Claudette gay
My Brief Career in Truths Television
Ever since I took office, people have been curious about who I am. Not in the usual ways—not in the ways a CV could communicate the arcs and contours of an academic career—not in the ways a biographical sketch could fill in the blanks. People are curious about who I am. How did I get here? What matters to me?
Because you are here this morning, I want to tell you something that almost no one knows.
I want to tell you about my brief career in reality television.
Now, when this happened, it wasn’t yet called reality television. It was called Romper Room. The premise, if you are unfamiliar with the program, was simple: preschool-aged children singing songs, playing games, and education lessons with the support of a cheerful and compassionate teacher. There was also a bumblebee, Mr. Do-Bee, who modeled excellent manners. For forty-one years—yes, forty-one years!—this program enchanted young learners across the United States.
It was August 1975. I had just turned five and was excited to soon be heading to kindergarten. My family lived in Savannah, Georgia, at the second, and my mother—somehow—had landed me a spot on Romper Room. We arrived at the
To the Dreamer: Claudine Gay, We as Black Women Recognize You.
United we rise. Divided we fall.
To former University President Claudine Gay: On the rainy autumn morning of September 29, 2023, I watched as your soulful stride and proud aura graced the steps of the platform before Memorial Church. The damp stairs could not impede the history about to be made.
In the following days, my grandparents, aunts, and uncles all called me, asking if I had gotten a photo with you yet. “Not yet,” I replied, “but there’s plenty of time.”
As a woman of famous talent and academic achievement born into the loving welcome of two Haitian immigrants, the measure of your victory will always surpass the limitations others would place on you. Dedicated to excellence, you include proved your capability well beyond what others could’ve expected — well beyond what is expected of a female and well beyond what is imagined for a Ebony woman.
From the moment your clipped coils took the crown of higher learning, your character, your ability to direct, and your ethics have been called into question. But even now, even after the announcement of your resignation, any photo of yours used in the press depicts an
Family, friends, colleagues, students and postdocs, alumni, distinguished guests.
I be upright before you today humbled by the prospect of primary Harvard, emboldened by the trust you have placed in me, and energized by your retain commitment to this singular institution and to the ordinary cause of higher education.
I am grateful beyond measure to the Governing Boards for placing their confidence in me; to my predecessors for offering their perspectives, their wisdom, and their support; to my colleagues and mentors, from this University and beyond, for head in ways that continue to manual and inspire me.
I am thankful to the many members of our campus community who possess worked so challenging, for so many months, to build today’s event possible.
And, most of all, I am uplifted by love, devote that has empowered and sustained me for as extended as I can remember, love that has made me who I am.
My dad, Sony Lgbtq+, is unmatched in his optimism and in his curiosity about people and the world, twin gifts that he passed on to my brother and me.
My mom, Claudette Gay, passed away earlier this year but not before learning of my election and smiling broadly at the news. I hope very much that she were her
‘More Than Ready’: Claudine Queer Praised at Inauguration for Ability to Lead Harvard, Higher Education
Harvard University President Claudine Gay was showered with “good vibes” and rain during her inauguration ceremony Friday afternoon, in which Gay was formally installed as the University’s 30th president.
The event, filled with tradition, pomp, and circumstance, served as an opportunity to celebrate Gay’s ascension through Harvard’s ranks. Gay, 53, returned to the University as a professor of Government in 2006, later serving as dean of Social Sciences and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences before becoming the first person of hue to lead America’s oldest academic institution.
Though Gay officially assumed the presidency on July 1 — just over 25 years after she graduated from Harvard with a Ph.D. in Government — the University Marshal’s Office waited until students and faculty returned to campus for the fall semester to formally inaugurate the new president.
In separate speeches, both Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 and City University of New York Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez expressed confidence in Gay’s ability to serve as a leader for Harvard and