Class Note 2011
Issue
September-October 2020
In June our executive committee issued the following message.While the submissions via Google Forms have since closed, please get in touch with us at dartmouth.class.of.2011@dartmouth.edu with any comments you would like to share.
“Dear 2011 classmates, our hearts are extraordinarily heavy. We have been saddened and enraged by the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, Dominique Fells, and the countless others who have had their lives cut short due to police brutality and systemic racism and oppression. We condemn racism, white supremacy, and state-sanctioned and extralegal violence, and we stand in solidarity with our Black classmates and the Black communities around the globe: Black Lives Matter.
“We have heard from you and seen some of your reactions to the present moment and know many of you are working to learn and unlearn. You are supporting our peers and other friends and colleagues. You are mobilizing in the streets, donating, and challenging yourselves, your family members, coworkers, and each other. We write to you to ask that you continue this throughout the summer and beyond. Do not let this momentum fade away! It will feel uncomfortable, but there cannot be a return to ‘normal.’ We must remember: Our agency, our actions, and our futures are all interconnected, and we owe it to ourselves and each other to help build a better world. In the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, ‘Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.’ We must all speak up and show up whenever and wherever there is injustice.
“As your class executive committee, it is our job to serve as liaisons between you and the College. We are always here to communicate your questions, suggestions, and concerns to Dartmouth leadership, and we are especially committed to using our platform to do so at this time, particularly since we know issues related to race, access, and inclusion are, of course, deeply rooted and pervade every aspect of our society—including Dartmouth. If Dartmouth leadership continues to rhetorically emphasize the importance of ‘diversity,’ they must actually confront and dismantle the College’s own institutional racism and meet the intellectual, physical, mental, emotional, financial, and social needs of all students.
“As alumni, our voices carry weight. As the committee communicates with the College regarding these issues over the next few months and throughout our tenure, we want our correspondence to be informed by your specific feedback and calls for action. If you have questions, recommendations, or solutions you would like us to relay, please submit them here by June 30, and we will communicate them to President Hanlon and other leaders on behalf of the members of the class of 2011. We also are working to create a coalition with other young alumni classes and regional clubs so that they may do the same.
“Thank you for your time and energy. Be well and stay safe.”
—Hillary S. Cheng, 26611 La Roda, Mission Viejo, CA 92691; (603) 546-8452; hillary.s.cheng@dartmouth.edu
“Dear 2011 classmates, our hearts are extraordinarily heavy. We have been saddened and enraged by the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, Dominique Fells, and the countless others who have had their lives cut short due to police brutality and systemic racism and oppression. We condemn racism, white supremacy, and state-sanctioned and extralegal violence, and we stand in solidarity with our Black classmates and the Black communities around the globe: Black Lives Matter.
“We have heard from you and seen some of your reactions to the present moment and know many of you are working to learn and unlearn. You are supporting our peers and other friends and colleagues. You are mobilizing in the streets, donating, and challenging yourselves, your family members, coworkers, and each other. We write to you to ask that you continue this throughout the summer and beyond. Do not let this momentum fade away! It will feel uncomfortable, but there cannot be a return to ‘normal.’ We must remember: Our agency, our actions, and our futures are all interconnected, and we owe it to ourselves and each other to help build a better world. In the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, ‘Nobody’s free until everybody’s free.’ We must all speak up and show up whenever and wherever there is injustice.
“As your class executive committee, it is our job to serve as liaisons between you and the College. We are always here to communicate your questions, suggestions, and concerns to Dartmouth leadership, and we are especially committed to using our platform to do so at this time, particularly since we know issues related to race, access, and inclusion are, of course, deeply rooted and pervade every aspect of our society—including Dartmouth. If Dartmouth leadership continues to rhetorically emphasize the importance of ‘diversity,’ they must actually confront and dismantle the College’s own institutional racism and meet the intellectual, physical, mental, emotional, financial, and social needs of all students.
“As alumni, our voices carry weight. As the committee communicates with the College regarding these issues over the next few months and throughout our tenure, we want our correspondence to be informed by your specific feedback and calls for action. If you have questions, recommendations, or solutions you would like us to relay, please submit them here by June 30, and we will communicate them to President Hanlon and other leaders on behalf of the members of the class of 2011. We also are working to create a coalition with other young alumni classes and regional clubs so that they may do the same.
“Thank you for your time and energy. Be well and stay safe.”
—Hillary S. Cheng, 26611 La Roda, Mission Viejo, CA 92691; (603) 546-8452; hillary.s.cheng@dartmouth.edu