In 1967, a UH sophomore, Gene Locke, created the student organization Committee for Better Race Relations (COBRR), which soon became Afro Americans for Black Liberation (AABL, pronounced “able”). In the spring semester of 1969, AABL presented their “10 Demands” to UH President Phillip G. Hoffman, and throughout the semester, AABL rallied almost daily for support on campus. Dwight Allen, now Omowale Luthuli and founder of the SHAPE Community Center in Houston’s Third Ward, was the chairman of AABL at that time. AABL’s activities led to the creation of the UH Afro-American Program (now the African American Studies Department) later that year.

The original materials are available in UH Libraries’ Special Collections in the President's Office Records, Richard Jonas Papers, Professor Patrick J. Nicholson Papers, and University Relations Records.