Black History Month Coverage Amiss

Author: William B. Hart

I am disappointed that The Middlebury Campus did not send a reporter to cover the "Black History Month Celebration," held recently (Saturday, Feb. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.) in Bicentennial Hall, and organized by senior Kiki Taylor, with support from Jessa Karki and the Office of Institutional Diversity.
I appreciate that The Campus ran a photograph of Associate Professor of American Literature Will Nash (The Campus, Feb. 19, 2003, p. 4), but the accompanying caption makes no reference to his lecture, "From Motown to Stax," as one of a series of informative workshops that were all well attended by Middlebury students, faculty and staff.
The College community needs to be informed of such rich programming. The day began with a morning talk by Visiting Scholar-in-Residence Vermonja Alston, who offered, among other things, a ground-breaking, provocative interpretation of Zora Neale Hurston, challenging Hurston as an enlightened black woman writer.
Professor Nash traced the poetic, musical and political maturation of popular soul music across the 1960s.
At lunch, Associate Chaplain Rabbi Ira Schiffer offered words of hope and inspiration, after which Twilight Artist-in-Residence Francois Clemmons and Mchakamchaka led us in singing African-American and African anthems.
Two workshops followed lunch. I led a broad discussion on affirmative action in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Sophomore Andy Rossmeissl offered thoughtful insights into hip-hop culture, augmented by an absorbing documentary on hip-hop artists and rappers.
Nearly all attendees at the conference were pleased and impressed, and indicated that the College should support more such workshops in the future. I realize that The Campus is able to report on only so much news in a given number of pages.
However, when The Campus fails to provide even minimal coverage of such an important event, questions may be raised about the editorial staff's interest in and commitment to reporting events on campus that address matters of race, diversity and difference.

William B. Hart is Associate Professor of History.