The College’s Black Legacy Month celebration will kick off Tuesday night with a virtual ceremony highlighting Black culture through poetry, song and art. Throughout February, Black Legacy Month events, which will include community forums and leadership spotlights, will aim to amplify and recognize the Black community on campus and around the country.
The theme for this year’s celebration, “Defining a Generation: The Triumph, Power and Legacy of Black Women,” will center the accomplishments of Black women in particular. The planning committee decided on this year’s theme as a way to highlight the women who have made significant contributions to Dartmouth, as well as Black history as a whole.
Events will be hosted by professors, student leaders, alumni, Greek life organizations and other Black community members, all targeting different aspects of Black legacy and history.
Black Legacy Month chairperson Ana Sumbo ’22 said the focus on Black women’s accomplishments arose after reflecting on cultural movements initiated and led by Black women over the past few years, such as #MeToo and #SayHerName.
“We had a lot of conversations about how Black women have been essentially erased from movements they started to protect Black women,” Sumbo said. “These are movements started specifically about creating visibility around not only missing Black women, but also Black women who experience sexual assault.”
Anthony Fosu ’24, another member of the Black Legacy Month planning committee, echoed Sumbo’s sentiment.
“We felt that especially the contributions of Black women have been overshadowed,” Fosu said. “For example, [Black women] started the Black Lives Matter movement. And we've seen this past summer how that's not only captivated the streets, but it's kept captivated the corporate world and is now seen as this blossoming of Black culture, excellence and arts.”
Unlike past years, this month’s events will be held mostly over a virtual platform in order to increase accessibility to those off campus and maintain COVID-19 safety. Zoom links to the events will be available on the Office of Pluralism and Leadership website.
Fosu added that the committee has also planned a few in-person, on-campus components to the celebration, including banners and art showcases.
Certain events will be open exclusively to the Black community or participants of certain gender identities, but Sumbo emphasized that community members are encouraged to participate in events open to all.
“We want the rest of the Dartmouth community to engage with Blackness,” Sumbo said. “But we also are providing a platform to learn more about our community.”
On Sunday, prior to Black Legacy Month’s official kick-off, history professor Naaborko Sackeyfio-Lenoch hosted a “speed stories” event to highlight the experiences of Black Dartmouth professors. The College’s programming will continue on Friday with “Smart, Funny and Black” — a competition on knowledge of Black history, culture and experience — hosted by comedian, actress and producer Amanda Seales of HBO’s “Insecure.”
The focus will then shift to gender within the Black community. On Feb. 11, separate men’s and women’s forums will be held for students of the Black and Pan-African community to discuss experiences as individuals at and outside of Dartmouth.
A “Black Student Leader Spotlight” film will be screened on Feb. 18, and the month will conclude with a National Pan-Hellenic Council virtual party on Feb. 19, which will be open both to the Black community and larger Dartmouth community to “experience togetherness” through bonding and music.
“One other thing that we'd like to accomplish through this Black Legacy Month is highlighting the excellence and accomplishments of Black student leaders on campus and also those of Black faculty and staff,” assistant dean of pluralism and leadership Angela Brizant said.
Brizant added that while the events are primarily directed to the student body and staff currently at Dartmouth, alumni are also welcome to attend open events.
Manasi Singh '24 is from Cincinnati, Ohio. She is majoring in anthropology and politics, philosophy and economics. At The Dartmouth, she wrote for news and Mirror but later transitioned to the business staff. Manasi now serves as the Publisher.
