NAMES IN THE NEWS : No Welcome Mat for First Lady
Students at Wellesley College are protesting the selection of Barbara Bush as their commencement speaker, saying the First Lady hasn’t earned the honor on her own.
“To honor Barbara Bush as a commencement speaker is to honor a woman who has gained recognition through the achievements of her husband, which contradicts what we have been taught over our years at Wellesley,” said a petition signed by 150 students and presented to college President Nanerl Keohane.
Anna Perez, a spokeswoman for Barbara Bush in Washington, said Sunday that the First Lady had no comment on the petition. The First Lady accepted an invitation to speak at commencement June 1 at the 2,200-student women’s college.
Laura Stavis, a Wellesley spokeswoman, defended the invitation.
Barbara Bush is “involved in crucial issues, literacy, volunteer programs for the needy and the homeless. I feel she speaks with her own voice,” Stavis said.
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