This is an open letter to the campus:
A smashing success! The hard work paid off. The recent Black Alumni Reunion in the end proved to be one of my greatest inspirations in my Oberlin career. I commend the vast efforts of the Black Alumni Reunion Committee, the Alumni Office, ABUSUA, The Dean of Student's Office/Staff, and the Multicultural Resource Center for supporting what turned out to be a celebratory and well needed self-reflective period for the Black student/alumni community at Oberlin.
The weekend began with aged yet vibrant faces popping about campus, running into old classmates, and befriending current students. Then there was "If I Should Die Tonight," and excellent performance written, directed, and produced by the very talented Kyo Freeman, which offered his take on the turbulent life of Marvin Gaye. Soul Session was a time to share, learn, express and be re-affirmed as students and alumni eagerly brought forth their talents and taught us the history and meaning behind the affair. Of course the whole campus was able to delight in Avery Brooks' "Paul Robeson," which as a rising radical I found inspiring as Robeson's life in many ways mirrors my own experiences. I invite the entire campus to visit the newly instituted Black Alumni Hall of Fame, housed in the African Heritage House, annually showcasing several notable Black Alumni of Oberlin College.
Most of all, I relished in the opportunity throughout the weekend to speak with alum, discussing my struggles and successes at Oberlin, and seeing them as age-old collective battles which have been fought and fought over again. In them, I felt rejuvenated, knowing that though being a student of color here feels like a never-ending rocky road, folks do survive, folks graduate, and folks go on to lead happy and successful (not in the traditional definition, please) lives. Overall, the relationship between Black student as a community, and Black alumni was greatly strengthened, a relationship that I believe will aid to move this campus into a higher, more inclusive, more provocative existence.
Copyright © 1997, The Oberlin Review.
Volume 125, Number 22, April 25, 1997
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