Nathan Hare: Director of Black Studies

Nathan Hare. 1968. Director of Black Studies. BA Langston University; MA and Ph.D. University of Chicago; Ph.D. California School of Professional Psychology. In 1968, Dr. Nathan Hare became the first director of the Black Studies program at San Francisco State College, marking a historic moment in U.S. higher education. A graduate of Langston University with a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Chicago, Hare was already a prominent voice in the national Black Studies Movement, having taught at Howard University. He was recruited by SF State President John Summerskill in early 1968 to develop a curriculum that would reflect the realities and aspirations of Black students and communities. Hare’s 1968 proposal for a Department of Black Studies included one of the earliest uses of the term “ethnic studies,” signaling a broader vision for inclusive, community-based education. His leadership helped shape the demands of the Black Student Union, which called for an autonomous Black Studies department. As tensions escalated on campus, Hare became a central figure in the historic five-month strike led by the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, which sought to institutionalize Black and Third World studies within the college. During the strike, Acting President S.I. Hayakawa resisted student demands and took increasingly hardline measures. On February 28, 1969, Hayakawa dismissed Hare from his position as chairman of the newly formed Black Studies Department, effective June 1. Despite his removal, Hare's foundational work laid the groundwork for the School of Ethnic Studies, officially established later that year—the first of its kind in the nation.