Dublin Central TD and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald travelled to Westfield State University in Western Mass last month to receive an Honorary Doctorate and address the graduating class of 2024.
Westfield University President Linda Thompson, the first African-American female President of Westfield since its founding in 1839, told the Irish Echo she had extended an invite to McDonald after hearing first-hand about the links between Frederick Douglass and Ireland during a visit to Dublin and Belfast earlier this year.
During her address, the Sinn Fein chief said young people across the U.S. were correct in calling for an end to the slaughter in Gaza. "Young people across the world are standing against the war crimes and injustices we see inflicted every day on the people of Palestine," she said. "World leaders must listen to the voices of the young, because this generation is right."
