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Join us for a talk by Professor Marc Arsell Robinson (UC San Bernardino) discussing his book, Washington State Rising: Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest (NYU Press, 2023), which documents the origins, actions, and impact of the Black Student Union (BSU) in Washington from 1967 to 1970. The BSU was a politicized student organization that had chapters across the West Coast and played a prominent role in the student wing of the Black Power Movement. Through accounts of Black student struggles at two different college campuses in Washington, one urban and one rural, Robinson details how the BSU led highly consequential protest campaigns at both institutions and beyond, which led to reforms such as the establishment of Black Studies programs, increased hiring of Black faculty and staff, and new initiatives to recruit and retain students of color.

Dr. Marc A. Robinson joined the faculty at California State University, San Bernardino (CSUSB) in 2018, and is Associate Professor of African American History. His honors include the Mellon Emerging Faculty Leader Award, the Outstanding Junior Faculty Award from CSUSB’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, and he was Visiting Fellow in Equity, Justice, and Inclusion in the University of Oregon’s Clark Honors College (all in 2022). Robinson teaches a range of courses on African American History and US History. Dr. Robinson earned a BA in History at the University of Washington Seattle, and a PhD in American Studies from Washington State University in 2012. He was born and raised in Seattle.

After his talk, Prof. Robinson will be in dialogue with Prof. Dan Berger (UW Bothell).