Browse Exhibits
The Fight for Equal Education
This exhibit explores Queens College student involvement in education activism in the 1960s. The Student Help Project tutored students in South Jamaica, Queens and Prince Edward County Virginia. The Mississippi Freedom Project of 1964 sent students down South to run Freedom Schools. Queens College students also participated in and promoted school boycotts in New York City to raise awareness of unofficial segregation by neighborhood. The SEEK (Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge) Program was initiated at Queens College in 1966, helping African-Americans gain access to higher education.
Three Who Died for Civil Rights
This exhibit contains items relating to the murder of three civil rights workers, Michael Schwerner, James Chaney and Andrew Goodman. These brave young men sacrificed thier lives helping underserved communities in Mississippi during the Summer of 1964. Following thier deaths there were a number of events that commemorated thier sacrifice. The clock tower attached to the Rosenthal Library on the campus of Queens College was dedicated in thier names on May 10, 1989. The Chaney Goodman Schwerner Memorial Coalition sponsored memorial events, some of which are included in this exhibit and the Freedom Caravan (1989) made a historic trip to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the tragic deaths. In addition, when Fred Zollo produced a Hollywood version of the events surrounding the investigation of the murders, "Mississippi Burning," there was an uproar on and around the Queens College campus, items relating to the criticism the movie received are included in this exhibit.
LGBT Issues and Activism
This exhibit showcases materials in the Queens College Archives that document LGBT issues and activism, both at the college and beyond. The efforts and experiences of two New York City area activists, Robert Rygor and Joan Nestle, a graduate of Queens College, are represented.
1963 Student Help Project Timeline
Student Help Project Art Book
Archiving Occupy Project
McCarthyism at Queens College