Revisit campus music and activism of the 60s and 70s

All-Campus concert, circa 1970. The festival was held annually from the 1960s to the early 1970s, and it featured music concerts by such performers as Steppenwolf and B. B. King.

Do you remember Raleigh in the sixties and seventies? Did you scrawl a slogan on a sign for a campus march? Does your memory echo with the sounds of classic bands rocking late-night clubs? The NC State Forever Club, the Friends of the Library (FOL), and the Libraries’ Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) have teamed up to trigger your memories with the Campus History Series. 

In two online events this fall, Libraries staff and university luminaries present and discuss materials from the university archives and the SCRC, and bring your campus memories alive again.

The series kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 22 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. with “Student Activism of the 60s and 70s” as we explore the history of political action at NC State through materials from our vivid collections and archives. University Archivist Todd Kosmerick will provide an in-depth look at how NC State students participated in the fight for social justice over two eventful decades including the 1969 protest in support of African American facilities employees, the 1969 Vietnam Moratorium, and the 1970 protest and Peace Retreat in response to the Kent State shootings.

Then, on Thursday, Oct. 1 from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., we’ll examine “Music of the 60s and 70s.” Kosmerick will join Jonathan Kramer from the Department of Music to orchestrate a virtual exploration of "All-Campus" concerts held at the end of the academic year from late 1960s to 1973. Check out the SCRC blog for more information about this program.

These events are open to Friends of the Library members. Students can join the FOL for free. Additionally you must pre-register to attend the Campus History Series events.