Pivot Point Part I: Boiling Point. The Allen Building Takeover at Duke, 50 Years Later

The Devils' Share: The Podcast of Duke Magazine

In February 1969, African American students at Duke seized the Allen Building, the university's main administration building. A daylong standoff ended with the students leaving the building at the same moment that police in riot gear stormed the building. Police subsequently engaged crowds of students in its main quad, using clubs and tear gas. The protest and its results has left a long shadow at Duke. In 2019 celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the takeover brought original protesters back on campus for panel discussions, storytelling, and reconnection with old friends and places. Using those discussions, interviews, and archival tape, Pivot Point tells the story of the occupation and its aftermath. This is part one of a three-part series.