Student and Campus Responses
"You have to look at the root of the problem, which is that minorities feel uncomfortable [on this campus] to begin with."
– John Lee '02 (From The Dartmouth AAPI Month big spread)
After incidents of anti-Asian hate on and off campus, students and staff were quick to mobilize against perpetrators of hate and demand the College to use their power to enact meaningful change.
Dartmouth Exposed
"The African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Native Americans and Latinos are sick of being labeled and feeling marginalized"
– "Mired in Manure" by Rachel R. Gilliar in The Dartmouth (2/28/96)
The Shit You Don't Hear About Exposé
On February 26, 1996, a group of students decided to anonymously circulate a document called “The Shit You Don't Hear About Exposé” on student dorm doors, detailing events of racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia on campus. This document was published in the format of a satirical newspaper, detailing and criticizing organizations (mainly fraternities) that were responsible for these events. In this paper, the authors discuss the Alpha Chi Alpha's Pledge Banquet Script, which was said to be "offensive to all women, and Asian/Asian-American students."
The Dimensions Protest
Dimensions is an event where recently accepted students visit Dartmouth and learn about academics and student life at the college. The program usually includes the Dimensions Show, where current Dartmouth students perform for the visiting students. During the 2013 Dimensions show, fifteen student protestors walked onto the stage shouting "Dartmouth has a problem!" They spoke about racist and homophobic incidents, as well as sexual assaults, that had occurred on campus.
View the document and photos below:
Anti-Asian Hate Statements From Academic Departments
"While we acknowledge that racial violence against Asians is the product and pedagogy of white supremacy that cannot be undone by instructive correction alone as educators we should exercise a moral and intellectual commitment to an anti-racist and equitable curriculum and pedagogy."
– Asia/America@Dartmouth Action Plan AY2021-22
Many departments and faculty members are sympathetic to the struggles of Asian and Asian American students on this campus. When anti-Asian hate crimes rose over the COVID-19 pandemic, departments started putting statements of support on their websites to support the Asian community on campus.
Around the same time, faculty members drafted a letter to administration called Asia/America@Dartmouth with a list of demands for Asian American studies at Dartmouth. This was inspired by the anti-Asian hate crimes around COVID and emphasizes the importance of Asian American classes to dismantly white supremacy.
To see the letter, see here: Asia/America@Dartmouth
Dartmouth Consortium of Studies in Race, Migration, and Sexuality's statement: Statement
Dartmouth Alumni Association
"Both of these acts of violence occurred during the Lunar New Year holiday, traditionally a time of community and celebration in many Asian cultures. We likely speak for many when we say that we are tired of feeling unsafe, and sick of our community, including our parents and grandparents, living in fear of being the next victims of targeted violence."
– Jan 24 2023 Regarding Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay, DAPAAA
The Dartmouth Asian Pacific American Alumni Association (DAPAAA) has hosted many events discussing events of racism, violence, and hate crimes in the Asian community. They hosted a panel during Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month on the increase in hate crimes in the US and how AAPI individuals can amplify their voices in times like this. In addition, DAPAAA has released statements reacting to the incident of the racial slurs in town and the west coast shootings.
To view the hate crimes panel, visit here: Panel
To view the letter in response to the west coast shootings, visit here: Letter for West Coast
To view the letter in response to the incident in town, visit here: Letter for Town Incident
Parkhurst Rally Against Injustice
"Twenty years later, minority and LGBTQ students face the same threats...Nowadays, racial slurs are not written above doorways, they are yelled in fraternity basements or posted “anonymously” on Yik Yak. These incidents are not just microaggressions, they are acts of hate speech that endanger the mental, emotional, and physical health of minority students at this school. They serve as constant reminders that Dartmouth is not for non-White students."
– Lest The Old Traditions Fail: A critical exploration of the history and reality of structural racism at Dartmouth College
In February of 1996, 400 students gathered outside of Parkhurst Hall to protest recent incidents of hate, homophobia, and racism such as the slurs written on the Asian students' doors. There were also racist comments on an anonymous posting app and letters sent to students targeting them due to their race.