First Peoples

This year on February 7, 2009 we celebrated Day of Absence.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with what Day of Absence is about, here is a brief history of how it began.  The first Day of Absence, celebrated originally in the mid 70’s, was a unity dinner, primarily for Evergreen’s African-American community. The idea for Day of Absence came from a play of the same name by Douglas Turner Ward. In the play, the African American members of the community mysteriously disappear for 24 hours. Those who are left in the community are forced to reflect on the meaning and consequences of life without such an important part of their community.

The event has become an off-campus retreat which all of Evergreen’s students, staff and faculty of color are invited to attend. While the community of color is off-campus, the rest of the community is on campus to participate in a full day of programming and workshops around identity development and anti-oppression work. Day of Absence is very important to many students of color because it gives us a chance to explore ideas, problems and solutions to issues of diversity in our own community. During Day of Absence one can speak openly without feeling the need to explain, defend or interpret our thoughts.

This year, Day of Presence was celebrated on February 18, 2009. Day of Presence is an all day event on campus that represents the reuniting of our entire community. It gives everyone an opportunity to share ideas with each other around the issues of diversity and building a stronger community. The agendas for these events are different every year and they’re a great opportunity for everyone on campus to learn new things, meet new people and strengthen the Evergreen community.

We had a lot of fun at Day of Absence this year! It was a rare opportunity for so many students of color to be in one room at the same time. Day of Absence went so well because everyone was open, honest and willing to participate. I would encourage any current or prospective students of color to attend Day of Absence next year!