Oral History Interview with Jandel Allen-Davis
Title
Oral History Interview with Jandel Allen-Davis
Narrator (written)
Jandel Allen-Davis
Narrator First Name
Jandel
Narrator Last Name
Allen-Davis
Interviewer
Will Cohen
Abstract
This oral history interview with Dr. Jandel Allen-Davis begins with her upbringing, when race was often “not talked about” but remained ever-present. The interview then explores how early experiences in both racially diverse and racially polarized settings shaped the way Allen-Davis approached Dartmouth and the world beyond it. The conversation next follows her years at Dartmouth, focusing on the Black student community and the Afro American Society as both emotional refuges and strategic bases for advocacy, while also acknowledging internal conflicts and the pressures of leadership. The interview also examines anti-apartheid activism and campus politics as vehicles through which Black students challenged broader racial conditions at Dartmouth and pushed the institution toward change. Finally, the interview moves into medicine, exploring how discrimination in medical education and practice operated in both overt and subtle ways. Allen-Davis uses the AIDS crisis to discuss stigma, neglect, and racism in healthcare. Across these themes, Dr. Allen-Davis’s story illustrates how leadership and community care became tools for survival, resistance, and advancement in spaces not built to support Black women.
Date of Interview
February 12, 2026
Subject
Afro-American Society
anti-apartheid activism
Dartmouth alumni
HIV/AIDS
medicine
protest/activism
Language
English
Rights
Interview Audio Source (MP3)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DartmouthBlackLives/histories/allen-davis_jandel/allen-davis_jandel.mp3
Interview Transcript Source (PDF)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DartmouthBlackLives/histories/allen-davis_jandel/allen-davis_jandel_transcript_final.pdf
HTML
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DartmouthBlackLives/histories/allen-davis_jandel/allen-davis_jandel_transcript_final.html