Harvard Club of Seattle

Veritas: Common Values for the Common Good

Join your fellow alumni/ae for an intimate conversation about Veritas, the Harvard Charter, and living up to our values.

Please join us for the second in a year-long series of potluck dinners for alums to have intimate conversations among ourselves and to share our thoughts and experiences about Harvard's role in leading challenging conversations nationwide. All points of view are welcome and all are encouraged to participate respectfully and without concern for judgment or rejection. Our dinners will culminate in a leadership-in-action community service event during the Global Month of Service in April 2018.

Date: Thursday, June 29, 2017

Time: 6-9pm

Location: 2020 43rd Ave E #12 (Madison Park; if weather permits, we will meet on the lakeside large deck with a view of Mt. Rainier)

Cost: Free. Please bring what you are able for the potluck dinner. Beverages will be provided.

Facilitator: Emily R. Van Dyke '03, MPH '09, Vice President, Harvard Club of Seattle

RSVP below.

American civil society has faced a new upswing of turmoil with race, prejudice and violence. Proponents of racial supremacy and ethnic nationalism have achieved prominence in the public sphere, fueled by rhetoric that may or may not be grounded in truth. Meanwhile we have seen the revival of practices like turning high-pressure hoses on protesters at Standing Rock in subzero temperatures, which echo some of the worst memories of the Civil Rights movement.

What is Harvard’s history with race, ethnicity, and class in society? Does Harvard have an obligation to live by its 1650 Charter, which specifically states that Harvard College is dedicated to "the education of the English & Indian Youth of this Country"? We will examine this question through the lens of a recent Joint Resolution submitted by the Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribal Councils to President Faust requesting renewed collaboration and increased commitment to educating local Native youth as per Harvard's own Charter -- especially given that Harvard can claim only one Wampanoag college graduate since the 17th century. What role does Harvard play today and what roles do we play as citizens in society at-large and in our local communities to promote truth and fairness for all people?

What are the common values that we share as Harvard graduates and can express through everyday leadership for the common good?  

For questions, contact Emily R. Van Dyke '03, MPH '09, Vice President.