At Mount Holyoke College, the act of protesting is often as natural as breathing. From historical ac

At Mount Holyoke College, the act of protesting is often as natural as breathing. From historical activism promoting curriculum change, women’s reproductive rights, and South African divestment to the ongoing work of LGBT+ students on campus, change has always been viewed as an expectation rather than an exception among these passionate students.

Even the smallest of issues may spark a massive response, such as is seen in the work of Joan Wilson (Class of 1969), Julie Donaldson (Class of 1969), and Bernadette Weston (Class of 1970) who, along with 1,200 fellow students, created a petition against “the misrepresentation of life on our campus.” The petition, which was formed in protest to the ‘Comparative Guide to American Colleges’’ categorization of Mount Holyoke student life as prudish (even going so far as to suggest that “short skirts are prohibited” on campus), measured twenty feet long at its completion.

To learn more about the history of Mount Holyoke College activism and protest, be sure to check out the opening of our student curated exhibition ‘Demonstration, Exposition, Exhibition: A View of Mount Holyoke Activism.’ The tour will begin in Archives and Special Collections today (Thursday 9/13) at 4:30.

Protesting Women’s Fashion in 1968 ::  Mount Holyoke Archives and Special Collections Digital Images :: circa 1968