Upending the Ivory Tower: Civil Rights, Black Power, and the Ivy League

Abstract

An Internet search for the best colleges with African American studies programs identifies five Ivy League schools in the top ten. Another search reveals that in 2018, African American students are still underrepresented in colleges and universities. These results confirm Stefan M. Bradley's argument about the roles played by African American student activists in the late 1960s and early 1970s in remaking the curriculum at elite institutions, but also undermine his triumphal narrative of the gains they achieved. While by the mid- and late 1960s, African Americans were able to enter these prestigious universities in large enough numbers to form supportive activist communities, demand “relevant” courses, and, in some cases, halt university expansion into surrounding neighborhoods, time has stalled or reversed their accomplishments—with the notable exception of African American studies programs and centers. Bradley's book examines the “ancient eight” considered to make up the Ivy League: Princeton University, Brown University,...