The Takeover: Student Activism and The Fight for Black Studies at UC Santa Barbara. This film was produced by Black Studies Majors, Natalia "Rosie" Bultman and Zoe MucCullough, and selected by the San Diego Black Film Festival in January 2025.

About The Takeover

The Takeover tells the story of the UC Santa Barbara Black Student Union’s historic protest effort resulting in one of the country’s leading Black Studies departments. It is a compelling story of successful activism: planning, civil disobedience, negotiation, backlash, police brutality, and finally, victory. Through exclusive interviews and archival materials, The Takeover recreates these events and invites modern-day reflections on the Black Power Movement,

About The Producers

Rosie Bultman

Rosie Bultman is a multimedia journalist working to create social change through uplifting others’ stories. She has covered a variety of topics throughout her career but is most passionate about global politics, human rights and social justice, and economic equality. Her biggest inspiration lies in the conversations she has with people—some of whom audiences will get to know in The Takeover. Currently, Rosie works as the news director and a journalist at KCSB, UCSB’s radio station. She also hosts The People's Program, a radio show featuring interviews with journalists and human rights defenders worldwide.

Zoe McCullough

Zoe McCullough is a scholar and researcher who majors in Black Studies and minors in Professional Writing with an emphasis in multimedia communication at UC Santa Barbara. She is passionate about platforming underserved and underrepresented communities, particularly those that have been censored by white supremacy and erasure. Her current research focuses on African American herbalism and its influences on Black-owned apothecaries. She uses her background in multimedia production to create original written works, podcasts, graphic designs, and most recently, a newsletter. Zoe currently works as a student intern at the OBSD.