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.

“Speechifying is a unique piece of scholarship. Focusing on Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s extraordinary oratorical practice as an academic, college administrator, museum director, and social activist, this collection highlights her career as a public intellectual-a woman who has made the most of her extraordinary gifts throughout her stellar career.” - A. Lynn Bolles, author of (Women and Tourist Work in Jamaica: Seven Miles of Sandy Beach) “What emerges from this meticulously researched and passionate collection of Dr. Cole’s speeches-delivered to diverse audiences over decades-is the most compelling and informative portrait of one of our most influential and productive Black feminist scholar-activist-leaders. We are indebted to the editors, Professors Watkins-Hayes and Williams, for this loving, thorough scholarly project that makes a major contribution to African diaspora studies, women’s studies, and leadership studies as well as to Dr. Cole's home discipline, anthropology.” - Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women's Studies, Spelman College

• Editors' Preface  xiAcknowledgments  xvTimeline of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s Life and Career  xviiPrologue / Johnnetta Betsch Cole  1Interview 1. The Practical Ethics of Johnnetta Betsch Cole: The Life of a Black Feminist Anthropologist / Erica Lorraine Williams  7Interview 2. Johnnetta Betsch Cole and the Art of Speechifying / Celeste Watkins-Hayes  25The Speeches1. Origin Stories  43My Story and Yours: Empowering Meaningful Change Together  45Defining Moments: Lessons Learned from Anthropology  51Three Stations along My Journey as a Citizen Volunteer   56The Continuing Significance of President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address  602. The Importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities  67Another Day Will Find Us Brave  69Straight Talk on HBCUs: Implications for Economic Transformation  74It Is Going to Take Faith and Action: A Call to Support HBCUs  79A Conversation with Johnnetta Betsch Cole / Paula Giddings  843. Higher Education  95Look for You Yesterday, Here You Come Today  97If You Educate a Woman  102Difference Does Make a Difference: The Struggle for Diversity and Inclusion in American Higher Education  106The Future of African American Education  1144. Feminism and Women’s Empowerment  119The Role of Christian Black Women in Today’s World (Spelman College)  121Taking Stock: The Condition of Black Women in Our Nation  126Women’s Rights and Human Rights in Africa  130Doing the Lord’s Work: Black Women and Civic Engagement in South Carolina  136Knowledge Is the Prime Need of the Hour  1405. Race and Racism  145Under the Sun  148The Black Community in the New Millennium: Assessing Our Progress and Crafting Our Future  156Service of Remembrance and Celebration for Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela  162A Tribute to the Life and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  165The 400th Anniversary of the Arrival of the First Enslaved Africans: A Remembrance  1746. Art and Museum Life  177Do Your Dreams Scare You?  180The Treatment of Gender in Opening Exhibitions  186Diversity in American Art Museums  190Great Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities: To Whom Does It Belong?  1997. The Fierce Urgency of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  207The Compelling Case for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  209Exploring Our Differences  213Lessons from the Life and Work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  219Moving beyond Barriers: Transforming International Education through Inclusive Excellence  2268. Commencement Addresses  237A House Divided (Emory University)  239Attributes of Twenty-First-Century Women Leaders (Trinity Washington University)  245Courage, It’s What Really Matters (Bennington College)  251Afterword: The Transcendent Voice of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole / Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Erica Lorraine Williams  259Appendix: Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s Service and Honors  267Bibliography  269Index  277