May 21,1973 - This statement was written in support of the Harvard-Radcliffe Afro-American Cultural Center by Chase N. Peterson, a Vice President of Harvard's Alumni Affairs and Development.  The first paragraph discusses the value of cultural difference at a place like Harvard, and how fostering this difference and expression enhances the experience of the University community.  Then, Peterson describes how the HRAACC fits into the context of cultural centers that have already existed at Harvard, including centers focused on Jewish, Catholic, and international students.  Finally, he outlines why even though the center is in its early years, it has already had a positive impact on black students and the “cultural pluralism” at Harvard as a whole. Peterson defends the Cultural Center by focusing on the fact that it both does not receive financial support from the university and is a positive value add for the students, faculty, and staff.

Even though this document does not specifically highlight an overt form of student protest, the impact of HRAACC's taking up space on campus itself served a large role in black students' feeling of liberation. Having a space on campus that was unapologetically for black people and funded by black people was incredibly symbolic in black students’ feeling they belonged. HRAACC’s explicit purpose in cultivating black culture in all of its forms gave the black community at Harvard a tangible confirmation that they were being supported by someone other than themselves.  The feeling of being alone as a black student was incredibly pervasive at the time, and the HRAACC filled a gap by publicly demonstrating to black students that they had a place at Harvard. In 1973, defending the Harvard-Radcliffe Afro-American Cultural Center meant defending the future of the black community at Harvard, and the importance of this form of protest cannot be overstated.