Umoja Kwaguvu

Description

Umoja Kwaguvu was the Coordinator of Student Activities, a long time staff member and a Family Institute Adjunct. He was involved in organizing many events in the early college years.

Timestamp summary of interview [Follows Gil Muller interview on VHS tape]:
(41:37) Professor Umoja Kwaguvu began to work in LaGCC in 1972, starting in the Veterans Program teaching English, and then moving to Student Services in 1974.
(43:40) Covers organizing theatre shows, student parties and flyering the college buildings for events
(45:03) “The Main building was like a factory and there was a little room there they called Student Activities.”
(46:00) Talks about all night movie festivals that were organized, the mix of students and faculty at the events
(49:33) “We could do almost anything we wanted to do. Bureaucracy had not set in yet.”
(51:12) Describes African American Reading Marathon – President Shenker said we were to do something for the 1976 Bicentennial. The event had people continuously reading from February 1st-8th for 200 hours straight.
[Archivist Note: Institutional Archives has photographs of the African American Reading Marathon in the photograph collection]
(58:38) Became fulltime Coordinator in Student Activities in 1976.
(58:53) Describes organizing trips to: Stratford, Connecticut; Montreal, Canada; Jamaica; Brazil; Europe (London, Paris, Rome). Trips were focused on opening students up to the world, many who never left New York City before
(01:02:53) Student Services had a performing arts Marathon in the late 1980s/early 90’s. LaGuardia was a regional representative at the Bob Hope Talent Show in 1977/78
[Archivist Note: Institutional Archives also has photographs of the Bob Hope Talent Show in their photograph collection]
(01:05:30) Talks about having prominent figures visiting the college including: the comedian Dick Gregory, Judge Bruce Wright, Yolanda King (Dr. King’s daughter), and Attallah Shabazz (Malcolm X’s daughter).
(01:13:29) Direction and guidance for events and programs came from the Director of Student Activities – Leo Newball
(01:16:20) Talks about the change of events that happened when Student Activities became Student Life
(01:80:00) Describes his experience working with students and the changes in the student body, and political in.
(01:21:31) Covers the 1989 student takeover and other protests, where students occupied parts of the campus in protest over rising tuition. Describes the students as militant but non-violent during these events.
(01:23:40) He discussed what he thought made LaGCC different – "Students get training fit for work – see them professionally doing their work – anywhere you go you find LaGuardia people"
(01:25:10) End