Nair and Others Helped By Education For Action

Thank you for your feature story on Mira Nair ("A Harvard Filmmaker Stirs Things Up" November 11, 1993). We are pleased that attention was given to the screening of "Mississippi Masala" and the reception with Nair the next day. The event came about as a result of the diligent efforts of Education for Action and the South Asian Association.

While your article noted the importance of the VES Department in Nair's development as a filmmaker, it failed to mention that Education for Action funded her senior thesis project, a film on Muslim women in India.

Education for Action is a resource center for Harvard/Radcliffe students interested in social change, both on the local and global level. We have been sponsoring student events and projects for social change since 1966. Funding Nair's project was part of Education for Action's long-standing effort to further the careers of social activist filmmakers. For example, in 1991 we showed films by Education for Action alumnae/alumni, including Nair, Reggie Hudlin '83 ("House Party") and Terry Rockefeller '72 ("Eyes on the Prize"). Our goal in bringing back alumnae/alumni whose careers began here at Education for Action is to encourage other Harvard/Radcliffe students following similar paths.

Hopefully, both Education for Action students and the community at large can benefit from the examples set by Nair and others like her. Annie Lederberg '96   Education for Action Student Board