When the news first hit that Michelle Obama was starting an organic
vegetable garden, I became obsessed, reading everything about it. As a
passionate locavore and organic foodie, I can’t begin to describe the thrill I
felt about her garden. As a black woman, my first thought went to the ancestors
who built the White House, imagining their pride and joy in watching one of
their daughters as she reminded the world of their legacy in ways they could
only dream about.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not “post-racial,” but I didn’t have any of
the racial anxieties that numerous brilliant black women bloggers and academics
have written about in relation to the First Lady’s garden. Instead, I
immediately wanted to know the veggies Michelle Obama was planting, who was
helping her, and whether this was her first garden. I wanted to know what
Michelle Obama’s favorite veggies were; if like me, she loved collard greens
and Brussels sprouts. I even wanted to know what books and resources she used
to learn about gardening so that I could read them too. It’s no secret that the
First Lady was really the Obama I wanted to vote for last November, but Barack
is all right too. (More)
The Quarterly arrives. I open to the class notes, and sigh. Another mother of three gets a promotion at her multinational corporation. Or publishes a book. Or lands a tenure-track professorship.
Should I write in? Nah. I do Suzuki piano with my three kids. I’ve organized the Great Books discussion circles at my sons’ elementary school. I’ve joined my church choir and sometimes sing solos. But success? Travel? Prestige? That’s what other alums want to read about, I imagine. So I lurk on the fringes of alumnaehood.
I’m a stay-at-home mom. But although I never heard motherhood discussed when I was on campus, in every aspect of my life I’m drawing on some part of my college experience. And I’m not the only one. (More)
How America Can Thrive as Others Powers Rise By Mona Sutphen ’89
The rise of other global powers is most often posed as a sorry tale, full of threats to American primacy, prosperity, and way of life. The potential loss of our #1 status implies a blow to our safety, economy, and prestige.
But this is a rare moment in history—none of the world’s big powers is our adversary. The “pivotal powers”—China, Europe, India, Japan, and Russia—seek greater influence, but each also has an enormous stake in global stability and the world economy. As a result, they share our desire to combat the “rotten fruit” of globalization—terrorism, pandemic disease, the climate crisis, and nuclear proliferators like Iran and North Korea—which pose the greatest threats to America’s way of life.
India is a key ally in tracking Pakistani extremist groups like the LeT (Lashkar-e-Taiba), which now targets the United States. A strong Chinese public health infrastructure is what stands between us and the next pandemic triggered on a rural farm in China. Russia is coleading an effort to keep nuclear technology out of terrorist hands. Some Americans owe their lives to Scotland Yard’s tracking of terror plots in the London suburbs. Japan is our model for reducing America’s carbon footprint. None is a direct military challenger. And while not all are liberal democracies as we might wish, neither are Russia or China aggressively promoting an alternate ideology, as during the Cold War.
At Women’s Christian College in Madras (Chennai), India, principal Ridling Margaret Waller is flanked by MHC President Joanne V. Creighton and husband Tom. MHC’s connection with this ”sister college” is reflected in the name of the student residence shown here.
Over the years, alumnae have asked me about our “sister” college in Madras (Chennai), India, Women’s Christian College (WCC). The institutional connection goes back to 1921 when each of the “Seven Sisters” adopted an Asian “sister.” But we heard little from our sister in recent years until WCC’s principal, Dr. Ridling Margaret Waller, visited Mount Holyoke last spring and invited me to her campus for an international conference in August. I’m pleased to report that our Asian sister—now ninety-two years old—is a thriving, selective, well respected liberal arts women’s college of some 2,000 students that shares our dedication to intellectual rigor and purposeful engagement in the world. My husband, Tom, and I were thoroughly impressed with the engaging spirit and warm hospitality of everyone we met.
Welcome to the “blogazine” (blog+magazine = blogazine) version of the Mount Holyoke Alumnae Quarterly. You’ll find the same articles as in the printed magazine; however, here we also post extras, and you may also comment on any article. Click the “comments” link to the right of the article title to read comments from others or to post your own. If you can’t find something, use the search tool, browse the categories below, or browse the archives.
