A federal judge who has repeatedly been honored for her advancement of diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, Wilhelmina “Mimi” Wright is dedicated to equal access to justice and opportunity for all.

Judge Wright grew up on the campus of a historically Black college in Virginia, where she observed the transformative power of a college education and the sacrifices parents and communities made to provide their children with an opportunity that would change their trajectory in life. This led to her deep belief in the promise of higher education. As an Overseer, Judge Wright would “be honored to help Harvard strengthen and sustain its commitment to bringing together a demographically diverse student body”; a “faculty devoted to advancing education and scholarship at Harvard and confronting challenges in the wider world; and a robust leadership that fosters open inquiry and collaboration among faculty, students, and staff.”

At Harvard Law School, Judge Wright was an officer of the Black Law Students Association and campaigned for HLS to hire its first African American woman professor. Her early legal practice included counsel to school districts on implementing desegregation orders. As a federal prosecutor, she handled cases involving violent crimes and white-collar fraud, winning awards for achievement and public service. Judge Wright served on three levels of Minnesota state courts before becoming the first Black woman appointed as a federal judge in Minnesota. She reportedly was a leading contender to succeed Supreme Court Justice Breyer.

​

​

----------------------------

PLEASE NOTE: To select our endorsed candidates, our Candidate Review Committee spent weeks

• Researching each candidate

• Reviewing their Diversity Questionnaire* responses 

• Reviewing the Overseer candidates’ Harvard Magazine questionnaire responses, and 

• Individually interviewing eight Overseer candidates. 

The Committee then met repeatedly to discuss each candidate’s experience advancing racial justice and equity before choosing candidates to endorse. Please note that we had to choose from many qualified candidates; we selected the same number of candidates as there are available seats in order to maximize the electoral impact of our endorsement. The Candidate Review Committee of Diverse Harvard found that all the candidates have made stellar contributions to their communities and professions. 

The 2022 Candidate Review Committee: Jane Sujen Bock AB '81, Margaret M. Chin AB '84, Laura Dumbach AB '84, Kristin R. Penner AB '89, Tab Timothy Stewart AB '88, David Van Taylor AB '83, Rachel B. Tiven AB '96, Emily Van Dyke AB '03 MPH '09, Itzel Vasquez-Rodriguez AB '17, and Michael Williams AB '81 (with thanks to Hyeryoung Rhee HGSE MA '22).

We note that, as in 2017 and 2019, our research does not show that any of the 18 candidates identify publicly as LGBTQ or have substantial experience in addressing LGBTQ issues. This is a concern that we and the Harvard Gender & Sexuality Caucus will raise with the Harvard Alumni Association.

_______________________________________________________________________

Please VOTE online or by mail starting 4/1 (it’s easy). Completed ballots must be received by 5 pm on 5/17. Another strong showing by the Coalition will help us in our efforts to promote Ethnic Studies, race-conscious holistic admissions, faculty of color, and other issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. (To date, 48 of the 59 candidates that we have endorsed over the past six years have been elected.) 

With thanks,

Jane, Margaret, Jeannie, Kristin & Michael

Jane Sujen Bock, Margaret M. Chin, Jeannie Park, Kristin R. Penner & Michael Williams

Directors, Coalition for a Diverse Harvard

________________________

* We are grateful that 17 of the 18 candidates responded to the Diversity Questionnaire sent to them by the endorsing organizations, and we appreciate their detailed and thoughtful answers.

​