Activism of the 1980s Photograph Collection, 1985-1987

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During the academic year 1986-1987, UMass Amherst was awash in political turmoil, fueled in part by the US intervention in Central America. The arrival on campus of a CIA recruiting officer in November set off a string of demonstrations that attracted the support of activists Abbie Hoffman and Amy Carter, culminating in the occupation of the Whitmore Administration Building and later, Munson Hall. Among the many arrested, thirteen were brought to trial on charges of disorderly conduct, including Hoffman and Carter, all of whom were eventually acquitted. The Collection contains 64 mounted photographs of marches, demonstrations, and protests in Amherst and Northampton, Mass., taken by UMass Amherst students Charles F. Carroll, Byrne Guarnotta, and Libby Hubbard. The photographs are a vivid record of campus and community activism, and particularly the mobilization against the CIA and American intervention in Central America, as well as the arrest and trial of Abbie Hoffman and Amy Carter.