Launching an oral history exhibit about black alumni and collaborating to increase diversity at the College are among the Black Alumni at Dartmouth Association’s current projects. At a conference this weekend about the experience of black students at Dartmouth, about 70 alumni, faculty and students examined ways to strengthen connections among students and alumni through presentations and group discussions.
The program included discussion of the history of black students at Dartmouth and ways to improve interaction and support between alumni and students, BADA’s regional director for Los Angeles David Moore ’83 said.
Some sessions examined the experience of minority students and the retention of black faculty members, Afro-American Society vice president Aaron Colston ’14 said. Other sessions, attendee Sandy Broadus ’88 said, focused on how to use resources like the Office of Pluralism and Leadership and the First Year Student Enrichment Program more effectively.
Gabby Bozarth ’17, who attended the conference, said it addressed topics not typically brought up in campus discussion, like sexual assault in minority communities.
“All of these things are kind of intertwined and directed to the same goal — to know our history and transmit it thoughtfully, inside and outside our community,” Colston said.
Members of the association are currently working with Rauner Special Collections Library staff to research the early history of black students at the College and have made several new discoveries, said Benjamin Moynihan ’87, BADA’s regional director for the Boston area. Recently, he said, they found that 133 black students graduated from the College between 1828 and 1950 — the highest number at any Ivy League school.
The oral history exhibit, which will be hosted in partnership with Rauner, will include interviews with black alumni, photography displays and an accompanying website.
Moynihan said that in the Ivy League, Dartmouth has always been a leader in racial diversity. Edward Mitchell was the first black student to receive a degree from the College, graduating in 1828, decades before many of Dartmouth’s Ivy League peers.
Over 3,300 black alumni have graduated from the College since 1970, according to the association’s website.
Broadus said understanding the history of black students at Dartmouth and their contributions to the College can give current students a stronger sense of belonging, as the challenges they face are neither new nor insurmountable.
Moynihan said he believes it is important to make sure that people outside of the College’s black community are aware of Dartmouth’s history of diversity.
“This is not only a story to be shared among black students and alums, but a Dartmouth story for the whole Dartmouth family to celebrate,” Moynihan said. “We are figuring out the best ways to help Dartmouth rediscover this aspect of its own history.”
The event was not intended to question Dartmouth’s commitment to black students, but rather help the College maintain its reputation as an top-tier school and further improve its programming, Moynihan said.
“Everyone at the meetings cares about Dartmouth and its current and future success,” he said.
