May 19, 2002
Lani Guinier speaks at Commencement
Lani Guinier, a professor at Harvard Law School, told the class of 2002 at commencement that they should not fear failure. Guinier herself had faced difficulty when President Bill Clinton had rescinded his 1993 offer to appoint her as the assistant attorney general of civil rights after the nomination generated a lot of controversy. However, she had gone on to become Harvard Law School’s first tenured black female professor. Smith’s acting President Connolly commented that “It is fitting that she brings her message to Smith at a time that we have been confronting very difficult challenges about race.”
A Daily Hampshire Gazette (Northampton) article on Guinier’s speech can be found here.
A Union-News (Springfield) article on Guinier’s speech can be found here.
[Last updated on October 19, 2018]