While official programming for the College’s social justice themed celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. officially begins today, about 40 students joined in a protest in Baker-Berry Library last night, chanting “black lives matter, we can’t breathe.” The protest comes before a lecture and programming that will address the events surrounding the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. and general issues of social justice and civil rights.
About 40 students, mainly members of the black and Latino community as well as allies, joined in a protest Thursday night, organized by Dartmouth’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, chapter president Kevin Gillespie ’15 said.
Protesters carried signs that read “Why did you shoot me” and “I can’t breathe” and chanted “black lives matter, we can’t breathe” as they moved through the library from Novack Cafe to First Floor Berry, Baker Lobby, the 1902 Room and back. Protestors then staged a “die-in” in the hallway of First Floor Berry, lying still on the ground, Gillespie said.
About seven to 10 students joined the protest as it moved through the library, he said. Some in the library responded with heckling, not wanting a disruption, some commented and some applauded, Gillespie said. He said that while some laughed or joked and may not have wanted to understand the message of the protest, some looked up and stopped working.
“They are aware. They don’t mind losing a few moments of their normalcy,” he said.
Dartmouth’s NAACP chapter decided to stage the protest in response to recent conflicts across the country, he said, citing Eric Garner’s death and the rulings in such cases, as well as violence against black and transgender people.
Protests arose across the country after rulings in Ferguson and in the Eric Garner case, and while students returned to Dartmouth after the climax of most protesting, the group still wanted to make sure voices were heard at the College on these events and the issues they have raised.
He said that NAACP members have also hung banners in the Collis Center that read “end police brutality” and “don’t shoot,” as well as spread posters across campus reading “black lives matter” and “stop police brutality,” over the past week.
“We want to make sure the campus is aware of this issue and aware of these injustices,” he said.
Gillespie said he believes it is important for students to be aware of the issues raised by the protest, whether they agree with the message or not.
“This is our reality,” he said. “We can’t escape this. No American can escape this.”
Other students who participated in the protest were unable to be reached by press time or declined to comment.
Gillespie said the timing of the protest on the Thursday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day was coincidental but “necessary.” He also noted that the timing toward the start of term was perfect, because students are still tuned into events over winter interim period.
In light of racially-charged events, highlighted by yesterday’s protest, the College has taken this time to not only commemorate King but also to address those who continue to fight against racial injustice. This year’s theme is “Find a Voice in a Whisper.”
“The focus of these events is still going to be Martin Luther King, as it always has been,” Evelynn Ellis, vice president of institutional diversity and equity, said. She organized many of the events honoring King this month. “People following our celebrations in past years will notice that it is usually bound to some sort of communal event. We always connect it to some sort of event in the country, this one is just easier to spot.”
Ellis said that in previous years, the commemoration started on Sunday, the day before MLK day. This year, the events are starting on Friday in order to appropriately address events such as the Ferguson trial. Rev. Starsky Wilson, CEO of the Deaconess Foundation and co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, will speak in Filene Auditorium on Friday at 4 p.m. on the consequences of the event in a discussion titled “Lessons Learned in Ferguson and Their Implications for the Country.”
Wilson was not available for comment.
Events on Monday include hourly loops from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. of the “I Have a Dream” speech in Dartmouth Hall, a quilting marathon for refugee relief sponsored by the Tucker Foundation and the Student Forum on Global Learning, which will include several presentations focused on student awareness.
Additionally, Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will be holding the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Candlelight Vigil at 5 p.m. at Cutter-Shabazz Hall. Alpha Phi Alpha president Josh Rivers ’15 said that the group wishes to keep the main focus of the vigil the same as it has been in past years.
“The event has always been about Martin Luther King and his works, so that’s what the vigil will be commemorating,” he said. “This day really is, and has always been, all about Martin Luther King.”
The event will open with a speech by Alpha Phi Alpha alum and history professor Derrick E. White. Rivers says he hopes White’s speech will provide a platform to discuss other events, but maintained the importance of keeping the day focused on MLK.
The day will culminate in a keynote address from professor of business administration at the Tuck School of Business Ella L.J. Bell Smith. She said that she was honored to have been chosen and overwhelmed at the task of talking about such a great figure.
“When I think of finding a voice in a whisper, I think of reflection,” she said. “I hope my address will be a time of reflection on the changes King made during his life, and how do we apply them to making Dartmouth a more diverse and inclusive place.”
During last year’s MLK programming, members of the Dartmouth community protested indifference to economic and racial inequality and issues of sexual assault. Prior to the weekend’s keynote address, which was given by ABC News correspondent John Quioñones, students took to the stage at Moore Theater, led by Jalil Bishop ’14, then-president of the Afro-American Society.
