Submissions from 2013
Tracy Chevalier Commencement Address, Oberlin College Archives
The 2013 Oberlin College commencement address given by novelist Tracy Chevalier '84, at which she received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts. Chevalier is the author of the New York Times bestselling book Girl with a Pearl Earring (1999) and, as referenced in this speech, Oberlin-set The Last Runaway (2013). Chevalier reflects on her time at Oberlin and her experience of graduation and the years that followed. She describes her life path being unpredictable, confusing, and fascinating. She delivers her parting advice to the Oberlin Class of 2013 through the lens of writing.
Submissions from 2012
Chuck D and Keith Shocklee, Oberlin College Archives
On September 12, 2012, Rapper/Emcee Chuck D and Producer/DJ Keith Shocklee discussed their rise through the music industry. That evening they performed at the Dionysus Disco. Chuck D and Keith Shocklee were both original members of the hit hip hop group Public Enemy, a group with a rich history in political messaging and activism in their lyrics.
Submissions from 2002
An Evening with Nikki Giovanni, Oberlin College Archives
Nikki Giovanni presented An Evening with Nikki Giovanni as part of Oberlin's Black History Month event series. As part of her visit, she spoke and read her works about Black culture, history, and identity, as well as her experience and role as a black woman part of a revolution. Her visit was supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation's Common Ground Grant.
Submissions from 1996
Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) Lecture on Pan-Africanism, Oberlin College Archives
Lecture and Q&A led by Kwame Ture discussing Pan-Africanism and how socialism can be achieved. It was a lecture that was also given for the purpose of recruiting students for the All African People's Revolutionary Party.
Submissions from 1995
OLGBA Panel (Oberlin Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Alumni), Oberlin College Archives
In May of 1995 the OLGBA, with a panel of professors and alums, including the notable David Getsy, lead a discussion on the efficacy of the term “queer” as a blanket term to describe “sexual minorities,” in response to the creation of the Queer Studies Research Grant. There is much disagreement, and considerations such as race, class, and environment are raised by audience members. From 00:00 - 14:05 we are introduced to the topic and the panelists, from 14:05 - 39:21 the panelists explain their backgrounds and their relationship to the word “queer,” and from then on the discussion is opened to the audience.
Submissions from 1991
What Good is a Great College If You Don't Have a Decent Planet to Put It On? - Commencement Symposium, Oberlin College Archives
What Good Is a Great College ...? was an Oberlin Alumni Association-sponsored commencement symposium. The panelists included Professor Dr. David Orr and two student representatives studying environmental science and politics. In 1990, the executive committee of the Alumni Association adopted a three-year focus of interest: environmental literacy. This symposium was a continuation of the projects under the umbrella of environmental literacy.
Submissions from 1977
Cesar Chavez Speech, Oberlin College Archives
Cesar Chavez speaks at Oberlin during a hunger strike of over 1,000 students, their lunch money going toward the striking United Farm Workers. He discusses the poor working conditions of farm workers across the country and the necessity of their unionization, namely through boycotts and labor strikes.
Submissions from 1968
Dr. Eduardo Mondlane Interview, Oberlin College Archives
An interview conducted by Herb Shaw with Dr. Eduardo Mondlane, president of FRELIMO, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1968. FRELIMO (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique, Liberation Front of Mozambique) is a Mozambican liberation movement organized in 1962 from three nationalist movements. In this interview, Dr. Mondlane discusses the formation and operations of FRELIMO and explains the necessity of organizing the movement outside Mozambique due to Portuguese fascist colonial rule.
Submissions from 1964
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - "The Future of Integration", Oberlin College Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King speaks on racism, segregation, and the process of integration in America only a few months after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed into law. “That is another thing about this philosophy, which is often misunderstood, and that is that at the center of nonviolence, the love ethic is central. And when one is true to nonviolence in all of its genuine dimensions, this is basic and this is central.”
Submissions from 1963
John F. Kennedy Memorial Service, Oberlin College Archives
Prayer and song in John F. Kennedy’s memory, on the day of his assassination.
Submissions from 1959
Minoru Yamasaki, Oberlin College Archives
Minoru Yamasaki, the accomplished architect who designed Oberlin’s Bibbins Hall and King Building, gives a talk on the role of architecture within modern society, touching on urban planning, and the incorporation of nature into architectural design.
Submissions from 1958
E.E. Cummings at Finney Chapel, Oberlin College Archives
In 1958 author, poet and artist E.E. Cummings recites poetry in Oberlin’s Finney Chapel. He recites the poems in a singsong voice, to an audibly rapt audience. Transcribed by Marco Syrett.
