From the Hampshire College Archives: 34 years ago today…
From the Hampshire College Archives:
34 years ago today, members of the Students of Under Represented Cultures (SOURCe) at Hampshire College claimed control of the Dakin Master House in an action to denounce institutional racism and demand change from the administration of the College.
The editors of the Permanent Press, a Hampshire College student newspaper, published a report the day after stating, “A group formed to organize support efforts at the Dakin laundry room, and a list of SOURCe demands were typed and planned and made to distribute for signatures of support. A 9:00 pm vigil was planned and groups of students fanned out to inform the community.”
This moment of community organization in Hampshire’s history illustrates the potential power of Hampshire scholars. It is an event in Hampshire’s history worthy of admiration and commemoration, but also serves as a reminder that the work is not done. Some of SOURCe’s original demands remain unmet, and there are broader conditions of our institutions and in our world that continue to uphold systematic subordination and oppression. Students of SOURCe channeled a passion for a just and radical Hampshire, and thirty-three years later students on campus continue that push.
More about the events started on February 23, 1988, including voices of the SOURCe community, can be explored in a folder of digitized documents from the Hampshire College archives located at the link below. We hope you will take a moment to recognize the determination of these brave student activists.
– Submitted by Aviva Pusey ’20F, Hampshire College Archives Assistant
