Conclusion

Ted Bush, Karen Wilkerson, Cynthia Hinnaut, Mike Hunter, 1970.

Though the Society of Afro-American Culture was founded later than their counterparts at other Triangle universities, their presence and actions at North Carolina State University reveal much about the development of the Black Power movement at the school. Much like other Black Power student groups, the SAAC struggled to change, not assimilate into, NC State. They did so not from outside the university, but from within a school-sanctioned structure: an extracurricular campus club. The ways they attempted to do so ranged from protests, community building, and discussions of identity. Additionally, these case studies demonstrate the continued racial strife present within the college during this period of integration.

However, there are still many questions to be asked about the SAAC. Why were they founded later than groups such as Duke University's Afro-American Society? What challenges did they face at NC State that, perhaps, other local campuses did not? What challenges did they share? Was there any cooperation between other Black Power groups in the Triangle? What else did the SAAC accomplish while on campus? If you have a story about the SAAC, black student groups, or the Black Power movement at NC State, please consider contributing your story to Crossing the Color Line.

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