Pearls and Cashmere

As a student body with a strong sensibility towards social justice, we believe it is our responsibility to show Ms. Spurzem exactly what the Smith student body is like. Work together, Smithies. Let's send a message.
Hope Denese Freeman, class of 2005. Boston Massachusetts.  B.A. in Africana/Black Studies. I am a First-Generation, Black, Working Class, Lesbian (queer) womyn. I also consider myself allied with trans people, an active bystander, a youth advocate, a lover, a fighter, a dancer, and an educator. I got into Smith with an exceptional SAT score as well as an impressive GPA. My high school guidance counselor that told me Smith College was PERFECT for me, she was not incorrect. Although there were many challenges, Smith College was always the best decision I made. While at Smith I was chair of Prism: Queer Students of Color for 4 years.  Advocating for Queer Youth of Color has become my life’s passion and I continue that work now. I am the Community Education Coordinator at a social service drop in center. I am also on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition that advocates specifically for the GLBTQ population of color in Boston specifically. Along with my my day and evening activities I advocate fiercely for GLBTQ youth across Massachusetts as the Youth Caucus Advisor to the Youth Commissioners of the Massachusetts GLBTQ Commission.   All that to say that Smith College and my education there helped mold me into the womyn that I am today.  It was shocking and insulting to read the letter that started this impressive backlash of my fellow Smithies and I felt the need to respond.  The ignorance and assumptions of the “pedigree” of Smith College is disgusting. Smith College is exactly where it needs to be. …and I don’t wear pearls, I rock gold chains.

Hope Denese Freeman, class of 2005. Boston Massachusetts.  B.A. in Africana/Black Studies. I am a First-Generation, Black, Working Class, Lesbian (queer) womyn. I also consider myself allied with trans people, an active bystander, a youth advocate, a lover, a fighter, a dancer, and an educator.
I got into Smith with an exceptional SAT score as well as an impressive GPA. My high school guidance counselor that told me Smith College was PERFECT for me, she was not incorrect. Although there were many challenges, Smith College was always the best decision I made.
While at Smith I was chair of Prism: Queer Students of Color for 4 years.  Advocating for Queer Youth of Color has become my life’s passion and I continue that work now. I am the Community Education Coordinator at a social service drop in center. I am also on the Board of Directors for the Hispanic Black Gay Coalition that advocates specifically for the GLBTQ population of color in Boston specifically.
Along with my my day and evening activities I advocate fiercely for GLBTQ youth across Massachusetts as the Youth Caucus Advisor to the Youth Commissioners of the Massachusetts GLBTQ Commission.  
All that to say that Smith College and my education there helped mold me into the womyn that I am today. 
It was shocking and insulting to read the letter that started this impressive backlash of my fellow Smithies and I felt the need to respond. 
The ignorance and assumptions of the “pedigree” of Smith College is disgusting. Smith College is exactly where it needs to be.
…and I don’t wear pearls, I rock gold chains.

  1. heysoapie reblogged this from pearlsandcashmere and added:
    THAT’S ME! It was actually 2 years with PRISM, clearly I got excited. I was also quoted in one of the Jezebel articles....
  2. abadexampleofalady reblogged this from pearlsandcashmere
  3. pearlsandcashmere posted this