Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)

The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was a student activist organization at Old Dominion University (ODU) in the 1960s and early 1970s.

History

Established by Kurt and Barbara Gayle in 1966, the Old Dominion chapter of SDS focused on local and campus issues rather than a national agenda, with the exception of the Vietnam War. In addition to organizing protests, such as against the Dow Chemical Company’s use of napalm in the Vietnam War, the SDS also published newsletters to get its message out. The SDS lost steam in 1967, when the Gayles graduated and moved to Canada, but continued on until the early 1970s.

Resources

1. ODU Photographic Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections, Old Dominion University Libraries.
2. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.
3. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), in the Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.

References

1. Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series.  Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.