Interview of Deborah Stokes-Wayne by McKenna Dunn and Daisy Roberts

Abstract

Remote interview.Deborah Stokes-Wayne discusses her time at Ohio State as a student from 1965 to 1969, particularly her membership in the Black Student Union (BSU). This interview was one of 15 conducted by students in English 4567 (Rhetoric and Community Service) to capture as many stories as possible from former Ohio State students associated with the 1968 sit-in at the Administration Building (now Bricker Hall) that led to the arrests of 34 Black students, now known as the “OSU 34.” Stokes-Wayne was not a member of the "OSU 34,” but she discusses some of the outcomes of the incident. In particular, she discusses her role in the changes the university made in meeting the BSU’s demands regarding academic offerings for Black students. She describes her role in the university hiring her father, a professor who taught courses on Black history, to teach the subject at Ohio State. She also discusses her involvement in the development of the Department of Black Studies, now known as African-American and African Studies. To view video recordings of 2018 interviews of four students talking about the events of 1968, please go to http://go.osu.edu/CarmenCollection1968