Carrying posters bearing the phrases “Black lives matter” and “We can’t breathe,” as well as the Dartmouth-specific “Where are our black profs,” roughly 150 students participated in a protest on Friday afternoon in response to recent events in Baltimore. The following day, a group of about 20 students protested outside of Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity’s annual Pigstick party and Kappa Delta Epsilon sorority’s Derby event, chanting “There are two Dartmouths, and they’re right here,” and “Single-sex organizations like your fraternity are part of the problem, Alpha Chi Alpha is part of the problem.”
Officially titled “March in Solidarity with Baltimore Uprising and in Protest of Dartmouth’s Willful Ignorance: Let’s fight police brutality and complicity/complacency at Dartmouth,” the demonstration was advertised by several campus groups on Thursday and Friday. The participants gathered in front of Filene Auditorium at 5:30 p.m. before passing by Baker-Berry Library and Dartmouth Hall. They continued down Main Street, then Lebanon Street toward Hanover High School before returning to campus.
While marching, the demonstrators chanted, “Black lives matter,” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho, these racist cops have got to go,” among other phrases. The march elicited honks from passing cars and caught the attention of pedestrians.
Demonstrators have been protesting in Baltimore since late last month in response to the death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old African-American man who died in police custody due to spinal cord injuries a week after his arrest, according to The Wall Street Journal. On Friday, Baltimore prosecutors ruled his death a homicide, and charges were issued against six officers involved in the case, the Journal reported.
Sadia Sheikh-Hassan ’13, who participated in Friday’s march, said that her motivation to join was not just a single episode that has happened in Baltimore but “continued assaults on black lives in America.” She added that she thinks the College does not sufficiently protect students of color from these kinds of assaults.
“We come to this place and we are supposed to be convinced that things are better or that we matter now because we go to an Ivy League institution,” she said. “But this Ivy League institution in particular continues to remind us that we don’t matter and what we want to study does not matter.”
Hassan addressed the lack of resources for African and African-American studies and the continued departure of professors from the African and African-American studies program as examples of the struggles that students of color face on campus. She said that the College seems to invest its time and effort in issues such as alcohol policy and Greek life instead of the issues of academic interests and safety of students of color.
Si Yon Kim ’16, who participated in the march, said that she believes the march’s themes regarding the struggle for justice and equal rights affect students from all backgrounds.
“I think the people who attended were from a lot of different communities on campus, which validated to me that this is a universal struggle and that we all have a stake in this fight.”
On Saturday, the demonstrators first marched down Webster Avenue before settling in the parking lot behind Alpha Chi, where they remained for approximately 20 minutes. Several students attending Pigstick joined the demonstrators as they were chanting. Immediately after, the demonstrators moved to KDE to protest during Derby.
Alpha Chi president Henry Joyce ’16 said he thought that both the demonstrators and Pigstick attendees were respectful. He had heard that there may be a protest during the event and had hoped for mutual respect from both sides.
“I can’t speak for the values of every member of the house, but we want to be an open place and encourage that kind of dialogue,” Joyce said.
While the demonstrators were visible from most vantage points, they could not be heard from Alpha Chi’s balcony or past the first several rows of onlookers due to the high noise levels of the event.
Daniela Pelaez ’16 said that she did not participate in the protest today because she walked yesterday afternoon as a part of the “March in Solidarity with Baltimore Uprising.”
“I thought that it was awesome that they were trying to raise awareness for police brutality because it’s an important issue,” she said. “It’s alright to take a pause from a party.”
She added she felt the demonstrators were not trying to cause problems, but simply raise awareness.
“It’s a perfect environment,” she said.
Terren Klein ’17, who attended Pigstick, said when he first heard there may be a protest, he was wary of how Pigstick would serve as a venue.
“I was actually surprised at how well it was received,” he went on to say. “I think for them to get a warm welcome is a pretty substantive change.”
Alfredo Gurmendi ’18, who also attended Pigstick, said he thought the demonstrators advocated for an “honorable cause,” but added that he felt the protest was out of context. Gurmendi added that he thought most people would agree with the message, but said “Pigstick is not the place for the protest.”
Zac Hardwick '16, who is currently off-campus but will assume the roleof Afro-American Society president next fall,wrote in an emailthat he fully supports the protests on campus and that Dartmouth students, like all young peopleacross the country, play an important role in advocating for policy changes.
He added that the rioting that has taken place in Baltimore and other cities following issues of police force "should not be met with indignant condemnation, but rather with transformational thinking about the systems of power that allow such institutional violence to exist."
In addition to the demonstrations, other events have been organized to address the Baltimore Uprising. Alpha Theta coed fraternity hosted “No Justice: No Peace” Sunday afternoon, where participants made phone calls and wrote letters to administrative bodies of Baltimore to urge them to make just decisions.
President of Alpha Theta fraternity Noah Cramer ’16 said that students from various backgrounds attended “No justice: No Peace” and wrote about 30 letters to various stakeholders of the Baltimore Uprising.
“Alpha Theta doesn’t want to stay neutral,” he said.
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity has organized a discussion on the events in Baltimore, which will be held today at 4 p.m.
Cramer added that the series of events addressing the Baltimore Uprising is a testament to the fact that the College is becoming increasingly open to various discussions and more involved in diverse issues.
Gurmendi is a member of The Dartmouth business staff, and Hardwick is a former member of The Dartmouth staff.
Update: May 4, 2015
Hardwick was unable to be reached by press time. The article has been updated to include his comments.
