I grew up in a predominantly white town, attended predominantly white schools, and attended a predominantly white institution for my undergraduate degree, so I thought I had the whole “attending a PWI” thing down as a student of color. While I was wrong because Harvard is a whole different ballgame. That said, I’ve found and continue to find and discover pockets of resistance within HGSE and the larger Harvard community that build me up even when the world wants to tear students of color like me down.
The first is the people of color affinity groups I’ve had the privilege of leading, being a part of, and collaborating with at HGSE. This year, I’m leading the MIXED (Multiracial Individuals eXchanging and Encouraging Dialogue) group at HGSE. In the short time I’ve had to organize and meet mixed students and non-mixed students who can relate to the experience, MIXED has allowed me to bridge different identities, communities, cultures, and people together due to the diversity of racial/ethnic students represented in our organization and the breadth of experiences they bring. Our first event of the year aims to collaborate with all of the other POC club groups to host a POC Halloween Social to provide a welcoming and comfortable space for people of color during the Halloween season. MIXED is a small but warm community I’ve found support and love in.
I’m also a member of the Womxn of Color Collective. Despite only having one meeting so far, it’s already been a space I’ve felt strength and solidarity with women of color at HGSE. We have chances to vent, to cry, to exclaim, to scream, and everything in between. WOCC plans on hosting the second annual Women of Color Symposium in March 2019 where we will dedicate a day to women of color with topics like mental health, activism/organizing, and identity. It’s a place I feel safe and welcome at all times because I know the women sitting next to me truly understand how it feels to be me in this environment.
HGSE and Harvard also have numerous events that have encouraged me to continue my work in this environment; just today, I attended a Brittany Packnett Study Group with special guest DeRay Mckesson where we discussed the power of protests and their relation to social change. The hour and fifteen-minute study group felt so much shorter than that because I was relieved at the realness and authenticity coming from the both of them as leaders of color. It was refreshing and inspiring.
Aside from HGSE and Harvard-affiliated events, I’ve found some of my greatest support systems in my friends I’ve made in POC spaces that continue to inspire me in their work they do, but also validate my work, advocacy, activism, and tireless perseverance to encourage me that in the end, it’ll be worth it. They’ve played the game and will play it with me, and I’ve found so much strength from these relationships I’ve made here. They remind me I’m not alone in the anti-racist and anti-oppressive work I’m dedicating my life to and that I have people who believe in my purpose and me. Pockets of resistance at Harvard provide me support, solidarity, and reminders to keep going despite the many times I’ve wanted to walk away.
Blog written by Maddie Alvendia. Photo provided by Maddie Alvendia.
Hi! My name is Maddie Alvendia and I am in the Learning and Teaching program here at HGSE graduating in May 2019. At HGSE, I am currently leading the MIXED (Multiracial Individuals eXchanging and Encouraging Dialogue) student group and am a coalition leader at HGSE for the university-wide Harvard Votes Challenge. I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago and attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where I graduated this past May with a degree in History. In addition to history, I’m also very interested in critical race theory, anti-racist and anti-oppressive pedagogy, and using these to dismantle oppressive education systems. Outside of HGSE, I’m volunteering with incarcerated youth, hope to work with a program that works with immigrant families in the Cambridge area, and also hope to work as a Research Assistant in the History department. In my free time I love to watch Netflix/Hulu and read, and my favorite foods are a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and ramen. 🙂
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