It took me a little while to figure out how to use my voice in this instance. It’s not something I do often. It’s not something I’ve ever done publicly like this before. But when I was an undergraduate student at Smith College, I had a professor who went out of her way to support the start of my career. She did this for me if I promised that I’d use my voice to help another woman the next time I was in a position to do so. I’ve tried to live this way ever since, but now I have met a big chance to honor my promise.

I’ve been thinking about Evelyn Harris’ honorary Smith degree since my friend Jason told me about it last weekend on the phone. Jason is the executive director of the Northampton Community Music Center, so he has known and worked with Evelyn in her role as a music educator there for many years. I know Jason and I know of Evelyn’s work because I was hired at the NCMC as an administrative assistant for my work study job when I was a student at Smith. I think what has happened between Smith College and Evelyn Harris is not fair. And I don’t mean that with a tone of petulance in my voice. I mean objectively I don’t think it’s fair.

Evelyn is a musician, an activist, and an educator. She isn’t an academic and she isn’t trained as one — at least not in the way Smith expected of her during commencement. Her background is in music education and she majored in voice. At Smith she was given a platform to speak in an academic setting without clear guidelines for how to speak, told afterwards that she didn’t do it correctly, and faced public consequences. This is the story I’ve gathered from reading what I can find in the news and from speaking with others in the community. Maybe I am missing something. Maybe Smith feels adequate guidelines and feedback were provided before the speech was given at commencement. But based on what I know, I don’t think it's fair.

I think for Evelyn to have to explain her speech away as plagiarism detracts from the message which underpins her entire career. The message I think Smith wanted to elevate when Evelyn was selected to speak at commencement this year. Evelyn spent 18 years with the African-American, all-woman a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. The name echoes a biblical reference, symbolizing the sweetness and strength found even in harsh conditions. The group uses music to speak out on topics such as civil rights, women’s empowerment, and racial justice. Through its existence, it has featured an ever-changing lineup of members and has blended gospel, spirituals, blues, jazz and African chants. Layers of voices, warnings, ideas, demands. The goal wasn’t to cite the source and credit the speaker, but to ensure the message wasn’t lost across time and space, no matter what.

Smith touches my life almost every day. It lives in my memories and in the relationships I formed on campus, and through the alumni network afterwards. It lives on in my daily work, where I welcome Smith undergraduates to a city across the ocean and help give them a memorable and meaningful study abroad experience. I often think about the weight of attending college in such a prestigious place. The pressure to learn quickly and perfectly. The pit in your stomach when you realize you’ve made a mistake. In plenum, in front of an audience. And I wonder, has this really been the right outcome between Evelyn and Smith? Can the same lesson be taught and learned through care, support and understanding as through consequences and shame?

I’m not angry with Smith, I’m not writing this to shame or to humiliate anyone. I think the learning can go both ways, both for Evelyn and for Smith. I think this can be an opportunity for us all to ask ourselves: How do we invite someone into our world and how do we hold them and help them when they didn’t arrive with the roadmap in their hands? And how do we honor a person for their life’s work, regardless of whether or not it translates neatly into the infrastructure of ours?

Smith College is a powerful name and wields a powerful reputation. I think it is Smith's responsibility to use that name and that reputation meaningfully and with careful intention. When Smith awards someone a degree, honorary or not, that person accepts the same responsibility. In this particular instance, Smith has a voice which can help another woman and is in a position to do so. Smith, I urge you to lead by example and reconsider your current approach. Consider instead a conversation, consider re-affirming Evelyn's honorary degree. Consider re-writing the ending of this chapter with Evelyn, a fellow educator, activist, woman, and significant member of your wider Northampton community.

Meagan Gonzalez, Smith College class of 2015, lives in Copenhagen, Denmark.