Change the subject

We are excited and proud to share with you the final product: Change the Subject, a 54 minute feature-length documentary film that recounts the experiences of the students at Dartmouth who challenged the Library of Congress to change existing subject terminology used to describe undocumented immigrants.

Change the Subject shares the story of a group of undergraduate students, whose commitment to advancing and promoting the rights and dignity of undocumented peoples took them all the way from Baker-Berry Library to the halls of Congress.  In partnership with staff at Dartmouth, these students - now alumni - produced a film that not only captures their effort to confront and correct a pejorative cataloging term, but documents a historical moment in which Dartmouth students had a distinct national impact.

 The release of Change the Subject also coincides with the 250th-anniversary of the College. The culmination of this documentary, developed in the pursuit of social justice, demonstrates the core values of our school and how students working with faculty and staff have influenced the conversation on immigration. The leadership of Dartmouth students has made our school an important site in supporting undocumented students.

 We hope to premiere the film on campus in the spring, in celebration of the fifth-anniversary of the founding of CoFIRED (Coalition for Immigration Reform & Equality at Dartmouth).  Change the Subject was selected in a competitive proposal process to be screened at HASTAC (Humanities, Arts, Science, and Technology Alliance and Collaboratory) in May 2019, and we hope to identify more screening opportunities in the coming year.

Consult the website Change the Subject for the film, which contains the trailer, background information, and the complete list of campus funders.