Speechifying

Johnnetta Betsch Cole, author and editor of numerous books, is President Emerita of Spelman and Bennett Colleges, Director Emerita of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, and former Chair and President of the National Council of Negro Women. She lives in Florida. Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the Interim Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan. Erica Lorraine Williams is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Spelman College.

Editors' Preface  xi
Acknowledgments  xv
Timeline of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s Life and Career  xvii
Prologue / Johnnetta Betsch Cole  1
Interview 1. The Practical Ethics of Johnnetta Betsch Cole: The Life of a Black Feminist Anthropologist / Erica Lorraine Williams  7
Interview 2. Johnnetta Betsch Cole and the Art of Speechifying / Celeste Watkins-Hayes  25
The Speeches
1. Origin Stories  43
My Story and Yours: Empowering Meaningful Change Together  45
Defining Moments: Lessons Learned from Anthropology  51
Three Stations along My Journey as a Citizen Volunteer   56
The Continuing Significance of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address  60
2. The Importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities  67
Another Day Will Find Us Brave  69
Straight Talk on HBCUs: Implications for Economic Transformation  74
It Is Going to Take Faith and Action: A Call to Support HBCUs  79
A Conversation with Johnnetta Betsch Cole / Paula Giddings  84
3. Higher Education  95
Look for You Yesterday, Here You Come Today  97
If You Educate a Woman  102
Difference Does Make a Difference: The Struggle for Diversity and Inclusion in American Higher Education  106
The Future of African American Education  114
4. Feminism and Women’s Empowerment  119
The Role of Christian Black Women in Today’s World (Spelman College)  121
Taking Stock: The Condition of Black Women in Our Nation  126
Women’s Rights and Human Rights in Africa  130
Doing the Lord’s Work: Black Women and Civic Engagement in South Carolina  136
Knowledge Is the Prime Need of the Hour  140
5. Race and Racism  145
Under the Sun  148
The Black Community in the New Millennium: Assessing Our Progress and Crafting Our Future  156
Service of Remembrance and Celebration for Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela  162
A Tribute to the Life and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  165
The 400th Anniversary of the Arrival of the First Enslaved Africans: A Remembrance  174
6. Art and Museum Life  177
Do Your Dreams Scare You?  180
The Treatment of Gender in Opening Exhibitions  186
Diversity in American Art Museums  190
Great Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: To Whom Does It Belong?  199
7. The Fierce Urgency of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  207
The Compelling Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  209
Exploring Our Differences  213
Lessons from the Life and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  219
Moving beyond Barriers: Transforming International Education through Inclusive Excellence  226
8. Commencement Addresses  237
A House Divided (Emory University)  239
Attributes of Twenty-First-Century Women Leaders (Trinity Washington University)  245
Courage, It’s What Really Matters (Bennington College)  251
Afterword: The Transcendent Voice of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole / Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Erica Lorraine Williams  259
Appendix: Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s Service and Honors  267
Bibliography  269
Index  277