Memo from Lewis S. Salter to Members of the Knox Community (1970)
In the above letter, Lewis Salter is responding to a series of anonymous complaints about the employees in the bookstore. The first two are pretty innocuous, just talking about regular management and hiring rumors. However, the third response is by far the most interesting. It is in response to rumors that the new bookstore hire was only hired because she was black, and the length of this response implies that it was a fairly popular rumor. Because of this, we can infer that the general culture at the beginning of the 70s at Knox involved a lot of racial tension, enough to be directly addressed by a faculty member. This reflects the generally hostile atmosphere black students at Knox faced, as we’ve seen in a litany of other documents, and also reflects a current issue: Many institutions are accused of hiring or admitting people based on race, as can be seen in the recent fight over Affirmative Action. This relates to the Black Arts Movement because it reflects the tensions present in 70s society, which resulted in the need for a independent black literary movement.
Letter Location: Knox College Archives Box 23 File 8
Great work, Guy. You’ve found a document that gives us a window into the complex ways racial politics shape discussion about hiring processes at Knox. You’re right to pick up on the antiblack hostility implied by the letter. I also appreciate how you’ve linked it to contemporary debates about affirmative action.