The Curry College community proudly welcomed Chief Justice Margaret H. Marshall, Hon. '02 back to campus for the bi-annual President's Speaker Series. Chief Justice Marshall shared her inspiring story with Curry students, faculty, and staff, highlighting her journey, values, and commitment to justice and equality.
Born in Newcastle, South Africa, Chief Justice Marshall is Senior Counsel at the Boston law firm Choate Hall & Stewart LLP, and previously served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts. Appointed to that position in 1999, she was the first woman to serve as Chief Justice in the Court's then 307-year history.
Among her many accomplishments, Chief Justice Marshall authored the landmark 2003 decision in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health, which made Massachusetts the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage.
Before the main event, Chief Justice Marshall and President Jay Gonzalez connected with students from Student Government Association (SGA), and The President's Leadership Program (PLP), a new initiative at Curry that prepares students for a life of leadership, civic responsibility, and career success through a range of activities, workshops, and events.
The PLP is made up of a highly selective group of talented, driven, compassionate, and accomplished students and is designed to inspire and foster leaders of tomorrow. Students are chosen based on past achievements, creative accomplishments, and demonstrated leadership in academic or community spaces.
Chief Justice Marshall offered thoughtful advice to our students, encouraging them to make meaningful connections, to persuade with confidence, and to appreciate the privileges they have in life.
Chief Justice Marshall joined President Gonzalez in a packed Keith Auditorium for a Q&A session with Curry students, faculty, and staff. During the engaging conversation, she reflected on the struggles she saw growing up in apartheid-era South Africa—not particularly her own, but others around her, which sparked a lifelong commitment to justice and human rights.
At University, she became president of the National Union of South African Students and fiercely fought for equal rights, using her voice while her peers could not. Aware of her privilege as a white woman, she bravely challenged the apartheid system, speaking out against injustice in a country where many were imprisoned simply for demanding equality.
With a vision similar to her own, Chief Justice Marshall spoke of the immense influence from Senator Robert F. Kennedy, specifically during his 1966 Ripple of Hope speech that he delivered in Capetown, South Africa.
That day, I learned from Senator Kennedy that even if you do the simplest little thing, ultimately, it will make a difference.