Cole speaks at SU

From black history to black herstory, America’s “Sister President” laid down the foundation from the lessons of our past to guide us for our journey into the future.
“We as Black folks and our allies among other people must celebrate our past, acknowledge the realities of our present, and we must dream of a brighter future,” said Johnnetta Cole, President Emerita of Spelman College.
Cole exuded her pearls of wisdom to a standing room only crowd Wednesday morning in the Smith-Brown Memorial Union Cotillion Ballroom.
The dual struggle for racial and gender equality within our race was one Cole’s main highlights.
“It seems as if we as Black women are forced to put aside their womaness in the struggle for blackness,” said Cole. “True celebration of African American heritage will not take place as long as the rights and responsibilities of womenfolk are ignored.”
Cole pointed out that as long as rape—the most barbaric form of abuse to a woman—and domestic abuse—too often excused on the notion that every woman needs to be beat every once in while—exist, there is nothing to celebrate.
On a lighter note, Cole exemplified the significant contributions of our nation’s “sheroes,” black women who have contributed to the very existence of our race.
“During the month of February as well as the entire year we should include the likes of Septima Clark, Alice Julia Cooper, Ida B. Wells, and Mary Church Terrell along with our famous Black males,” said Cole.
According to Cole service to our community is one of our greatest gifts to mankind. She quoted Marian Wright Elderman in saying that “doin’ for others is only the rent you pay while living here on this earth.”
“The more you got, the more you have to give and if you got as much as I do you have to get up early in the morning, work all day and well into the night to give what is expected of you,” said Cole.
Building better ties between the races and respecting diversity inside and outside of our community were also highlights of Cole’s address.
“If we are ever to taste the sweet taste of victory of the words ‘free at last’ we must face the problems in our community,” said Cole. “Not one of us can make it until all of us do.”
Cole closed her speech with the story of a boy, a bird, and an old lady.
“The boy decided to play a trick on the old woman by asking her if
the bird he held behind his back was dead or alive. If she replied alive he would simply crush the bird in his hands and if she replied dead he would let the bird fly away,” Cole recounted.
When the boy posed the question to the old lady simply replied “the bird is in your hands.”
“This story relates greatly to us,” Cole concluded. “Our responsibility for learning black history and herstory is in your hands and mine.”