Rediscovering Dance in a Time of COVID and Racial Injustice: A Look into Dance Community Conversations and Gadria Conlan ‘21

COVID-19 has brought forth a time of incredibly isolating experiences that have turned lives and livelihoods upside down. I wanted to know how others were dealing with the present situation. I reached out to Gadria Conlan ‘21, a member of the group Dance Community Conversations, to see how the broader dance community was dealing with these uncertain times.

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(OPINION) The Petersons & 'Blue Lives Matter': Students Reveal A Pattern of Racism among Skidmore Faculty and Staff

Recently, a ‘‘Back the Blue'‘ counter protest occurred in Saratoga Springs, and live footage from the action showed two Skidmore professors, David Peterson and Andrea Peterson--who work in the Art Department--standing with the Blue Lives protesters. I reached out to David Peterson in the hopes of receiving clarity from him on this decision.

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Reparations, Redistribution & Justice: Pass The Mic’s Black Mutual Aid Fund

Pass The Mic functions as a space on campus that aims to amplify the unfiltered experiences of Skidmore students whose voices are underrepresented in other spaces. To Black community members: Pass the Mic is currently accepting fund requests! Please visit the “BLACK MUTUAL AID FUND” link within https://linktr.ee/passthemicskid

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A Strong Skidmore Presence at the Saratoga Springs City Council Meeting

Just five days after peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were met by excessive force used by the Saratoga Springs Police Department and Sheriff’s Department, the Skidmore community showed up and did not back down from questioning local council members and city officials.

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June, A Month of Many Celebrations: Caribbean Heritage and LGBTQIA+ Pride (Opinion)

This year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Pride and despite the political climate of our nation, a united community of people walked together with their masks on, safely advocating for Black lives and Queer liberation. June has become a celebratory month for both LGBTQIA+ Pride and Caribbean-American Heritage. As many people across the nation continue to march for Black Lives, recently, a spectrum of identities within the LGBT+ Caribbean community have come into view, and it is important to acknowledge how these communities clash.

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OPINION: The Lawn Jockey Cannot Stand as a Symbol of Racism at Skidmore

I wrote the following letter to Skidmore President Marc C. Conner on Monday, July 27th. The previous summer, some friends and I noticed the presence of the Skidmore lawn jockey on the lawn of the Lucy Scribner presidential residence. I had never seen one where I had grown up, but was familiar with “lawn jockey” as a pejorative phrase and wondered if the same racist history applied to the object itself.

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401 Years and Counting: The Story of Modern Slavery in America

The thirteenth amendment to the US constitution states that slavery and involuntary servitude be abolished, “except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” This one phrase is what allows for slavery to legally continue in United States prisons, and is what makes it possible for people to continue to profit off of slavery today.

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"Not a Band-Aid Solution": Harlem Lacrosse and Skidmore Men’s Lacrosse Reflect on Controversial Instagram Campaign

The partnership between Harlem Lacrosse and Skidmore Men’s Lacrosse began long before Coach Joseph Martin became Head Coach in 2018. In 2014, Skidmore Lacrosse Alumni and All-American, Jacques Ward ’11, became a Program Director for Harlem Lacrosse, a non-profit organization that provides academic support, mentoring, and leadership training, and many more resources, to underprivileged youth.

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Black Residents’ Concerns about Systemic Racism Met by Disregard during Saratoga Springs Community Forum

A virtual community forum hosted on Wednesday evening by the Saratoga Springs Police Department and city Public Safety Commissioner Robin Dalton, has garnered deep frustration from the community members in attendance.

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Skidmore Reviews Latest Reforms to National Title IX Regulations

On May 6th, 2020, the Department of Education led by Betsy DeVos, sent out their long awaited proposal for new changes to the Title IX regulations in schools. This marked the first time the policy has been changed since 1975, creating a historic shift for the set of regulations originally implemented to protect students’ wellbeing.  While some notice that the changes are less broad than they have been, others are citing that they are less comprehensive and could bring more lee-way to sexual assault cases. Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Lorri Riggs, and Title IX Deputy Coordinator in Student Affairs, Gabriella Melillo, held virtual information sessions detailing the new policy changes and how Skidmore will act on them.

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Skidmore's Complicity: "A Call For Change"?

Currently, as America fights against the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken the lives of many in our nation and across the world, another great fight is occurring: the demand for justice against several broken systems. The death of George Floyd has catalyzed a massive movement and as many communities join the fight for Black lives, students across the country continue to advocate for changes to our educational institutions in order to establish equity in our communities. 

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Amplifying BIPOC Voices

Skidmore is an overwhelmingly white college, and most of us have never experienced racism and never will. We are the ones that have taken part and benefitted from the deeply rooted racism in our country. The resources are already out there, and have been for a while. White folks need to take responsibility, listen and learn, and do the research to become anti-racist individuals. It is hard. it is uncomfortable. We must do it anyway.

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OPINION: Good Fundraiser, Bad Timing

Over the past few weeks, our social media feeds have been flooded with powerful, shocking and motivational news from the Black Lives Matter movement. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach, however, when I read about the Skidmore College Men’s Lacrosse team fundraiser for Harlem Lacrosse, on Instagram last week.

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