The Five Demands: The City College Takeover – Film and Talk

THE FIVE DEMANDS tells the dramatic story of the student strike that changed the face of higher education. As colleges brace for a Supreme Court ruling later this year rolling back Affirmative Action, the story of the City University of New York (CUNY) proves to be more salient than ever.

In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down the City College of New York, an elite public university located right in the heart of Harlem. Fueled by the revolutionary fervor sweeping the nation, the strike soon turned into an uprising, leading to the extended occupation of the campus, classes being canceled, students being arrested, and the resignation of the college president. Through archival footage and modern-day interviews, we follow the students’ struggle against the institutional racism that, for over a century, had shut out people of color from this and other public universities.

THE FIVE DEMANDS revisits the untold story of this explosive student takeover and proves that a handful of ordinary citizens can band together to take action and effect meaningful change.

A film by Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss with Stanley Nelson as Executive Producer.