Spring Belle Ringer - May 2023

Love Letter

Greetings All,

Bennett has a rich and long history of legacy families! We received an overwhelming response to our request to highlight your families. If your family did not make it in this issue, please do not fret because legacy stories will be ongoing features in future publications. Also, we will continue to highlight stories about our 21st Century Belles, so please keep information coming to the College.

Bennett has a “jewel” like no other! Honoring a person whose whole life is centered around the College is a legacy in itself. Mary Ann Rogers Scarlette ’54 was born on the campus. Her father and mother worked here, she graduated in 1954, returned for an illustrious career in a variety of positions, and met her husband, James, who also served multiple years as the College Business Manager. The College was proud to co-host her 90th birthday with her three daughters on February 4, as part of a surprise announcement of the James J. and Mary Ann R. Scarlette Endowed Professorship. I had the pleasure of learning so much from her while I served as her work-study student during my four years at Bennett. We have a lasting sisterhood and friendship.

As you will see, Belles continue to do amazing things professionally and in their family lives. We want to hear more about the important and interesting things that are going on in our life. Please keep sending us news and contact information to my email at deborah. love@bennett.edu. We also continue to honor the memories of our Belles and faculty members who have left us.

We laud you precious Sisters for your continued contributions to our dear Alma Mater. Please take note of the outstanding alumnae contributions for fiscal year 2021-2022. Also, thank you so very much for your contributions on “Giving Day 2021” and “Giving Day 2022”. Once again, Belles showed up and showed out!

In the profound words of the late great Dr. Charlotte Alston, “There is so much going on at the little College”! You can read for yourself what’s happening “Behind Bearden Gates”.

Please note that the pictorial section only displays the class reunion members that took pictures, and these pictures were provided to us from the photographer.

We hope you like “our new look” as we welcome new members to our Belle Ringer team.

Thank you for all that you continue to do for Bennett College!

THE BELLE RINGER LEGACY ISSUE

The Belle Ringer is an official publication of Bennett College.

PRESIDENT

Suzanne Elise Walsh, JD

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF ALUMNAE RELATIONS AND ANNUAL GIVING

Deborah Love ’79

CHIEF GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS & EXPERIENCE OFFICER

Phanalphie Rhue

PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

Tanya Simmons Reid

DESIGNER

Joseph Anthony

CONTRIBUTORS

Adera Toye Carter ’16

Thomas Griffis

David Hardy

Dr. Sharon Fryar Height ‘05

Tamara Jeffries

Yolande Johnson ’83

Deborah Love ’79

Rev. Dr. Natalie V. McLean ’80

Phanalphie Rhue

Tanya Simmons Reid

Khalisa Rae Thompson

Jesse Turner

COPY EDITORS

Elizabeth Hartwig

Deborah Love ’79

Tanya Simmons Reid

Phanalphie Rhue

DIGITAL COORDINATOR

Bleu Bailey

Visit www.Bennett.edu

To stay up-to-date on information and updates about Bennett College.

DEBORAH TILLMAN LOVE Class of 1979 Senior Director of Alumnae Relations and Annual Giving

Scan to Invest. Your Support Changes Lives.

WE DAUGHTERS

A WOMAN’S WORK

Miji Bell ’92, a seasoned communications leader, joined the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA) as Associate Dean for Public Affairs and Communications, effective Jan. 24, 2022. Miji joined the School from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC, where she led marketing and communications efforts and a community engagement portfolio — including diversity, equity, & inclusion initiatives and external partnerships.

recently named President of The American Dermatological Association (ADA). Founded in 1876, The ADA recognizes, discusses, and develops solutions for problems in dermatologic health care, research, and education to advance the care and treatment of patients with skin disease.

Cherry Reid Dula ’72 retired in May 2021 from Caldwell UNC Health Care after 45 years of service. She served as the laboratory section supervisor of the Blood Bank. During her tenure at Caldwell UNC Health Care, Cherry received an award for Outstanding Clinical Instructor from Western

in the Blood Bank at Caldwell UNC Health Care.

Samaritan Ministries named Mynikah Ezell ’12 marketing manager. Ezell is a community engagement professional with almost a decade of experience working with media, marketing, content development, and operational management.

Relecia Foushee, ’89, the former president of the Odessa Harris Women’s Missionary Society of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Greensboro, NC, has been appointed Chair of the Ethel Anderson Area of the Western District of the Western North Carolina Conference of the Second Episcopal District. In her capacity as chairperson, or area leader, Relecia will manage 20 local missionary societies.

Evette Dionne Brown ’12 is the executive editor at YES! Media. Her most recent book, Weightless: Making Space for My Resilient Body and Soul, was released in December 2022.

Internationally recognized board-certified dermatologist Valerie D. Callender, MD, FAAD ’82 was

Piedmont Community College for her service to the Medical Laboratory Technology Program. Bennett College inducted her into the “1926 Society” in 2012. Cherry remains active as the treasurer of the Western N.C. Alumnae Chapter. She still serves the patients of her community and the surrounding areas as a per diem nurse

On January 23, 2023, Kenya Samuels Gray ’99 was promoted to Director, UNCF Program Management. She has oversight and administration of the Fidelity Scholars Program, a $190 Million gift to UNCF from Fidelity Investments. The program is designed to provide scholarship support to deserving students seeking their first degree in designated zip codes in eleven states.

Marilyn Y. Gore ’02, a lifelong quilter, owns and operates Stitching and Stirring. This business is dedicated to the preservation of quilts and the art of quilting, with special emphasis on quilts that represent African American culture and history.

Evette Dionne Brown Cherry Reid Dula

Marilyn Gore

Valerie D. Callender,MD

Relecia Foushee

Kenya Samuels Gray

Rev. Betty Whitted Holley, PhD ’76 was elected to serve as Chair of the Commission on Accrediting for The Association of Theological Schools. The Commission on Accrediting oversees the accreditation of schools across the United States and Canada. She is the Academic Dean, Director of the Master of Divinity Degree Program, and Full Tenured Professor of Ecological Theology at Payne Theological Seminary, Wilberforce, OH.

Irma Bivens Jackson ’70 is the community gardener for Diggs Latham Elementary School, WinstonSalem, NC. A lifelong educator, Irma ensures what community gardens look like and their potential impact on the community. The NC Cooperative Extension Office is grateful for Irma.

Jacquelyn Clark Johnson ’90 was appointed Vice President of People & Culture for Volvo Financial Services( VFS) North America . She is responsible for the development and implementation of HR strategies across VFS North America including the US, Canada, and Mexico markets. VFS is the global finance arm of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment, and marine and industrial engines.

Debra Clark Jones ’84 is associate Vice President for Community Health for the Duke University Health System. She began her new role on October 25, 2021. Jones previously served as Vice President for University Advancement, External Affairs, and Technology at Saint Augustine’s University in Raleigh, NC.

LaTishia Jordan ’98, of Nashville, TN, co-founded Achieve Success Tutoring, one of the fastestgrowing Black-owned online schools for students of all ages. The venture represents a merger with another independent tutoring academy owned by a Delta Sigma Theta sorority sister. LaTishia is also the author of The Adventures of Bella Noelle series, LaTishia has 26 years of education experience serving as an adjunct professor, dean of education, and tutor.

Amber McGill ’16 developed a “30 Day Financial Restart Personal Budgeting Course” for students. The course can be purchased at gum. co/30DayRestat. Use promo code BELLE for the Bennett Belle discount.

Audra Washington Madison ’89 is the First Black Director of Marketing of the Maryland Jockey Club and the Preakness Stakes. She is in her fourth year in this role where she has introduced one of the oldest sports of horse racing to a culturally diverse audience.

When Gabrielle Mallory ’99 launched her lifestyle and accessory brand, Gabrielle Ginger, back in 2017, it was just a side hustle. The Washington, DC resident, mother, and foreign-affairs officer at the State Department was looking for a versatile yet stylish bag to suit her lifestyle. Her first product, the handcrafted Peyton leather bag was designed to meet these needs. Though the pandemic hit and the on-the-go DC lifestyle came to a halt, Gabrielle was surprised to see an increasing

amount of orders for not just her bestselling bag, but other luxury products.

Dr. Marcia Strong Millet ’84, of Nashville, was appointed Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning College of Education at Tennessee State University. She also launched a new venture as CEO for Millet and Associates Consulting.

Herzing University, an accredited, private nonprofit institution, recently announced Karen Ferguson Nelson ’79 as its new Vice President of Inclusion and Community Impact. At the forefront of Herzing’s mission is the role it plays in serving its students and enriching the communities across its 10 ground campuses as well as nationally through online learning. Following a nationwide recruitment search, Herzing selected Nelson for her 25+ years of experience in managing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in private sector, nonprofit, and municipal organizations.

Dr. Sharonlyn Jones Reese, EdD ’81 retired on November 30, 2020 after

Jacquelyn Johnson

Debra Clark Jones

Karen Ferguson Nelson

Audra Washington Madison

WE THY DAUGHTERS

a varied 40-year career in education. Her experience included classroom teaching at different levels, leadership in afterschool programming in Georgia, and serving as a principal in Greensboro.

Natia Brown Seegars ’03 and her husband Jervais co-founded Your Lifestyle Strategy, a company that offers custom game plans and courses to help clients achieve goals like improving credit and personal finance, home ownership, starting a business, and real estate investing. They advise other investors on how to identify the best markets for investment and then follow through on transactions. In January, they offered an online financial fitness bootcamp to help people get their finances in order.

Founder and Principal Kisha

N. Ward ’99 opened K. Ward & Co., a boutique tax planning and compliance practice aimed at serving clients in a holistic manner. K.Ward & Co. provides comprehensive income, estate and gift tax compliance and planning services with a special interest in wealth transfer. With a holistic approach, clients will uncover their “why” to better understand and meet their financial goals.

CELEBRATIONS

Admissions director Jasmine Faison ’10 and John Linton welcomed daughter Jade on April 1, 2021. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and measured 19 inches long. Jasmine also serves as the College’s poet laureate.

Best Wishes to Katherine Parker ’11 who became Mrs. Carl Lucas on Au-

gust 28 2021 in Lake Gaston, North Carolina! Mr. and Mrs. Lucas now reside in Morrisville, North Carolina.

What a Valentine’s Day to remember. In a pandemic, Roslyn Smith ’61 was joined in marriage to Edward McLean in Greensboro on February 14, 2021. Roslyn also gained a new Bennett Belle daughter, College Chaplain Rev. Dr. Natalie V. McLean ’80 who officiated at the ceremony. Congratulations to the happy couple!

HONORS

Dr. Michel Arnold ’99 served on a virtual panel consisting of Contra Costa College faculty and the chief of the Richmond Police Department in San Pablo, California. The topic was “Policing and Mental Health Challenges in a Pandemic.” Michel is Chair of the Contra Costa Psychology Department.

Dr. Sharrelle Barber ’07, a social epidemiologist, was selected as a 2023 Emerging Scholar for Diverse Issues in Higher Education. She is the Inaugural Director of the Ubuntu Center on Racism, Global Movements and Population Health Equity and Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and the Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University. The Ubuntu Center was launched in November 2021 as a space where she, several colleagues, and students do rigorous transdisciplinary research and thinking about movements, organizers, and activists, helping to shape an

understanding of racism and the means for addressing it.

Dr. Linda Beatrice Brown ’61 was highlighted in the Greensboro News and Record as one of the “7 over 70” for her contributions during the sit-ins. She became passionate about civil rights and anti-racism during her time at Bennett, and she participated in Greensboro’s 1960 sit-ins to desegregate lunch counters. After getting a PhD in African-American literature and creative writing, Linda became an assistant professor of literature at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro and Guilford College before returning to Bennett to take a position as a Willa B. Player Distinguished Professor of the Humanities.

Dr. Dorothy C. Browne ’69 received the Athena of the Triangle’s Leadership Award at its Women’s Leadership Luncheon held on September 22, 2022, at the Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC. The ATHENA Leadership Award® is presented to a woman or man who is honored for professional excellence, community service, and actively assisting women in attaining professional excellence and

Jasmine Faison

Roslyn Smith

Katherine Parker Lucas

WE THY DAUGHTERS

Award.

Dr. Browne works at Shaw University as a senior research scientist and is conducting research on the impact of Covid-19 on a community of color in North Carolina and collaborating with a consortium of five North Carolina HBCUs to expand this study of COVID-19 to other communities within the State.

Dr. Linda Silver Coley ’71, completed a three-year master’s of divinity degree at Duke University in May 2021. Prior to enrolling in Duke’s residential divinity program, Linda had over 40 years’ business experience with best-in-class firms, higher education, and entrepreneurship. The highlight of her studies at Duke is the development of a theoretical model of “Christ-like Leadership Competency.” The model was conceived to drive Christian innovation in social justice and poverty reduction. In 2004, Linda earned her PhD in marketing. She also holds a MS in pharmaceutical chemistry and an MBA.

Doris Luck Fullwood ’61, received North Carolina’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award at a surprise event with family, former co-workers, and friends on December 9, 2022. Both she and her husband Allen were each honored with the prestigious award in recognition of their respective contributions to the community and state. Since 1963, governors of the State of North Carolina have reserved

their highest honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award, for persons who have contributed to the state and their communities through their exemplary service and exceptional accomplishments. People named to The Order become “Ambassadors” for the state.

The “Serving Christ and Connecting Catholics in Western North Carolina” publication recognized Alberta Coughlin Hairston ’94 for being a beloved member of St. Pius X Church in Greensboro. She is a former catholic campus minister for Thea House, which served Bennett College and North Carolina A&T State University.

The Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper profiled Octavia Hamilton ’09 in July 2021 as a community-focused teacher who advocates for students in and out of the classroom. Before working for Asheville City Schools, Octavia developed an appreciation for aiding children with special needs through her work at the Irene Wortham Center. In 2017, she took education classes at UNC Asheville and got her teacher’s certificate. Now, she teaches 10-15 students with disabilities annually at Isaac Dickson, where about 14% of the school’s population have special needs. She was also nominated for the nonprofit Cothinkk’s Community Leadership

Dianne Jones Jackson ’74 and Anissa McLendon received the Jan Allen Award from the Chapel Hill chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW) on October. 10, 2021 for their work helping women and young girls in Chapel Hill. They are the first women to receive this award. Dianne is an educational justice advocate. As a member of the NAACP Education Committee, she helped start the Learning Bridge program, alongside Laila Bradford, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Learning Bridge program offers virtual tutoring as well as on-site tutoring for students in Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools.

Elayne Gibbs Jones ’88, business officer at North Carolina A&T State University, was among 57 civic and community leaders from across the state who completed the 2021-2022 class for Leadership North Carolina, the state’s premier leadership engagement program.

On February 9, 2021, Jenine Lemons ’98 spoke at a national panel about the value of attending a women’s HBCU. During the one-hour online program, she discussed getting into college, attending a single-gender institution and the benefits of matriculating to a historically Black institution. After graduating with honors from Bennett College, she joined the Peace Corps as a youth and family volunteer in Esmeraldas, Ecuador. After returning from the Peace Corps, Jenine earned a master’s degree in counseling from Clark Atlanta University. She currently provides bilingual counseling to children and adults from all backgrounds and nationalities.

Linda Silver Coley

Elayne Gibbs Jones

Jenine Lemons

Linda Fullwood McDaniel ’62, Western North Carolina Chapter, was recognized by the Asheville, North Carolina’s Chamber of Commerce Woman Up initiative in January 2021. She received the Suzanne DeFerie Lifetime Achievement Award, which focused on woman who have made an impact in the community and in women’s lives. Linda is the Executive Director of the ARC of Buncombe County, which advocates for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She retired from the NC Department of Health and Human Services after 30 years of service.

On November 22, 2021, the North Carolina Triad Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) awarded Roslyn Smith McLean ’61 as a 2021 Spirit of Philanthropy Honoree at its annual National Philanthropy Day celebration. This organization honors individuals and organizations across the Piedmont Triad that have made significant contributions through their leadership, volunteer service, and philanthropy.

al Civil Rights Museum’s “Bridging the Generations” Gala on July 25, 2022 in Greensboro, NC.

Wilmington, North Carolina included Jhaniqua Farrar Palmer ’08 in its “40 under 40” recognition in 2021. Jhaniqua is the director of outreach at the YWCA Lower Cape. Jhaniqua earned her master’s from Duke University.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the North Carolina Black Alliance spotlighted Dr. Frankie Denise Powell ’75 for her long commitment to reducing educational and health disparities in March 2021.

Susie Ruth Powell ’64, retired managing attorney and litigator with NC Legal Services, was the 2021 recipient of the Centennial Medal Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a Case Western Reserve University Law graduate. The retired assistant professor of law at N.C. Central University graduated from CWRU in 1973.

Diana Wilson ’73 has been asked to serve a second three-year term on the Board of Trustees at the Hickory Museum of Art in Hickory, North Carolina. She also serves as a Co-Chair of its collections committee.

Dr. Alice Holloway Young ’44 was granted the New York state Senate’s highest honor, the Liberty Medal, in March. Alice was the Chair of Monroe Community College for 20 years and was among the first AfricanAmerican teachers to hold the titles of vice principal and principal when she worked in the Rochester City School District.

PERFORMING ARTS & PUBLICATIONS

Retired judicial commissioner and Civil Rights Advocate Marilyn Mackel ’65 was awarded the 2022 Sit-In Participant Award at the Internation-

Cynthia McCottry Smith ’45 was honored as a “Charleston Icon” in the Charleston SC Club Tattler publication. A retired educator, Cynthia is well known in the Charleston community for her membership and volunteer efforts in various organizations. She lives in Columbia, SC, where she celebrated her 100th birthday on December 27, 2022.

Poetry is an art form that is used to tell stories and to inspire one to push on through challenge. In “Childhood and Blueberry Muffins” (published by Xlibris in July 2021), Sierra Leone Dixon ’79 offers messages of hope and inspiration in poetic verses and lines. “The overall theme in this book is about understanding that just as life will be hard, you have to be determined,” Dixon states. “Too often it is so easy to believe that you are being picked on or singled out when bad things happen. But if we examine the stories, read, listen - we learn that we are not being targeted in our misfortunes in life but that misfortune finds all of us. I want readers to feel refreshed when they read this book. To see themselves in a shared experience and then be relieved that this was not just something that has only happened to them, but is to be embraced.”

Marilyn Mackel

Jhaniqua Farrar Palmer

WE THY DAUGHTERS

Shelita Clark Fair ’82 wrote a book titled Never Stop Smiling, now available on Amazon. She is a retired special education teacher with 30 years of experience in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Shelita received a master’s degree in special education from Bowie State University.

Ava Hailey Harris, daughter of Sannyu McDonald Harris ’00, is a 10-year-old 5th grader from Greensboro, NC. She is making her Broadway debut as Young Nala in Disney’s The Lion King in New York. She trains as a company

member, under the direction of Regina Tate, at The Pointe! Company & Technique Conservatory, where she has been dancing since she was two years old. Some of her impressive achievements include debuting as ‘Little Ti Moune’ in “Once on This Island” directed by Kirby Wahl with Elon University; performing in “Prideland - A Dance Adaptation of The Lion King” and “Let My People Go – A Dance Adaptation of

The Prince of Egypt” in association with The Elise Jonell Performance Ensemble; and “Nativity According To The Gospels” with National Black Repertory Company, directed by Mabel P. Robinson.

Ernestine Horton Paschall-Shade’s ’48 autobiography titled, With God and My Mother’s Prayers: I Have Become What I Am Today was recently co-authored with Gretchen Griffith.

A Family of Bennett Belles from North Carolina

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s one family’s Bennett College Legacy of four generations.

Ava Hailey Harris

The Legacy Begins Gladys Erwin Costner CLASS OF 1937

Ann Saunders Velazquez CLASS OF 1958 Niece

Brenda Saunders Brown CLASS OF 1962 Niece

Wyndaline Bryson Russell CLASS OF 1969 Great Niece

Marshelle Bryson CLASS OF 2004 Great Great Niece

In Memoriam

ALUMNAE

Talue Bacote Albee ’63

Audrose Mackel Banks ’49

Irma Latimer Brooks ’46

Thora Kelly Brown ’45

Peggy Bryant ’63

Yvonne Thomas Bynum ’58

LaVerne Gee Bailey ’58

Gwendolyn McCrae Barnes ’70

Liza Abram Benham ’68

Brenda Wilson Boyd ’68

Thomasina Martin Brayboy ’53

Irma Latimer Brooks ’46

Carolyn Burrell Buck ’71

Nina Graham Cates ’55

Ingrid Wynne Catlin ’63

Geraldine Parrish Cheek ’57

Avis Chikwanha ’92

Rosemond Hogans Cox ’47

LaFredia Hall Davis ’53

Joyce Martin Dixon ’56

Amy Adam Elston ’62

Shirley Waters Evans ’58

Marjoria Brooks Eubanks ’50

Paulette Young Floyd ’68

Barbara Franks ’78

Beverly Blount Garfield ’71

Loreatha Graves ’73

Geraldine Hawkins Hall ’51

Karyn Weaver-Hargett ’92

Thelma Simpson Hatchett ’57

Karen Heck ’81

Harriette Goodson Hemby ’51

Cordelia “Ann” Barnett Hinnant ’48

Othelia Hughes ’59

Johnnie Lou Nelson Hunter ’51

Jocelyn Adkins Irby ’68

Shuronia Bowe Jacox ’71

Ida Hayes Jaggers ’52

Joycelyn Johnson ’71

Doris Stephens Jones ’54

Marian Abel Jones ’46

Evelyn Marian King ’56

Margaret Hayden King ’66

Clorinda Lee ’75

Edna Smith Malone ’65

Florence McElroy ’93

Janice Gaskins Merle ’72

Margaret Derrickson Murray ’48

Gardenia Cole Paisson ’67

Jeune Carolyn Matthews Parker ’67

Deborah Cherry Patterson ’72

Tina Fraynee Pearson-Smith ’93

Artelia Marsh Perry ’43

Roberta McGuinn Polk ’53

Annie Green Ponds ’42

Violetta E. Poston ’72

Blossie Hughes Price ’70

Lois Ratliff ’71

Yvonne Rawlins ’68

Geraldine Kimber Rayford ’49

Clara Bacote Robinson ’45

Fredrica Potts Sayles ’42

Elizabeth Hight Scobell ’52

Irene Foster Simpson ’54

Constance Mitchell Sharpe ’66

Geneva Averett-Short ’58

Martha Branch Thorpe ’46

Gloria Simkins Washington ’47

Marie Whitted ’59

Danielle Wilkins ’12

Edna Lockhart Williams ’50

Laforest Williams ’63

Verna Chesson Winn ’71

FACULTY AND STAFF

Dr. Lovie Booker

Ms. Carol Cheston

Professor Tennille Foust

Professor Johnny L. McGee

Professor James C. McMillan

Ms. Mary Stuart

Dr. Ray T. Treadway

REMEMBERING PROFESSOR TENNILLE EBONY FOUST M.F.A.

Tennille Foust passed away September 2022 from an illness bravely and quietly fought. Her passing shocked and saddened her college family, the theater community, and the many people who loved, admired, and respected her in the community beyond.

Tennille’s career at Bennett began in 2007, after she had graduated from the Professional Theatre program at North Carolina A&T State University and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She made her way back to Greensboro and served on faculty at Bennett for 15 years, where she was named the Sheila C. Johnson Endowed Associate Professor of Theatre.

Over the years, Tennille helped hundreds of students find their voices in her acting, directing, and stage management classes. She brought Black history to life through African American theater, reminding students (and all of us) that we could be whomever we dreamed of being.

Before passing, Tennille was founder of the Greater Greensboro Theatre Consortium, a collective of theater departments from seven local colleges and universities, with a mission to educate and promote equity through theater. In January 2022, Bennett received a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support this work. In April, the collective presented the inaugural Amplify Black Voices Festival—a series of performances focused on the African-American experience and history. It was a triumph for her and the community.

Bennett’s beloved theater professor

21st BellesCentury

As a Barrymore-award winning actress and playwright, Adiagha Faizah ’01 is the Visionary Founder of TheBlackHERthePen, a multidisciplinary writers collective for women of color. Adiagha was 1 out of 50 playwrights across the globe selected to feature her work, “He Ain’t Here”, read by Vanessa Bell Calloway via The Billie Holiday Theatre’s Annual “50in50: Letters to our Sons” in Brooklyn NY with an additional showing at WACO (Where Art can Occur) Theater in North Hollywood California, founded by Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles Lawson. She was accepted into HBMG Foundation’s National Playwrights Retreat in St. Joseph, Missouri to further her project-inprogress, a series of short plays that examines the psychological significance of race. In February 2021, Black Theatre Coalition, in collaboration with Playbill, presented a digital concert, “Upon These Shoulders,” which featured Adiagha in their segment, “The Future of Black Theatre Leaders and Professionals,” in honor of her work in the arts as a Black creative. She was also a featured playwright within the Classical Theatre of Harlem’s Playwright’s Playground Series, Strand Theater and Manhattan Repertory Theatre. Adiagha was awarded the City Artist Corps Grant through the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in partnership with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA)!

She most recently appeared on Law and Order: SVU (NBC) and FBI: Most Wanted (CBS).

At Bennett, Adiagha received her B.S. in Psychology and went on to Howard University on a full ride earning her M.S. in Developmental Psychology.

Adiagha Faizah is a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Dr. Briana Barner ’12 received her doctorate in Radio-Television-Film from the University of Texas at Austin in 2021. She is an Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland. She is also conducting research about Black podcasts for her first book. While at Bennett, Briana double majored in Journalism and Media Studies and Africana Women’s Studies, while also serving as the Editor-in-Chief of Belle Magazine. Her participation in the UNCF/Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship as an undergrad inspired her desire to pursue her PhD. Originally from Chicago, she lives in Rockville, MD with her Aggie college sweetheart and their three children.

Adiagha Faizah ’01

Dr. Briana Barner ’12

Alumnae Chapter & Reunion Class News

▶ THE BENNETT COLLEGE GREENSBORO

CHAPTER is giving back to the local community. For their first service project, members packed meals for seniors to support One Step Further, the nonprofit organization directed by Yvonne Johnson ’64. They also served meals to residents at the Greensboro Urban Ministry. Aisha

is the chapter president.

▶ MARILYN MACKEL ’65 HOSTED SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA BELLES and supporters for a “Meet and Greet” with President Walsh on August 2, 2022.

▶ Former Board of Trustee Chair Kwanza Jones and President Walsh dined with SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BELLES and supporters on August 7, 2022.

Miller ’04

▶ When the CLASS OF 1976 CELEBRATED THEIR 45TH REUNION virtually in May 2020, they concluded their celebrations when classmates gathered on campus on July 10, 2020 to plant a flower garden at their Miss Vicious Gossip’s grave.

▶ THE DURHAM BELLES hosted their White Breakfast on December 3, 2022 at the Durham Hilton. Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student Engagement Dr. Yvette Wimberly gave greetings on behalf of the College.

▶ The METRO ATLANTA BELLES ALUMNAE CHAPTER . Senior Alumnae Director Deborah Tillman Love ‘79 and former IA Vice President Frank McCain hosted lunch with a few Metro Atlanta Belles on Saturday, February 25th at Paschal’s Restaurant, Atlanta, Georgia.

▶ BELLES IN THE TIDEWATER VIRGINIA AREA attended a NC A&T State University Choir Concert featuring Belle Kyresha Bowman ’23 in September 2022. Sponsored by the I. Sherman Greene Chorale at Shiloh Baptist Church in Norfolk, Virginia, Belle Judith Brooks Buck ’71 is a member of both. The Tidewater Virginia Belles presented a check for $500.00 for Kyresha’s education.

A Legacy of Loving, Learning, Leading

Endowed Professorship Established for Forever Dean Mary R. Scarlette

LOVING. LEARNING. LEADING . Three words used to describe the legacy of “Forever Dean”

Mary Ann R. Scarlette throughout her time at Bennett College. Considered a campus legend, Dean Scarlette spent much of her life preparing young women for success in the field of Education. She once said, “I am the faculty person that would go to the residence hall, if you missed my class, and get you out of bed; then wait for you to get your clothes on and walk you back to class.”

Since her birth, Dean Scarlette’s life has been connected to Bennett College. Her mother and father worked at the college; she was raised on the campus; graduated from the college in 1954; she later returned to fulfill a career and a commitment to education; she married James J. Scarlette, who also worked at the college for over 40 years and she raised their daughters on the campus.

February 4, 2022, Dean Scarlette celebrated her 90th birthday with family, friends, students, colleagues, and Bennett College alumnae in the Bennett College Global Learning Center. During this monumental event, planned and hosted by her daughters Barbara Scarlette, Frances Scarlette, and Mamie Patterson, and the Institutional Advancement Staff, President Suzanne Walsh made a historic announcement, “It gives me tremendous pleasure to announce today the creation of the Endowed Professorship in Education named for James J. and Mary R. Scarlette.”

person that would go to the residence hall if you missed my class and get you out of bed; then wait for you to get your clothes on and walk you back to class.”

“I am

Bennett College is where Black women become global leaders, including in education. This endowed professorship supports the faculty that prepare future educators who will carry forth the Scarlette Spirit of Excellence. In her remarks, Dean Scarlette said, “God has given me an opportunity to be a wife, a mother, a person who would listen and not judge, but listen and try to figure out how I can help.” She added, “I ask that whatever I have contributed to your life that you would share with others and continue to move forward.”

The first pledge of $10,000 was made by Rev. Dr. Sam Moore and his wife, Mrs. Marva Moore. Rev. Moore is formerly of Bennett College’s home church, St. Matthews United Methodist Church. The Greensboro Bennett Belles followed with a donation of $1900. If you would like to support the James J. and Mary R. Scarlette Endowed Professorship, please scan the QR code below or call Institutional Advancement at (336) 517-2248.

the faculty

Planned Giving Can Benefit Bennett & Your Family

PLANNED GIFTS OFFER YOU AN OUTSTANDING

OPPORTUNITY to make a major contribution to support Bennett College while providing a financially secure future for both you and your family. By including Bennett College in your estate plans, you can significantly reduce your tax burden, leaving more for your loved ones. Charitable planning enables you to create a legacy that continues your giving for decades and reduce or eliminate capital gains taxes and/or estate taxes.

Structuring a planned gift deserves time and careful thought. As you explore the available options for such a gift, we welcome the chance to work with you and your legal, financial, and other advisors to develop a carefully crafted gift plan that’s mutually beneficial to you and your beloved Bennett College.

Listed below are several common forms of charitable bequests. Be sure to consult your own attorney when redrafting a will or amending insurance policies to ensure that it fits your personal needs.

BEQUESTS

A bequest is the most popular way to provide more significant

assistance to Bennett College, because a bequest is a gift made through your will, you retain full use of your gift property during your lifetime. There are several types of bequests, depending on your inheritance intentions, but all may offer significant estate and inheritance tax benefits. With the help of an advisor, you can include language in your will or trust specifying a gift to be made to family, friends or Bennett College as part of your estate plan.

You can give a bequest in several ways:

• a specific dollar amount or asset

• a percentage of your estate

• from the balance of your estate

• designating a beneficiary of certain assets

• a contingent bequest to an endowment

CODICILS: The best way to revise an existing will and testament. It isn’t difficult for donors to add a bequest to Bennett in their will. A simple codicil (or an addendum to a will), drafted by an attorney, is typically all that’s necessary. A donor’s will won’t have to be revised to accomplish this

LIFE INSURANCE

Life insurance policies allow you to make significant gifts to Bennett College. This can be accomplished by donating an existing policy that is no longer needed for its original purpose or by purchasing a new policy with the express purpose of it becoming

2021—2022

a charitable gift. The college receives a future gift and, as a donor, you will receive important tax benefits. The policy may name Bennett either as beneficiary or as owner of the policy. Gifting an existing life insurance policy may yield significant tax benefits.

For more information, reach out to Deborah Love in the Bennett College Institutional Advancement Office. You can reach her at (336) 517-2247 or via email at deborah.love@bennett.edu.

Alumnae Giving

TOTAL ALUMNAE GIVING is determined from direct donations from alumnae, donations from Friends of Alumnae, Chapter contributions and Planned Giving gifts from alumnae and/or their estates. The below table provides information for the period of July 1, 2021-June 30, 2022.

SOURCES TOTAL

Alumnae Donations

827 Donors INCLUDES: Individual, Chapter, and Class Reunion Giving.

Friends of Alumnae

108 Donors INCLUDES: memorial gifts; honor gifts; donations from friends, family members of alumnae

Alumnae Planned Giving

5 Donors

ESTATES: Doris Jones, Margaret Murray, Thomasina Brayboy, Thelma Hackett, Maggie Turner

TOTAL DONATIONS

$551,698.32

$46,050.49

$188,258.51

$786,007.32

Generations of Possibility Legacy families pass on Bennett love & loyalty

BY KHALISA RAE THOMPSON

Yolande Johnson, class of ’83, remembers a childhood during which her mother, the late Daisie McCallum Johnson, played the Bennett alma mater on the piano. Listening to those notes and lyrics about pride in the institution cemented her desire to become a Bennett Belle and continue her family’s centuries-long connection to the school.

Daisie McCallum Johnson was the family’s first graduate of Bennett College in 1951, though family members attended different iterations of the institution since the late 19th century. A veteran teacher who would ultimately work 37 years in the profession, she was determined to educate Black students at segregated Peterson High School and later, in the integrated schools of Red Springs, North Carolina.

Part of that education included taking carloads of students to tour Bennett and other historically Black colleges and universities in the area.

“Where we come from,” said Yolande, “Black kids don’t

[regularly] see people going off to college.” She adds, the students her mother took on the road “never knew about college or any of these possibilities until my mother showed it to them.”

Daisie organized college visits for 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. For her part, Yolande followed in her mother’s footsteps of lifelong commitment to Bennett College; she began working in admissions in 1988 and is now director of donor relations and stewardship in the Office of Institutional Advancement. She’s still saying, enthusiastically, “Bennett College is where the girl meets the woman she will become!”

While Daisie laid a roadmap to Bennett for her daughter and students from her hometown, family history had paved the way for Daisie’s own attendance. Her family’s legacy began with her grandfather, farmer Willie McCallum, who attended Bennett Seminary in 1895, when it was a co-educational institution.

Next, four of Yolande’s aunts — Cordelia Barr ’26, Cora Lee Barr McNeill ’28, Deborah Barr, and Marie Barr — attended Bennett

Yolande’s Great-Grandfather, Willie Moton McCallum, attended Bennett Seminary

Yolande’s mother, Daisie Johnson, ‘51, a veteran educator who took carloads of students to tour HBCUs, including Bennett

Yolande Johnson’s 1983 Undergraduate Graduation

when it was just a budding Bennett High School. By the time Yolande attended Bennett from 1979 to 1983, she was following relatives who participated in the Bennett College choir and instrumental ensemble, Marshall Board, PreAlumnae Council, and sororities on campus.

Cousins Gloria Taylor ’67, Nan Taylor ’69, Deborah Taylor Livingston, and her sister-in-law, Jacquelyn Clark Johnson ’90, all attended. They were a powerhouse network within a network, with Daisie McCallum Johnson and her classmate-best friend Bernice Johnson serving on class planning committees for decades. “The Johnson-Taylor women were the glue,” said Yolande. “The ladies knew everyone’s birthday, wedding anniversary, name, phone number, and never missed an opportunity to send a card” to their fellow Belles.

Cousin Nan Taylor arrived at Bennett in the fall of 1963 and graduated with an elementary education degree in 1969. Like Daisie, Nan was a career educator. She logged 33 years teaching, mentoring new and experienced educators, and serving on the school board. It was at Bennett—where Nan observed civil rights marches, boycotts, and students voting for the first time—that she got a sense of how a college campus could be the breeding ground for social change.

Kim Buck-Rouse ’94, who now resides in Charlotte, also cited the deep impact of seeing Black women working and learning together. Her mother, Judith Brooks-Buck ’71, left Bennett with a special education and psychology degree; she later earned her doctorate in education from the University of Virginia. Her journey took her from public school teacher to principal to tenured professor and then Chair of the Hampton University Education Department. Brooks-Buck is currently serving her third term on the Suffolk, Virginia school board.

That’s the kind of support that Monica Blackwell Harper, ’94, who was friends with Buck-Rouse, wanted for herself and her daughter. She remembers beloved stories about Bennett President Willa Player allowing Dr. Martin King to speak at Bennett in 1958 when others wouldn’t and making sure Bennett Belles did their homework while in jail for civil rights protests.

“I knew the type of accomplished, phenomenal women Bennett produced and was also blessed by the sisterhood demonstrated by my mother and her best friends from Bennett”

Her daughter watched and learned. “I knew the type of accomplished, phenomenal women Bennett produced and was also blessed by the sisterhood demonstrated by my mother and her best friends from Bennett,” said BuckRouse, who earned a graduate degree in public health and now directs clinical analytics for a health system.

Bennett’s professors inspired her zeal for health. “Dr. Benita Bell, Brenda Coates, Dr. Michael Cotton, Dr. Susan Curtis impacted me while a student at Bennett. Each of my chemistry and biology professors played a role in either supporting my academic and career aspirations or ensuring my well-being as a student.”

“This is Bennett at its finest; this is Bennett’s Black ‘herstory.’ Experiencing Black women as professors, deans, vice presidents and college presidents inspires us to expect more of ourselves and achieve greater,” said Blackwell. “Watching these dynamic Black women excel in academia empowered me then and even today. …. If they can do it, I can do it, too.” Blackwell met her husband in the Bennett Café and is currently treasurer for the Bennett Cincinnati Alumnae Chapter. “The thing I love about Bennett is how much teachers care about your success. It’s the only place where teachers go further than just giving scholarly advice. They care about our lives,” Blackwell shared. Blackwell’s daughter, Gabrielle Harper, is now a sophomore student at Bennett. And she’s experiencing the investment, care, and approachability from faculty, firsthand. “I, along with a few other students, went to lunch with [Vice President] Laura Colson. During lunch, she asked what careers we wanted to pursue. I mentioned that I want to attend graduate school and become a physical therapist, and VP Colson is now connecting me with a physical therapist she knows personally.”

Gabrielle is excelling on campus because she believes there’s nothing Black women can’t do—and that Bennett is the place to instill that self-confidence. She started coming to the campus for alumnae meetings before she could walk. At age 8, she informed Belles on campus that “I’m going to be a Bennett Belle!” More than a decade later, she’s convinced that “being a Black woman is the best thing to be because we are the underdogs. When we finally unlock our power, we are unstoppable. And Bennett teaches us this.”

Dr. Judith BrooksBuck, ‘71 and Kim Buck-Rouse, ‘94

Monica BlackwellHarper, ‘94 and Gabrielle Harper, ‘25

BEHIND Bearden Gates

The

Gates mark the Gorrell Street Entrance to Bennett College.

THE GATES ARE ONLY OPEN FOR FORMAL ACADEMIC EVENTS.

Bearden

WEEKEND

Schedule of College Sponsored Events

DINNER FOR THE GOLDEN CLASS OF 1973 Invitation Only

Thursday, May, 11, 2023 | 5:00 p.m.

Global Learning Center Multipurpose Room

STATE OF THE COLLEGE AND RECEPTION

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Global Learning Center Multipurpose Room

FOCUS GROUPS TO HELP SHAPE

THE FUTURE OF ALUMNAE ENGAGEMENT

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

Global Learning Center Classrooms & Lecture Hall

TEA TIME WITH THE PRESIDENT Invitation Only

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. The President’s Residence

BACCALAUREATE

Friday, May 12, 2023 | 6:00 p.m.

Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel

ROBING FOR THE GOLDEN CLASS OF 1973

Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 9:30 a.m.

Global Learning Center Multipurpose Room - Section C

COMMENCEMENT

Saturday, May 13, 2023 | 11:00 a.m.

Transportation from and to the Sheraton Hotel will be provided for all events.

Q A

Our Smallness is Our Strength

A Q&A with President Suzanne Walsh, JD on the Microcollege Model, Retention, and Minimesters

When talking about Bennett College, you’ve been known to say, “our smallness is our strength.” Can you elaborate on what you mean by this?

If I think back to my philanthropic beginnings, one of the things I learned was that in the world of innovation, one of the ways to turn an idea on its head is to say, “How do you take something that’s seen as a negative and turn it into a positive?” So, I looked around and thought, “Is there a way to look at smallness as a strength and not a weakness?” Because it has always been framed in higher education as a weakness. The specific phrase, “Our Smallness is Our Strength,” came out in an interview I did with a local newspaper. One of my responses to a question that the reporter asked was, “I see our smallness as our strength.” I truly believe that. It has become a tagline – the thing other people picked up on. Students use it. Faculty and staff use it.

I think of higher education institutions as being in categories. There are “mega” institutions, whose focus is all about growth. And then there is a group of institutions that focus on their existing group of students, not growth. I call that group “lean” institutions. There are others in between these, but those are the extremes. One model is not better than the other.

Part of being lean is being deliberate. I considered Bennett College and said, “Okay, we’re going to be deliberately small.” Ultimately, if Bennett is for Black women, what can we do that’s different for Black women. Where are we wrapping ourselves around them? Where are we improving our services? Can we live within our means?

When I first appeared in front of the TRACS Commission, our current accreditor, they said to me, “Okay, President Walsh. We see where you were able to reduce expenses by $2.5 million in each fall semester. Great job. However, you’re

not doing it in proportion to enrollment.” They didn’t ask how I was going to grow enrollment and grow fundraising. They had more of a lean mindset. They weren’t asking, “Okay, but how do you build up your enrollment to take care of all of your buildings on campus?” The mission isn’t the buildings. The mission is – are we providing a quality education for this group of women of color? Can we do that within our means?

Even “mega” universities have an appreciation for smallness, considering one of the indicators of quality is class size – big universities love to tout small class size. Share more about your connotation of growth. How do you get others to embrace that, given that most people think in terms of numbers?

The thing we wanted to look at first and foremost was retention. If you’re this small and you lose students, that’s dangerous. That’s not effective.

A FOCUS ON RETENTION

Reduce stress?” We broke up that semester model and went to a “minimester” model – each semester starts with a two-week session where students take a one-credit class. Then, they do a seven-week session and another seven-week session. And, with that, the number of incompletes has gone down.

The higher education landscape is vast with all kinds of institutions -- public, private, large, small, for profit, nonprofit -- competing for a changing student demographic. What would you say to someone who minimizes Bennett College because of its smallness?

Smarter Workload: When you only take 2 courses at a time, it reduces your cognitive load– it reduces stress and gives you more time to concentrate on individual courses, plus you have more time for internships, work, and other experiential learning.

We had to get clear on our value proposition. We had to get clear on what we were going to offer that’s different, because we have to distinguish ourselves. You cannot be a micro college and try to do what everybody else is doing, because you’re never going to win like that. So, we’ve really focused on retention. Our retention rate last year was 86%. This year, it is 92%.

It has to be a deliberate, whole college effort. Everyone on senior leadership was assigned a group of students last summer to contact and say, “We look forward to seeing you in the fall. Is there anything that you need help with? Is there anything that is getting in the way of you returning?” Everybody had to reach out. Students were surprised. But I think that was critical.

REDUCING COGNITIVE LOAD THROUGH MINIMESTERS

Another part of focusing on retention was blowing up the semester model. Everyone knows that traditional semesters are 16 weeks. What I learned in my first semester at Bennett was that by the middle of the semester, students were dropping out and stopping classes at week number eight. Most were stopping out for physical or mental health reasons. I said, “What can we do to reduce cognitive load?

In the higher-ed world, the number one question you’re automatically asked is, “What is your enrollment?” Before I answer, I start by asking people why that is important. What does it tell you? And it always throws the person – they get a little defensive. A gentleman told me, “I think people ask because it says to them, ‘Should I pay attention to you or not?’” I’m really trying to uncover what the assumptions associated with smallness are, so before I even talk about a number, I try to talk about other data first.

First, I talk about our mission. I talk about the students we’re here for and how they are performing. I talk about what our retention rate is, and I talk about our students who have gone on to graduate schools and jobs. I also tell people that Bennett was only built for a little over 800 students. It was never built for 5,000. No matter what, the classrooms aren’t built for anything bigger. We were not intended for that.

Our size makes us nimble; it allows us to pivot quickly to seize opportunities. We leverage our smallness as our strength to focus on providing wraparound supports for each student to ensure academic success and a healthy whole student experience. And we’re budgeting for and living within our means.

Ultimately, I talk to people about the outcomes. What is it that we’re seeing for a group of students who have all of the potential in the world, but often have not been given opportunities? That’s who we’re here for. I’m most interested in the students we have and the faculty and staff that we have. Because the women who need us – we need them. It’s mutual.

Facility Updates at Bennett College Renewing the Campus

THE FACILITIES

AT

BENNETT

COLLEGE are undergoing significant updates and renovations to ensure that students have access to facilities that meet their needs.

One of the most pressing issues that the college has been tackling is deferred maintenance. This refers to the necessary repairs and upkeep that have been postponed due to budget constraints or other factors.

We are working on updating the Goode Health and Wellness Building, the gymnasium. The facility needs a HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system and a new roof. We will use that building as a “green showcase” building. This means that the updates will prioritize sustainable and environmentally friendly features. Additionally, the second floor will house the College’s education program.

In the greenhouse, students are actively planting seeds and preparing for raised bed gardens. This effort is part of the College’s commitment to sustainability and provides students with opportunities to learn about sustainable agriculture.

The Enrollment Management Building is another facility that is

receiving a much-needed update. The roof is being replaced to ensure that the building is not only functional but also presents well when prospective students visit.

Finally, the Alumnae House is receiving attention after many years of waiting. Although it has taken time to secure federal grants and receive all the necessary approvals, the siding has been removed, and work has begun.

The updates and renovations at Bennett College are a significant undertaking, but they are essential to ensure that students have access to facilities that promote learning, growth, and overall well-being. The College’s commitment to sustainability and education is evident in each of the updates, and we look forward to continued progress on campus. Ideally, we try to address one building a year, but sometimes we have enough support so that we can take on multiple buildings.

OTHER FACILITY UPDATES

Roofing Projects:

Honors Residence Hall, Jones Dining Hall/ Student Union, Holgate Library, Merner Hall, Pfeiffer Chapel/Little Theater, Black Hall, Enrollment Management Building

Interior/ Exterior Upgrades: Merner Hall

HVAC Projects: Jones Dining Hall/Student Union

Interior Upgrades: Jones Dining Hall/Student Union Grounds: Continuous upkeep of campus grounds

The Greenhouse

The Alumnae House

Goode Health and Wellness Building

NEWS BRIEFS

Bennett College Awarded Accreditation by TRACS

43rd Miss Bennett College Coronation Crowns Ja’Nylah Lottie Johnson

Bennett College has been awarded accreditation status by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). The announcement was made on campus at the iconic Bell Tower, where President Walsh was joined by Senator Dr. Gladys Ashe Robinson, ’71, Chair of the Bennett College Board of Trustees.

The BIG Payback with Actress, Activist and Creator Erika Alexander

Bennett College hosted actress, activist and creator, Erika Alexander in January for a screening of Color Farm Media’s documentary “The Big Payback.” The event kicked off Color Farm Media’s National Reparations Debates on HBCU campuses which featured Bennett College students in a pilot debate. There was also a special screening of the documentary.

Bennett College received a $3500 grant from Color Farm in appreciation and thanks for our work. Funds will be used to support future reparations work on campus. [FOR

Ja’Nylah Lottie Johnson, a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in education, was crowned Miss Bennett College 20222023 on October 15, 2022. This stunningly beautiful coronation ceremony with the theme, “Winter Wonderland,” set amidst a glamorous wintry transformation of Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel on the Bennett College campus marked the 43rd Miss Bennett College Coronation.

Ms. Johnson’s Royal Court included Miss Royal Blue & White - Nusayba Rochelle Guiro, Miss Senior - Kyresha Lynnae Bowman, Miss Junior - Callyce Nicole Tucker-Reves, Miss Sophomore - Sinclair A. Bennett, and Miss Freshwoman - Michelle Nelson.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Tours New Women’s Business Center of Greensboro, Highlights Partnership

with Bennett College

Governor Roy Cooper toured the new Women’s Business Center of Greensboro and the Bennett College campus on August 25, 2022. Funded in part through the U.S. Small Business Administration, the center partners

with Bennett College to provide students with internship experience and serve as a resource for small businesses in Guilford County.

“North Carolina’s talented, educated and diverse workforce is one of our greatest assets,” Governor Cooper said.

Greensboro SWARM Inaugural Scholarship Awarded to Bennett College Student

The Charlotte Hornets Foundation has selected Samiya Green, a current junior at Bennett College, as the recipient of the inaugural Greensboro Swarm Scholarship. The scholarship will award $10,000 annually to a student at Bennett College. The scholarship was established to uplift a female student who serves as an advocate for the importance of education through adversity.

HoopTee Charities Donates $10,000 to Bennett College in Honor of Belle

Janol C. Whitfield and the Class of 1953

MORE NEWS & UPDATES VISIT WWW.BENNETT.EDU/NEWS]

Hornets Sports & Entertainment President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield made a $10,000 donation

to Bennett College from his HoopTee Charities nonprofit in honor of his mother, Janol Whitfield, and the 70th anniversary of her graduation from Bennett College in 1953.

“Bennett College is very near and dear to my heart,” said Whitfield. “In addition to being an HBCU located minutes from our G League team’s home in Greensboro, my mother is a proud graduate, so I’m quite familiar with the impact a Bennett education can have on a young woman and her future.

U.S. News & World Report Ranks Bennett College A Best College For 2022-2023

Bennett College

earned status as a U.S. News & World Report

‘Best’ College in the category of National Liberal Arts Colleges because of its excellent standing in the recently published 2022 - 2023 Best College Rankings.

Bennett College Named As Fulbright Program HBCU Institutional Leader

Bennett College was named a Fulbright HBCU Institutional Leader for 2022. It’s an absolute honor to be part of a program that integrates cultures and enables us to connect with the world while teaching the world about Bennett College. We earned this designation for 2018, 2019, and 2022. We are truly a global campus!

2022-2023 About Love Scholarship Recipients Selected

Bennett College is pleased to announce the ABOUT LOVE Scholarship recipients for 2022-2023.

Funded by Tiffany & Co., BeyGood, and the Shawn Carter Foundation, the ABOUT LOVE Scholarship supports incoming and current students interested in pursuing degrees in creative fields, including visual arts, media, performance, design, history, and communications.

Our FIVE new 2022-2023 About Love Scholars are Sophomore: Makaela Reed; Juniors: Jessica Parks; Ikirah Britt-Pena; and Mona Pinder and Senior: Destini Boone.

Our FOUR continuing About Love Scholars for 2022-2023 are Kyresha Bowman ’23; Gabrielle Crockett ’23; Jaiyah-Shalon Aaliyah Gordon ’24; and Francy Rawls ’24.

Bennett Students & Alumnae Attend “Rebellious,” The Play Based On Alumna Dr. Linda Brown’s Book: “Belles Of Liberty: Gender, Bennett College And The Civil Rights Movement”

that dictated their everyday lives in Greensboro.

Bennett College Hosts Conversation with Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole

“Rebellious,” the play based on Dr. Linda Brown’s book: “Belles of Liberty: Gender, Bennett College And The Civil Rights Movement,” was showcased at Triad Stage from October 4-23, 2022. The play was directed by Donna Bradby, Adjunct Professor of Theater at Bennett College, and developed by North Carolina Playwright Mike Wiley. The performance follows four Bennett Belles as they navigate the complexities of racism and oppression

During the evening’s conversation with Bennett College President Suzanne Walsh, Dr. Cole, former Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, Oscar-winner for her work with Disney/Pixar’s film “Soul,” and author of Racism In American Public Life: A Call To Action, shared pearls of wisdom around racism, life, and intergenerationality.

Bennett College Student Attends White House

Briefing

Bennett College student Taylor Moore, and other HBCU student journalists, attended a White House Briefing in person with Vice President Kamala Harris and Keisha Lance Bottoms, Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement.

Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole was the featured speaker for the International Civil Rights Center & Museum’s Speaker Series hosted by Bennett College.

President Suzanne Walsh & Dr. Johnetta B. Cole

Commencement 2022

Golden Class Dinner 2022

2022 WEEKEND ACTIVITIES

The Value of a Woman’s Voice

She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

(2 KINGS 5:1-8, VS. 3)

“Let them see!” were the words spoken in the miniseries adaptation of Mamie Till-Mobley’s story. “Let them see!” the horror, cruelty, madness, and meanness inflicted upon a 14-year-old boy, her only child, Emmett Louis Till. “Let them see!” and bear witness to what fear and hatred looked like, how those sinful attitudes manifested themselves through the hands of frightened and cowardly grown men. If Mamie TillMobley had not lifted her voice, our nation could have continued to turn a blind and indifferent eye to the evils of racism. Emmett Till’s lynching story was more tragic than words can adequately express. How could Mamie TillMobley display her son’s mutilated body and make such a statement to the nation and the world? The depth of this tragedy would have been amplified if Mamie Till-Mobley had kept silent. In speaking up for her son, this woman of faith spoke for God, who gave value to her voice.

BY REV. DR.

Women’s voices elevate and expand the measure of respectability, when speaking for God. Respectability means we see all persons as made in God’s image. Respectability recognizes the importance of extending ourselves to meet people and journey with them on the way to their destination. We treasure the wisdom of those who came before us, and we seek Godly counsel in making decisions moving forward.

When Bennett women value the voice God has given to us, we live out our campus bell’s inscription: “...He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound” (Isaiah 61:1).

The value of a woman’s voice is irreplaceable, unmistakable, transformative, and liberating. Whose voice adds value to your life? How are you using your voice? I challenge you to offer your voice wisely, boldly, and with confidence.

Stay prayerful and careful!

CHAPLAIN’S CORNER

“The value of a woman’s voice is irreplaceable, unmistakable, transformative, and liberating”

Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, circa 1950.

© Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

NATALIE V. MCLEAN Class of 1980 Bennett College Chaplain

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