Immigration, DEI Themes Take Center Stage in Mount Holyoke Reading Program

Immigration, DEI Themes Take Center Stage in Mount Holyoke Reading Program

A Massachusetts college using immigration and DEI in a reading program? I’m shocked. From Campus Reform:

Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts, has selected A Map Is Only One Story: Twenty Writers on Immigration, Family, and the Meaning of Home as its 2026-2027 Common Read, making a collection of essays focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and identity politics central to the college’s shared reading program.

The choice places immigration narratives at the center of a campus-wide program intended for the broader student body. Committee member Hannah Goodwin indicated that organizers made the selection to drive narratives about foreign-born students’ experiences, making a single demographic a focal point for a campus-wide program intended for students from a wide range of backgrounds.

“To me, this tapestry of narratives provides a much-needed antidote to rhetoric around immigrants and migration that is shaping national politics,” Goodwin said.

The remarks indicate that organizers viewed the anthology as more than a literary selection and instead saw it as a vessel for political activism.

The Common Read selection follows a broader pattern of political activism by Mount Holyoke’s leadership. President Danielle Holley previously urged faculty and students to prepare for and oppose the Trump administration’s policy agenda, stating that it conflicted with the college’s institutional goals, according to a Campus Reform report.

Holley pointed to issues including abortion, DEI initiatives, and policies related to gender identity as areas where the college’s political objectives diverged from those of the Trump administration. She also specifically advocated for the continuation of DEI programs and suggested schools should continue enabling students seeking “gender-affirming care.”

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