The Strawberry Statement
Encyclopedia
The Strawberry Statement is a non-fiction book by James Simon Kunen
, written when he was 19, which chronicled his experiences at Columbia University
from 1966–1968, particularly the April 1968 protests
and takeover of the office of the dean of Columbia by student protesters.
Deane frequently said that he had been misquoted on the matter. In a 1988 interview with campus radio station WKCR
, he insisted that student opinions about university policy did matter to him, but that if they were offered without reasoned explanations, then they meant no more to him than if a majority of students liked strawberries.
Kunen himself has said that the book's title owed just as much to the psychedelic name of the rock group the Strawberry Alarm Clock
as to Deane's statement.
James Simon Kunen
James Simon Kunen is an American author, journalist and lawyer. He is best known as the author of The Strawberry Statement, a first-person documentary of the Columbia University protests of 1968.-Biography:...
, written when he was 19, which chronicled his experiences at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
from 1966–1968, particularly the April 1968 protests
Columbia University protests of 1968
The Columbia University protests of 1968 were among the many student demonstrations that occurred around the world in that year. The Columbia protests erupted over the spring of that year after students discovered links between the university and the institutional apparatus supporting the United...
and takeover of the office of the dean of Columbia by student protesters.
Explanation of title
The title comes from a statement made by Herbert Deane, a Columbia administrator, who deprecated student opinions about university administrative decisions as having no more importance than if the students had said they liked the taste of strawberries.Deane frequently said that he had been misquoted on the matter. In a 1988 interview with campus radio station WKCR
WKCR
WKCR-FM is a radio station. Licensed to New York, New York, USA, it serves the New York area. The station is currently owned by Trustees of Columbia University in New York.-History:...
, he insisted that student opinions about university policy did matter to him, but that if they were offered without reasoned explanations, then they meant no more to him than if a majority of students liked strawberries.
Kunen himself has said that the book's title owed just as much to the psychedelic name of the rock group the Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Strawberry Alarm Clock is a psychedelic rock band from Los Angeles best known for their 1967 hit "Incense and Peppermints". The group took its name as an homage to the Beatles' psychedelic hit "Strawberry Fields Forever", reportedly, at the suggestion of their record company Uni Records.They are...
as to Deane's statement.
Film adaptation
1970 saw a film that was loosely based on the book, but fictionalized.See also
- Columbia University protests of 1968Columbia University protests of 1968The Columbia University protests of 1968 were among the many student demonstrations that occurred around the world in that year. The Columbia protests erupted over the spring of that year after students discovered links between the university and the institutional apparatus supporting the United...
- Morningside Park (New York City)
- Morningside Heights, ManhattanMorningside Heights, ManhattanMorningside Heights is a neighborhood of the Borough of Manhattan in New York City and is chiefly known as the home of institutions such as Columbia University, Teachers College, Barnard College, the Manhattan School of Music, Bank Street College of Education, the Cathedral of Saint John the...