The line went silent. Mr. Parker began begging me to change my mind. After about 15 minutes, his voice changed. He lowered the sound an octave while explaining how unique this event was. Graduation is special for those who value teaching, learning and intellectual expansion, he declared. He said the work of academics is often difficult and isolating, leading to loneliness and sometimes despair. But graduation ceremonies are one of the few occasions when town and gown come together, and scholars are presented in pomp, air, regalia, and pomp for dignitaries, friends, and family alike to enjoy and admire. They display their wares and walk around proudly. Mr. Parker hoped I would change my mind. He will be my witness.
How could I deny this precious moment that meant so much to me and was so supportive and inspiring? He graduated from the college in his class of 1920, was a Phi Beta and a Kappa junior, and was scheduled to celebrate his 50th reunion at Amherst College in late June. A black man, he had been commissioned to teach high school mathematics in the Indianapolis public schools.
In May 1970, his voice cleared my consciousness, changed my perspective, and gave me the courage and humility to do the right thing. I told him I’d see him at Harvard in two weeks.
On June 11, 1970, two families, Mr. Parker’s and mine, packed into Harvard University. We marched past local protesters, placards, and loudspeakers. Some graduates wore caps and gowns, others wore armbands, and some did not wear gowns at all. The procession of faculty, administrators, and dignitaries from around the world displayed a vibrant palette of grays, blues, yellows, greens, burgundy, and crimson.
The occasion marked the first time in Harvard’s 333-year history that a Radcliffe woman received a degree at Harvard Commencement. A woman named Helen Homans Gilbert was elected to Harvard University’s Board of Supervisors. Kirsten E. Mishkin, Radcliffe’s senior, delivered a speech in traditional Latin in which she advocated for equal rights for women. Of the 16 honorary degrees awarded that day, only one went to a woman, Dorothy I. Hite, president of the National Council of Negro Women. The ceremony was full of tension, poignancy, and determination. Student speakers represented opposing and competing political constituencies, while teachers and parents watched intently from the sidelines.
A group of protesters led by Saundra Graham vowed not to leave the garden unless they were allowed to speak. President Nathan M. Pucey conceded, and Graham strode to the podium to demand that Harvard stop encroaching on the Cambridge neighborhood and build low-income housing near the Harvard campus. It was a teachable moment, when town and gown came together, even if not in the traditional sense that Mr. Parker alluded to.
Our family attended an afternoon ceremony in the courtyard of Elliott House. The event was designed to be more personal, intimate, and informal than the grand school-wide morning event where names are read out and degrees are conferred by Head of House Elliott. I was recognized for my four years of hard work and academic ability. Mr. Parker was overjoyed that I had excelled in the honors-only subjects of history and science. He played the role of his proud surrogate father, being careful not to cross any boundaries with my father.
Graduation in 1970 ushered in a new era in which women’s rights, racial equality, social and political justice, and other human rights issues took on new importance. Now that she has been a professor at MIT for 50 years, I look back on this event as one of the most important in my higher education history. We regret that four years ago, due to the coronavirus pandemic, our 50th alumni reunion was not held on Harvard’s campus, which would have been a wonderful opportunity for reflection, reflection, and evaluation. Similarly, I am disappointed that the Harvard and MIT classes of 2020 were deprived of their on-campus commencement ceremonies and the opportunity to celebrate life-changing experiences like I was in 1970.
Don’t miss your chance to enjoy on-campus commencement ceremonies for 2024 graduates from Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and more. Despite the horrors of the Hamas invasion of Israel, the war in Gaza and the war in Ukraine, and despite the protests and counter-protests on college campuses across this country, graduation ceremonies remain special. They can be educational and inspirational, even in times of political turmoil. That’s the lesson I learned from him in June 1970.
Kenneth R. Manning is Professor of Rhetoric and History of Science at MIT.
