On Monday, March 14, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi visited the Mount Saint Vincent campus for a town hall with U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, the representative for the 16th congressional district. Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, and local mayors were also in attendance. The invitation-only afternoon event was held in the college’s athletic center. It was the Speaker’s first visit to this part of the Bronx since 2018.
 
College President Susan R. Burns introduced Speaker Pelosi and Congressman Bowman.
 
In her introductory remarks, Speaker Pelosi acknowledged it was Women’s History Month and pointed out the presence of many women elected officials in attendance, as well as women of color. Speaker Pelosi is the first woman Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. She then spoke of the challenge of the moment, the crisis posed by the Russia-Ukraine war and the assault on democracy.
 
Speaker Pelosi also talked about the needs of children and making the world a safer place for them. She said when she is asked to identify the three most important issues, she always answers, “Our children, our children, our children.”
 
In the town hall the two officials spoke about gun violence, education, and health care, but most of the discussion centered on the Russia-Ukraine war. The Speaker stressed the importance of leadership in the humanitarian response for the Ukrainian people.
 
After the town hall, Speaker Pelosi and Sisters of Charity President Donna Dodge had the opportunity to meet. The two held a cordial and affectionate exchange. Raised in Baltimore, Speaker Pelosi had graduated from the Institute of Notre Dame, an all-girls Catholic high school and then attended Trinity College in Washington, D.C. She indicated that her roommate from school, a native of Riverdale, spoke highly of the Sisters of Charity, and it was one of the chief reasons she wanted to attend the event at the Mount.