Lifting As We Climb: Ohio State University Celebrate Pioneers with First Hall of Fame Induction

In April 1968, four female students were riding the bus home from a meeting of the Black Student Union at The Ohio State University. They began discussing the atmosphere they found themselves in. It was just two weeks after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The driver, a white man, told them they couldn’t talk about that. He then called campus police, who made the women get off the bus.

The Black Student Union met with officials the next morning to discuss what had happened. When talks fell apart, the 60 plus Black students in the office of administration refused to leave without a solution. By noon, the building was sealed off from entry. White and Black students began to gather in solidarity outside the building.

The air was tense—there was talk of notifying the national guard. Ten hours later, the university came to an agreement: it had not been doing enough for its Black populace. The students were then presented with a piece of paper and told that signing it would excuse their absence from class. The 34 who signed were indicted for trespassing, some even charged with kidnapping. Eight students were expelled.

The OSU 34, as they have come to be known, are now being honored with eleven others this week as the first class inducted into the OSU Office of Diversity and Inclusion Hall of Fame.

“[The OSU 34’s] impact is significant,” said Kimberly McCalla, the director for external engagement, alumni affairs, and special events at OSU. “These students challenged the status quo. They held the university accountable.”

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion at OSU is one of the oldest in the nation and the events  in 1968, helped to create the office in 1970. Now, they are celebrating their 50^th anniversary with the first annual presentation of this award.

“This is the first time we as a university and the office of diversity and inclusion are taking a moment to celebrate those individuals who’ve made a sustained impact on diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said McCalla. The two-night event took place virtually.