Standing below a banner reading, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere," about 400 people braved the frigid cold for two hours Friday afternoon outside the Parkhurst administration building to rally against injustice.
More than 40 students, faculty members, administrators and community members spoke before the crowd -- often very emotionally -- and condemned the recent spate of hate-speech incidents.
In the past three weeks, two Asian-American men in Little Hall and two Asian-American women living off-campus found racial slurs, such as "chink," written on the doors of their residences.
Jeff Link '98 was arrested by Hanover Police for disorderly conduct in connection for vandalizing the door in Little Hall. He will appear in court Feb. 28.
Last term, unknown assailants threw dirt at the window of a woman living in Lord Hall, who had hung a Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance flag in the window. Other students in the Gold Coast found homophobic slurs, such as "Kill the faggots," written on their doors bearing "Gay friendly space" stickers.
Last summer, an allegedly racist and sexist poem was read aloud during a meeting at Beta Theta Pi fraternity.
President of the College James Freedman, Dean of the College Lee Pelton and several members of Colors, a new campus group comprised of the presidents and vice presidents of seven campus minority organizations, stood on the steps of Parkhurst and addressed the crowd in turn.
Ernesto Cuevas '98, former president of La Alianza Latina and a member of Colors, moderated the event. Anyone in the crowd was invited to speak at the rally.
In an electric voice that elicited much cheering from the audience Unai Montes-Irueste '98 said, "We're going to have the institution change and the system change."
Montes-Irueste, a member of the Student Assembly, encouraged students to sign a petition he wrote requesting the College to make all students pass a course about race relations in order to graduate.
Montes-Irueste finished his speech by saying, "If you are cold, get closer together because that's what it's all about."
Freedman encouraged students to continue to protest hate speech.
"Hate has no place at Dartmouth. We want to love one another and treat one another with ... respect," Freedman said.
"Let's pluck a rose of sweetness and harmony out of ... thorns of intolerance and bigotry," he said
Pelton asked students to "embrace the diversity of the community" and appreciate the chance Dartmouth provides for students to learn about those different from themselves.
"We will not accept this type of behavior," Pelton said. "Those who are responsible should be held personally accountable for their behavior."
President of the Afro-American Society John Barros '96 stepped up to the microphone and called out to students crossing the Green to join the rally. Barros paused, then screamed in frustration and walked away.
Several minutes later, Barros approached the microphone again to speak. Visibly upset, Barros shouted a litany of racial epithets and said, "I'm here to make everyone as uncomfortable as possible."
"It's time to invent the community we are imagining," Barros challenged the crowd. He said he doubted he would ever return to Dartmouth as an alumnus unless it embraces the ideals of racial tolerance.
Reading from a letter written by members of the Committee on Student Life, Education Professor Andrew Garrod, who chairs the committee, challenged students, "Don't let this work stop when the crisis subsides.
Signed by the committee's 16 faculty members, administrators and students, the letter reads, "acts of bigotry profoundly hurt individuals because they marginalize, disenfranchise and humiliate people who are, and should feel that they are, full partners in our community."
Chair of the Department of Comparative Literature Diana Taylor, reading from another letter signed by 70 faculty members, said, "As teachers we feel strongly that it is the responsibility of this institution to make sure all students feel safe."
The faculty letter also requested the College redefine harassment so as to protect students from incidents of hate speech.
"We would like to see the administration take a proactive rather than reactive stance regarding hate speech," Taylor said.
Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaconne offered the police department's support to the victimized students and then praised the administration for its efforts to challenge racism.
Giaconne said Hanover and New Hampshire may lack laws that fully protect people from hate speech, but he said the police will always be available to help the community.
Michael Yoo '98, whose had racial slurs written on his door in Little Hall, said before the audience, "If you disagree with me, don't write stuff on my door. Say it to my face and have a little dignity."
Josh Winterhalt '97, vice president of Native Americans at Dartmouth, said the posters advertising the rally had offended some students. The posters included an outline of the United States juxtaposed with an abstracted swastika.
Winterhalt said Colors wanted to "apologize to members of the Jewish community" for including a swastika on the poster.
Cuevas said after the rally, "I was extremely pleased with the turn-out we had" and that "people sat through the cold."
Several students involved with the rally sponsored two social events for the weekend, which were aimed at keeping with the momentum of last week's town meeting and rally by promoting interracial tolerance and harmony.
Dartmouth United sponsored a party at Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity Friday night, which was aimed at perpetuating students' calls for more racial interaction.
"Phil Lord '97 said Dartmouth United had already scheduled an event for Friday night, but after the rally its planners changed the party's tone because they wanted to "gear this to folks at the rally." The Dartmouth United party at Alpha Chi Alpha fraternity was moderately attended and most students in attendance were white, according to Lord.
On Saturday night about 600 students attended the "Out-RAGE-ous" party at Webster Hall, which was organized by Vice President of the Class of 1999 Rex Morey and sponsored by a number of campus organizations."
