Black Power and the Big Green: Dartmouth College and the Black Freedom Movement, 1945-75

Abstract

Abstract This essay examines the intersection between traditional white American institutions and the need for Black advancement. The case of Dartmouth College from 1945 to 1975 highlights the expanse of the struggle for Black freedom as the burgeoning civil rights and Black Power movements assisted educational institutions with their approach to opportunities for Black students. The socioeconomically elite and geographically isolated colonial college in Hanover, New Hampshire, struggled with attracting Black students and creating resources that helped them acclimate to the starkly white environment. Without the assistance of a local Black community or access to famous activists to act on their behalf, Black students worked together to help the college acknowledge its role in modern society. In doing so, they practiced Black student power, leveraging their status as students in institutions of higher education to act on behalf of the larger Black freedom movement. Dartmouth students benefited from the militant activism of peers at other Ivy institutions that sometimes involved building takeovers and the threat of violence. In addition, they took advantage of the unusual access that they had with the trustees of the college to seize the historical moment by pressuring the institution to evolve with regard to its policies. As a result of their negotiations and vigilance, students at Dartmouth achieved their goals of increased Black enrollment, a Black studies program, and a Black cultural space. Moreover, they showed the nuance and effectiveness of the civil rights and Black Power movements when youth took the lead.