Editing Steve Biko (section)

====Attitude to liberalism and personal relations====
The early focus of the [[Black Consciousness Movement]] (BCM) was on criticising anti-racist white liberals and [[liberalism]] itself, accusing it of [[paternalism]] and being a "negative influence" on black Africans.{{sfn|Woods|1978|p=36}} In one of his first published articles, Biko stated that although he was "not sneering at the [white] liberals and their involvement" in the anti-apartheid movement, "one has to come to the painful conclusion that the [white] liberal is in fact appeasing his own conscience, or at best is eager to demonstrate his identification with the black people only insofar as it does not sever all ties with his relatives on his side of the colour line."{{sfn|Woods|1978|p=51}}

Biko and SASO were openly critical of NUSAS' protests against government policies. Biko argued that NUSAS merely sought to influence the white electorate; in his opinion, this electorate was not legitimate, and protests targeting a particular policy would be ineffective for the ultimate aim of dismantling the apartheid state.{{sfn|Brown|2010|pp=719–720}} SASO regarded student marches, pickets, and strikes to be ineffective and stated it would withdraw from public forms of protest.{{sfn|Brown|2010|p=721}} It deliberately avoided open confrontation with the state until such a point when it had a sufficiently large institutional structure.{{sfn|Brown|2010|p=723}} Instead, SASO's focus was on establishing community projects and spreading Black Consciousness ideas among other black organisations and the wider black community.{{sfn|Brown|2010|p=722}} Despite this policy, in May 1972 it issued the Alice Declaration, in which it called for students to boycott lectures in response to the expulsion of SASO member [[Abram Onkgopotse Tiro]] from the University of the North after he made a speech criticising its administration.{{sfn|Brown|2010|pp=724–727}} The Tiro incident convinced the government that SASO was a threat.{{sfn|Macqueen|2013|p=367}}

In Durban, Biko entered a relationship with a nurse, Nontsikelelo "Ntsiki" Mashalaba; they married at the King William's Town magistrates court in December 1970.{{sfn|Mangcu|2014|p=204}} Their first child, Nkosinathi, was born in 1971.{{sfn|Mangcu|2014|p=205}} Biko initially did well in his university studies, but his grades declined as he devoted increasing time to political activism.{{sfn|Woods|1978|p=49}} Six years after starting his degree, he found himself repeating his third year.{{sfn|Mangcu|2014|p=189}} In 1972, as a result of his poor academic performance, the University of Natal barred him from further study.{{sfnm|1a1=Woods|1y=1978|1p=49|2a1=Mangcu|2y=2014|2p=189}}