Join us in celebrating the 12th annual Hortense Parker Day, brought to you by the SGA Students of Color Committee (SOCC), Division of Student Life, Office of Community and Belonging, Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Weissman Center for Leadership, Alumnae Association, Office of Advancement.

Founded in 2009 by Ahyoung An ’09 and Camila Curtis-Contreras ’09, the Hortense Parker Celebration is an annual event that centers the lives, histories, and achievements of students of color at Mount Holyoke. The celebration is named for Hortense Parker, class of 1883, the first known African American student to attend Mount Holyoke, and our first known alumna of color. 

Each year the celebration grows and evolves, with an underlying theme connecting the festivities. This year’s theme, “Rewind and Reconnect”, is to connect the community with the history of people of color on campus. This includes a museum created by past and present members of SOCC. The celebration will also feature words of reflection from President Sonya Stephens, Vice President Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, and SGA President, Lasya Priya Rao Jarugumilli ‘23, as well as spoken word and dance performances, followed by a dessert reception. 

The keynote address will be delivered by Zakiya Collier, Digital Archivist at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture where she uses web archiving tools to expand the nature of archival collections to reflect 21st-century Black life and experiences

This year, we are also excited to welcome a panel of alum speakers, who took part in the creation of the museum in 2014. 

Please join us in this celebration of all people of color within the Mount Holyoke community --- Past, Present, and Future.