A00001 - Amherst College Black Alumni Association (08/30/2010) [The Advent of the Black Alumni Listserv]


Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 5:36 PM
To: BLACKALUMNI-L@LISTSERV.AMHERST.EDU
Subject: Re: [BlackAlumni] FW: [BlackAlumni] Amherst College Black Alumni Association
 
Steve,
 
As a member of the Class of 1975, I attended my 35th this past May and was quite glad I did. By my count, there were five African American brothers from the Class of 1975 in attendance and it was good to be able to reconnect with those faces from so long ago. However, what happened over the course of the weekend was not a focus on just the African American brotherhood but rather on the Amherst brotherhood (and, in one instance, sisterhood) that has evolved. The individuals that make up any particular class do share a common experience of having lived at Amherst at a particular time in history and at a particular time in their lives.  While we came to the college with disparate interests and backgrounds, when we graduated, we graduated with the same Amherst diploma and by having gone through the process of getting that diploma, there was commonality of experience that allowed for some meaningful conversation.  Also, it helped matters that life experiences have occurred to help broaden perspectives.  Thus, for me, attending the reunion was a very rewarding experience.
 
As for this list serve, I welcome the forum.  Some of you may remember I attempted to develop a Black Alumni Newsletter way back in the early 1980s.  It lasted for a couple of years.  However, constraints of time and money led to its demise.  This list serve is a welcome forum for Black Alumni to express ourselves and to perhaps address some of the issues that still exist at the college ... and amongst ourselves.
 
Everett Jenkins

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