Pamela Beardsley Interview, October 4, 2019

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:00:04.950 --> 00:00:41.870 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Pamela Beardsley on the AU campus during the Golden Eagles Reunion for the class of 1969 on October 4, 2019. In this clip, Pamela Beardsley introduces herself. SUBJECTS: 2019 Golden Eagles Reunion; Class of 1969

Hey, we're ready. It's October 4 2019. We're at American University celebrating the Golden Eagles 50th reunion. And could you tell us your name?

Pamela Beardsley.

And as I understand it, you were on campus in 1969.

Well, I was on campus only as a visitor actually at that time I was working at American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees. But I came in 1965.

Okay.

If I had matriculated normally I would have graduated in 69.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:00:42.050 --> 00:04:37.130 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Pamela Beardsley on the AU campus during the Golden Eagles Reunion for the class of 1969 on October 4, 2019. In this clip, Pamela Beardsley discusses a controversial program to bring police on campus to earn degrees while rampant police violence against African Americans was occurring in DC. SUBJECTS: Continuing Education at AU; Huge police presence; Police violence; Racist police officers

And could you tell us a kind of memorable experience that you had at American University. Maybe that shaped your future life?

Well, there were many of course. But I will focus on 1970. I came back to ... I'd worked for two years at the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees from '66 for two years or so, during which, maybe it was longer because they had a student strike here. I did come over and of course, I had a lot of friends from American University and ended up living near Dupont Circle with a number of them.

But at some point, maybe it was 69, I came back in the fall and I worked at the Economics Department, which was in Roper Hall. I don't know if that building is still here. It was a two story brick building. And then I took classes part time. And during that time, I was involved with a small group of people. We tried to do critical education around issues that were geopolitical and also related specifically to the American University. And the first one that was like that had to do with a Continuing Education program that was going to get started and was funded by the federal government for law enforcement education. And it had the purpose of giving bachelor's degrees to police officers who would come on campus after work.

This was somewhat controversial because back in those days, now we've had this experience in the modern era of many police officers shooting civilians, particularly African Americans you realize. That this was just totally normal in DC in the 60s when I lived here. Every year, at least, you know, about 20 people were shot. It was quite routine at that time. To the extent that one time, the one that I remember vividly, was back then the heart of the African American community, political community, the support team, and you and the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) and SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) had their headquarters there. And an African American man who was jaywalking on 14th was actually murdered by a police officer for jaywalking. So that type of attention existed. And this was also after Martin Luther King's assasination in which really changed the whole feeling of the town and it was much more tense after that.

So we were offering police training ... police officers. American University did offer a bachelor program for our time police officers, when at that time, there was no public university in Washington DC. So there was no inexpensive public state college for African Americans or any other citizens of Washington DC.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:00:04.920 --> 00:02:27.970 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Pamela Beardsley on the AU campus during the Golden Eagles Reunion for the class of 1969 on October 4, 2019. In this clip, Pamela Beardsley discusses anti-war protests at AU and around the country. SUBJECTS: Anti-war protests; Kent State shootings (May 4, 1970); National Guard; Huge police presence

So we did a lot of research. We were in contact, we went over to the... we did some rallies and other activities, but we started researching this whole Continuing Education Department. This was something we hadn't been really familiar with. And by the end of the semester in 1970, which was a big year, because that's when we invaded, the United States invaded Cambodia. So there were huge, huge protests here in Washington. And then there was the kind of state. There were two rumors that two universities... first a black school and a university in South Carolina. One of the Carolinas. Where some of the people were killed. Then there was later the one that got a lot of publicity at Kent State. But by the time that was all happening... by the time that graduation ceremony was going to happen, we had this huge protest here at Ward Circle. We shut down traffic. And there was you know, a lot of the campus got gassed by the police. Huge police presence and that was a big deal.

INDEXED CLIP TIME: 00:00:04.920 --> 00:02:27.970 SEGMENT SYNOPSIS: Dan Kerr interviews Pamela Beardsley on the AU campus during the Golden Eagles Reunion for the class of 1969 on October 4, 2019. In this clip, Pamela Beardsley discusses some of American University's controversial government connections. SUBJECTS: Pentagon; CIA; Anti-war protests; Activism on American University campus; Huge police presence

But our research showed that there was actually a shadow university at American University that we were totally unaware of. American University actually provided graduate and programs at many, many government institutions: the Pentagon, the CIA. A lot of you know, controversial government bureaus, whatever they're called, and sometimes there would be professors from AU actually involved in those programs. But a lot of times, it was basically staff from those institutions that were doing the teaching. And they were getting degrees, American University degrees.

Now when I applied, and when you applied back then, we used to look... I don't know if people still do. There would be reports on universities. How many admissions. How many graduates. How many degrees offered. But those degrees weren't included! And that kind of reckoning. And by the time the 1970 graduation took place, there were police guarding the campus. It was plastered with the whole place was plastered with anti-war and other kinds of messaging. It was just like, it was such a crazy feel. It was so different from any graduation ceremony you've ever attended. And then at that point I decided to go to work for the National Anti-War Organization and organize the [inaudible] and other events.

So it was a very dramatic and interesting time.

Thank you so much for sharing that story. I really appreciate it.