Black History Month at Exeter

Lights dim on the screen, graceful performers fill the stage. As their hands stretch downwards and heads turn towards the sky, so begins the performance of the iconic Revelations by Alvin Ailey. Nearby, an enthralled Exeter dance class observes the fluid movements on the screen.

February marks the beginning of Black History Month. At the Academy, different communities, clubs, faculty, and students observe this month of celebration in their own ways. 

In Allison Duke and Amberlee Darling’s dance classes, students watched Revelations by Alvin Ailey, an esteemed Black dancer, director, choreographer, and activist. “In the dance program, we have chosen to emphasize Black artists in our curriculum,” Duke said. “One really important [Black] artist is named Alvin Ailey, a pioneer [who worked] working during the civil rights era in the middle of the 20th century.”

“There are also current Black artists that we would still like to talk about at the end of the month,” Duke added. “Some being Camille Brown, Kyle Abraham, and Ron K. Brown. There's no shortage of amazing black artists. If COVID-19 wasn't a thing, I would love to invite more performers to campus, which we have done in the past.”

At the Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA), proctors are hard at work organizing various events and programming for Black History Month. “OMA is doing posts on Black History Month figures on Instagram. Proctors work on those posts as part of our daily tasks,” upper and OMA proctor Val Whitten said. 

“We also have an upcoming webinar on whether the ‘ne-word’ is outdated and prejudiced or not,” Whitten continued, “Because it is not considered a banned word in a lot of history classes. So we're bringing in this discussion of ‘What do people think about it?’ with Northeastern University professor Dr. Patricia Davis and Central State University professor Dr. Lamont Slater on Wednesday, Feb. 16.”

In a series of more relaxing events, OMA has planned a paint night on Feb. 18 with Janessa Burks, who also facilitated a painting workshop during Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year. On the same night, Athletes for Racial Justice and OMA is hosting a students versus adults dodgeball tournament.

In his English classroom, Sherard Harrington is celebrating by having students read works by people of color. “[Additionally,] queer kids of color are going to be meeting soon to talk about ways in which we can lift up each other, support each other, and have a space where we celebrate one another,” Harrington added. 

Clubs are also planning events in celebration of the Black Lives Matter movement. Upper Cindy Su, cohead of WEVision, a club based around the empowerment of women, described what she had in mind: “This year, WEVision is planning to create a documentary-style video about the experiences of black students and faculty at Exeter, specifically focusing on MLK day and what it means to them to be black. We hope to learn more about the impact of being at a PWI [Predominantly White Institution] like Exeter as well as the programming that we have received in regards to Black History Month, and share that information with the community in an engaging and fresh way.”

Su also spoke on her desire to see more students involved in Black History Month celebrations: “WEVision definitely sees the amazing work that OMA is doing, but we would love to bring even more student voices into the light, and that's why we're working on our projects to hopefully share these stories in a new light and through different platforms like social media.”

Speaking on the impacts of COVID-19, Harrington expressed the challenges it has posed to marginalized groups. “So much is both getting lost and being exposed by COVID. Everyone is sort of separated, which is a good thing because we're stopping the spread,” Harrington explained. “But at the same time, we're seeing all of these moments of inequality in our society and we can't go to each other and be like, ‘Hey, are you okay? Let's spend some time together.’ That had made it difficult on top of difficult.”

Whitten agreed, saying, “Usually, we don't have this little programming, but because it's really difficult to abide by the guidelines, we have to do small groups or Zoom. We can't do the normal stuff that we used to, like large gatherings and stuff, and it's really difficult to get people to come as well during COVID. We're trying to celebrate it as much as we can, but at least we are in person this year and not online like last year.”

When asked if there’s enough recognition of Black History Month at the Academy, Whitten replied. “No. That is in part due to COVID, but also because a lot of the planning and events are placed on either OMA proctors or other student leaders,” explained Whitten. “OMA does not get enough funding, and Student Activities doesn’t plan enough. If there aren’t a lot of events, then it falls on the students to push out events, which is difficult when we have school, work, and are not paid to do this. The same goes for cultural holidays.”

Harrington expressed a similar sentiment of the school’s celebration of Black History Month: “I feel like I haven't had the chance to really look around and celebrate with other people of color. Just because the nature of Exeter is the way it is.”