ABSTRACT
STUDENTS AT NEW YORK University made a significant contribution to the civil rights movement when, during 1940 and 1941, they took a stand against racial discrimination in collegiate athletics. An historical examination of the event, the issues involved, the era itself, and the internal and external impact of the protest can tell us much about the nature of social activism, establishment reaction, the educational and social environment of the period, the development of big-time intercollegiate athletics, and the importance of sport and the black athlete to the history of American race relations.
