1969 Staff Members Write Open Letter to Parents of Student Activists

Staff members in Housekeeping and Environmental Services addressed an open letter to the parents of students involved in the Admissions Office takeover. The letter praised the parents for their children’s actions and expressed their support:

“We could weep because they constantly have to explain the simplest needs for things that should be theirs without asking, and asking and asking ... We can imagine some of you cautioning them not to ‘rock the boat.’ But, in the short while we have come to be here, we have come to fully understand Martin Luther King's awareness that ‘Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.’ Your offspring are saying that lukewarm acceptance is worse than outright rejection. They are making education here a real positive thing. They are educating us - and they will essentially contribute much toward making this a healthier, happier, much more relevant educational environment for all.”