As the College this week acknowledges the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr., his legacy necessitates a look back at the history of African-Americans at Dartmouth -- a history both longer and more circuitous than might be expected.
The first African-American affiliated with the College was Caleb Watt, who served as founder Eleazar Wheelock's manservant, according to Director of Alumni Relations Nelson Armstrong '71.
Despite a charter which prohibits discrimination, there were no African-American graduates until Edward Mitchell in 1824, 55 years after the College's founding.
Yet when forces of social change touched the United States, Dartmouth too was affected and undertook serious measures to diversify its campus.
According to history professor and College historian Jere Daniell '55, the first thrust toward making diversity a priority on campus was the civil rights movement of the late 1960s. The general trend toward equal rights, along with pressure on the administration by a small number of African-American students already enrolled as students, prompted the formation of an administrative committee to look at the status of minorities at Dartmouth.
The committee released the McLane Report in 1968, calling for a new and more aggressive stance toward recruiting African-Americans, among other minority groups.
According to Armstrong, while classes before the 1960s had as few as four or five black students per class, there were between 15 and 20 in his, the class of 1971.
Daniell attributed this slow growth in part to the general civil rights trend.
"We [African-Americans] were few and far between," Armstrong said. "We were glad to see each other around campus."
Armstrong noted that during his time as an undergraduate -- a period marked by changes in race relations -- there were many non-black students who helped their African-American counterparts feel more at home.
"But the feeling of isolation was tough," he added. "The community wasn't prepared for [African-Americans]."
And the "College on the Hill" wasn't without its share of racism.
Armstrong remembers two students running down Main Street waving Confederate flags, in addition to the more common methods of name calling. "You certainly didn't go everywhere on campus and feel welcomed," he said.
According to both Armstrong and Daniell, College President John Kemeny was also instrumental in the process of improving the situation of African-Americans at Dartmouth through his leadership and commitment to change.
In the early 1970s, the percentage of African-American students reached eight or nine percent, Daniell said, a result of Dartmouth's then-recent commitment to an active recruitment policy. This placed Dartmouth near the top of the Ivies in terms of its percentage of black students.
However, by the 1980s, the percentage had drifted back down to pre-1970s levels of six percent. In the early nineties, the percentage probably dipped even lower than five percent, Daniell said.
Daniell conjectures there were several reasons for the reversal of progress.
"The first was an opposition rooted in fundamental attitudes," he said, noting that people might have felt affirmative action policies placed unqualified black students at Dartmouth.
In addition, there was a lot of pressure on the administration for accountability in its admissions policies, Daniell said.
What happened was a "lessening of the imperative, not an abandonment," he explained.
While percentages of African-American students may have been one issue, another was the number of African-American administrators and faculty.
Armstrong recalled a miniscule portion of black faculty members, many of whom were only visiting professors. The few faculty members that were there, however, "played pivotal roles in helping us," he said.
As for the curriculum, Armstrong said it was not inclusive of multicultural viewpoints during his time as an undergraduate, but has certainly gotten stronger.
A music major, Armstrong once compared the musical creations of classical composer J.S. Bach to funk/soul artist James Brown. His professor didn't think the comparison appropriate.
"Some wonderful things have happened since then," Armstrong said. He cited coeducation and an emphasis on issues of gender as shedding light on issues of race as well.
Another important facet of African-American history at the College is the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association, founded in 1971 to facilitate communication between African-American alumni and students. The organization is one of the oldest groups of its kind in the country.
Today, there are a number of organizations devoted to issues pertinent to the Afro-American diaspora, including the African-American Society, Afri-Caso, Mosaic and several Greek organizations.
And although steps have been taken toward greater racial equality, Dean of African-American Students Sylvia Langford notes that "we're not there yet."
