Events
Upcoming
February 12, 2025, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Sony Music Entertainment, 25 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
VCNY and AAAVC present:
We Haven't Come as Far as We Think: Black Women and Institutional Racism in American Education

Join the Vassar Club of New York and the African American Alumnae/i of Vassar College (AAAVC) at 6:30 p.m. ET as Dr. Jasmine Harris ’05 delves into the lived experiences of Black women navigating predominantly white academic spaces, exposing the persistent barriers of institutional racism and sexism. This discussion challenges common narratives of progress in education while spotlighting the resilience and resistance of Black women scholars.

This event is wheelchair accessible

Please feel free to bring food to eat during the discussion.

Dr. Harris’s book, Black Women, Ivory Tower: Revealing the Lies of White Supremacy in American Education, will be available for purchase and she will be happy to to sign them after the event.

Jasmine L. Harris ’05, PhD, is Professor and Department Chair of Africana Studies at Metropolitan State University of Denver. She completed her PhD at the University of Minnesota in 2013. Her research examines Black life in predominantly white spaces, including Black students at predominately white institutions, Black DI football and men’s basketball players at universities in the Power Five conferences, and Black sociologists producing knowledge in a white-dominated discipline. Dr. Harris has been published in major newspapers nationwide, including Newsweek, The Washington Post, the Houston Chronicle, and the Chicago Tribune. In 2021 she was featured in the Vice News documentary College Sports, Inc. Her first book, Black Women, Ivory Tower: Revealing the Lies of White Supremacy in American Education, was published by Broadleaf Books in 2024.
Past
February 7, 2025, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, New York, NY
Come see original manuscripts of the great composers at the Morgan Library, up close and personal with the Vassar Club of New York. The Morgan's curator of music, Robinson McClellan ’99, will show a selection from the extensive collection of manuscripts by Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Wagner, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, and many more.

Space is limited. RSVP by February 3. This event is wheelchair accessible

Robinson McClellan ’99 is a composer, curator, scholar, and teacher. He holds a doctorate in composition from the Yale School of Music. He has completed artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and his music is published by E.C. Schirmer and others. He is Curator of Music Manuscripts and Printed Music at the Morgan Library & Museum and teaches at Rutgers University.
January 16, 2025, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
The Dead Poet, 450 Amsterdam Ave (Btwn 81st and 82nd), New York, NY
Ring in the New Year with the Vassar Club of New York! Join us from 6:00–8:00 p.m. ET for Schmoozing back near Central Park at The Dead Poet, a bar designed to celebrate the lives and spirits of famous writers and poets. English majors, this one’s for you!

With an amiable and upbeat atmosphere and a drink menu that features signature cocktails, premium draft beers, or an extensive Irish whiskey menu, there is something for everyone. Outside food is permitted.

The bar is located near the 79th Street 1 station and the 81st-Museum of Natural History B/C station.

Unfortunately, the Dead Poet is NOT wheelchair-accessible.
January 11, 2025, 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
103 Orchard St, New York, NY 10002-3102, United States
Join the Vassar Club of New York (VCNY) and the African American Alumnae/i Association of Vassar College (AAAVC) at the Tenement Museum for the Union of Hope: 1869 tour from 11:00 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. ET.

Explore the story of Joseph and Rachel Moore, Black New Yorkers who made their home in Lower Manhattan’s tenements in the 1860s and 1870s. The exhibit traces Joseph’s history from his free Black community of Belvidere, New Jersey, through his family’s migration to New York City, and the community he and his wife Rachel built in their neighborhoods and workplaces.

The tour will be preceded by a brief introduction from Alisa Martin ’85, Tenement Museum Vice President, Education Operations and Engagement.

Space is limited so please RSVP early, and no later than December 30.

Tickets: $30

Please arrive 10-15 minutes early at the front door of the Visitor Center for check in. Optional Group Lunch after the tour.

This tour is not recommended for visitors with mobility issues

If you want to extend your experience, there is a film that plays in the museum theater throughout the day showing on the half hour and you may want to consider spending some time in the museum bookshop and gift store.

- Please do not bring oversized backpacks/bags if you are taking a building tour. There is limited space in the museum’s recreated living spaces. Ask staff for assistance.
- Bottled water is the only food or drink allowed on the tour (indoor building tours).
December 11, 2024, 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm
Join the Vassar Club of New York Book Club via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. ET when we will welcome William “Bill” Huhn ’85 and discuss his recently published book of poetry, Bachelor Holiday. Lynn Janovsky ’86 will lead the discussion. Approximate runtime 60-90 minutes. Zoom link will be included in your registration confirmation email.

Bachelor Holiday, a 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner, includes poems written back in the author’s twenties, and every poem has its own little spirit, waiting to be felt by whoever taps into it.

“The precise, evocative poems in William Huhn’s Bachelor Holiday bring us to places we’ve never been, then bring us back to where we are today… Along the way, the speaker guides us with an artist’s eye for detail and a poet’s sense of language… These poems will lift and transport...”

–Thaddeus Rutkowski, author of Safe Colors and Haywire, a No. 1 best-seller on Small Press Distribution's fiction list

William Huhn ’85 grew up in an old house in Pennsylvania overflowing with books. He studied classical violin from age five, then took up old time fiddle. Shortly after graduating from Vassar College with a chemistry degree, he published his first poem. Uninspired by lab work, he played fiddle across Europe, to finance his poetry. His poems found their way into The Carolina Quarterly, Verse Daily, Talking River Review, 34th Parallel, and elsewhere, and they form the backbone for his first full-length collection, Bachelor Holiday (BlazeVOX Books, 2024). William is a 2024 Literary Titan Gold Book Award Winner, which recognizes poets who demonstrate exceptional artistry and proficiency and push the boundaries of language and expression. He lives just outside New York City with his wife, son, and daughter.

Bachelor Holiday is available at your local bookstore, Blaze VOX Books, and Amazon.
December 5, 2024, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
25 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10010-3685, United States
Join VCNY for a panel discussion featuring five Brewers with careers spanning across the film industry.

The conversation will touch on contemporary realities of the field, how they arrived at their current positions, and what’s ahead for cinematic artists such as these alums.

Clyde Folley ’08 is a video editor and film programmer. He is on staff at the Criterion Collection and his programming credits include ’80s Horror, Giallo!, and Horror F/X on the Criterion Channel and Starring Brad Dourif at Anthology Film Archives.

Ash Hoyle ’18 is a features programmer at the Sundance Film Festival. He has also worked as the Festival Director at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, Director of Programming of Damn These Heels Film Festival, and Senior Programmer at Outfest Los Angeles. He is a 2021 Project Involve Fellow and graduate of Vassar College.

Penny Lane ’01 has been making award-winning, innovative nonfiction films for over a decade. This includes six features —most recently Confessions of a Good Samaritan (Netflix) and Listening to Kenny G (HBO). And yes, Penny Lane is her real name.

Aimee Lyde ’93 is a film and television editor with over 25 years of experience working in fiction and documentary features and shorts, commercials, trailers, and music videos.

Areej Noor ’06 is a Somali-American writer, producer, political analyst, and entrepreneur. At MSNBC, she produced Up with Steve Kornacki, a roundtable discussion news program. Prior to that, she did a stint with Al-Jazeera English. Areej began her career as a researcher for the Brookings Institution focused on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. Her writings have been featured in the Times of India, Gulf News, and international editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar among other publications. After consulting for the World Bank, she founded STATEMENT. Areej is based in New York City and Cairo.

Space is limited. Please RSVP by Thursday, November 28.