The Dartmouth 02/19/2020

MIRROR 2.19.20

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SLAVERY AT DARTMOUTH 4-5

ISBEING "FACETIME-Y"BAD? 7 GRACE QU/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

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Editors’ Note

DIVYA KOPALLE/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF

It is in the nature of heroes to be flawed. Whether your hero is a parent, an athlete or a political figure, at some point, everyone realizes that their idol is not perfect. It’s a part of growing up, but that doesn’t make the realization any less difficult.

However, along with recognizing a hero’s flaws comes a greater awareness of their true nature. Conceptualizing the good and the bad in an individual — as difficult as it might be — allows you to have a greater understanding of their impact on the world. Pablo Picasso created hundreds of paintings that changed the landscape of art as we know it, but he is also famous for his cruel treatment of the women in his life.

Without acknowledging the second part, you can’t appreciate the first with a good conscience.

This week, the Mirror explores the concept of idolization and the many ways it plays out in our world today. We look into the white-washing of Christ in visual representations and examine the implications of being FaceTime-y at Dartmouth. We also chronicle the ownership of slaves

by Eleazar Wheelock — one of the idols in Dartmouth lore. We hope that by reading this week’s issue, you will think about how idolization of an individual without regard for their flaws can be dangerous — and about how reconciling a person’s good and bad qualities is essential to developing a well-rounded understanding of them.

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2.19.20 VOL. CLXXVI NO. 139 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DEBORA HYEMIN HAN PUBLISHER AIDAN SHEINBERG MIRROR EDITORS KYLEE SIBILIA NOVI ZHUKOVSKY COPY EDITOR JULIAN NATHAN ISSUE LAYOUT GRANT PINKSTON

Visual Represention of Christ STORY

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By Caris White

As a pastor’s kid growing up in the formally introduced to the Christian American Evangelical Church, I was church by the Byzantine Empress surrounded by images of Jesus. He Theodora in the ninth century. At the was usually depicted with light skin, time, most people were illiterate, so these brown hair and a flowing white robe, images would have been an accessible surrounded by happy little children way to connect with Jesus. or fluffy white sheep. Now, whenever The icons that these early Christians I think about Jesus, that’s the image venerated would have greatly influenced that immediately comes to mind. It’s their idea of who Jesus was, and a lovely pastoral scene, straight out of although literacy is nearly universal the storybook bibles and stained glass I now, physical representations of Jesus grew up on. The only problem is that, still have the power to influence our according to our best knowledge of perceptions. history, it’s wrong.

Images shape our mental and So what did Jesus actually look like? spiritual experience of Christ, an The Bible offers relatively few clues as to experience that Rev. Guy Collins of St. his physical appearance, but we do know Thomas Episcopal, located between Psi that he was a Jew living in Judea during U and TDX, calls the “imaginary.” the first century. Logically, this means “There is this imaginary, and it that he probably looked like a first- forms and shapes our reality,” Collins century Jew. Jewish said. “Any [visual] studies professor representation “We need to be Deborah Forger is part of the suggested that he conscious that art is imaginary, and if most likely had a constructed image; our imaginary is olive skin, brown only shaped by hair and brown there’s a difference representations eyes. that are factually between art and If this is true, incorrect and only reality.” how and when present one side did images of Jesus of the pluralistic become white? reality of the -STEVEN KANGAS, ART According to human race; if Forger, this shift HISTORY PROFESSOR we only see one away from the type of face in the “Jewishness of imaginary, then Jesus” had already started by the second we’re actually — in theological term century CE and grew more pronounced — denigrating the image of God in as Christianity expanded west. humanity.”

“When Christianity is bolstered by Humans are profoundly visual Constantine’s rule, it begins to spread beings, and Jesus is one of the most and flourish within the context of prolifically depicted humans in all Europe,” Forger said. “This is when we of history. However, Kangas said we start to see more prominent Christian should be cautious of the images that iconography of Jesus as white because we accept as truth. the followers of Jesus have a tendency “We need to be conscious that art is to create images of Jesus who look like a constructed image; there’s a difference them.” between art and reality,” Kangas said.

Art history professor Steven Kangas, Images are limited by their biases and said he believes that images of Jesus historical inaccuracies, and in the speak to their place and time. Indeed, Western world, this has historically many early visual representations of meant a bias towards whiteness, Jesus depict him similarly to Roman according to Kangas. emperors.

The consequences of this Iconography, the practice of visually whitewashing are multifaceted, and depicting Jesus and other saints, was its implications are both social and

theological.

Chagall created works emphasizing “If we limit the imaginary to just Jesus’ Jewishness to counter the rising to white people, then obviously we tide of anti-Semitism. are doing something profoundly racist Here in Hanover, one need only walk and profoundly wrong, but we’re also down the block to see an example of how doing something representations p r o f o u n d l y “God created human o f Je s u s can heretical; we’re change over time. limiting God, and beings in God’s image, At St. Thomas we’re saying that and God’s image Episcopal Church, some people are stained glass in human beings is outside of God, windows tell the and that is the diverse. God is, and story. The stained worst heresy,” human beings are, glass alcoves that Collins said. line the side walls However, this plural.” of the chapel are doesn’t always old, and all of the have to be the case. enshrined in -GUY COLLINS, REVEREND saints Forger pointed out these images are that there have AT ST. THOMAS EPISCOPAL lily white. In the b e e n n o t a bl e window dedicated exceptions to the to a member of whitewashing of Jesus over the centuries: Dartmouth’s Class of 1887, Jesus is Rembrandt, for example, used a man even blond. However, the authentic off the street in Amsterdam’s Jewish icon at the front of the chapel features neighborhood as his model of Jesus. a decidedly more olive-skinned Jesus.

During the 1930s, Jewish artist Marc The stained glass on the chapel’s west

wall is also more historically accurate, featuring Mary and St. Thomas with brown hair and olive skin. The fact that both the icon and the west wall glass are more recent additions is no accident.

As Collins noted, after the damage of the 20th century, it’s clear that when certain racial or ethnic groups are designated as outside of God, oppression follows. Additions like the west wall stained glass won’t erase the damage of the anti-Semitic construct of an Aryan Jesus, but they may be a step in the right direction. Visuals that remind us of Jesus’ Jewishness are not only historically accurate but socially relevant as well. Throughout history, some of the worst offenders of anti-Semitism and xenophobia have been Christians. And yet, Jesus was a Middle-Eastern Jew. Reminders of this, even if it’s just a stained glass window, can have profound effects.

“God created human beings in God’s image, and God’s image in human beings is diverse,” Collins said. “God is, and human beings are, plural.”

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STORY

By Cristian Cano

We only know some of their time period, dating back from the names: Achelous, Bill, Billy, Brister, time of Dartmouth’s founding all Caesar, Cloe, Dinah, Elijah, Exeter, the way to the anti-slavery and Fortune, Hagar, Hercules, Ishmaal, pro-colonialization movements in Peggy, Selinda and Sippy. the mid-1800s.

Those are the names of the A sample of the exhibit’s contents enslaved people belonging to includes a letter written by Wheelock Dartmouth’s founder, Eleazar in which he describes purchasing a Wheelock, slave alongside a c c o r d i n g t o “When we talk about a wheel of College archivist Eleazar Wheelock cheese; the final Peter Carini. At wills of Eleazar least two more coming up here, felling Wheelock and slaves have been a lot of trees and his son John, confir med, an detailing what to u n n a m e d g i rl building the campus, do with the slaves and an unnamed it sounds like he did it they possessed; infant, and it’s all with his own hands. a n arrest probable that warrant for one Wheelock owned And the fact is, there of Wheelock’s e v e n m o r e . were six to seven slaves, Caesar, Elijah, one of accused of his slaves, would slaves who came with defaming a white be completely him..." woman; meeting unknown if it minutes from the weren’t for a earliest iterations single mention of -PETER CARINI, COLLEGE of frater nities his name in one ARCHIVIST at Dartmouth, of Wheelock’s including the account books; Social Friends he and Fortune Literary Society are listed as being rented out for of which the third black man to half a day of pulling turnips, for a graduate from Dartmouth (Jonathan total price of 18 shillings.

C. Gibbs, Class of 1852) was a “One of the things that is a member; excerpts of ser mons consequence of enslavement is written by Nathan Lord, originally that people’s names are lost, their an abolitionist before becoming a histories are erased, and again, slavery apologist; and excerpts of a we don’t have a great deal of speech written by Daniel Webster, information about who people are,” who was a founding member of the said African and African American American Colonization Society. studies professor Trica Keaton.

This is not the first time that King “Every time we see documents like has taught the course. In the past, that ... we are seeing the evidence of iterations of the course have created life, the evidence of people unseen.” the framework for a website about Dartmouth’s history with slavery the history of slavery, as well as a has recently been brought to new walking tour of different sites on light through the current Rauner campus related to slavery. As for the exhibit “The Ties that Bind: decision of creating an exhibit this Slavery and Dartmouth” — the time around, King credited the team final product of sociology professor at Rauner for their support and said Deborah King’s course SOCY that it was a very “high-scale” way 79.08, “Lest We Forget: History, of integrating experiential learning Collective Memory and Slavery at into the classroom.

Dartmouth.” The 32 items within King emphasized that the final the collection are organized into exhibit was the work of her students, three cases based on theme and and half of the class were freshmen

— many of whom had never done archival research before. Julia Levine ’23, one of the students in the class, said she chose to take it because it sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study slavery during Dartmouth’s 250th anniversary.

Levine said she found the class fascinating and described her work as a type of “scavenger hunt” in Rauner, paging through various documents from the 1700s and 1800s to find information about slavery’s history on campus. As a result of her exposure to archival research during her first term on campus, she has since continued working for Rauner, transcribing documents related to Samson Occom, a Native American man from the Mohegan nation whom Wheelock befriended.

King said that through the exhibit, her students were able to understand and appreciate the many dimensions of figures like Webster, who played a large role in Dartmouth’s history.

“Daniel Webster is a very complicated figure when it comes to the issue of slavery,” King said.

“Dartmouth may celebrate him for defending [the College] as a private institution, but this is also the Daniel Webster who is a founding member of the American Colonization Society, whose intent was to remove freed blacks from the United States.”

Carini, who helped guide the exhibit, emphasized that one of the main takeaways should be that Dartmouth does, in fact, have a relationship to slavery. He acknowledged that other institutions may have had different, “more egregious” ways of using enslaved people’s money and labor, but that shouldn’t diminish the impact of slaves’ contributions to the founding of the College.

“When we talk about Eleazar Wheelock coming up here, felling a lot of trees and building the campus, it sounds like he did it all with his own hands,” Carini said. “And the fact is, there were six to seven slaves who came with him, and … it’s

important to recognize that legacy. Dartmouth as an institution and They have a part in the setting-up our founding because it’s one of the of this institution that wasn’t their most important things: why we’re choosing.” here.”

While the Rauner exhibit is a A n o t h e r r e a s o n w hy t h e step in the right direction toward Dartmouth community knows little acknowledging about its history the history of with slavery may “What I think [the slavery on be the College’s campus, many College] wants to reluctance to don’t consider it do is forget all this publicize it. enough — and Dartmouth is s o m e w o u l d history and say, ‘Okay, not a member even call it long we’re going to be a of Universities overdue.

S t u d y i n g diverse institution, L e v i n e S l a v e r y, a identified herself and we want to be collaboration as both white inclusive now. You among 62 other and a “double universities — legacy” student can’t do that because including fellow at Dartmouth, we won’t recognize Ivy League since her schools Brown and appreciate grandfather U n i v e r s i t y, a n d b o t h o f how, implicitly Col u mb ia her parents are and explicitly, University alumni, and and Harvard she expressed the institution University disappointment — structurally, — working that more to address operationally and students from “historical and s i m i l a r l y culturally — carries on contemporary p r i v i l e g e d that legacy.” issues dealing backgrounds with race and aren’t interested inequality i n l e a r n i n g -DEBORAH KING, in higher more about education” and SOCIOLOGY PROFESSOR t h e C o l l e g e ’s “the complicated founding. legacies of She said slavery in she was the only white person modern American society.” in the class, and that she felt King said that Dartmouth, like embarrassed that there weren’t many other institutions, wants to more white students, considering create a narrative about itself which that Dartmouth is a predominantly emphasizes the “good points” of white college. She said that she is its history, even if such narratives glad to see some professors and and mythologies aren’t always true. students working on this topic, However, she also underscored but that more students need to get the importance of recognizing involved in conducting research and an institution’s problematic past, educating themselves. instead of simply brushing it under “It’s not hard to look around the rug to focus on the future. and see that most people are “What I think [the College] white, and most people are very wants to do is forget all this history privileged,” Levine said. “I am very and say, ‘Okay, we’re going to be privileged to be here, and I had a a diverse institution, and we want very privileged upbringing — I’m to be inclusive now,’” King said. a legacy, too. But I still care about “You can’t do that because we

won’t recognize and appreciate how, implicitly and explicitly, the institution — structurally, operationally and culturally — carries on that legacy.”

Levine isn’t convinced that acknowledging slavery would result in bad publicity for the College.

On the other hand, she said that she would personally find a public acknowledgement of slavery very attractive, since she wants to go to a school that’s aware of its founding.

She pointed to other universities that have taken substantial steps toward recognizing their histories of slavery, like Georgetown University and other Universities Studying Slavery members, and expressed embarrassment that we’re not among those schools.

What should come next? King said she would like to see the College clearly and assertively call for a report detailing its relationship with enslaved people.

“I’m not saying that these aren’t difficult conversations,” King said.

“I’m not saying that, particularly for an institution that’s in the midst of a capital campaign, there aren’t concerns about things that might come up. But as an institution of higher learning, as an institution that talks about preparing students

to be leaders and address complex situations, it seems to me that we model that behavior in a variety of ways. We do it in the classroom, but we also do it when the institution tells the truth about its history.”

Carini expressed a similar sentiment, recognizing that it might take years for Dartmouth to investigate these histories and its relationships. He also added that it is important to view these historical figures in the context of their times. Wheelock, for example, was viewing his slaves like how he viewed Native Americans: in an 18th century religious way, quite literally thinking that he was saving them from damnation and saving their souls. Carini said that we should contextualize these figures historically while also acknowledging the consequences of their actions, both positive and negative.

Levine said she would love to see more students get involved with this topic by conducting research, educating themselves and voicing their opinions to College President Phil Hanlon and the administration.

She also said that she’d be interested in an organized open discussion or panel about Dartmouth and slavery with other students and faculty.

Keaton acknowledges that we’re not even close to the finish line, though she is hopeful that an event she’s organizing to commemorate 400 years of history since 1619, the year that the first enslaved people arrived in Jamestown, will be another step in the right direction. She also said that one way in which Dartmouth’s history with slavery could be incorporated in a more visible way would be in the recognition of the enslaved people’s names that we do know.

Keaton added that, even if it doesn’t resemble the kind of legacy we usually think about, Dartmouth students of African descent have their own distinct legacy on this campus, too — one that goes back all the way to the College’s beginnings.

“We, as people of color, are here, and we have a profound connection to places like this,” Keaton said. “Reparations, in its most fundamental sense, means to repair, and rendering visible invisible stories is a for m of reparations, a form of repairing.”

The Office of the President declined to comment for this story.

Julia Levine is a member of The Dartmouth staff.

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Presidents and Performance GRAPHIC

By Zoe Chen

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Is Being “FaceTime-y” Really That Bad? ARTICLE

By Charlie Ciporin

Dartmouth is full of ambiguities because I think the word has an ‘ugh’ and uncertainties. From the flexibility connotation, but I’ve kind of accepted of the D-Plan to the fluctuating it at this point,” Politi said.

Hanover weather, there seem to be Politi can be identified by almost few things here that have a permanent, anybody through her radiantly black-and-white definition. The positive energy and her willingness students’ weird, overly specific lingo to talk to anybody and everybody, no is no exception. matter where she is. Her definition The word of the word “ Fa c e T i m e - y ” “I think it’s one type conf licts with is often one of L e h r b e r g e r ’s ; of thing to be a nice the first that new she sees it as students lear n person and care about something upon arriving on people, and I think that can be campus. For me, positive. Politi my trip leaders it’s another to be admitted that were the ones FaceTime-y.” she understands who informed me why some people of its meaning might view being before we even -BEN LEHRBURGER ’23 FaceTime-y as a left Hanover to bad thing. She go hiking for the said that she week. I could sense the disdain in thinks there are two different kinds their voices; I knew this was not of FaceTime-y. something that everyone wanted to “I think if you’re FaceTime-y be. Still, I wondered why this was because you want to be popular or such a bad thing. Isn’t someone who is established on campus it can be bad, FaceTime-y just someone who knows but I think if you’re FaceTime-y a lot of people? because you genuinely want to get Ben Lehrburger ’23 had a similar to know people on this campus, and experience; his trip leaders told him genuinely enjoy those interactions and what FaceTime-y was, and that he little ‘heys’ when you walk by, I think didn’t want to be it. However, he that’s a good thing,” Politi said. seemed to have more of a clear idea Harrison Lawson ’23, who also about what the word represents, stating seems to be well-known amongst the that the label holds connotations of class, said he does not see himself being fake or superficial. as FaceTime-y and also thinks the However, Lehrburger noted word has negative and superficial that there’s a difference between connotations. He said he believes somebody who’s FaceTime-y and the reason so many are quick to be someone who is just friendly and FaceTime-y is due to the careeroutgoing. oriented focus that students on “I think it’s one type of thing campus hold. to be a nice person and care about “I feel like the culture here is all people, and I think it’s another to be about networking. People are getting FaceTime-y, and sort of social climb, ready to network for jobs so they feel trying to finesse your way up the like this is their battleground; their social hierarchy,” Lehrburger said. training ground is FFB and it’s just “If you’re a nice person and you just live or die out there,” Lawson said. want to care about people, you’re not Politi attributes her FaceTime-y going to go out of your way to get in description to the size of Dartmouth’s touch with people like that.” student population, not its student Annie Politi ’23 is recognized culture. within our class as the definition of “We go to a school that’s the size FaceTime-y, and she knows it, too. of some people’s high schools,” Politi “I didn’t want to be at first said. “So for me, not only are there so

many amazing people that I want to get to know here, but also I feel like it’s a socially approachable setting, and I have those opportunities — so why not take them?”

Politi also said that sometimes people grow frustrated with her because they can barely hold a conversation with her when walking around campus as she greets almost everybody who passes. She said she often ends up showing up late to various functions because she stops to talk to people on her way (she was even 10 minutes late to our interview because of this).

Interestingly, gender seemed to come up as something that might help define whether or not a person is FaceTime-y. In my experience, more girls seem to be called FaceTime-y than guys. When I mentioned this to Lawson, he seemed to agree.

“I had never thought about that, but now that you bring it up, most of the time when people bring up FaceTime-y, I usually think of

women,” Lawson said. can come to mean either.

Lehrberger and Politi, however, Personally, I think the word’s said they do not see a difference popularity speaks to Dartmouth’s in gender when it came to being tight-knit, socially oriented culture.

FaceTime-y, as It’s not bad to they consider an be well-known equal amount of “I feel like the culture on campus; at men and women here is all about a school of our FaceTime-y. size, it’s pretty U l t i m a t e l y, networking. People common. And while t h e are getting ready to even if somebody ter m seems to makes a concerted network for jobs so connote negative effort to achieve t e n d e n c i e s t o they feel like this is campus celebrity, t h o s e a ro u n d their battleground; I don’t think we c a m p u s, i t ’s should get down clear that there’s their training ground is on them for it. n o c o n s i s t e n t FFB and it’s just live or Everybody wants definition. While to be well liked die out there.” some believe it is to some capacity, simply somebody and it shouldn’t be who is superficial -HARRISON LAWSON ’23 our responsibility or concerned to police them for about social it. So even if that’s status, others think it describes an unpopular take, I’m still willing to somebody who likes to be social and make it: being FaceTime-y is alright talk to people. Even more believe it by me.

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Asserting Authority PHOTO

By Naina Bhalla