A group of Oberlin students and faculty traveled to the Dobama Theatre in Cleveland to see the premiere of Sunset Baby Friday, Sept. 7. The play, which will continue to run through this weekend, was directed by Associate Professor of Theater and Africana Studies Justin Emeka, OC ’95. Emeka worked alongside College juniors Miyah Byers and Jaris Owens, along with other Oberlin affiliates. Sunset Baby follows the story of Nina, a fiercely independent woman who is caught in a moment of contention...

As an Oberlin alumnus, and now an Oberlin professor who was recently granted tenure, much of my identity has been forged in the heated exchange of ideas that exist at Oberlin College. In my first year as a student, I remember meeting Brother Jed, a white conservative Christian from a nearby community who would come to campus occasionally and stand outside Peters Hall and shout some of the most racist, anti-Semitic, sexist, homophobic Christian doctrine I had ever heard. I was even more surprised to find some of my classmates agree with some of his points. Many of us spent hours going toe to toe, challenging him and each other intellectually and sharpening our ability to articulate our own perspectives. Brother Jed e...

Actor Avery Brooks, OC ’70, came onstage at Finney Chapel in an all-white suit, took a seat at the piano, and treated the audience to a dramatic performance of “Throw it Away” by jazz singer and songwriter Abbey Lincoln — an unorthodox beginning to an unorthodox convocation. However, the event was thoroughly consistent with the interpretation of the word “convocation” as “a celebration”; Brooks’s convocation, though unusual, was foremost a celebration of art and community.   Currently,...