Episode 5: Activism @ Amherst

Protest is in the DNA of Amherst College, and Black women have often led the charge to effect change on campus. The 1979 takeover of Converse Hall Thastened the College’s divestment from apartheid-era South Africa; an unlikely protest held in Charles Drew House during the 1990s resulted in improved resources for STEM students; and the Black Lives Matter-inspired Amherst Uprising of 2015 helped seal the fate of “Lord Jeff” Amherst, the now-former unofficial school mascot named for the controversial mid-18th century commander of British colonial forces in North America..  Host: Nichelle S. Carr ’98 Discussion topics: Black women and the undue burden of reforming institutions Timeline of the 1979 takeover of Converse Hall in response to a campus cross-burning, also demanding divestment from South Africa and the continuation of Black freshman orientation The two-day takeover of Converse in 1992 protesting the lack of faculty diversity  How young Black women tackled a larger STEM problem at Amherst  The Forum on Academic Concerns of Black Students: a different kind of protest The Being Human in STEM initiative The genesis and impact of the 2015 Amherst Uprising Continuing the conversation online: @BlackAmherstSpeaks Featured interviews (in order of appearance): The Hon. Denise Francois ’80 Sheila Maddox ’80 Dr. Susan Prattis ’80 Dr. Kellie Jones ’81 LeAnn Shelton ’80M.  Cyndy Jean ’07 Amani Brown Legagneur ’97 Ashaki Brown ’97 Onawumi Jean Moss, former associate dean of students (1985-2006) Katyana Dandridge ’18 Kyndall Ashe ’18