As part of the larger nationwide movement of activism on college campuses against the Vietnam War, demonstrations occurred at San Fernando Valley State College (then SFVSC, now California State University, Northridge, or CSUN) where 400-1000 students marched into the Administration Building and demanded College President Dr. James Cleary close the school. Outside the building, students took down and burned the American flag, as well as ten to twenty draft cards.

Prior to this, protests and racial tension were already high at CSUN since the late 1960s. On November 4, 1968, the Black Student Union took over the Administration Building following an incident when Don Markham, a white football coach, assaulted one of the Black players. Following this, the Black Student Union called for his dismissal. In the following year, various solidarity coalitions emerged and frequently protested outside the Administration Building as members of the student body boycotted classes as part of their efforts to implement ethnic studies programs. As a result of their activism, in April 1969, two new departments were approved at the University: Mexican-American Studies (later became Chicana/o Studies) and Afro-American Studies (renamed Pan-African Studies), eventually becoming the largest Chicana/o Studies department in the nation while centering interdisciplinary, critical, and original research, community service, and empowerment.

Later in the 1970s, CSUN joined colleges and universities across the nation in protest of Nixon’s expansion of the Vietnam War. In May of 1970, over 4 million students went on strike across the country, shutting down countless classes at hundreds of colleges, universities, and high schools. The most infamous event to occur during these protests was the Kent State Massacre. After the burning of Kent State’s ROTC building on the evening of May 2, 1970, the Ohio National Guard was called in by Mayor LeRoy Satrom to quell the anti-Vietnam protests. On May 4th, a large protest began, it was declared unlawful, and the Ohio National Guard was sent in to disperse the crowd. Clashes began, and the Ohio National Guard used tear gas to disperse students. Soon, without verbal warning, the National Guard began firing upon the students. Thirteen students were shot; four fatally, including Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. The Kent State Massacre received international attention and bolstered the anti-war movement. 

In the mural, the various protests at CSUN merge with Kent State, highlighting the nationwide student action that was taking place. A building at CSUN (at the time it was San Fernando Valley State College) is broken open to reveal a group of police officers ready to attack students. The imagery is based on a photo taken by Judy Baca during the protests. The building next to it is Prentice Hall, which is a building on the campus of Kent State. In the windows of the building are the images of the four students murdered by the Ohio National Guard: Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer, and William Schroeder. Also in the windows of Prentice Hall is Marvin Gaye, alluding to his protest album “What's Going On” released in May of 1971. The placement of these buildings together relates violence against students in the San Fernando Valley to national acts of violence against students. In front of the Kent State building is Mary Ann Vecchio in the pose she made in the Kent State Pieta photograph taken by John Filo. In place of the body of Jeffrey Miller is a pool of blood, speaking to the larger moment of violence both at home and abroad.

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