1970s

GATHERING OUR MEMORIES: REFLECTIONS OF MULTICULTURAL STUDENT LIFE AT CARLETON, 1874-2000

The early 1970s saw an explosion of Carleton's minority student population. African American student enrollment grew most significantly. With this increase in numbers came a greater desire to establish organizations that would allow these students to express their cultural identities more fully. SOUL (now known as the Black Student Alliance) continued to thrive, while three other groups formed during this period: the Black Repertory Workshop Theatre Troupe (now called the Black Dramatic Arts Group or BDAG), the dance company Ebony II, and Inspirational Movement (later known as VOICE, Voices of Inspiration and Christian Enlightenment), a gospel choir. The decade also saw the first Black History Month program which has since become a regular part of the Carleton College calendar, the first Black homecoming queen and the first Black CSA president. LATINO and ASIA formed and along with SOUL became political forces on campus.