What next?

I graduated in 1985.

Hamilton Hall had been captured and renamed Mandela Hall, and pretty much everyone was wearing south african colours on top of our robes. In the middle of the ceremony, a gigantic “divest now” banner was lowered by acrobats who had scaled Low Library…

So much has changed since then.

Where we once had a clearly defined offender, and the demonstrators ask to the university was equally clear, we now have an intersectional soup of pain and suffering where multiple vulnerable groups compete in a Hunger Games for attention, recognition and support, while demagogues manipulate the truth and profiteers thrive in the chaos.

We’re hoping our leaders will shepherd us through this while they work to protect our values. As of right now, in my opinion, it’s not looking great.

I wish I had more answers, but one thing I can still believe in is that individuals can tell stories about their past. They’re not always 100% accurate or 100% true, but if we keep them, and look after them and share them, and experience them as a group, then I have to believe that on balance they will for some sort of valid history.

I wish Columbia hadn’t turned off the “add a memory” function in 2006, so much has happened even since then it feels a shame to continue the record…