ACTIVISM

ACTIVISM IN HOMEWOOD AND AT WESTINGHOUSE HIGH

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The 1960s were a decade of activism in America.  Protests, sit-ins, and demands for change took place all over the country. This was an important time for civil rights in Pittsburgh. 

In the late 1960s, the teachings of Malcolm X captured the imagination of a young generation of urban African Americans in Pittsburgh and in cities across the country. Malcolm X regularly spoke in Pittsburgh and other large metropolitan areas. His message of Black Nationalism helped to change the political landscape of Pittsburgh and the nation.  He articulated concepts of race, pride, and Black Nationalism in the 1950s and '60s.

In Homewood, activists formed the United Movement for Progress, and at Westinghouse, students held a strike to demand a better education. Many who graduated in the 1960s remember well their hopes, their actions, and the movement they helped to create.

"What I'm in the process of doing is trying to make sure that Westinghouse lasts forever." - Franklin Duck, WHS 1969