A member of the pre-law board reflects on women of color in law event

Graphic by Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 via Canva

BY JO ELLIOTT ’28

FEATURES EDITOR

On Sunday, March 8, International Women’s Day was celebrated at Mount Holyoke College by the panel event, “Leading with Perspectives: The Future of Women of Color in Law.” The panel was joined by guest speakers Siqi Zhao ’17, Ashanta Evans Blackwell ’95 and Rhynette Northcross Hurd ’71. The panelists discussed “their career journeys, the challenges and opportunities they have encountered, or advice on navigating uncertainty in the current political or legal landscape.”

Abby Paull ’28, the social media coordinator of the pre-law board, was “encouraged to go to the event, to show our support for the alums.” 

“I thought it was really interesting, [and] I liked the accessibility of it being on Zoom, a lot of times we have our pre-law panels in a conference room, and by this being on Zoom it made it more accessible, for me and a lot of other students to join and learn [new] perspectives.” When asked about the content of the event Paull stated, “I thought their insights on imposter syndrome were the most interesting because we already got into this school so we’re already so much above the curve … but one of them told us we have to take a second to appreciate how far you’ve come.”

When speaking about the alums, Paull said, “They talked about how law can be a gateway to many things, especially working in public policy. That matters a lot to me as someone who wants to potentially go to D.C. post-grad. I think the crucial part is knowing your worth, all of the alums have gone through struggles of their own, and them being confident enough to share that with us and turn that into a positive message meant a lot to me.”

Speaking on what it means for alums to be a part of these events, Paull stated “It gives alums a chance to connect back to their school. We are already a heavily alum based college, and by allowing them to give their perspectives it allows us to learn more about the legal field and understand what it’s like to be a woman in the legal field.”

“I think it’s really important especially with what's happening with all the silencing that's been [going on] in the Trump administration. If I was an alum I would want to be asked to come back. The alum-student relationship is very crucial to our networking, and being able to talk about law and some of the downsides of it, I know one of the panelists talked about her experience being a judge and how she has threats against her and she has to have an officer follow her around the court house, and everything that goes into that. Especially in this trying political climate, we need that connection, we need organization.”

From the alums she was “able to gain insight on what’s happening in the legal field, and if we want to reconsider, perhaps modifying our plans. A lot of them talked about taking time between law school and undergraduate to reassess what you want.”

“Imposter syndrome came up a lot, and they all reaffirmed that you’re here for a reason, you’re already one step there, and Mount Holyoke gets you that foot in the door in the legal field.”

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed fact-checking.

Editor’s note: Abby Paull ’28 is a staff writer for Mount Holyoke News.

Purses with Purpose: Alpha Kappa Alpha collects for Safe Passage

Photo courtesy of Aisata Diallo ’26

Xi Nu is MHC’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically Black sorority promoting community.

BY ELIZABETH MURRAY ’26

FEATURES EDITOR

One of the tenets of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority is acts of service, with chapters and members regularly conducting service projects. This is where Purses with a Purpose was born, a hygiene drive run by the Xi Nu chapter here at Mount Holyoke College with donations going to Safe Passage in Northampton. Safe Passage is an organization that serves survivors of domestic violence by providing resources like counseling, support groups and prevention training activities. 

Two collections were held for the drive, the first on Feb. 4 and the second on March 6, in the entrance of the Dining Commons. The first round of collections brought in 70 items that were donated to Safe Passage, and the second collection yielded an even higher number of items, donated mainly by students. “It was pretty impressive. People are so generous on campus and they really care … it was amazing that students are putting out their money to help us with our fundraiser and make sure we're taking care of our communities,” Chapter Historian Mooka Dharmapalan ’26 said. 

“I feel like Purses With a Purpose has really allowed us to connect with the women community,” member Mikailah Dukes ’27 stated.

Members of the Xi Nu chapter are passionate about reproductive justice and education. The AKA sorority has five initiatives: “Empower our families, build our economic wealth, enhance our environment, advocate for social justice and uplift our local community,” according to the AKA website 

“Reproductive justice does fall under the [initiative] uplift our local community, and I think people try to make it this really taboo thing and it shouldn't be. So I think that's why we're very geared towards reproductive justice,” chapter member Yeslee Nerris ’26 said. The chapter has held other events surrounding sexual health and reproductive justice in the past, such as workshops and group discussions. 

“Each one of our chapter members are leading one of those initiatives. …  Line sister Caroline led a safe sex workshop where she researched and collected a lot of items from Planned Parenthood so we could provide those items to students on campus, which were like condoms, dental dams [and] Plan B [pills], which are increasing in price. So giving them out for free is a really great resource. We got to do a full sex talk and also have an open conversation about consent, about safe words and the nitty gritty of things that you don't learn in sex-ed in high school,” Dharmapalan said.

AKA has a long history here at Mount Holyoke. The Xi Nu chapter was founded in 1983, and has continued to serve as an empowering space of community for Black students and students of color at a predominately white institution like Mount Holyoke. There are some challenges that come with this, especially compared to larger institutions where Greek life is more common or historically Black institutions that have a large Divine Nine presence. 

Despite these challenges the Xi Nu chapter remains strong, “We're still [having] just as much impact and I love our line sister[s] so much. We have a really great bond,” Dharmapalan said. This academic year, the chapter had 4 new line sisters who are continuing their service work. Since 2020, the chapter has had some difficulty recruiting, but they still continue the AKA legacy. Looking ahead, Xi Nu is planning more service projects and connecting with other Divine Nine chapters in the region. 

“Seeing what the chapter has done… I am personally so proud,” AKA graduate chapter member Claire Clunis ’25 said.

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed fact-checking 

SJP calls for greater financial transparency from College

Photo by Karishma Ramkarran ‘27

Students for Justice in Palestine in South Hadley rallied outside the Williston Memorial Library on November 19, 2025, gathering in the morning.

BY QUILL NISHI-LEONARD ‘27

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On Nov. 19, Students for Justice in Palestine in South Hadley —1837 SJP — held a rally outside of the Williston Memorial Library. The event coincided with the National SJP’s Day of Action protesting Israel's ceasefire violations in Gaza, which have killed at least 242 Palestinians, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The event was also held in protest of a series of U.S. military strikes on boats off the coast of Venezuela and in the Caribbean, which experts at the U.N. have described as “extrajudicial executions” in a press release. 

The rally began at 9:30 a.m. and lasted about an hour. During the rally, representatives of 1837 SJP read off a list of demands, calling for Mount Holyoke College administration to formally condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza, disclose all of the College’s investments, renegotiate its contract with Duo, and encourage UMass Amherst to sever its relationship with Raytheon, a U.S. defense contractor.

Duo is the two-factor authentication system that all Mount Holyoke students must use in order to access many College-related websites and resources. Organizers voiced concerns about Duo’s parent company, Cisco, which “supplies critical networking hardware, servers, and telecommunications equipment that form the backbone of Israel's military infrastructure,” according to the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. 

Rally organizers also echoed U.N. criticism of the U.S.’ attacks on Venezuelan boats, with one stating, “We believe that Venezuela has a right to exist free of imperial violence.”

The “grief and anguish [caused by violence] will be felt by generations to come,” organizers said. 

Although the U.N. Security Council has just approved a resolution set forth by the United States to create “an international force to restore order in Gaza, protect civilians and open the way for large-scale aid and rebuilding,” many have expressed confusion about what its uncertain specifics may mean for people in Gaza.

The Guardian’s Senior International Correspondent Julian Borger has described the resolution as “one of the oddest in United Nations history.” It sets forth the creation of a “board of peace” to be chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, alongside a conditional offer of potential Palestinian statehood “if the Palestinian Authority reformed itself satisfactorily,” Borger wrote.

Representatives of 1837 SJP stated that this move was “the tried and tested blueprint used by the U.S. in many … countries”.   In reference to the U.S.’ 2003 military campaign to overthrow Saddam Hussein and subsequent plan to rebuild Iraq, which has since been described as a “failure” by many experts, including Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic & International Studies. 

At its peak the rally attracted around 40 attendees, who stood in a semi-circle around the entrance to the library chanting, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes,” and “From the Caribbean to Palestine, occupation is a crime,” as students walked to and from their classes.

“The imperialist violence [in Venezuela and Gaza] are inextricably linked by the U.S.’ war machine,” a representative of 1837 SJP explained during the rally.

Before 1837 SJP’s rally concluded, organizers handed out informational zines and led attendees in singing “Down by the Riverside” and “Solidarity Forever.”

One organizer summarized the impact of international conflict and violence on everyday people: “While we are able to peacefully take classes at Mount Holyoke, students in Palestine have to put classes on pause indefinitely.”

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 assisted with coverage.

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed fact-checking.