Under the threat of legal reprisals and academic sanctions from the KSU administration stemming from the protests of the Oakland Police protest, BUS organized a walkout of Black students from Kent State University to a “University in Exile” in Akron, Ohio on November 18, 1968. Demanding amnesty for all students involved in the Oakland police protest, a majority of Black students at Kent State University participated in the walkout. As can be seen in the photos, a large number of students and faculty supported BUS students, and the “walkout” was covered on CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite. Police file photos show that authorities were actively monitoring and attempting to identify individual students from the action. Shortly following the action, KSU administration dropped their threats of sanctions and agreed to meet BUS demands for Black academic, social and cultural representation upon their return.

Photos courtesy of KSU Special Collections and Archives.