Robinson will discuss his recently published book, Washington State Rising: Black Power on Campus in the Pacific Northwest (NYU Press 2023), which re-positions debates about the Civil Rights Movement by focusing on the Pacific Northwest and uncovers the inspiring activism of the Black Student Union in the state of Washington. This organization of intrepid college students spearheaded a number of racial injustice campaigns, including a Seattle-wide youth outreach program, a sit-in and occupation of the University of Washington president’s office, confrontations with law enforcement in rural Washington, and successful initiatives for Black Studies and other reforms in higher education.