trailblazers Alumni Award in 2018 by the University as recognition of their contribution to the campus community. 

In line with the theme for ABS’ events this month — “educate and elevate”— current ABS President and sophomore Spencer Snipe sees Weaver’s speech as an opportunity for students to learn from someone who has a history of activist work. 

“[Our] philosophy is basically educating ourselves on history, on how to make a difference in your current context, and so he was a person who made a difference in his social context,” Snipe said. “If you want to make a difference in our social context, then we should hear it from someone who’s done it at the institution that we reside in.” 

Snipe hopes that students will leave the talk with an understanding of student leadership and sacrifice.

“I think a lot of students come to WashU and they can be overwhelmed and not want to get involved in student leadership and student organizations because it can be hard,” Snipe said. “But I hope students will take away a spirit of servant leadership.”

He added that, much like Weaver’s decision to get involved back in 1968, he believes students should get involved with issues to enact the change they want to see. 

“If you want to see Treasury give more equitable funding, then you should run for Treasury,” he said. “Or if you want to see ABS put on certain events, you should go for ABS exec. Being involved on campus and branching out is what I hope people really gain from the talk.” 

The event will begin at 6 p.m. in Graham Chapel and run for an hour, before a reception in Tisch Commons from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. 

To learn more about ABS programming planned for Black History Month, check out Student Life’s calendar of events.