Summer 2004 by Spelman College

SPELMAN

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Spelman Students Denounce Rap Music Imagery

he glare of the national spotlight is, once again, focused on Spelman College. Routinely cited for academic excellence and outstanding leadership, Spelman students most recently garnered national attention for speaking up, and speaking out, about the overwhelmingly negative portrayals of Black women throughout the rap music industry. Their most public denouncements of the misogynistic motifs that bombard the airwaves took place at an April 21st campus-wide town hall meeting to address the industry’s widespread assault on race and gender, and at the informational picket conducted at Atlanta’s Music Midtown festival in May. In keeping with Spelman’s

legacy of advocacy and activism, the town hall meeting and festival demonstration, at which students carried signs that read: “We love hip-hop! Does hip-hop love us?” provided a public forum Vice President For Student Affairs and in which Spelmanites Dean of Students re-opened the national Dr. Zenobia L Hikes. debate about the gross misrepresentations of African American women that populate the hip-hop universe and contaminate the cultural landscape of Black America. Continued on page 11.

Marguerite Simon, C’35

Founders Day 2004

Spelman: The Thread That Binds “Marguerite F. Simon Gymnasium” Honors Alumna uring the Founders Day Convocation on April 7, 2004, Miss Marguerite Simon, C’35, a retired member of the physical education faculty, received special recognition from President Beverly Daniel Tatum. When Dr. Tatum announced, “Upon the recommendation of the Spelman College Board of Trustees, the gymnasium in Read Hall is to be named the “Marguerite F. Simon Gymnasium,” the audience responded with a standing ovation. Miss Simon, with her love and willingness to sacrifice for Spelman, embodies the theme for Founders Day 2004, “Spelman: The Thread That Binds – Spirit, Scholarship, Service.” As an alumna, instructor, donor, volunteer and Spelman historian, she has been dedicated to the aims and ideals of Spelman College. An instructor of health and physical education at Spelman from 1943 to 1980, Miss Simon, with her colleagues, created the Department of Physical Education and Health and laid the foundation for Spelman’s current historic movement toward full membership in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

During the ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of the WISDOM Center, President Beverly Daniel Tatum (second from right) joins Dean of the Chapel Reverend Lisa D. Rhodes (third from right). The Center is housed in the newly remodeled Bessie Strong Hall.

The Sisters Chapel WISDOM Center Officially Opens Class of Sisters Chapel Scholars Chosen On January 29, 2004, the Spelman community celebrated the official launching of the Sisters Chapel Center for WISDOM (Women in Spiritual Discernment of Ministry) with the reopening of Bessie Strong Hall. The Center will provide a holistic educational experience that nourishes the spiritual and ethical development of a new generation of Spelman women who are prepared to be faithfully committed, morally grounded and civically conscious leaders, serving the church, the community and the world. The four-day celebration began with the “Sisters Speak” convocation in the Cosby Center Auditorium Continued on page 10.

Continued on page 10.

A DIALOGUE WITH DR. T

Fifty Years after Brown: Why Spelman Remains Relevant Contents

Features Spelman Students Denounce Rap Music Imagery The Sisters Chapel WISDOM Center Officially Opens Founders Day 2004 Spelman Holds Groundbreaking Conferences 2004 Spelman Commencement Honors Renowned Neurosurgeon, Activist and Community Servant A Legacy of Service

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Departments A Dialogue with Dr. T. New Briefs Spelman Salutes Page Turners

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350 Spelman Lane S.W., Atlanta, Georgia 30314 www.spelman.edu EDITOR

Jo Moore Stewart COPY EDITOR

Janet M. Barstow GRAPHIC DESIGN

Garon Hart EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Tomika DePriest Lorraine Robertson Angela Allen CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Denise McFall PHOTOGRAPHERS

J.D. Scott Bud Smith Jo Moore Stewart Julie Yarbrough 2 INSIDE SPELMAN

Inside Spelman is published four times per academic year for a readership that includes alumnae, trustees, parents, students, faculty, staff and friends of the College. The newsletter is dedicated to informing our readers about news, upcoming events and issues in the life of the College.

I was born in 1954 just four months after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision outlawed the “separate but equal” doctrine of school segregation. As an educator with many years of experience teaching about racism, I have long recognized the unfinished business of Brown. Now, as the ninth president of Spelman College, I have a new lens through which to understand the meaning Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum of Brown v. Board of Education. Though it was not instant, the 1954 decision opened new doors of educational opportunity for Black students that initially challenged and ultimately strengthened Spelman College. Like many historically Black colleges, Spelman faced new competition for its students from those predominantly White institutions that had previously excluded them. However, increased competition spurred important improvements at Spelman. The dynamic leadership of each of four presidents – Drs. Albert E. Manley, Donald M. Stewart, Johnnetta Betsch Cole, and Audrey Forbes Manley – strengthened the College’s competitive edge. During those years, faculty development was enhanced, new resources for scholarships were created, and facilities were expanded - creating an environment that now attracts more than 4000 talented young women competing for 525 spaces in our first-year class. Why do they come? Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, why are historically Black colleges like Spelman not only still relevant but the preferred choice for many talented Black students? As a psychologist whose scholarly focus has been racial identity development, I recognize that college choice is a reflection of identity – a statement about how you see yourself, who you are now and who you hope to become. Students are drawn to environments where they see themselves reflected in the environment in powerful ways and in places where they see themselves as central to the educational enterprise. Several years ago I interviewed a young African American man who was attending a very prestigious New England college. He spoke at length about the benefits of that educational experience, but noted that there had been something missing for him. He said, “I know this place was not built for me.” And, certainly he was right. Black men (and women) had been excluded from his campus in its early days. That school had not been built for him. As part of the same research project, I also interviewed Black students who had chosen to go to a historically Black university. One young woman commented on her experience, saying, “You know, it really makes me happy when I walk across the campus to know ‘This place was built for me.’” There are not many places in America a Black woman can say that. But, Spelman College is one of them and that is a powerful magnet. The importance of affirmation of identity in college choice cannot be underestimated. Whether at an HBCU or a majority institution, we must ask ourselves, “How do we create and sustain educational environments that affirm identity, build community, and cultivate leadership in a way that supports the learning of all students?” Many of us have a vision of where we would like to be, a vision of schools where all students have the opportunity and the encouragement to achieve at a high standard. It is a vision of communities characterized by equitable and just group relations rather than the present deeply ingrained power hierarchies that systematically advantage some and systematically disadvantage others. It is a vision of education that should not only foster intellectual development by providing students the tools of critical thinking, speaking, writing, and quantitative reasoning but should also provide all students the skills and experiences necessary for effective participation in a diverse, global society. With your ongoing support and commitment, a Spelman education can and should represent all of these qualities – not just remaining competitive but setting the 21st century standard for excellence in undergraduate education. ● SUMMER / FALL 2002

Spelman Holds Groundbreaking Conferences It’s Our Turn

n May 12–13, 2004, Spelman made history when the Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement (Spelman LEADS) convened “Women of Color – Legacy of Leadership in the 21st Century: It’s Our Turn,” a national Leadership Symposium & Conference on Spelman’s campus. The first conference focused on the unique issues of women of color ever to be convened at a major college or university, the event brought together a cadre of nationally renowned scholars and leadership experts and practitioners. The tone of the conference was set by the opening session, “The State of Women of Color,” featuring Dr. Kumea Shorter-Gooden, co-author of Shifting: The Double Lives of Black Women in America. Her address was followed by a dynamic discussion among an esteemed panel of scholars – “Gender Schisms and Other ‘Isms’”: The Deadly Intersections for Women of Color. Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, C’66, director of the Women’s Research & Resource Center, the Anna J. Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies, and the co-author of Gender Talk, moderated the panel. Additional panel discussions included “Intergroup Dialogue: The Next Frontier of Leadership” led by Dr. Patricia Romney, clinical/organizational psychologist and president of Romney Associates, Inc.; “Mentoring and Sponsorship for Women of Color,” moderated by Dr. Jane Smith, C’68, CEO, Business and Professional Women/USA; and “The Call to Lead: Strategies for Collaborative Leadership Models and Initiatives,” a leadership summit roundtable discussion led by President Beverly Daniel Tatum and featuring Dr. Ella Bell, co-author of Our Separate Ways: Black Women and White Women and the Struggle for Professional Identity. On Thursday, the conference shifted to the Georgia World Congress Center. Dr. Julianne Malveaux, economist, nationally syndicated columnist and

Above left: LEADS Keynote Speaker Dr. Julianne Malveaux. Above right: LEADS Luncheon Speaker & Award Recipient Atlanta Mayor Shirley Clarke Franklin.

LEADS Founding Co-Executive Directors Kimberly Browne Davis, C’81 and Pamela G. Carlton.

noted speaker, gave the morning keynote address “Having Our Voices Heard: Women of Color in the Twenty-First Century.” The Honorable Shirley Clarke Franklin, mayor of the city of Atlanta, was the luncheon speaker at the Women of Color Legacy of Leadership Awards Luncheon where she received one of the LEADS awards. In addition to numerous workshops and seminars, a daylong career & networking expo session featured representatives of Fortune 1000 Corporations showcasing their capabilities, products, services and employment opportunities. Spelman LEADS is led by founding CoExecutive Directors Kimberly Browne Davis, C’81, excutive on special assignment from JPMorganChase, and Pamela G. Carlton, president and cofounder of Springboard, a highly innovative New York-based consulting firm. Morgan Stanley was the premier sponsor for the conference. ●

Learning From Our Lives, For Our Lives

n June 10–12, 2004, the Women’s Research & Resource Center at Spelman College in collaboration with SisterLove, Inc., a veteran advocacy organization for African American women living with HIV/AIDS in Atlanta, will combine forces for a groundbreaking invitational conference entitled “Learning From Our Lives, For Our Lives – Women, Girls & HIV/AIDS in Africa and the African Diaspora.” In addition, the following organizations will participate: Associaça˘o Cultural de Mulheres Negras (ACMUN) in Port Alegre, Brazil; CRIOLA of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and the Society of Women and AIDS in Africa (SWAA International/SWAA Senegal). Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, C’66, director of the Women’s Center, noted, “Historically Black colleges and universities must involve themselves in one of the most urgent health issues facing communities of African descent here and around the globe. We should be teaching and speaking about HIV/AIDS, doing groundbreaking research on the pandemic and raising awareness on our campuses about prevention and intervention strategies. We owe it to our students, our families and our communities to do everything we can to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS so that we can live healthy, productive lives.” The conference themes include: (1) curriculum development and service learning initiatives among institutions of higher education, especially historically Black colleges/universities, as a precursor to training and preparing students for work in HIV/AIDS and other aspects of women’s health and development; (2) stigma and discrimination at multiple levels and constructive engagement of community norms and societal structures that prohibit individual disclosure and access to care; (3) global and regional organizing efforts among women, men and youth involved in HIV/AIDS to improve responses and interventions at the community level; (4) environments that place girls and women at risk for HIV/AIDS. ● Director of the Women’s Research & Resource Center Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, C’66. SUMMER 2004

NEWS BRIEFS ■ iona rozeal brown: a3 …black on both sides, the original exhibition at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art (January 22 – May 14, 2004), attracted more than 3,000 visitors. The theme a3, better known as the afro-asiatic allegory, examined the current fascination with hip hop culture among some Japanese youth and the trend of ganguro, the popular practice among high school girls of darkening their skin and emulating the entertainers whom they admire. From the 45 works in the show, the art piece by iona rozeal brown entitled a3 blackface #65, 2003, acrylic on paper 85 x 59, has entered the College collection. ■ The Center for Leadership & Civic Engagement Leaders on Leadership Speakers Forum presented “Politics, Power & Foreign Policy: A View From Parliament” on April 14, 2004 in the Albro-Falconer-Manley Science Center Auditorium. The Forum featured Oona King, a Member of Parliament in London, England. ■ Effective July 1, 2004, the Atlanta University Center Inc., a 40-year-old nonprofit, is being restructured as the Atlanta University Center Consortium. The new entity will continue operating as a career-planning and placement service and dual-degree engineering program. The Atlanta University Center (AUC) Robert W. Woodruff Library was incorporated as an independent entity effective January 1, 2004. The Library Board of Trustees includes presidents of the participating institutions – Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College and Spelman College.

evening of film screening and conversation was presented in association with Professor Ayoka Chenzira, director of the Salon; Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, C’70, Cosby Endowed Professor in the Fine Arts and music composer for “Beah”; and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. ■ After 35 years of service to Spelman College, Associate Director of Institutional Effectiveness Barbara Anthony Brown, C’67, will retire on June 29, 2004. Ms. Brown began her career path at Spelman as a secretary in the Business Office. After completing graduate work at Atlanta University, she held the position of Counselor for Freshmen Students. In 1977, she assumed the position of Director of Career Planning and Placement. In this position, Ms Brown guided the career paths of Spelman women by introducing them to non-traditional careers in the areas of investment banking, consulting, and research, sales and marketing. She established SASE – the Spelman Alumna Student Externship Program. She was instrumental in creating and forming relationships with most of the corporate organizations that eventually became the basis for the Spelman Corporate Partnership Program. Prior to her current position, Ms. Brown was the Coordinator of Student Activities, Associate Dean of Students, and Interim Vice President for Student Affairs. In retirement, she plans to hold the title of “Master Gardener”.

During the 2004 Annual Scholarship Luncheon, Rev. Dr. Josephine Jackson-Smith, C’46, (above right) had an opportunity to chat with Ivy Williams, C’2004, a drama and dance major and the recipient of The Erina Christian Smith Memorial Scholarship. Established in 1988, the dance scholarship is awarded annually by the Thee Smith family in memory of Rev. Dr. Jackson-Smith’s granddaughter. ■ In December 2003, Spelman College received a $1.5 million grant to establish and conduct a 21st Century Community Learning Center at Brown Middle School in the West End community. “Project Nobility” has three major components – an after-school program, a summer program, and a family literacy and education program. The project will involve 100 Brown Middle School sixth graders and their families, and Spelman College faculty, staff and students. Spelman received one of 19 grants approved by the State of Georgia Board of Education. Over a period of five years, Dean of Continuing Education Dr. Pauline E. Drake will administrate the project.

■ The Digital Moving Image Salon was launched on March 18, 2004, by the Spelman College Women’s Resource and Research Center. The first presentation was “Reel Women,” a showcase of award-winning films by Black

Actress Advocate for HIV/AIDS women filmmakers featuring the HBO documentary on actress Beah Richards, “Beah: A Black Woman Speaks,” by LisaGay Hamilton and “Civil Brand” by Neema Barnette. The 4 INSIDE SPELMAN

Actress Sheryl Lee Ralph posed with members of the Spelman community following her March convocation regarding the HIV/AIDS epidemic currently taking the Black community by storm. Ms. Ralph has supported this cause for more than 15 years through her DIVA Foundation. Nominated for a Tony Award for her role in “Dreamgirls,” Ms. Ralph is also well known for her role as the stepmother, Dee, on UPN’s hit series, Moesha.

The Next Step. Science Fiction Writer In celebration of the 25th anniversary of her best-selling novel, Kindred, African American science fiction and fantasy author Octavia E. Butler gave a reading and a book-signing session on campus in February. Ms. Butler is the only science fiction author ever to receive the prestigious MacArthur Foundation fellowship. The Department of English hosted the event.

BIG STEP: Spelman Commencement 2004 When Rebecca Royster, C’2004, took her earliest steps on her first birthday in front of the pillars of Sisters Chapel – July 4, 1982, she became the poster child for the “Let her first step be towards Spelman” poster photographed by Director of Publications Jo Moore Stewart. Now, with a double major in biochemistry and French, Ms. Royster’s next steps will be towards receiving both bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees from Spelman College on May 16, 2004, a master’s degree in public health from the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University (starting this fall), and eventually medical school. ●

Stand-In In January 2004, The Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., made a surprise visit to Spelman’s “Racism and the Law” class led by Associate Professor of Political Science Dr. Marilyn Davis. Rev. Jackson lectured on voting and civil rights for a new show on MTV’s college network, mtvU. The show, entitled “Stand-In,” brings celebrities to campuses to teach classes. His visit aired the week of February 16th. Spelman was the first school to participate in the program. ■ From March 28 through April 4, 2004, Spelman’s Independent Scholars (SIS) Visiting Scholar in Traditional Knowledge Dr. Virginia Davis Floyd, C’73; Danielle Phillips, senior women’s studies major; Noni Bourne, junior English major; and Shacara Johnson, C’2003, traveled to the Republic of Benin. The group participated in the study tour, “Way of Remembering – A Journey to Benin.” The SIS students had an opportunity to interview elder women in the region as an extension of their Spelman projects. The Way of Remembering tour features a “Door of Return” experience established in Benin to fill the gap made by the events of slavery. Sponsored by PROMETRA International, the tour aims to build bridges between Africa and the Black Diaspora. The Ford Foundation grant, Giving Voice, supports travel and research in Benin for SIS. ●

2004 Spelman Commencement Honors Renowned Neurosurgeon, Activist and Community Servant

uring the Spelman Commencement mater. Having served as executive secretary for held May 16, 2004, at the New Birth the Memphis Branch of the National Association Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Georgia, the College honored neurosurgeon Dr. for 33 years, Mrs. Smith recently received the Benjamin Carson, Sr., with an honorary degree National Civil Rights Museum’s 2003 Freedom – Doctor of Science. Dr. Carson, who gave the Award along with former President William Jefcommencement address, is the director of pediferson Clinton. atric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Earle Lee, director of the Boys Choir of TalInstitutions. The author of three books, Gifted lahassee and associate professor of social work Hands, Think Big and, most recently, The Big at Florida State University, received the National Picture, Dr. Carson gained international recogCommunity Service Award from the Spelman nition in 1987 as the principal surgeon in the College Board of Trustees. ● 22-hour separation (and survival) of the Binder conjoined twins from Germany. Recently, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on the President’s Council for Bioethics. Spelman alumna Maxine Atkins Smith, C’49, civil rights activist, received the Doctor Commencement 2004 Honorees (left to right) Dr. Benjamin Carson, Maxine of Humane Letters Atkins Smith and Earle Lee pose with President Beverly Daniel Tatum prior to from her alma the commencement ceremony. SUMMER 2004