Dr. Yolanda Sealey-Ruiz, Associate Professor of English Education, composed and delivered at the inauguration of TC President Thomas Bailey an original poem called, “Creating Pathways Where There Were None Before”. 

A reflection from Dr. Sealey-Ruiz after the inauguration and reading of the poem:

It was a profound honor to be asked to compose and recite an original poem for the occasion of Dr. Thomas Bailey's Inauguration as TC's 11th president. I've been writing poetry (privately) for about 30 years. The actual process of writing the poem was a daunting task from the moment I said "yes" because I know that my poetry usually has to be inspired, and is not something that is planned. I became a little nervous about the project because my writing process (for public speeches) is usually 24-48 hours before a deadline, even when I am invited to speak somewhere months in advance. In this case, I was asked about three weeks in advance. Although the title came to me five days after the request, I did not feel inspired to write anything until I listened to Maya Angelou's inaugural poem for Bill Clinton, "On the Pulse of the Morning". After watching the video a few times and holding a brief interview with Dr. Bailey, I was finally moved to write something. That was eight days before the ceremony. I woke up at 2:00 a.m. on that day and wrote the poem in about 20 minutes. I traveled California the next day for an academic conference and did not read the poem until I returned to NYC. Once again, I woke up early in the morning (this time at 4:00 a.m.) the Wednesday before the ceremony and finished the poem. I shared it later that day, for the first time, with Trish McNichols.I will be forever grateful for that experience. I thank Jim Gardner and his team in the TC Public Affairs office for having faith and trust in me. I consider it a blessing to have been asked to write a poem like this and share it with my colleagues and the public. I hope my words inspired hope for what lies ahead for Teachers College under the leadership of President Bailey.