Paths of Protest
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Description
A Virtual Experience Through Student Struggles at the University of Michigan
1. Michigan Union
On October 14, 1960, John F. Kennedy stood on the steps at the Michigan Union, delivering a swift yet impactful speech at a campaign stop for the 1960 presidential election. While JFK flew in late intending to get some sleep, ten thousand students gathered at 1:40am, flooding State Street in anticipation of what their future president would say.
2. Fleming Administration Building / The Cube
Some students stay in town, but most go home, work summer jobs, or have summer internships only to return in the fall for another year of school and football. 1998 was a bit different than usual, however. A group of students who completed Union Summer internships with the AFL-CIO, the largest American labor union, started SOLE, Students Organizing for Labor and Economic Equality, upon their return to Ann Arbor.
3. Trotter Multicultural Center
A hub for students of color at the University of Michigan, the Trotter Center's modern architecture stands proudly on State Street, representing decades of Black student activism. It was only recently given its prominent home on campus in 2019, but has been a valuable resource for multicultural students since the 1970s.
4. Angell Hall
Here you can see and learn about Angell Hall, the site of the famous Vietnam War teach-in.It was at this point during the war in 1965—just after the first US ground troops arrived in Vietnam—when anti-Vietnam war activism really began to grow. Despite promising during his campaign to decrease involvement in the war, President Johnson continued escalating the conflict, leading people all over the country to question America's effort in Vietnam. Here on campus, many U-M faculty shared the same sentiment. But they went one step further.
5. Native American Land Gift Historical Marker
An interesting fact not told often is that our university has grown upon Native American land. In the early 1800s, many Native Americans were familiar with Western culture, and interracial marriages were not uncommon. They knew a Western education could be valuable. Because of this, local Native American tribes—Ojibwe, Odawa, and Bodewadimi—agreed to “gift” land to U-M, which the university later sold to raise money for its founding. In exchange for the Native Americans’ land, the university made a legal guarantee that their children be taught—a promise that was not fulfilled for at least 130 years.
6. Rackham Graduate School
This is the Rackham Graduate School building, housing the university’s graduate school headquarters. Most U-M students have been taught by a Graduate Student Instructor, or GSI. They are likely a member of GEO, the Graduate Employees’ Organization. GSIs form the front line of many courses here, doing a significant amount of the university’s undergraduate teaching.
7. Ingalls Mall and the Michigan League
“Friendship” and “character.” The cornerstone of the historically female Michigan League, laid in 1928, is said to represent these two traits, while the historically male-only Union—which was brought up earlier—has statues said to represent “athleticism” and “scholarship.” Though this difference in language may seem minute, it emphasizes a long history of female oppression at the university level.
8. The Diag
The area you’re standing in is the Diag, the heart of Central Campus and home to many events throughout history, including political rallies, fundraisers, and protests, such as the March 1970 environmental protests. Aside from campus stories, the Diag is also a place in which many eventful protests took place, and even today people use the Diag as a place to gather.
9. President's House
Here you can see the University of Michigan's President’s house. Living here seems pretty nice right?Last year, Jon Vaughn and protestors of the Hail to the Victims movement lived here on the street in a camper and tents for 150 days. Beginning on October 21, 2021, through March 7, 2022, they stayed through winter storms and freezing days to protest the university’s poor handling and lack of response to the sexual assault allegations against Dr. Robert Anderson, a physician who was employed by the school for over 40 years.
10. Michigan Union
Jim Toy was raised in a small rural Ohio town in the 1930s and 1940s, and he recalled feelings of isolation related to having to hide his identity as a gay man—and deal with widespread anti-Asian sentiment. At the age of 40, he became what is believed to be the first person in Michigan to publicly come out as gay during a speech at an anti-Vietnam War demonstration in 1970 Detroit. Toy also cofounded Gay Liberation Front organizations in Detroit and Ann Arbor.
