Afro-American Society

From a COSO pamphlet, around 1975:

The Afro-American Society is comprised of Dartmouth students who are devoted to the concerns of Afro-Americans and who seek to use their individual and collective talents and aspirations for the fulfillment of the Society’s members.1

The Afro-American Society (often abbreviated Afro-Am) in the 1970s and 80s was an active, high-membership, high-budget organization. They met regularly once a week and held frequent events outside of those meetings,2 and their budget for the 1976-77 year was $22,824.3 They also had several subgroups, such as a Women’s Group.4

A typewritten page showing a series of ten events scheduled for October and November by the Afro-American Society.
The Afro-American Society was busy in the 1970s: this was their calendar over just one month.5
According to President Kemeny, “it was partly peer support…but it was also sort of a political action kind of group…depending on what the leadership was like.”6 The Afro-Am held many rallies protesting Dartmouth’s investments in South Africa due to apartheid, as well as protests against Dartmouth’s poor treatment of minorities.7

Relationship with Greek Life

The Afro-American Society had a complicated relationship with fraternities in the late 1970s. They drew attention to the racism rampant in fraternities; at a general meeting in May 1978, members of the Afro-Am discussed a racist incident at an unspecified fraternity “which involved hanging a dummy with its face painted black out of a window by a noose.”8 The chairman, Jimmy DeFrantz, responded by saying that “one of the most important things the Am should be about should be communication and education to the whites and blacks on this campus who otherwise have not been educated.”9 The discussion concluded with “concern…expressed for the Black brothers who might be members of such a fraternity. Because they are in dire need of education.”10

However, the Afro-Am also had ties to the fraternity system. According to their meeting minutes, they had some overlap with Dartmouth’s African-American fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha.11 After the faculty voted to abolish fraternities, the Afro-Am’s Executive Committee questioned whether they should make a statement. One committee member suggested that “maybe we should because if the college got rid of the fraternities, they might want to get [rid] of us next.”12

Foley House and the Afro-Am also seemed to be on friendly terms; in July 1979, the Afro-American Society members were “cordially invited” to a party at Foley House during a general meeting.13

Notes

  1. Dartmouth College Council on Student Organizations, n.d., DP-13, Box 8478, Council on Student Organizations, 1975-1976, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩
  2. Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978, DO-47, Box 3603, Folder 43, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩
  3. Bruce S. Cooper, “Council on Student Organizations, Annual Report: 1976-1977,” June 30, 1977, DP-13, Box 8478, Council on Student Organizations, 1975-1976, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩
  4. Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978. ↩
  5. Afro-American Society, Calendar of Events Oct. 24 – Nov. 19th, 1978?, Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978. DO-47, Box 3603, Folder 43, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩
  6. John G. Kemeny, interview by A. Alexander Fanelli, transcript, May 1, 1984, 120, https://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/rauner/archives/oral_history/oh_interviews_pdf/KemenyInterview.pdf. ↩
  7. Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978. ↩
  8. Minutes: General AM Meeting, May 11, 1978, Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978, DO-47, Box 3603, Folder 43, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩
  9. Minutes: General AM Meeting, May 11, 1978. ↩
  10. Minutes: General AM Meeting, May 11, 1978. ↩
  11. Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978. ↩
  12. Afro-American Society, Executive Committee Meeting Minutes, November 13, 1978, Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978. DO-47, Box 3603, Folder 43, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩
  13. Afro-American Society Minutes, July 12, 1979, Afro-American Society – Executive Board Minutes – 1977-1978. DO-47, Box 3603, Folder 43, Rauner Special Collections Library. ↩