Williams Hall - Audio History
| Title | Williams Hall - Audio History |
|---|---|
| Subject | Bowling Green State University -- Buildings, structures, etc |
| Description | Audio recorded history of Williams Hall on BGSU campus for the Bowling Green Music & Cultural History Walking Tour |
| Creator | Bowling Green Music & Cultural History Walking Tour |
| Source | Music Library and Bill Schurk Sound Archives; University Libraries; Bowling Green State University |
| Date | 1915 |
| Contributor | Kindelt, Justin |
| King, John | |
| Rights |
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| Language | English |
| Type | Audio Recording |
| Sound | |
| Identifier | BM&CHWT-Williams Hall-2020 |
| https://digitalgallery.bgsu.edu/items/show/39565 | |
| Coverage | Williams Hall |
| Abstract | This is the fifth segment in a 9 part audio recorded history for the Bowling Green Music & Cultural History Walking Tour, in a collaboration between the NOICA project and the BGSU Public History Graduate Certificate Program. Built in 1915, Williams Hall was one of the two original buildings on campus, and the first to be completed. |
| Is Part Of | Northwest Ohio Independent Culture Archive (NOICA) |
| Medium | Audio |
| Spatial Coverage | Bowling Green State University Campus |
| Temporal Coverage | 1910s - present |
| Format | audio/x-m4a |
| Transcription | Built in 1915, the Universities Historic tour website states “One of the two original buildings on campus, and the first to be completed, Williams Hall has always been at the heart of the academic community at Bowling Green State University. Originally, the building served as the "North Dormitory" and housed the majority of the female students who attended the normal school. The building served in this capacity for forty-nine years until 1964.” As the academic offices moved into the building protests were soon to follow. For the Universities Centennial Celebration Dr. Roger Anderson, Associate Professor Emeritus stated “From 1968 until well into the 1970s the Williams Hall steps became the focal point for numerous rallies and demonstrations. Students and faculty rallied against U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, and for African-American, women, Native-American, students' rights and causes as well as many other issues. Rallies on the steps usually were held between noon and 1 p.m. or 4-5 p.m. usually during midweek.” In 1976 and 1977 many of the protests for racial and ethnic equality stemmed from the arrest and conviction of attempted rape placed on a Black student, Paul X Moody. Arraigned the week of April 27th 1967 Moody’s attorney asked to be replaced as Moody’s council after hearing the testimony of the white female accuser. Despite hair follicles from the victims clothing not matching Mr. Moody’s hair and blood being found on the victims clothing but not that of Paul X. Moody, he was found guilty on October 1, 1976. Between the time of his arrest and the date of conviction rallies were held at the steps of Williams hall to protest Moody’s mistreatment and racialized targeting. A Socialist Workers Party candidate attended one such event in July and the “Paul X Moody Defense Fund” was established soon after his April arrest. Moody was sentenced to between 3 and 15. Moody’s appeals were overturned 3 times going all the way to the state supreme court. The conviction was placed on the feet of the quick but, biased actions of The BGSU Police. Even to this day Moody is seen as the scape goat of a white police force trying to quickly quell racial fears after the reported sexual assault attempt of a white woman by a black man. This is evident as the Black Student union had Paul Shahied Hasan (formerly Paul X. Moody) speak on campus in 1990. A BG News article from 1990 continues the fight against the guilty verdict by stating “The woman reportedly gave an unclear description of her young, black attacker to the police because she said, "all blacks look alike." In April 1977 the University formed an ad hoc police panel and named two students, two faculty members, two administrators and two trustees to the board for the specific purpose of conducting hearings, studying, deliberating and, finally, issuing a report and recommendations to try to resolve this heated issue. In November of that year the committee issued drastic changes in regards to interactions between the BGSU Police and student body. This did not stop the protests for equality at Williams all as is seen in the BG News in 1979 the BG News reports “Several student minority groups presented a list of 12 demands to the administration and organized sit-ins in the offices of University President Hollis A. Moore Jr. and Campus Safety and Security yesterday.” This diverse coalition of students that included the Black Student Union and the Latino Student Union took place on the steps of Williams Hall was but not a call to free Moody was still founded in a demand of racial and ethnic equality in the classroom, in course material and in student and faculty representation. As the ad hac Police committee was forming in 1977 Black Student Union Member Kenneth Chambers stated “We're talking about all people," Chambers said. "We're not trying to divide people; we're trying to bring people together." This “bringing together was the force of solidarity that formed many of the protests at Williams Hall. |
| Original Format | Digital Audio |
| Duration | 6m19s |
