Support DuBois Day

IN JANUARY 1969, a committee on African and Afro-American studies (AAAS)--chaired by Henry Rosovsky--released a series of recommendations concerning the quality of black student life at Harvard. Two of the recommendations called for the development of undergraduate and graduate degree programs in Afro American studies" and the establishment of a research center or institute concerned with Afro American Studies.

Today there is an Afro department: after negotiations protest and discussions with the administration, black student groups influenced the Faculty to pass a plan on April 22, 1969, calling for a student-faculty committee to investigate the establishment of such a department.

However the AAAS committee also recommended the establishment of an Afro American research institute. The Faculty meeting of April 22, 1969 ratified the Afro proposal to "develop the Afro-American Research institute". Today, the W.E.B. DuBois Afro-American Research Institute remains on Bok's dusk. This fall, the administration indicated some interesting realizing the Institute by creating a 12 person advisory board to formulate proposals for its structure. Unfortunately the students or representative from the Afro Department sit on the board. In the response to their lack of participation in the founding of the Institute, a coalition of student groups and individuals came together last October to form the DuBois Institute Student Committee (DISC).

One of the present concerns of the coalition is student participation in the establishment of the institute. DISC is trying to help the advisory board by writing a proposal on how the Institute could foster serious research and study of Afro-American life and history.

In order to clarify the salient points of the student proposal and heighten discussion of student participation, the coalition has declared today W.E.B. DuBois Day. At 3:30 p.m. in Science Center B, DISC is sponsoring a DuBois Institute forum. At 7:30 p.m. in Science Center B. Shirley Graham DuBois will speak on "Black Liberation--Then and Now." Today is a historic occasion for those concerned with the study of the Afro-American experience. Shirley DuBois's appearance and the student committee proposals are further steps in the continuing struggle of minority groups to speak out against racial discrimination and for student efforts to make the University an institution of democracy. All students should support these efforts by attending both activities today.