Dale Soden, professor emeritus of history, has completed a manuscript tracing race relations from Whitworth’s founding in the 1890s to last year. Soden spoke about how Whitworth, a historically white school, has evolved around people of color and stated, “This is the most serious writing that I have done about Whitworth history.”
What started as a 40-page essay turned into a 260-page manuscript as Soden found himself “interested in a more complete story as it got more detailed and complicated.” The research for this project took Soden from interviews with students of color that are attending Whitworth, to parsing through issues of the Whitworthian and diving into archival documents. The research all came together to form a cohesive narrative of the race relationships at Whitworth capturing “the experiences students of color have had over the 130 plus years.”
The manuscript captures what Soden referred to as three parts: an era of assimilation between 1890 and 1965; the era of the civil rights movement where Whitworth recruited black students and students of color began seeking representation within Whitworth’s curriculum and student life; and the current era with Whitworth’s goal of a diverse and inclusive community. The manuscript provides a coherent narrative of the changes and continuities in race relations at Whitworth.
Soden highlighted the success stories of African American alumni and students included in the manuscript. However, he also emphasized the importance of seeing the failures within Whitworth’s history and the need for and importance of acknowledging them.
Soden’s hope for this manuscript is to provide a foundation for engaging topics of race and fostering a more inclusive campus environment. Soden expressed interest in using parts of the manuscript to supplement class curriculums and lectures. He also spoke on his desire to continue to speak about the manuscripts at everything from events to resident hall discussions at a PrimeTimes.
The manuscript will be published under the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion section of Whitworth’s website. The Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion page also offers further resources, demographics and events for those interested in furthering their knowledge on what Whitworth has and is doing to promote a diverse and inclusive community.
