May 5, 1970: Brown University Student Strike

Brown University students on strike in May 1970. Source: Brown University Library

Following a heated speech by New York Senator Jacob Javits the previous evening, May 5, 1970, students at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, went on strike to demand that the university take a stand against the escalation of the Vietnam War into neighboring Cambodia and the killing of four students and wounding of numerous others the day before at Kent State.

As noted at the Brown University Library website,

Source: Brown University Library

Brown served as the “strike center” for all of the colleges in New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and Rhode Island. Brown’s position in this regional strike was due to the unique aspect of the strike; the faculty and students at Brown were in alliance in demanding change and accountability of the U.S. government’s involvement in the war and the University’s passive nature towards student activism.

As noted by Brown University,

While the University remained open, for the remainder of the academic year, students were allowed to attend classes or work in the anti-war movement, or both. Final exams were optional and Campus Dance was cancelled.

See more photos from the 1970 strike and other protests at Brown University in the article From Cambodia to Financial Aid, A History of Protests at Brown University.