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The Five Demands

Play trailer 0:55 Poster for The Five Demands 2023 1h 54m Documentary History Play Trailer Watchlist
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THE FIVE DEMANDS tells the dramatic story of the student strike that changed the face of higher education. As colleges brace for a Supreme Court ruling later this year rolling back Affirmative Action, the story of the City University of New York (CUNY) proves to be more salient than ever. In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down the City College of New York, an elite public university located right in the heart of Harlem. Fueled by the revolutionary fervor sweeping the nation, the strike soon turned into an uprising, leading to the extended occupation of the campus, classes being canceled, students being arrested, and the resignation of the college president. Through archival footage and modern-day interviews, we follow the students’ struggle against the institutional racism that, for over a century, had shut out people of color from this and other public universities. THE FIVE DEMANDS revisits the untold story of this explosive student takeover, and proves that a handful of ordinary citizens can band together to take action and effect meaningful change.

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Claire Shaffer New York Times To its credit, the lack of flashiness puts the students’ struggles for racial justice front and center, and ultimately serves to highlight a less-remembered aspect of the countercultural student movement. Jul 13, 2023 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Five Demands

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Movie Info

Synopsis THE FIVE DEMANDS tells the dramatic story of the student strike that changed the face of higher education. As colleges brace for a Supreme Court ruling later this year rolling back Affirmative Action, the story of the City University of New York (CUNY) proves to be more salient than ever. In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down the City College of New York, an elite public university located right in the heart of Harlem. Fueled by the revolutionary fervor sweeping the nation, the strike soon turned into an uprising, leading to the extended occupation of the campus, classes being canceled, students being arrested, and the resignation of the college president. Through archival footage and modern-day interviews, we follow the students’ struggle against the institutional racism that, for over a century, had shut out people of color from this and other public universities. THE FIVE DEMANDS revisits the untold story of this explosive student takeover, and proves that a handful of ordinary citizens can band together to take action and effect meaningful change.
Director
Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss
Producer
Greta Schiller, Andrea Weiss
Distributor
OVID
Production Co
Jezebel Productions
Genre
Documentary, History
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Oct 16, 2024
Runtime
1h 54m