Bridging the Gap
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The Mission
Supporting the academic journeys of Black students and promoting Black cultural and historical literacy
About
Bridging the Gap is a three-pronged program created to assist in the educational development of Black students and promote the cultivation of Black cultural and historical literacy, which is often absent from mainstream curricula at both the K-12 and collegiate levels. This project addresses the academic needs within Dartmouth’s Black student body, the African and African-American Studies Department, and elementary and middle schools in the Upper Valley.
Key Initiatives
Textbook Program
At Dartmouth, the steep costs of class materials (chiefly required reading and textbooks) can be an unexpected financial burden and a roadblock for many students throughout their academic journeys. Students should feel empowered to pursue their academic interests without having to make difficult choices because of the potential costs.
We have instituted a textbook program that will assist students in purchasing their textbooks each term. With this program, we also aim to facilitate the sharing of resources within our community and to promote sustainability by collecting and keeping an inventory of used books and redistributing them to students who need them for the next term.
Well-Read Black Girl Book Club
Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG) is an online community and in-person book club hosted nationwide in which Black women readers and writers come together to read, support, and grow in conversation over the works of Black women writers.
In our efforts to promote Black cultural and historical literacy, we started a WRBG book club on our own campus. This book club is not only for students, but also for faculty and staff. We hope to create a community at Dartmouth that uniquely transcends position and status, allowing for richer and more novel academic experiences for all parties involved. Each term, we choose a book from the reading list as well as supporting articles and host discussions at our local bookstore, Still North.
Supporting the African and African-American Studies Department
The existence of African and African-American Studies Departments has been long fought for on predominantly white campuses, and they play an important role, especially for Black students, in telling the histories and stories of populations that are often erased from the global narrative. Each term, the AAAS Department at Dartmouth offers a number of courses and brings Black academics, activists, and thought leaders to enrich the academic experiences of students. In the face of relatively low interest and engagement with this department from the student body, we believe it is critical to ensure that AAAS continues to thrive at Dartmouth by encouraging more students to explore AAAS and all that it offers. Each term, we work with the AAAS department to promote their quarterly course offerings, off-campus programs, and events.