Deborah Jane Tynes '75
Deborah Jane Tynes ‘75 was interviewed by Alexandra Huaman ‘26 in spring 2023.
In this clip, Ms. Tynes discusses the political activism she participated in as a Simmons student.
Tags: Civil Rights, Student Activism
Transcript
Interviewer: Alexandra Huaman (AH)
Narrator: Deborah Tynes (DT)
DT: It was- it was- it was, that our, we- and we wore African dashikis, and it was, we used to march around Harvard Yard to protest things in front of Memorial Chapel. The protest, you know, uh, you know black studies being taught at uh, university and Harvard you know, MIT or this place would be. We'd be over there. Our choir would march around in the yard with signs, and we were radical, quite a radical little group of folks.
AH: Yeah, would you say you were very politically active?
DT: You know, we stood up for what we believed in also at Simmons. Yeah, we- we did the same. Yeah, the system definitely challenged, and that's why, there- there are as many African American trustees as there are today, and we- we have our first African American president. Because of the legacy that was built, uh, fifty years ago. Yes, when our world came to change a great deal.