Moving Forward; Honoring the Past
Notes from the Alumnae and Students of Color Conference
If there was one thing that Mount Holyoke students took away from November’s Alumnae and Students of Color Conference, it was that our older sisters went through a great deal for us to enjoy the safe space we have today.
The first-of-its-kind conference brought together a diverse group of nearly 150 alumnae and students. Keynote speakers included Ninotchka Rosca, founder of GABRIELA, the women’s-rights organization of the Philippines; and Debra Martin Chase ’77 (above), Emmy nominated motion picture and television producer.
Events began Friday evening with a reception for Zowie Banteah ’96. As a student, she spearheaded the effort to create a campus cultural space for Native American students. On Saturday morning, she joined Linda Yu Bien ’75, Twila Perry ’70, and Krysia L. Villón ’96 to discuss the history of women of color at the college. Alumnae from classes spanning the generations told stories about a Mount Holyoke very different than the one we see today.
Moderator John Grayson, professor of religion, reminded the audience that the college did not graduate a woman of color—Hortense Parker, MHC’s first African- American student—until 1883. To the shock of many, Grayson noted that at one time Mount Holyoke had joined many other academic institutions in not permitting students of color to live in the dormitories.
Perry told of arriving at Mount Holyoke as one of twenty-six African American first-years, all of whom looked up to the four African American seniors. Laughing, Perry told stories about the administration worrying about students “clumping” together, a worry she and her classmates did not share.
Bien and Villón spoke about their respective experiences as Asian American and Latina students. Banteah described a Mount Holyoke full of rallies and sit-ins, as students pushed to establish cultural spaces on campus. There was a need, she explained, for designated areas in which students of color could explore their heritage and search for their own identities. She recalled her classmates’ confusion when she explained she was a Zuni from New Mexico. “It never occurred to me that I would be asked about my heritage.”
Both Villón and Banteah recalled “The Coalition,” a below-the-radar organization comprised of all the MHC cultural groups operating in the ’90s. Meetings were held in dorm rooms and basements; Villón vividly remembered the smell of mold in Wilder basement mixing with the smell and taste of cilantro in the Latin-flavored food she and others helped prepare. The conference ended on a forward-looking note with Sunday’s discussion about the best way to continue fostering a safe environment for women of color at Mount Holyoke. —Anindita Dasgupta ’08
Learn More: Alumnae and Students of Color Conference
- See Photos from the Conference: Eighty-three photos from the weekend are online.
- View a Photo-History of Students of Color at MHC: Krysia Lycette Villón '96 compiled "Nuestro Camino, Our Path: Students of Color at Mount Holyoke College" for the conference.
- Read the poem, by Lydia Omolola Okutoro '98, read at the closing event of the conference by W. Rochelle Calhoun '83, executive director of the Alumnae Association.
- Read an Alumna's Essay on Race and Racism: Sabina Yesmin '06 has written "From Shocking Wake-Up Call to Realization," which stemmed from the dichotomy between the on-campus conference and an off-campus incident the same weekend.
- Join a Discussion Group: Subscribe to the Alumnae/i and Students of Color of Mount Holyoke discussion group. This group is open to MHC alumnae and students of color who either attended the November 2007 conference or simply have an interest in connecting with other alumnae and students of color.
