From the Archives - Black Experiences at Whitman

In 1990, forty-five students, staff, and faculty published an open letter to Whitman College President David Maxwell (“More minorities'' 1990, 2). The letter came after a Black History Month event featuring Dr. Charles King, who gave a lecture on “how to identify and understand institutional racism, and how to confront it to bring about change” (Schmitz 2021, 196). The signees listed three demands: 1) “Establish a committee of stu­dents, faculty and administrators, chaired by you, to promote multiculturalism on campus,” 2) “[i]ncrease racial and socio/economic diversity in the Whitman community” including both students and faculty, and 3) “[d]iversify the curriculum to in­clude women's and ethnic studies” (“More minorities” 2).

The Presidential Committee on Racial and Ethnic Diversity was formed in the fall of 1990 with four subcommittees: “outreach, curriculum, staff/faculty, and campus support/environment” (Schmitz 2021, 229). Several ambitious programs were developed out of the committee’s work, including a transfer program for Walla Walla Community College students, a tutoring program in Walla Walla’s elementary schools, recruitment programs for minority students in Tri-Cities, and a spring Visitor’s Day (the precursor to today’s Fly-In program) (230). Unfortunately, the college faced significant financial challenges over the last two years of Maxwell’s presidency and in response to “federal cutbacks in financial aid and the economic downturn in the nation,” funding for diversity programs was again deprioritized (237-238).

Student Efforts for Equality and Diversity (S.E.E.D.) was founded sometime in the 1995-1996 school year (Sher and Kimura 1996, 7). Their first action was to distribute a campus-wide survey on issues of diversity at Whitman, which (briefly) provided them with the “leverage…to participate in screening applicants for open positions” (7). By the next year, the group had grown to fifteen members and organized events such as a “racial humor forum,” and began planning for a proposed racial harassment policy (7). “The most significant evidence” of the need for the policy “[was] the fact that four out of seven Afri­can-American students” who entered Whitman in 1995-1996 had not returned the following year (Kimura 1996 November, 6). Members of SEED believed that the Whitman community would “grow by acknowl­edging and dealing with the many reported and unreported incidents that have occurred” (Sher, Robles, and Kimura 1996, 7). A racial harassment policy was never formalized.

After more than a decade without a Black Student Union (BSU) at Whitman, by fall of 1990 a Black Student Union was one of several groups meeting at the Multicultural Center for Cultural Affairs (MECCA) House (Flexer 1990, 4). In 1994, the Associated Students of Whitman College (ASWC) chose to emphasize support for “groups that try to make Whitman students more aware of their surroundings” (Noble 1994, 4), including the Black Student Union.

In October 1992, eight members of the BSU traveled to Washington State University for a step competition put on by several Black greek organizations there (fraternities Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi, and sororities Delta Sigma Theta and Zeta Phi Beta) (Dondero 1992, 5). Reflecting upon the experience, Marcy Banks and Adrina Tarver wrote, “[w]e have now come to realize that being at Whitman makes us out of touch with our own culture” (Banks and Tarver 1992, 7). Despite the feelings of isolation, they concluded “we have a cer­tain advantage being exposed to both [white and Black] cultures” (7).

By February 1993 the BSU had several projects underway, including Black History Month, outreach programs, and providing tutoring for those incarcerated at Washington State Penitentiary (Miller 1993, 1). Goals of the group included increased awareness of Black culture, more Black students and faculty on campus, and expanded representation of Black literature and scholarship in the curriculum at Whitman (Miller 1993, 3). Marcy Banks wrote of the Black History Month observances that year: “We, the BSU, had a lot of fun getting together frequently, and I think it actually surprised many to see us appear so quickly with something as organized as it was” (Banks 1993, 7). Highlights of Black History Month events in the 1990s include speakers such as Dick Gregory and Atallah Shabazz (Kimura 1996, 6; Arrow 1995, 1) all-campus dances and talent shows (“February” 1994, 11), a photography show by Seattle artist Peter Graves Walls (Nyugen-Tan 1994, 11), and theatrical performances (Kimura 1996, 6).

An article in the Pioneer published in 1997 observed, “small but continual steps are be­ing taken to foster diversity on campus,” but “Whitman is just now beginning to address these 

issues more aggressively” (Dahl, 3). The white majority of the student population had nonetheless shrunk slightly from 90.7% to 83.8% over the past decade (3). This was in no small part due to the efforts of students in the Black Student Union and other multicultural organizations, which continued to conduct outreach to prospective students.

Organizers and activists recognized that being a Black student at Whitman also meant being a Black person in Walla Walla, and they sought to educate their peers about that experience. In the spring of 1999, the Black Student Union authored an article in the Whitman College Pioneer titled, “WWPD more dangerous to dark skin than you think” (Whitman College Black Student Union, 7). BSU vice president Will Washington recounted several instances of being “stopped while driving, randomly harrassed [sic], or otherwise suspected of crime for no reason at all” in Walla Walla (7). The article stated that “[o]ne of the purposes of the BSU is to confront hate crimes,” and “[t]he BSU will not tolerate unfair treatment by the Walla Walla Police Department“ (7). No follow-up to this article was ever published.

In the 1990s, the Whitman College Black Student Union experienced a sustained revitalization which carried the organization forward into the new millennium. Black students at Whitman continued to advocate for more diversity in all aspects of the college, even organizing new groups with new missions, such as Student Efforts for Equality and Diversity (S.E.E.D.). 

Over the month of February, we will continue to highlight the history of Black students' experiences at Whitman College. Check back each Monday throughout February to learn more. 

-The Staff at Whitman College and Northwest Archives