By On April 4, 1968, the Daily 49er ran two stories on their front page in response to Long Beach State’s Black Student Union protesting a lack of representation in student government.
The headlines read: “Blacks hold [Associated Students] Senate hostage” and “Wrongs don’t get rights.”
74-year-old Erroll Parker, a self-described community activist, said both articles provided examples of the institutional racism and plight that Black students faced during his time at CSULB from 1968 to 1972.
“It shows you the lack of sensitivity white students had towards Black young people,” Parker said.
The Daily Forty-Niner’s published issue on April 4, 1968, the day after Martin Luther King Jr. died. One month later, the publication ran an advertisement for a “Peace Medallion” MLK’s face across it, selling for $2.98. Photo Credit: Daily Forty-Niner Archive
A Detroit, Michigan native and Los Angeles City College transfer, Parker was one member in the second cohort of underrepresented minorities to be admitted to the Beach campus through the Educational Opportunity Program.
Parker said he spent his time on campus storming the academic senate meetings to demand fair treatment both academically and socially.
His legacy lives on within his role as a BSU Elder, a EOP advisor and recruiter and through his part in starting the Black Studies program, the Africana Studies Department.
During his time as a student on campus, Parker said that a majority of the student body was white.
“I would say that 60% of the student body was white. 15% Asian, 15% Black, 10% Latino,” Parker said.
Data showcasing the student body from the California State University of Long Beach Institutional Research & Analytics dates back to 2015 as the furthest year available on their website. Publicly available data sources for years prior have been difficult for the Long Beach Current to retrieve. Graphic by Julia Goldman
Fourth-year consumer affairs major Daniel Salcedo said he believes the landscape for the current student demographics has shifted from the study body in the ‘60s and ‘70s as a larger variety of cultures, religions and ethnicities are represented.
“In my studies, it’s pretty diverse – it’s not just one gender or ethnic group,” Salcedo said. “It makes being in class more enjoyable because you get to experience different viewpoints on the topics.
A sixth-grade class of students and chaperones from Mary R. Stauffer Middle School pose together before touring the Long Beach State campus on Sept. 12. Photo credit: Julia Goldman
Third-year music education and performance major Janet Cisneros compares her experience at Long Beach State to her previous colleges, Azusa Pacific University and Cerritos College.
At Azusa, Cisneros said she was one of a few Latina women working at her school’s library.
“They would mix up our names – she thought it was funny, but it was not, ” Cisneros said. “We have a right to be called by our names. I’m not this person, I’m Janet.”
Although her friends and family were rooting for her at Azusa, Cisneros said it did not work out. Coming to Long Beach State, however, was something she always wanted.
“When I was finally here, I was like this is where I was supposed to be in the first place,” Cisneros said. “There’s encouragement, dedication and mentorship while also instilling discipline and accountability to be good musicians and teachers and educators. I’m happy I’m here.”
