Graphic by Gabby Gagnon ‘24
By Ansley Keane ‘23
Staff Writer
The Mount Holyoke College and the Weissman Center held a town hall on March 19 with Massachusetts Representative Ayanna Pressley in conversation with Carmen Yulín Cruz, former mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and current Harriet L. Weissman and Paul M. Weissman distinguished fellow in leadership at Mount Holyoke College. This town hall was the first of many in the new series “Our Voices, Our Platforms” hosted by the Weissman Center for Leadership. The series will run at least through December 2021 and works to emphasize the power and importance of using your voice to create change.
The town hall began with introductions by Amy Martin, director of the Weissman Center for Leadership and professor of English on the Emma B. Kennedy Foundation, and Mount Holyoke College President Sonya Stephens. The event was dedicated to Paul Weissman. Following the introductions, Cruz began her conversation with Pressley. Cruz spoke highly of Pressley and shared with attendees that when the two first met, Pressley asked about the people of Puerto Rico and what she could do to help. They then discussed a variety of topics, ranging from Pressley’s influences, her work to support girls and women of color, activism, burnout and motivation, as well as the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Halfway through the event, several of the Weissman Center’s student leaders had the opportunity to join the conversation and ask Pressley questions of their own.
The interactions between the students and Pressley stood out to Martin and Cruz as particularly special. “My favorite moment was watching our students interact with the congresswoman. When you watch a public figure on the news, you don’t know how they’ll engage with students,” Martin said.
“The voices of the students were not an asterisk, … but a bold paragraph,” Cruz said. “Not only were the student leaders superb, but the rapport that the congresswoman had with them was extraordinary,” she added.
Pressley was chosen as the first guest in the “Our Voices, Our Platforms” series for what she has accomplished, the records she has set, what she stands for and for who she is.
“She’s a badass, there’s no other way to say it,” Cruz said. “She is a fearless policymaker for African American, Black and Brown people alike, and she’s from Massachusetts,” Cruz noted.
“She’s broken glass ceilings [and] you can hear that she’s very much about collaborating with the people she represents,” Martin said.
Both Cruz and Martin see the first town hall as a success. “We had two brilliant leaders in such a dynamic conversation with one another,” Martin said. “That conversation had the power we hoped it would have,” she added.
Cruz explained the moments that held particular significance for her. At one point in the town hall, Pressley said, “I remain acutely uncomfortable on purpose because I don’t ever want to grow complacent.” Cruz noted that this resonated with her, especially because she is also in public service.
“When she said that, it reminded me of the reason why I believe people should go into public service,” Cruz said. “You remain close to the pain so you understand the root of the problem.”
“Our Voices, Our Platforms” came about when Cruz visited Mount Holyoke College for the Weissman Center’s 20th anniversary. Previously, Cruz had worked with Assistant Professor of Psychology and Education Jennifer Matos to establish a summer STEM program for girls in San Juan’s Playita neighborhood, and she wanted to find more ways to continue working with the Weissman Center.
“When I came for the 20th anniversary of the Weissman Center, Amy [Martin] and I started looking for ways we could collaborate,” Cruz said. Cruz wanted to create a series that would build on the conversations students at Mount Holyoke have with each other.
“We have those conversations and we don’t have the opportunity to speak to the people we are talking about,” Cruz said. “We decided on ‘Our Platforms’ because we wanted to make sure that everyone understood that everyone has a voice, but that sometimes those voices are not heard because we don’t all have appropriate platforms.”
Cruz’s vision for “Our Voices, Our Platforms” is to have conversations with people who are using the platforms they have to bring about change. In explaining her vision, she also emphasized that “change is not about the clashing of forces, … but that policy comes about and better public policy comes about when alliances are forged.”
Cruz explained that what is most exciting for her about the series is “the opportunity [to have] honest conversations about the world we can create.” “Our Voices, Our Platforms” will continue throughout the rest of 2021. The next town hall will be with Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey on April 7.