Hill Says Class of 2010 'Our Best Hope'
 Anita Hill gave the commencement address at MCLA, having a little fun as she addressed serious topics. |
"I even have a name for the book," said Anita Hill, speaking to the graduating class at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Saturday. "Maybe one of you will write. ... And I've actually entitled the book. Tell me if you think it fits: "The Class of 2010: Our Best Hope For a Better World."
The hundreds of graduates sitting in the heat of the Amsler Campus Center responded loudly to the Brandeis University professor, the keynote speaker at this year's commencement and an outspoken advocate for political and social justice.
Hill was one of four receiving honorary doctorates during the ceremony. Hill was presented with an honorary doctor of laws, Foster Devereux a doctor of public service, Stephen Hannock a doctor of fine arts and Josetta Owen, class of 1965, a doctor of humanities.
Undergraduate degrees were awarded to 323, master's of education to 38 and advanced graduate study certificates to two. A number of "Golden Graduates" attended the ceremony also. The term refers to those graduating in the class of 1960 or earlier; the oldest attending graduate was Alma Benedetti, class of 1937. President Mary K. Grant also thanked outgoing Rep. Daniel E. Bosley, class of 1967, for his service to the commonwealth and college.
The national anthem was song by Laura Gibson, Conor Moroney, Katrina Sanford and Megan Tainter, all members of the class of 2010.
President Mary K. Grant thanked the staff and faculty for making the day possible.
"I believe our students are the heart of MCLA. They are the reasons we are all here," she said. "But true success comes when you have heart and soul, and I truly believe the faculty and staff are the soul of this institution."
 Honor students stand to be recognized. Some 363 diplomas and certificates were awarded. |
"The truth is we're already in the real world — if a little sugar-coated," said Ambroseno, adding that the passage is over, the foundation laid and the battle won. "We traded in our innocent expectations for reality; we have won our freedom and our independence.
"We now step into the world, our future, our life with voices that will be heard, innovations and ideas that will become our children's history lessons. ... What we do now will define us."
Harvey, who has spent two years working at BerkshireWorks guiding teen mothers to educational and training programs, urged her fellow educators to embrace the at-risk youth who are trying to turn their lives around.
"The resilience of these young women is stunning; and they are returning to classrooms with a new motivation — their children," she said. Education has offered hope, a place of civility, and different lifestyle. "They have seen the vicious cycle that poverty can create and have survived.
"We cannot forfeit or take for granted the education that we here today have been fortunate enough to receive and as we go forward we cannot forget those who are still struggling to get the education they deserve. ... We can offer them hope."
Hill, too, urged the graduates not to be satisfied with the way things are but to work to make things better politically and socially.
Holding her commencement program from 1977, she said she believed then that "we were on the verge of monumental change for the better. We were on this fast track — a sprint if you will — to equality for all ... we were going to say goodbye to sexism and racism, that poverty was going to be a thing of the past ... .
 A reception followed on the lawn in front of Murdock Hall. See more photos here. |
If the goals of the baby boomers have fallen short, the world is still the better for trying, said Hill, but much more work needs to be done. Where her generation fought in the streets and courts as outsiders, the Millennials will fight as insiders — and they have all the solutions in their heads thanks to the excellent education they have received.
"The short race I thought we were running, a sprint, turned out to be more like a marathon and I've come to conclude its more like a relay," she said. "You must use your insider voices to pave a new path to social justice.
"I see the future: you are it and you make it brighter than ever before. You are our best hope."
