About

Amherst College in 1821

The Steering Committee on a Racial History of Amherst College was established in late 2020 with the following charge:

Charge for the Steering Committee on a Racial History of Amherst College

In the Amherst Anti-Racism Plan, released on 3 August 2020, President Martin noted the need for a historical study of the College’s ties to slaveholding and to capital accumulation based on slavery. In addition, she called for a racial history of the college extending into present times. To coordinate and disseminate research on the college’s racial past, President Martin has formed a Steering Committee on the Racial History of Amherst College.

The primary functions of the Steering Committee will be:

  • To identify and support specific research projects into college and local history with particular focus on any links between the college and the slave trade;
  • To serve as a hub for cross-divisional coordination for research efforts underway across campus;
  • To identify and coordinate appropriate venues for the dissemination of research findings on the college’s racial past;
  • To facilitate connections among faculty, students, staff, and alumni, and other interested stakeholders within and beyond the college around Amherst’s racial history;
  • To provide information and support for faculty interested in integrating college and local history into their courses; and
  • To initiate public programming and support and coordinate programs initiated by others to foster opportunities for dialogue on the college’s racial history.

The Steering Committee will be co-chaired by Catherine Epstein, Provost and Dean of the Faculty, and Mike Kelly, Head of the Archives and Special Collections. The committee will include two faculty members, two students, and one representative from each of the following administrative offices: Advancement; the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and the Office of Student Affairs. The committee will also include an external expert. It will be staffed by the Director of Academic Projects. The committee will meet at least twice each semester to carry out its charge.

Steering Committee Membership, Fall 2023

  • Co-Chairs: Allen Hart (The Manwell Family Professor of Life Sciences (Psychology)); Martin Garnar (Director of the Library)
  • Lisa Brooks (Henry S. Poler ’59 Presidential Teaching Professor of English and American Studies)
  • Julia Carroll (Racial History Research Fellow)
  • Michael Elliott (President of Amherst College)
  • Catherine Epstein (Provost and Dean of the Faculty, former co-chair)
  • Elizabeth Herbin-Triant (Associate Professor of Black Studies and History)
  • Mike Kelly (Head, Archives & Special Collections, former co-chair)
  • Sheree Ohen (Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer)
  • Kate Salop (Chief Strategy Officer)

Steering Committee Membership, Spring 2021

  • Co-Chairs: Catherine Epstein (Provost and Dean of the Faculty); Mike Kelly (Head of Archives & Special Collections)
  • Sika Essegbey ’23
  • Norm Jones, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer
  • Professor Hilary Moss
  • Ellis Phillips-Gallucci ’23
  • Professor Leah Schmalzbauer
  • Betsy Cannon Smith ’84, Chief Advancement Officer
  • Angie Tissi-Gassoway, Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion
  •  Nancy Ratner, Director of Academic Projects, supports the work of the steering committee.

Student Research Assistants, Spring 2021

In February 2021, Mike Kelly interviewed and hired the first cohort of Racial History Research Assistants:

  • Claire Dunbar ’21
  • Edmund Kennedy ’23
  • Cy Nguyen ’21

Anna Smith ’22, a student assistant in the Archives, is also contributing to this project. All of the work of the Steering Committee is made possible by support from the Archives & Special Collections team, the Digital Programs department, and the entire community in Frost Library.

Student Research Assistants, Fall 2021-Spring 2022

  • Avery-Elizabeth Kimball ‘24
  • Arriana Herrera ‘22

Student Research Assistants, Summer 2023

  • Avery-Elizabeth Kimball ’24
  • Jaden White ’23

Research Fellow for a Racial History of Amherst

At the end of 2021, then-President Biddy Martin charged the committee with hiring a dedicated research fellow to expand on the work that students had done. A search was launched in early 2022, and Mike Jirik began work in September 2022. Professor Jirik accepted a tenure-track position in the Black Studies Department at the University of Missouri at Columbia and left Amherst at the end of June 2023.

After another search during the summer of 2023, Julia Carroll became the second research fellow for the project and began work in late September 2023.

Follow the Racial History of Amherst College blog for regular updates.