The Executive Board Members of Cambridge Academy Alumni Association International (CAAAI) and the membership body, mourn the passing of our dear sister Marcia Priyadarshani Gordon, who went on to be with the Lord on February 12, 2024. During her 35-years on earth, sister Marcia remains one of the most remarkable and selfless young-adults you ever had the pleasure of meeting Most people have referred to her as an ‘Angel’ among us; always adorned with a jubilant smile, a warm-hearted greeting, and genuine concern for the wellbeing of others, while calling no attention to her own pathology.
I arrived in New York on August 20, 1963, eight days before Dr. Martin Luther King’s March on Washington, DC. Four days later I experienced what I later discovered Dr. King had described in his speech. I experienced what it was to be judged by the color of my skin and not by the content of my character. Four days after my arrival, I was scheduled to make a presentation to the group of Fulbright Fellows and Scholars to which I was assigned. Unfortunately, that morning I awoke with severe pain. I hobbled over to the conference room and explained to the Professor that I needed to see a doctor because I was in significant pain. I could not believe it when he said: You black students are always looking for excuses. Now that you are a Fulbright Scholar, you will have to learn how to work hard to justify that accolade. I hobbled out of the room and found the Director of the program. He took me to the Yale New Haven Hospital, where I spent the next ten days.
