The San Francisco State Strike and The Black Panther Party with Clarence Thomas and Judy Juanita 7/1/2026

Clarence Thomas and Judy Juanita interview with Steve Zelter of LaborFest, June 1, 2026.

In 1968, there was an historic four-month-long strike at San Francisco State, led by the Black Student Union and the Third World Liberation Front, and supported by SDS, all campus unions, the ILWU, and the San Francisco Labor Council. It led to the formation of the first Ethnic Studies Department in the United States.

The Black Panther Party members were an important part of the strike's leadership on campus. Strikers and Black Panther Party members Judy Juanita and Clarence Thomas talk about the history of the strike and how the BPP played a key part in the strike.