Barr Addresses Bard College Class of 2025

Dr. Valerie Barr was selected by the Bard College Class of 2025 as their faculty speaker for this year’s Baccalaureate ceremony. Known for her commitment to students, Dr. Barr used her remarks as an opportunity to reflect on language, resilience, and the power of resistance.

Drawing from Adrienne Rich’s poem The Burning of Paper Instead of Children, Dr. Barr expressed how we each carry tools that may challenge injustice.

Adrienne Rich showed, with her poetry, that we all have tools with which we can resist: language, music, science, art, economic and political and literary analysis.”

She acknowledged the strength of students who have studied through war, displacement, and political unrest, and reminded the Class of 2025 that their education has prepared them to meet the moment.

“You leave here you leave here with the ability to resist with language, with music, with theatre and film and photography. To resist with science, and to resist with the critical reading and speaking skills you have developed during your time here at Bard.”

Her message was both a call to action and a celebration of what students have already overcome.

Read Dr. Barr’s full remarks: https://vbarr4.github.io/Baccalaureate.pdf