1980s

For the United States, the beginning of the 1980s were consumed with the Iran Hostage crisis and the election of President Reagan. The regime of apartheid in South Africa also prompted the country to remember its past. In the midst of these political circumstances, students on college campuses mobilized in opposition. At Yale, students were engaged in various forms of protest and activism against the university administration and U.S. government.

Anti-apartheid movements composed the bulk of student activism in the 1980s. A collaboration of student groups was engaged in action demanding that the Yale Corporation divest from companies conducting business in South Africa. In 1986, the student protests culminated into the creation of a shantytown named Winnie Mandela City which was built in Beinecke Plaza.

National political matters of the decade also engaged the attention of Yale students. The end of 1983 was marked by the United States invasion of Grenada, which sparked a coalition of Yale student groups to co-host a film screening and discussion about the situation. Another area of tension on campus was the role of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Several groups held rallies urging the CIA to stop recruiting on Yale’s campus.

Students also dedicated their time to supporting initiatives of solidarity closer to home. In 1982, Third World student organizations worked together to persuade the Admissions Office to host a Third World Weekend for admitted applicants. Another initiative of solidarity was The Alliance, a bi-weekly magazine which gathered voices from various minority groups. The Committee Against Academic Discrimination produced a booklet composed of individuals’ experiences of being silenced, verbally abused and marginalized in academic settings at Yale. At the same time, the Asian American Students Association held a conference highlighting the need for Asian Americans to become more involved in political life and community organization.