Melvin Wade 09/15/2017

Melvin Wade, a 1966 and 1969 graduate of Oklahoma State University (OSU) majoring in speech communications, talks about his childhood and how he decided to come to OSU from Mississippi. He explains how he became involved with activism on campus through issues with University sanctioned segregated housing. He describes his continued activism with other problems of racism on campus and how that led to the work he did with the Friday Afternoon Tea and Glee Society (FATAGS). Wade mentions some of the other people who he worked with and against during this time. He goes into detail about his role in starting Black Heritage Week and trying to get guest speakers to come to campus. He discusses his interest in black studies and how his time at OSU influenced the rest of his life's work in black studies. Wade also comments on how he was able to help bring white and black student spheres together and how much he learned about himself and his passions while at OSU.