"I’m of that generation when it was easy to be active politically if you, you know rolled out of the bed in the dorm room and managed to stumble out the door of the dorm there was a demonstration going on outside. Sometimes those of us of my generation who are critical of the younger generation for not being sufficiently active, we should remember that it really didn’t take much effort on our part."
Born in Rome, NY in 1951, Kristin Waters has worked in Worcester for 30 years. She taught at Clark University and the College of the Holy Cross before earning a faculty position at Worcester State College, where she currently teaches Philosophy and Women’s Studies. In this interview, Kristin shares memories of her youth in Rome, New York and discusses her relationships with her family as a child and today. She discusses her development as a student at Bard College and at the University of Connecticut as a graduate student. Kristin speaks extensively about her political involvement as a student—particularly in the women’s and peace movements and how it shaped the activist work she continues to do today, particularly her work as co-chair of Daybreak, a domestic violence service and advocacy organization in Worcester. Kristin discusses the ways in which her teaching has evolved over the years and gives an overview of her recent publications. Kristin also touches briefly upon her involvement in the creation of the first Women’s Studies program at Clark University and the strong women academics who played a mentorship role in her life at this time. This is a topic she would like to explore in further detail in a future interview.