Marilyn Maye & Jannette Domingo, Seven Sisters and a Brother

Marilyn Allman Maye & Janette O. Domingo
Seven Sisters and a Brother
Friendship, Resistance, and Untold Truths Behind Black Student Activism in the 1960s
Wednesday, February 5, 7pm

Meet the inspirational students: This narrative tells the story of seven women and one man at the heart of a sit-in protesting decreased enrollment and hiring of African Americans at Swarthmore College and demanding a Black Studies curriculum. The book, written by the former students themselves, also includes autobiographical chapters, providing a unique cross-sectional view into the lives of young people during the Civil Rights era.

Correcting media representation: For years the media and some in the school community portrayed the peaceful protest in a negative light--this collective narrative provides a very necessary and overdue retelling of the revolution that took place at Swarthmore College in 1969. The group of eight student protestors have only recently begun to receive credit for the school's greater inclusiveness, as well as the influence their actions had on universities around the country.

Stories that inspire change: This book chronicles the historical eight-day sit-in at Swarthmore College, and the authors also include untold stories about their family backgrounds and their experiences as student activists. They share how friendships, out-of-the-box alliances, and a commitment to moral integrity strengthened them to push through and remain resilient in the face of adversity.

The incredible true story featured in Seven Sisters and a Brother will teach you:

• No matter how old or established, institutions can change and will continue to change
• How to identify fears and work to overcome them
• That truth will prevail when we unite with others and refuse to accept surrender

"In this fascinating group narrative, the organizers of Swarthmore College's 1969 eight-day sit-in join voices to tell the story of how "Seven Sisters and a Brother" used peaceful protest to effect change. Looking back on the events of fifty-years ago, the authors have combined their stories as a "choral memoir" of the Takeover which forced their college to respond to the demands of Swarthmore's Afro-American Students Society. As well as a history of their activism, this account includes the authors' own autobiographies, providing compelling portraits of the lives of the young people who risked their futures to make a difference."
                           -Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University, including Stony the Road: White Supremacy and the Rise of Jim Crow