One BAD Letter

University of Arkansas In 1968, an African American student residing in Fayetteville, Arkansas sent a letter to the Arkansas Traveler—a local newspaper at the University of Arkansas—in an attempt to have their letter published in one of the Traveler's next issues. This letter contained their concerns about all the published letters sent by white students that criticized the amount of attention Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's recent assassination had been receiving in news media.

The editors from the Traveler replied with a letter addressing their concerns, but did so through explaining why they would not publish the black student's letter. While the editors of the Traveler felt the matter was resolved with their response, the racially-charged wording within their reply sparked the beginning of an incredibly influential group known as Black Americans for Democracy.

Black students were a small and slowly growing demographic within the University of Arkansas's student body during much of the late-twentieth century. Despite receiving official integration through the university, the reality of the situation remained rather grim. The Traveler's defense of publishing racist letters against mourning Dr. King's death was just the tip of the iceberg. The black community's representation within local media was practically nonexistent or racist, and black students at the University of Arkansas soon decided to take matters and representation into their own hands.

The BAD Times

". . . Black Americans for Democracy is a campus organization for students, faculty, and staff members. . . organized to: (1) provide a focus for Black students. 2) Make all phases of student life relevant to Black people. 3) Provide a link of communication between the Black students and the campus administrators, state officers, and the surrounding community leaders. 4) Employ any honorable and feasible methods to make campus life meaningful for every student at the University of Arkansas."

- Carey Owens

Among some of their first newspapers in the early 1970s, Black Americans for Democracy published under the name The BAD Times. It was a rather fitting double meaning, and the black student body finally felt seen after so many years of taking a backseat in American history and politics. Throughout the decade, they changed their newspaper name at least twice—Black Americans for Democracy News and TIMES (Black Americans for Democracy)—to better communicate their intentions and goals to the public. Through their first newspaper publications, B.A.D. articles focused on the injustices that black students experienced firsthand on campus. In other articles, they wrote powerful and emotional pieces about the frustrations of the continued segregation and racism they experienced on a daily basis.

B.A.D. also utilized their newspaper as a means of announcing meetings and properly representing their community. As the number of black students at the University of Arkansas grew throughout the 1970s, so too did the number of B.A.D. events. They held B.A.D. student body elections for president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, and other roles on an annual basis. B.A.D. leaders regularly conducted meetings to encourage active community outreach. B.A.D. held their own fashion shows, beauty pageants, and many other events that boosted the morale and unity of black students and faculty. Soon, B.A.D. gained enough local and national traction that they held a Black Awareness Week with leaders such as Dana C. Chandler invited to speak.

University of Arkansas

Coed involvement was major part of the foundation of Black Americans for Democracy. Their annual beauty pageant, known as the Miss B.A.D. Pageant, was especially unique to the B.A.D. organization. While it simply could be dismissed as another run-of-the-mill competition for prizes and publicity, Miss B.A.D. took on a much greater role. The winner received the role as the female representative for B.A.D. in other events and settings outside of the organization. In fact, B.A.D. felt this role was so valuable as representation that they emphasized its national importance. Miss B.A.D. became the face of the organization where men's influence could not reach.

Taking a STAND

Just as The BAD Times had name changes, so too did its publisher. In 1979, B.A.D. adopted a new name—Students Taking A New Dimension, or S.T.A.N.D. for short. Despite the adjustment to the organization's vision and title, the majority of services and events available for black students remained, such as Black Awareness Week. According to the University of Arkansas, S.T.A.N.D. achieved better recognition and representation within university administration when they petitioned and were granted two permanent seats on the Associated Student Government. With these seats, they finally had more power, authority, and influence on behalf of the black student body. The Associated Student Government—still in operation today—gave a voice to the university's students and allocated funding for an array of services, events, and programs across campus.

In the 1990s, S.T.A.N.D. underwent a second name change. They decided on the Black Student Association to better express their goals for unity and representation. B.S.A.—not to be confused with Boy Scouts of America—is still in operation to this day and continues to offer events and programs that promote unity and equity.

While there is still much work to be done to fight against the inequities and racism the black community and other minority groups face, Black Americans for Democracy has come a long way since its founding. In 1968, a black student sent a letter to the Arkansas Traveler. They hoped to push towards actual representation while criticizing the white student body's complaints over the alleged overemphasis and coverage of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's assassination that same year. Little did that student know the incredible snowball effect that letter generated and how their one action continues to greatly influence the student body at the University of Arkansas.

Sources

“BAD Times Collection: A Digital Collection of the Black Americans for Democracy Newspapers.” Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville, October 2015. http://digitalcollections.uark.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/BADTimes

“The BAD Times.” BAD Times, The, no. 2 (March 1, 1972). https://digitalcollections.uark.edu/digital/collection/BADTimes/id/10/rec/2

“The BAD Times.” BAD Times, The, no. 3 (March 1, 1972). https://jstor.org/stable/community.28033018.

“The BAD Times.” BAD Times, The, no. 10 (September 10, 1974). https://digitalcollections.uark.edu/digital/collection/BADTimes/id/17/rec/10