| In this study, I argue, student engagement and cultural politics offer insights into academic achievement, the role of power dynamics and relationships, material conditions, agency, resistance in the lives of Black student activists of the late '60s and early '70s. I posit that using student engagement as a framework reveals the intellect of Black student activists as they connect prior information and experiences with new information and experiences. In addition, I further argue, activism reinforces the motivation for higher education while simultaneously offering intellectual and academic learning opportunities. In other words, participating in activism links theory and praxis. Activism is a learning experience in and of itself.;Understanding the basic conditions that influenced the Black student activists and their activities requires the interpretation of interview transcriptions and autobiographies of former Black student activists, analyzing and interpreting the texts for academic relevance in their experiences. All interview subjects in this study were active participants in the Black Students Movement.;A necessary requirement for participation in this study is enrollment in a degree-granting program from a Los Angeles area college or university between 1965- 1975. The research study relied heavily on semi- structured interviews. Subjects who began or finished their programs outside of this period were included in the study, because they are bridge activists bringing in or ending the movement. Auto- biographies of notable Black student activists and other influential figures such as Angela Davis, Maulana Karenga, Wayne Pharr, and Elaine Brown provide further insight into the lived experiences of some of the movement's leaders and contributors. As a result, memory is central in the interpretation of the Black student activist's narratives.;The memories of these Black student activists provide reflections, instances of a particular historical moment, and the emotions in the subjective reality of the individual. Many individuals and organizations shared in the experience of the Black Student Movement. The narratives and interviews of the activists provide communal understanding from their own insights into their motives and activities. What these interviews and autobiographies contribute, glimpses into Black student activists motivation for activism and higher education, and how their activism supplemented their academic training during the Black Students Movement.;In this dissertation, I reveal that student engagement and high impact practices are effective concepts for examining the intellectual and academic relevance of activism offering a framework for future studies. Furthermore, student activism potentially reinforces objectives of higher education. In addition, the consciousness raising, or politicization, process of Black student activists was part of a life long journey. Lastly, an affinity to race, class, and gender re-affirms the individual and collective identities in times of resistance. |
