The March on Raleigh
With three times the numbers of the Convocation the march on Raleigh showed students their true power.
“We cannot let North Carolina State become another Kent State. If we want a peaceful protest, with peaceful results, we must use peaceful means.”
-Editorial in the Technician, May 8, 1970
May 8-11, 1970
In the wake of the Kent State shootings many students on NC State’s campus wanted to do something. During the May 6, convocation Cathy Sterling recommended a march to Raleigh to confront the governor. For what? Immediately after Nixon announced the invasion of Cambodia North Carolina Governor Bob Scott sent a telegram endorsing the move. A large number of students protested this telegram. As before, Cathy Sterling—write-in victor for the contentious election to Student Body President—drafted a statement to the governor:
“We abhor your recent telegram to President Nixon endorsing his invasion of Cambodia. We do not feel your view is representative of that of allNorth Carolinians. We therefore, urge you to send a telegram to Nixon rescinding your earlier statement. We would be delighted to bear the expense of such a message. We further enjoin you to wire Governor Rodes of Ohio to indicate your dismay at the tragic events at Kent State University.”
The march on Raleigh had a constant refrain: keep it peaceful. The event was constantly referred to as a demonstration, not a protest. An editorial in the Technician went so far as to say, “Hillsborough Street is not the place for the protesting today...Do not ruin the memory of our four brothers and sisters at Kent State.” Again, the actions on America’s campuses and in Cambodia were compared, with the best example by Chancellor Caldwell who wrote, “De-escalation of violence in Indo-China and de-escalation of violence at home offer the only hope for a return to sanity…It hardly needed to be added that this de-escalation of violence must take place in the hearts and minds of men and women including you and me.” Cathy Sterling even placed a small letter on the front page of the Technician the day of the march. She succinctly wrote, “each student must do all he can to keep the march a peaceful one.”
The march was large, popular and a great moment. Students from across central North Carolina—including NC State, Duke University, UNC, Shaw, St. Mary’s, East Carolina and Meredith—gathered on Hillsborough Street and headed for the Capitol. Later the numbers involved were estimated to be around six thousand, an amazing collection of students. They crowded down Hillsborough Street, filling the avenue for more than a mile. After rallying in front of the capital building, the student government leaders met with the governor, provided their statements and asked him to recant his support for Nixon’s invasion of Cambodia. Sterling was quite upbeat about the meeting between the governor and eight student leaders: “the governor was very cordial…he did more than I expected. Previously the governor has never met with a pressure group. Had gone just as eight students without 6,000 marchers behind us, he probably would not have met with us.” They discussed the National Guard and its use (Governor Scott implied that any National Guard units in North Carolina would arrive armed, as at Kent State), and that the governor would notify campus leaders before the guard units arrived.
There was much to be proud of in the march on Raleigh. The show of force was almost overwhelming; despite not having a permit, police officers blocked two lanes of Hillsborough for the marchers. The students also acquitted themselves well, proving they were not angry hippies just making a mess. Student Bev Schwarz, who took part in the march, was proud that, “we indicated that we were not the ‘bums’ we were earlier labeled, but rather, that we are indeed mature, responsible, rational adults.”[1] Another student, John Hester, wrote into the Technician that “this great demonstration proved to the people of our state that we, as young men and women of strong conviction, feel that war is immoral…and that the accidental or purposeful murder of college students is immoral.” The marchers believed they had been heard. Yet while Cathy Sterling was pleased that there was a meeting with the governor, she was understandably let down when the governor refused to take back his pro-war statement. “I was pleased with his reaction to our visit,” Sterling said in an interview, “however, acting as an individual I was disappointed with his response.”
The March on Raleigh was the culmination of a week’s worth of major events. From the invasion of Cambodia to the shock of Kent State, the week of May 1 to May 8 witnessed a meteoric rise in the involvement of students in anti-war actions. Thousands got involved and surely felt that they were part of something larger than themselves and capable of instituting real change. But now they ran into the brick wall of turning that involvement in to results. The governor would not budge. NC State had been quite the quiet campus previously. Now that the mass movement of the march was over, might it go back to apathy?
This was where the leadership of Cathy Sterling most clearly shined.
See a word picture for May 11th of the Technician (after the march)