91ֱ�� Alum Inspires Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical</h1> <article> <h1>91ֱ�� Alum Inspires Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical</h1> <p>erich1 — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 16:50:36 +0000</p> <span>91ֱ�� Alum Inspires Tony Award-Winning Broadway Musical</span> <span><span>erich1</span></span> <span><time datetime="2024-07-02T12:50:36-04:00" title="Tuesday, July 2, 2024 - 12:50">Tue, 07/02/2024 - 12:50</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><em>Suffs</em>, a Broadway musical about the early 20th-century suffragist movement, is a two-time Tony winner as of June 16—one for Best Book and another for Best Score. The musical has deep ties to 91ֱ��: Playwright and starring actress Shaina Taub based her music, book, and lyrics on <em>Jailed for Freedom</em>, a memoir by Doris Stevens Class of 1911, who was a prominent figure in the battle for women’s right to vote. </p> <p>Stevens appears as one of 23 characters in <em>Suffs</em>—in Act I, she is accepted as the secretary of the 1913 National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Convention—as does <a href="https://terrell.oberlincollegelibrary.org/scalar/mct/index">Mary Church Terrell</a>, Class of 1888, a renowned proponent of suffrage and equality and our library’s namesake.</p> <p>Stevens’ political action during the 1910s—she was unjustly arrested several times during her activism— inspired her to write <em>Jailed for Freedom</em>. The book was published after the August 26, 1920, passage of the 19th Amendment, which prohibited the United States from denying the right to vote based on sex. </p> <p>Taub received <em>Jailed For Freedom</em> from producer Rachel Sussman, who encouraged the soon-to-be playwright to tell the story of women that had yet to be told. When Taub received Stevens’ book, she stayed up all night reading it, saying that it “<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/jerylbrunner/2024/04/30/suffragists-take-the-spotlight-in-the-broadway-musical-suffs/">read like a thriller</a>.” Not long after, she wrote Suffs because she recognized herself in the women Stevens recounted in her book, from Terrell to Inez Milholland to Ida B. Wells: “stubborn, cool, oriented girls who find their sense of joy in getting [things] done.” </p> <p>A degree in sociology from 91ֱ�� would inadvertently lead Stevens to advocate for suffrage, even though she wasn’t involved in the 91ֱ�� College Equal Suffrage League while a student. Stevens had expected to teach English in France. But soon after graduating, she acted as an organizer and field secretary for a conservative suffrage organization in Ohio, with work aimed toward state-by-state enfranchisement, rather than the radical push to amend the Constitution.</p> <p>However, Stevens was always drawn towards radical action. Indeed, a <a href="http://dcollections.oberlin.edu/digital/collection/p15963coll9/id/170948/rec/6">1913 article</a> in <em><a href="https://oberlinreview.org/">The 91ֱ�� Review</a></em> states: “Doris Stevens ’11 is spending a few days in 91ֱ��. Miss Stevens is Field Secretary of the Equal Suffrage League in Dayton, Ohio. She is here to recover from neuritis caused by carrying an Equal Suffrage banner in the recent Inaugural parade at Washington.”</p> <p>Around this time, Stevens met Alice Paul (played by <em>Suffs</em> creator Taub), whose militant background greatly influenced Stevens. The following year, Stevens became executive secretary, political chairman, national organizer and speaker for the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (CUWS), which would later evolve into the National Woman’s Party, where Stevens served as vice president. </p> <p>Beginning in 1917, Stevens joined 2000 or so women in the Silent Sentinels vigil, organized by the NWP. The women picketed outside of the White House during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, shaming him for his hypocrisy and complete lack of support for the woman’s right to vote. These protests—which occurred until 1919—serve as the first act by American citizens to demonstrate directly outside the White House. According to a 1939 edition of a local paper in Omaha, Nebraska, Stevens—described as a “militant Omaha-born feminist”—was jailed for 60 days as a result of this protest.</p> <p>Stevens’ feminist advocacy extended beyond the ratification of the 19th Amendment. She advocated for wages for traditionally female tasks like housework and referred to marriage like a business, or a “joint-stock company.” In 1923, she was promoting what would become the basis of the 1972 Equal Rights Amendment. In 1928, Stevens would serve as the first person to chair the Inter-American Commission of Women, one of the most prominent international women’s rights organizations of the era.</p> <p>Additionally, education was a cornerstone of Stevens’ activism: the latter part of her illustrious career was characterized by campaigning for the legitimacy of feminist studies in academia. In fact, <a href="/node/3426">91ֱ��’s Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies department</a> currently offers a student research award called the <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/gsfs/prizes-awards">Leah Freed Memorial Prize</a>—named after the 1977 graduate who conducted paramount research on Stevens.</p> <p>Any articles on Stevens from the 20th century, even those on her divorce from Dudley Malone, a notable liberal attorney and activist of the era, open with acknowledgment of her as a “women’s rights champion” or a “noted feminist leader.” While she may have fallen out of our contemporary history books, her stature in the 20th century was certainly acknowledged. When Stevens died at 74 years old in 1963, an article for the Niagara Falls Gazette referred to her as a “crusading feminist” in its headline. The clipping closes as follows: “A feminist to the core, she clung to her maiden name although she was married twice.” </p> <p><em>Malala Yousafzai and Hillary Clinton are producers on </em>Suffs<em>, which opened on Broadway in April 2024 after premiering at The Public Theater two years earlier. Currently, the musical is showing at the Music Box Theatre and is set to run into January 2025. More information on tickets can be found at <a href="http://suffsmusical.com">suffsmusical.com</a>.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-subhead field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Suffs takes inspiration from Jailed for Freedom, a 1920 book by noted suffragist Doris Stevens Class of 1911.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2024-07-02T12:00:00Z">Tue, 07/02/2024 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Eloise Rich '26</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=4076">Doris Stevens</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=4077">Mary Church Terrell</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2496">91ֱ�� History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/gsfs" hreflang="und">Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Doris Stevens, played by Nadia Dandashi, sits on the left among her fellow suffragists.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Joan Marcus</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Memory and Memorial</h1> <p>hhempste — Mon, 04 May 2020 18:16:54 +0000</p> <span>Memory and Memorial</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-05-04T14:16:54-04:00" title="Monday, May 4, 2020 - 14:16">Mon, 05/04/2020 - 14:16</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>After Kent State University antiwar protestors were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard on May 4, 1970, 91ֱ�� responded by hosting ‘‘Kent State in Exile’’ and memorializing the tragedy with a performance of Mozart's Requiem at the National Cathedral.</p> <p>The <em>91ֱ�� Alumni Magazin</em>e revisits the events on the 50th anniversary in its next issue, and in <a href="https://new.oberlin.edu/oam/memory-and-memorial/" target="_blank">this online special feature</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-05-04T12:00:00Z">Mon, 05/04/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2368">Alumni</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2575">Activism</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2496">91ֱ�� History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2410">Students</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">91ֱ�� College Archives</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>History Design Lab Institute Advises How to Launch an Oral History Project</h1> <p>hhempste — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 19:33:39 +0000</p> <span>History Design Lab Institute Advises How to Launch an Oral History Project</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2020-01-30T14:33:39-05:00" title="Thursday, January 30, 2020 - 14:33">Thu, 01/30/2020 - 14:33</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>More than 70 people participated in the History Design Lab Institute, including students, faculty, and staff from on-campus winter term group projects, as well as community partners.</p> <p>Organized by Tamika Nunley, assistant professor of history and comparative American studies, and <a href="/tania-boster">Tania Boster</a>, assistant professor of history and executive director of integrative and experiential learning, the History Design Lab Institute is an intensive, two-day, winter-term workshop that is an extension of Nunley’s <a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history/history-design-lab">History Design Lab</a>.</p> <p>Instead of the typical written history paper, projects created through the History Design Lab devise innovative ways to answer questions about history. Those approaches include digital humanities, exhibit design, oral history, podcasts, historical fiction, and public history. The lab also provides a space for those who are working on collaborative history projects to workshop their ideas.</p> <p>The pair saw the institute as a way to bring together students, faculty and staff, and community members who are working on these collaborative history projects. As such, the History Design Lab Institute served as a launch point for several on-campus winter term projects, including Practicum in Exhibit Design, Podcasting 91ֱ�� News, and Sonic Arts in Society.</p> <p>“We were delighted by the range of faculty from different departments and staff from different parts of campus who attended and are working on community collaborative projects,” says Boster. </p> <p>Participants heard from speakers who presented on a variety of topics, including Liz Strong ‘09, coordinator for the Obama Presidency Oral History Project, who covered core ethical practices of oral history, and Brooke Bryan, assistant professor of writing and digital literacy at Antioch College, who presented on oral history in the liberal arts. Academic Engagement & Digital Initiatives Coordinator Megan Mitchell led a technical session on how to use open source web publishing platforms.</p> <p>Senior history major Nancy Handelman says the pairing of her interests led her to participate in the History Design Lab Institute. “The project merged two things I am interested in: history and storytelling. As a senior, I'm thinking about what I'm going to do post-grad, and this institute was a good opportunity to learn about broader fields within history that also resonated with me personally.”</p> <p>Project participants learned skills such as the basics of interviewing, which included methods on how to successfully structure interviews, storytelling, and career pathways for those interested in public and oral history.</p> <p>“The institute got my creative gears turning in terms of how to go about interviewing someone correctly, with the right ethics, techniques or strategies, and how to hone in on a subject to pursue,” says Handelman.</p> <p>The institute also featured three ongoing historical research projects, including the Shirley Graham Du Bois Project, the Latina/o/x Orla History of Northeast Ohio Project, and Remembering 91ֱ�� Public Schools/Harvesting School Stories Project, as a means of exploring collaborative historical research methods. </p> <p>“The project presentations are really important because some of the participants want to launch a project and had been collecting stories, but they weren’t sure how to get started,” says Nunley. “This gave people the opportunity to ask questions such as, ‘where did you even begin?’”</p> <hr> <p><em>The History Design Lab Institute was sponsored by the Bonner Center for Community-Engaged Learning, Teaching, & Research; 91ֱ�� College Department of History; Gertrude B. Lemle Teaching Center; and the History Design Lab.</em></p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2020-01-15T12:00:00Z">Wed, 01/15/2020 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>The two-day project during winter term offers an intensive look at how to launch a collaborative oral history project, along with methods of project design and presentation.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2496">91ֱ�� History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2402">Winter Term</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2384">Libraries</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2381">Bonner Center</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25311">Comparative American Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/comparative-american-studies" hreflang="und">Comparative American Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Attendees listen to a presentation in the History Design Lab Institute.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Yvonne Gay</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Reflections on 50 Years of Africana Studies and its Program House</h1> <p>hhempste — Wed, 06 Nov 2019 20:10:55 +0000</p> <span>Reflections on 50 Years of Africana Studies and its Program House</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-11-06T15:10:55-05:00" title="Wednesday, November 6, 2019 - 15:10">Wed, 11/06/2019 - 15:10</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>One of Lillie Johnson Edwards’ ’75 most indelible memories of her time in Afrikan Heritage House, at the time called Afro-American House, was the enormous support and camaraderie felt when she and five other women living in the house made a pact during their junior year to support, nurture, and mentor one another. </p> <p>The professor emerita of history and founding director of African American/African Studies at Drew University explains, “During the week, we would all get up at 7 or 8 a.m., have breakfast together, and then go to Carnegie Library when the doors opened to study. Then, in the evening around 10 or 11 p.m, after we each had a few hours of non-stop work, we would slowly emerge from our rooms to have a touchstone of encouragement together—or maybe even do something fun or silly—then we’d go back and see how long we could continue to write papers or do chemistry homework.”</p> <p>Edwards says The House was key in this effort to support one another and foster experiences like hers. It provided a setting for students to develop a sense of community and gave opportunities for meaningful interactions. “This experience was born out of the sensibility of family in Afrikan Heritage House—much more than in dormitories and even much more than if we were just friends,” says Edwards. “We felt an enormous sense of obligation and responsibility to, and for, each other.”</p> <h2>A brief history of the department and house</h2> <p>In November 1968, the General Faculty of 91ֱ�� College approved the establishment of an Afro-American Studies Program whose purpose was outlined as: “fostering understanding of the unique ‘Black Experience’ in America; enriching the educational offerings of the college by providing all students with the opportunity for extensive work in this area of study; increasing the relevance of an 91ֱ�� education to the Black community and the larger society of which it is a part; heightening the awareness and appreciation of African history and cultures.”</p> <p>In 1969, space in Talcott Hall was allocated for those with an interest in African heritage; just a few years later in 1972, the <a href="/ahh">Lord-Saunders Program House</a> was opened and became what is now known as Afrikan Heritage House.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>91ֱ�� allocated space in Talcott Hall during the 1968-69 academic year to serve as Afro-American House. The house was moved to its current location in Lord-Saunders in 1972. Photo courtesy of 91ֱ�� College Archives.</figcaption> </figure> <p>In the 1969-70 academic year, the Afro-American Studies Program was officially launched, and it evolved into what is today’s Africana studies department. While not an academic major at the time, the program drew on the work of numerous departments. It also appointed new staff members to aid in the program’s implementation.</p> <p>According to<em> Constructing Black Education at 91ֱ�� College</em>, written by Emeritus College Archivist Roland M. Baumann, there were a few reasons for the program’s beginnings. In 1964 under the direction of President Robert K. Carr, the college undertook vigorous recruitment efforts of Black students. The college introduced a Special Educational Opportunities Program for disadvantaged seventh- and eighth-graders to provide them with additional training on campus for eventual college work. The college also sought and provided increased scholarship support for Black students, funded in part by the Rockefeller Foundation. With the increase in the number of Black students on campus, paired with the turbulent social climate of the late ’60s, it became apparent that additional support was needed.</p> <p>The genesis of both the house and the department was spurred by the 91ֱ�� College Alliance for Black Culture (OCABC), a student organization in its nascent stages. The group was formed in 1967 by students taking collective action on their own behalf, during a time of particular challenges for students of African descent, both on campus and in the United States.</p> <p>Those students’ initial priorities included creating conditions for improved academic performance, discerning college policies and intentions, and laying the groundwork for becoming full participating members of the college community. The OCABC was also a major creative influence on campus and was responsible for various cultural activities and programming, including Black Culture Week in February.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>A performance on Lord-Saunders lawn during the 1970s. Photo Courtesy of 91ֱ�� College Archives.</figcaption> </figure> <p>A little more than twenty years after the creation of the program and residence, Associate Professor of Theater and Africana Studies Justin Emeka ’95 lived in Afrikan Heritage House. For Emeka, the house served as the center and foundation of his 91ֱ�� education. It also taught him the function of education and community.</p> <p>"It is where I learned to embrace and celebrate the complexity of who I am that was reflected in Black students from all over the world,” says Emeka. “We laughed with each other, partied with each other, studied with each other, argued with each other, even fought with each other—but in the end we learned how to love each other and all our beautiful, black imperfections in a way that was truly liberating.”</p> <p>The house serves as a center of Black culture on campus. Through the years, it has been responsible for a broad range of activities designed to advance community-wide knowledge of the Afrikan heritage, including soul sessions, art shows, poetry readings, and the Kuumba festival.</p> <figure class="captioned-image"> <figcaption>Student participates in a soul session. A tradition since the 1970s, soul sessions provide the opportunity for individuals to express themselves creatively through spoken word, dance, music, poetry, or song. Photo by Michael Hartman.</figcaption> </figure> <p>The soul sessions were particularly moving for Edwards, and she recalls the excitement of students squeezing into Lord Lounge to encircle the performer, along with the mental boost she received from the experience.</p> <p>“I remember thinking, where else in the world would I hang out with people who sing opera? For someone who grew up in the segregated South in Columbus, Georgia, then heading to 91ֱ��, Ohio, I had never been to an opera,” says Edwards. “But there I was, sitting in a soul session, listening to violinists, poets, and opera. I felt the enormity of the talent. I found it magical. It’s the kind of magic that keeps you going when you feel discouraged.”</p> <p>When Edwards left the house for North campus her senior year, she explained the reason for her move: “I felt so secure, so well taken care of, and I had such a strong sense of community that I <em>could</em> move farther outside of the community—it was because of it.”</p> <p><a href="http://go.oberlin.edu/welcome-to-the-house">Browse a photo gallery to see the evolution of Afrikan Heritage House</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-11-06T12:00:00Z">Wed, 11/06/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>This year marks the 50th anniversary of what is now the Africana studies department and the creation of a physical space on campus dedicated to those with an interest in Afrikan heritage. To recognize the occasion, programs, performances, and talks will take place throughout the academic year. <a href="http://go.oberlin.edu/welcome-to-the-house">See the evolution of Afrikan Heritage House</a>.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2496">91ֱ�� History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2354">Campus Life</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=4821">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-faculty field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/justin-emeka" hreflang="und">Justin Emeka ’95</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/africana-studies" hreflang="und">Africana Studies</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">Students gathered in what is now known as Afrikan Heritage House, in the 1970s.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">91ֱ�� College Archives</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-flex-content field--type-entity-reference-revisions field--label-hidden vertical-spacing--basic field__items"> <div class="field__item"> <div id="obj-28772" class="paragraph paragraph--type--para-el-photo-gallery paragraph--view-mode--default"> <div class="section--photo-gallery o-flex--photo-gallery"> <p class="header-tag">Photo Gallery</p> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid"> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery--overlay"> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery--overlay__content"> <h2> Africana Studies and Afrikan Heritage House </h2> <button class="btn js-modal" data-modal-prefix-class="fullscreen" data-modal-content-id="28772" data-modal-background-click="disabled"> View photo gallery </button> </div> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> <div class="o-flex--photo-gallery__grid__img-wrapper"> </div> </div> </div> <div id="28772" class="photo-gallery-wrapper"> <div class="photo-gallery"> <div class="photo-gallery__slides"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">A fashion show during Black History Month 2019 celebrates black beauty, black style, and their impact on popular style and culture. The show is also meant to be an inclusive space, rejecting the norms/traditions of the fashion industry. </span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Chris Schmucki '22.</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">Visiting Chef Vel Scott stands in Lord-Saunders dining hall after cooking the traditional soul food she’s known for making.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: John Seyfried</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">As part of Black History Month 2019, students and staff gathered for a sing-along to celebrate Moses G. Hogan '79 (1957-2003), a key figure in the choral renaissance of the American spiritual.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Dale Preston '83</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__wrapper"> <figure class="photo-gallery__slide"> <div class="photo-gallery__slide__image"> </div> <figcaption> <span class="figure__caption">A student participates in a soul session in Afrikan Heritage House.</span> <span class="figure__credit">Photo credit: Michael Hartman</span> </figcaption> </figure> </div> </div> <div class="photo-gallery__navbar"> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> <figure class="photo-gallery__navbar__item"> </figure> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article> <article> <h1>App-based Tour Illuminates 91ֱ��’s History</h1> <p>hhempste — Tue, 15 Jan 2019 14:00:38 +0000</p> <span>App-based Tour Illuminates 91ֱ��’s History</span> <span><span>hhempste</span></span> <span><time datetime="2019-01-15T09:00:38-05:00" title="Tuesday, January 15, 2019 - 09:00">Tue, 01/15/2019 - 09:00</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Some of the most repeated 91ֱ�� College history tidbits may be these: that it was the first college to admit all students without respect to race, and it was the first to admit women alongside men. But in addition to those defining features, the college and town have a rich history that bears additional explanation.</p> <p>“91ֱ�� has an interesting, contested heritage,” says Gary Kornblith, emeritus professor of history. “The town looks very different to those who are connected to the college and very different if you’re part of the town that lives below the poverty line. It’s different if you’re a tenured professor or part of another group.”</p> <p>Kornblith, along with several other 91ֱ�� citizens including Library Archivist <a href="https://libraries.oberlin.edu/libraries/oberlin-college-archives/about/our-staff" target="_blank">Ken Grossi</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>; Emerita Professor of History Carol Lasser; Laurel Price Jones ’70; former 91ֱ�� Associate Professor Rhys Price Jones; Liz Shultz, director of the <a href="http://www.oberlinheritagecenter.org/" target="_blank">91ֱ�� Heritage Center</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, <a href="/node/32566">Annessa Wyman</a>, president of the 91ֱ�� <a href="http://oaaghg.com/" target="_blank">African American Genealogy & History Group</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>; and group member Phyllis Yarber Hogan, endeavored to chronicle various experiences in the city.</p> <p>So they banded together to create the <a href="https://serve.oberlin.edu/agency/detail/?agency_id=88564" target="_blank">Coalition for 91ֱ�� History </a><span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span>, whose purpose is “to tell 91ֱ��’s stories in the plural,” says Kornblith.</p> <p>While the coalition explored the idea of creating a brick and mortar museum to tell the city’s stories, finding a location to house the project proved to be a challenge. But during a sculpture garden tour that used an app to educate users, Kornblith and Lasser stumbled upon the technology they realized could be useful in educating about history—without the expensive overhead of a physical museum.</p> <p>“We saw great possibilities with using an app—we could easily create multiple tours. I looked into the cost, and the app was free to use. So the price was right,” says Kornblith.</p> <p>The app’s structure also provided an ideal way for the coalition to easily serve various audiences. Because of 91ֱ��’s varied history, it was important to the group to highlight a range of 91ֱ�� experiences.</p> <p>As of now, the group has created <a href="https://izi.travel/en/united-states/city-guides-in-oberlin" target="_blank">four tours</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> that focus on the following: 91ֱ�� schools, Westwood Cemetery, Groveland Street’s African American community, and 91ֱ�� College.</p> <p>A fifth tour, led by Lasser and a current 91ֱ�� student, covering the history of the town is in the works. Kornblith says the group has discussed producing additional tours in the future. </p> <p>Produced by Kornblith and Grossi, “91ֱ�� College: The First Century” takes users on a walk on and around Tappan Square, with eights stops in total. It introduces visitors to the early history of the college, including the founders’ decisions to admit women alongside men and the role of students and faculty in the struggle against slavery in the decades leading up to the Civil War.</p> <p>The tours are not only a resource for the public. Grossi, who provides instructional sessions for classes including first-year seminars and a history research methods course, also sees a place for them in the classroom.</p> <p>“It is my intention to either reference or use the tour during instructional sessions or presentations when discussing 19th century 91ֱ�� history,” Grossi says. “The tour would provide another method to share our history with students. I would also encourage students to try all the tours created by members of the Coalition for 91ֱ�� History.”</p> <p>Each of the 91ֱ�� tours can be accessed for free on the <a href="https://izi.travel/en/united-states/city-guides-in-oberlin" target="_blank">izi.Travel website</a> <span aria-hidden="true" class="fa fa-external-link"></span> or by downloading the izi.Travel app from your smartphone’s marketplace.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2019-07-15T12:00:00Z">Mon, 07/15/2019 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Hillary Hempstead</div> <div class="text-content field field--name-field-intro-text field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>What began as an aspiration to open a history museum in 91ֱ�� morphed into a series of app-based tours that aim to represent the city’s diverse history.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2496">91ֱ�� History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2597">Faculty and Staff</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2384">Libraries</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-programs field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?program=25381">History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-departments field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/arts-and-sciences/departments/history" hreflang="und">History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">A historical marker in downtown 91ֱ��, overlooking Tappan Square.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-credit field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Tanya Rosen-Jones ’97</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> <article> <h1>Edmonia Lewis Google Doodle</h1> <p>Anonymous — Fri, 10 Feb 2017 21:10:52 +0000</p> <span>Edmonia Lewis Google Doodle</span> <span><span>Anonymous (not verified)</span></span> <span><time datetime="2017-02-10T16:10:52-05:00" title="Friday, February 10, 2017 - 16:10">Fri, 02/10/2017 - 16:10</time> </span> <div class="text-content field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p><a href="https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/u/0/exhibit/gQJi3NKm3VagLg?utm_campaign=bhm17_edmonia_lewis&utm_source=google&utm_medium=hppromo">Edmonia Lewis</a> (1844-1907) was the first woman of black and Native American descent to become an internationally acclaimed sculptor. Lewis began her studies at 91ֱ�� at the age of 15, but her education ended abruptly after she was assaulted by two white men, in response to her acquittal in a trial in which she was accused of poisoning two of her white roommates.</p> <p>Lewis eventually moved to Rome, where she became renowned for her Neoclassical sculptures, often featuring black and indigenous people. One of her famous pieces, <i>The Death of Cleopatra,</i> is on long-term loan to the <a href="https://amam.oberlin.edu">Allen Memorial Art Museum</a> from the National Museum of American Art. 91ֱ��’s Edmonia Lewis Center for Women and Transgender People was established in honor of this artistic trailblazer who fought racism, sexism, and the charge of attempted murder.</p></div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-type field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item">News Story</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-date field--type-datetime field--label-hidden field__item"><time datetime="2017-02-01T12:00:00Z">Wed, 02/01/2017 - 12:00</time> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Communications Staff</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news?tag=2496">91ֱ�� History</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-image-caption field--type-string-long field--label-hidden field__item">The February 1, 2017, Google Doodle featuring internationally acclaimed sculptor Edmonia Lewis. Lewis enrolled at 91ֱ�� in 1859, but a series of events forced her to abruptly end her education. She eventually moved to Rome, where she became famous for her Neoclassical sculptures.</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-pin-school-page field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-photo-gallery-top field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">false</div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-media field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__item"> </div> </article> </main></body></html>