Vassar Yesterday

"President Simpson, members of the faculty, families, and friends, first brave and courageous male graduates of Vassar — and Sisters ... this is the year of Women’s Liberation. Or at least, it’s the year the press has discovered a movement that has been strong for several years now...." These were among the opening words of Gloria Steinem’s commencement speech to Vassar’s graduating class of 1970. The photo above, featuring one of the many members of the class of ’70 who affixed peace symbols to their mortarboards, was first published in the May 31, 1970, edition of The New York Times. Steinem spoke to the class that included 10 of Vassar’s first male graduates — five had transferred from Colgate, three from Williams, and two from Trinity. You can read Steinem’s speech in its entirety in the Online Additions section.