Members of the Class of 2024 took to the stage in the Hopkin Center for the Arts on April 20, eager to share their artistic responses to findings from the O-Livant Fellowship for Social Justice, a program that attracted national attention last year when its leader, Thea Hunter, called out Dartmouth’s “legacy of white supremacy.”
Over the course of the yearlong fellowship, 24 students in the class of 2024 worked with Hunter, a visiting associate professor in the Department of Theater, to create a hub for students of color and advance the cause of racial justice on campus. Using dance, music, poetry, and theater, the fellows explored their own racial identities and delved into ways that Dartmouth could make amends for its racist past.
After sharing their work with the Dartmouth community, the fellows hope their explorations will continue to inspire social change at the College and beyond. “It was important for us to give the students an opportunity to share their work before graduating so they would have a legacy and ownership of the work they did this year,” said Hunter. “And we really wanted to have our students make the connections across identity to continue the social justice work they have been doing. I wanted them to own it and carry it forward, even beyond their time at Dartmouth.”
Beyond the Hop, members of the class of 2024 used their work in the O-Livant Fellowship to spark creative and powerful discussions about race and equity at Dartmouth.
Sydney Cooper ’24 created a theater piece titled “The People Behind the Protest Signs,” which unpacks the experiences of students of color at predominantly white institutions. “We wanted to present the perspectives and experiences of Dartmouth students to the greater Dartmouth community,” said Cooper. “We wanted to use theater art to facilitate conversations and bring awareness to these issues and encourage dialogue on campus.”
For his dance piece, “A Letter by the River,” Moustapha Hassanally ’24 drew connections between the history of slavery in the Upper Valley and his own experiences at Dartmouth. “I began to connect my story to Dartmouth’s story,” Hassanally said. “Using movement, I created a dance that tells the story of my ancestors, my story, and Dartmouth’s story to bring awareness to the legacy of slavery in New Hampshire and the history of Dartmouth.”
Hunter says the artistic responses from the fellows offer unique ways to engage with the complex questions of race, equity, and belonging at Dartmouth and beyond. “Our students have contributed to the field of art and activism,” Hunter said. She hopes that the fellows’ commitment to social justice work will continue after graduation.
“I hope the incoming classes will seek to build upon the work this group of students started and find ways to advance the community and increase awareness of racial justice here at Dartmouth,” she said. “I hope it continues to be a site for courageous conversations and social change.”.
