Thursday, Nov. 14th, I attended the 29th anniversary of Smith Celebration, an annual event on the Wilson House steps on the Quad which celebrates love in all forms.
The event, while open to everyone, is specifically meant to acknowledge LGBTQ people on Smith campus and in the world. It began in 1991 in response to homophobic incidents on the Quad with a specific focus on lesbian and bisexual women. The event has since widened its focus, acknowledging the presence of members of all sections of the LGBTQ community at Smith.
After stirring vocal performances from Kimani Freeman ’20 and Lily Jacobs ’23, student speakers introduced the event by offering reflections on the state of LGBTQ rights in the world. The speakers acknowledged that while bigotry still exists on our campus, we at Smith are largely insulated from homophobic and transphobic violence and there is much work to be done outside of the Smith bubble.
They specifically referenced the upcoming Supreme Court decision that will decide the future of LGBTQ employment discrimination. “We must remember that these are not partisan issues,” said one of the speakers. “They are human issues.”
Proceeds raised at Celebration from the sale of buttons and stickers went to Safe Passage, a group working to assist LGBTQ people in the wider community by establishing safe housing in the Pioneer Valley.
The speakers led the crowd in a candlelit vigil honoring all those who have been harmed by homophobic and transphobic bigotry. Through the performances that followed, these lit candles served as a reminder of why the crowd was gathered in the first place, of the defiant nature of celebration in the face of oppression. As one of the speakers said, “We celebrate because we can but also because we must.”
Another speaker introduced the night’s main entertainment by saying, “Our celebration this evening takes many forms. Some scandalous, some serious, some sad, and some funny. But all of them celebrate love. […] Enjoy this moment at Smith College when this celebration is possible.”
The speaker’s words proved true. There was something for everyone among the night’s varied entertainment. Some performances offered reflection on the struggles of being LGBTQ, while others put on high-energy dance performances.
The night included performances from Smith dance groups, a cappella groups and houses. It was the first year since Celebration’s inception in which a non-Quad house performed, as Chapin House performed a dance routine.
My personal favorite performance came from Comstock House. Its representatives read a poem composed of Comstock residents’ answers to the question, “What is love?”
The answers ranged from the profound (being able to give up even the smallest part of yourself for someone else, knowing you are not alone) to the sweet (holding your hand even when it’s cold, knowing each other’s coffee orders) to the silly (first like and first comment, what makes a Subaru a Subaru). Some were specific to Comstock House (love is cheesy bread on the Comstock Hill).
To me, those last answers encapsulated the affection palpable in the air at Celebration, from the camaraderie the organizers and performers clearly had for each other, to the couples and groups of friends in the audience huddled together against the cold. Laying in a pile-up with the rest of my house on the Wilson Lawn, I understood that, both literally and figuratively, the love of the Smith community was warmer than the night was cold.
