Photo credit: Amy Y. Li
For the first time in its 145-year history, the Harvard Crimson has elected a Black woman to serve as its president. Her name is Kristine E. Guillaume.
The Harvard junior is currently one of the three Chairs of The Crimson’s Diversity and Inclusivity committee and a reporter for The Crimson’s Central Administration. In that role, Guillaume interviewed two University Presidents and helped cover Harvard’s 2018 presidential search. Guillaume, an African American Studies and History and Literature concentrator, was announced as the publication’s next president on Monday.
“If my election has validated anyone’s experience or validated anyone’s belonging in Crimson, then my hard work will be worth it and will continue to be worth it,” Guillaume said.
She continued: “At Harvard you’re in a space that was made for white men, so if you’re not the cookie-cutter white man who Harvard was built for, it can be difficult to navigate being here. I want people to think about how to navigate, and feel like they can and get through their education and feel like they do belong here. That’s a big thing for me.”
The Harvard Crimson was founded in 1873 and is the nation’s oldest published daily college newspaper. Guillaume is set to assume the role of president on January 1, 2019.