Whitties hold community potluck to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Charlotte Elliott, Campus Life Editor • October 20, 2022

Brought together by tasty food, great music and community fun, Whitman staff and students celebrated Indigenous Peoples' Day in style with a potluck at the Glover Alston Center (GAC). The celebration...

Comedian Gloria Bigelow provides provocative, socially conscious humor

Missy Gerlach, Staff Reporter • November 10, 2016

As part of the ongoing Equality Coffeehouse event, FACE (Feminists Advocating for Change and Empowerment) invited a rather unique performer in comedian Gloria Bigelow, who uniquely addressed intersectional...

Reflecting on Race

Christy Carley, News Editor • October 13, 2016

On Thursday evening the words of “We Shall Overcome” echoed across the steps of Penrose Library, while candles flickered in the dark. Members of the Whitman community gathered together to mourn the...

Cryptid and BSU partner for Day of Action

Lachlan Johnson • April 9, 2015

Cryptid Apparel, a student-run printing collective, and Whitman’s Black Student Union (BSU) are organizing a day of action on police violence and modern racism to take place on Sunday, April 12. By using art to draw attention to issues of race, Cryptid and BSU hope to encourage conversation and provide an outlet of political expression.

A close look at club continuity

Lane Barton • February 12, 2015

As students only spend four years on campus, clubs often disappear when interest fades or members graduate. Content, leadership and a sense of community can all play a role in ensuring a club survives across multiple generations of students, according to the current members of Whitman's older student organizations.

Vigil for Ferguson

Andy Monserud • September 25, 2014

The Black Student Union (BSU) held a march and vigil to call attention to racist police brutality on the steps of Memorial Hall. The event was inspired by the now-infamous July shooting of Michael Brown, a young black man, by police in Ferguson, Mo., and further violence by police during the protests which followed.

Rally Against Racism, Cyberbullying Draws Attention from Board of Trustees

Quin Nelson • November 7, 2013

Protesters gathered at Memorial Hall Thursday afternoon to take part in the Rally Against Racism and Cyberbullying put on by members of Feminists Advocating for Change and Empowerment (FACE) and the Black Students Union (BSU).

A ‘Dangerous’ Battle Cry to Rethink Racism

Sarah Cornett • September 19, 2013

Mia McKenzie, author of the blog Black Girl Dangerous, discussed her own struggle with developing an identity as a queer person of color, as well as challenged mainstream conceptions of racism. She spoke on Friday, Sept. 13 in a packed Reid Campus Center coffeehouse.

Storyteller Relives Civil Rights Movement

Lachlan Johnson • February 27, 2013

Members of the Whitman and Walla Walla community filled the Glover Alston Center on Monday, Feb. 25 to hear storyteller Kathya Alexander speak about the civil rights movement.

Celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy

Skye Vander Laan • January 22, 2013

The annual candlelit peace march down Main Street to commemorate the life and message of Martin Luther King, Jr., drew about fifty Whitman and Walla Walla community members this year on Monday, Jan. 21.

Black Student Union Hosts ‘Ratchet’ Radio Show

December 6, 2012

Black Student Union students are to host a new radio show on KWCW. The show, "Ratchet Radio," will feature hip hop and rap music of a ratchet variety, an aspect of African American culture lacking on Whitman campus.

Culture of color blindness: Privilege hinders discussion of diversity

Emily Lin-Jones • April 26, 2012

Like many of its peer institutions, Whitman doesn’t hesitate to emphasize its commitment to diversity. Diversity is currently the focus of Whitman’s application supplement writing prompt, and the word pervades much of the college’s advertising literature. And according to the Whitman website, the Whitman experience “involves deep and lasting learning in an academic community comprised of people with varied experiences and global perspectives.” Yet for many students, that ideal hasn’t yet been realized on campus.