Recent Grad Libby Harrity 23F on Fighting Back and Finding Community

Hampshire offered admission to New College of Florida students, and Harrity, the former student senate president at that school, was one of 35 transfers to join the Hampshire community in response. In total, 55 former NCF students have matriculated at Hampshire.

We caught up with Harrity before she heads to Rutgers Law School.

What brought you to Hampshire?

I came through the school’s long-term commitment to freedom, outreach, and advocacy. After the hostile takeover of New College of Florida by conservative allies of Florida governor Ron DeSantis, I was directly targeted by the administration for my leadership on campus and in protest. Learning that I would be forced to leave NCF just weeks before fall move-in, Hampshire’s administration worked to streamline my application, housing, and financial aid, to ensure that I could arrive on campus at the same time as everyone else and continue my education on my terms, without risk of censorship. In the face of NCF’s harassment, Hampshire swooped in and gave me and other NCF transfer students a stable home.

What did you study?

I focused on political science and Francophone studies —the study of the language, history, culture, and politics of the former French empire.

What was your Div III?

A 99-page political theory thesis in two parts, titled “Halting the Imperial Boomerang: On the Origins of American Fascism” and “How Floridians Can Fight Back.”

Part one worked to define and bring into an American context the term “imperial boomerang,” coined by the Martinican scholar Aimé Césaire and further developed by the Jewish-Tunisian philosopher Albert Memmi, as well as the iconic German-Jewish scholar Hannah Arendt. The boomerang asserts that the normalization colonial violence used to establish and maintain a settler-colonial state like the United States will eventually lead it to consume itself, inevitably developing into a totalitarian state.

Part two sought to provide a program of resistance for white settlers, particularly in the state of Florida, encouraging individuals to accept the necessity of a full transfiguration of the world, and what that means in the face of ongoing and unending colonial violence against Black and Indigenous peoples and the totalitarian assault on Hispanic Americans and immigrants in this country.

Be proud that your college reached out in solidarity to Floridians when we faced attacks on our academic freedom! Be proud of Hampshire! Proud enough to fix any issues you see it having! Proud enough to fight for its continued success!

Tell us about the particular professors who inspired and supported you along the way.

Professor of Anthropology, Literary Arts, and African Studies Nathalie Arnold and Professor of Comparative Literature and Visual Studies Jennifer Bajorek were the perfect team with whom to work on my Division III project. Meeting weekly with both of my committee members made a world of difference for my writing process. Their experience, encouragement, and guidance helped me feel empowered to navigate challenging subjects and to not be afraid of bringing my personal experiences and faith into my work. This made my Div III not just academically nourishing, but personally and spiritually nourishing as well. My committee also kept me on track and on time for everything.

What did you do for fun as a student?

The most fun I had on campus was time spent in community with students, faculty, and staff attending club meetings, in my work as an admissions fellow, and even just sitting around campus. Spending time with other students, learning about their unique areas of concentration, and sharing experiences on campus, in the Five College Consortium, and around Massachusetts was my preferred activity.

What was your favorite place on campus and why?

The Airport Lounge, our 24/7 study space in the library. It’s now home to a memorial installation honoring our NCF transfer-student cohort, featuring a reproduction of a mural by Emma Curtis S23 that was destroyed along with several others at NCF during the first months of the takeover. The Lounge was also the perfect distance from all other locations on campus. In particular, I liked that it was close to the Bridge Café, so I could eat my chicken tenders while working on my Div!

Anything you’d like to tell the greater Hampshire community?

Be proud of your school! Be proud that you attend one of the only schools in the nation that maintains a true commitment to nontraditional liberal arts education! Be proud that you can take your education into your own hands and shape it to your passions! Be proud that your college reached out in solidarity to Floridians when we faced attacks on our academic freedom! Be proud of Hampshire! Proud enough to fix any issues you see it having! Proud enough to fight for its continued success!

Artwork in banner by Emma Curtis S24 from her larger installation, "Temporary Home: Migration of the Florida Flock" (2025)