Page Two
THE BENNETT BANNER
FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 1976
Last Editorial from This Editor
The first time this editor was instructed to write something
to fill this slot, at the insistence of the adviser, a sort of total
loss for words overcame all thinking faciUties.
That editorial was curt, short in comparison to some of the
winded ones that have since appeared in this space on page two.
Now faced with writing my final editorial for this paper, the
wheels in the mind once again have ceased to turn.
So in this editorial an effort to clear up some matters and
also define the aims of the paper as they have been, to those
who have by now still not figured out just what it was we were
up to.
Among the things we have not sought to do is hurt anyone.
These editorials are designed only to call attention to some
other sides of given items that members of the college com
munity might not have considered. All the opinions in this slot
belong to the editor no matter how often they coincide with the
ideas of others.
As for newswriting we have covered those issues that stu
dents on our campus want to know about—and should know
about—to the best of our ability. And our staff has done a fine
job in this difficult area of handling the news objectively with
the aid of the adviser.
Among the things we have not attempted to do is to become
a giant public-relations press release as that is not the responsi
bility of the student press and here is a hope that the BANNER
will never have to reduce itself to such means in order to come
out on a regular basis.
The awards this paper has won in the past two years since
it evolved from nonexistence have been most helpful in instDiring
us to do better each issue and we hope that these awards will be
of inspiration to future BANNER newspaper staffs.
Thanks for supplying us with a never ending source of news,
Bennett College.
— 30 —
Robyn’s Nest
Marcia Gillespie Shares Career Highlights, Insights with Banner Columnist
Letters
To The
Editor
Dear Editor:
I have two requests to make
to this college; one to the admin
istration and the other to the stu
dent body.
To the administration I would
hke to request that some kind of
air conditioners be put in the cof
fee house especially for use dur
ing Fun Night, as it gets quite hot
and sweaty down there. I know
this may seem unreasonable but
I hope you don’t say that you
don’t have the money as you had
money to put up gates, no park
ing signs, and even enough money
to redecorate or air condition par-
tically every office around this
campus.
My next request is addressed
to the student body. It is a very
small one . . ■ PLEASE PICK UP
THE BROKEN PIECES OF
GLASS IN THE DINING HALL
OR ASK MEMBERS OF THE
DINING HALL STAFF TO DO
THIS FOR YOU. Many of us walk
away from our carelessness that
is sometimes a potentially danger
ous situation. Remember if you
fail to be considerate it is not the
dining hall’s fault but your blame,
Eunice Franklin
by Robyn-Denise Berryhill
“ over the past six years
we’ve struggled, grown and hope
fully matured. But don’t get me
wrong, we’re still not complacent.
In fact we never hope to be.
We’re growing, learning, each and
every day. And our challenge re
mains clear. It’s not about being
the only Black women’s service
magazine, it’s about being the
best ”
Marcia Ann Gillespie;
Editor, “Essence” Magazine
May 1976
In May of 1970, a little over
two years after the riots in my
native town of Washington, D. C.
my chief concerns were whether
or not to go to college after high
school graduation and if so where,
what my then boyfriend was doing
on the class trip (which I was
unable to attend) and what I was
going to wear to the senior Prom.
In my circles everyone seemed to
be submerged into the pseudoism
of the Black power movement.
Afros, dashikis, bangles, boycotts
and burning bras were vogue.
America was introduced to five
brothers from Gary, Indiana who
sang about love being as easy as
ABC and all sort of programs that
supposedly granted us identity
seemed to spring up everywhere
almost by magic.
There’s a certain newsstand in
D. C. down on 14th and New
York Ave. that I still go to ’til
this very day because they sell
books and periodicals at discount
prices. Being a naturally inquisi
tive Cancerian by nature I will
read everything from The Wall
Editor-In-Chief
Cheryl E. Johnson
Adviser
Dr. Virginia Tucker
Associate Editor
Joyce Bass
Advertising Manager
Circulation Manager
Robyn-Denise Berryhill
Cleo Branch
Reporters
Donna Meacham
Diane Stevens
Thomasina Stallings
Debra Tillman
Cartoonist
Bobble Durden
Street Journal to the back of a
Rice Krispies box. Seemingly at
that time the only Black period
icals sold in that store were
“Ebony” and “Jet” and some
Black true confession magazines
known as “Tan,” “Sepia” and
“Jive.” Well, on one particularly
warm day in late April I was
rumaging through the store as
usual (the sales clerk watching me
as if I’d steal everything in the
joint). I spotted another magazine
with a Black model on the cover
with the title “Essence” spread
across it’s exterior in large yellow
letters. It’s price was 60('-. So I
picked up a copy and briefly leafed
through it’s content. One adver
tisement in particular caught my
attention: that of a bald-headed
Black model advertising a certain
make-up for Black women. Today
six years later that make-up, like
a lot of other Black images, is no
longer in existence. But “Essence”
magazine is still alive and well
with it’s Editor-in-Chief Marcia
Ann Gillespie.
Born and reared in Rockville
Centre, N. Y., Ms. Gillespie took
over the editor’s position from
then Editor-in-Chief Ida Lewis in
May of 1971—a little more than
six months after coming to work
at “Essence” as a managing editor.
Just before my interview with
her I pondered greatly over just
what I would say to this lady
whose column I read and admired
monthly; this lady who had al
ready attained what I hopefully
aspired to be; this lady whom I
later found out raises a pet ba
nana tree, loves books and records
—and has quite a collection I
might add, and is a gourmet cook
who can and does cook for 50 peo
ple at a time. What would I say.
When I entered the lounge in
the student union she sat poised
and relaxed with an eager smile,
acknowledging all around her. To
her left sat an entourage of col
leagues and friends who had made
the pilgrimage here to Bennett
with her. Upon being introduced
my first words were “How are
you Miss Gillespie” to which she
promptly replied I was to call her
Marcia from there after. When my
interview began I was joined by
a number of students who came
to see, be seen and ask questions.
A student eventually broke the ice
when she stated that she had been
an avid reader of “Essence” but
had declined to do so in the past
months because the magazine
seemed to be lacking something.
Marcia quickly asked her just
what it was lacking. “I can’t
exactly say,” the student replied,
“but it seems to be lacking articles
on how to do things, like Cosmo
politan for instance.” ‘Cosmo
politan,’ Marcia answered, “seems
to be designed towards turning out
more sensuous women. By that I
mean having articles on how to
achieve orgasms and expressing
sensuality. It seems to me that at
“Essence” we have more of an
obligation to the Black woman
than that; at least we’ve tried to.”
With that I proceeded to ask her
a series of questions. “What type
of an image were they trying to
present? Did she feel that “Es
sence” was a substantial break
through or merely a passing fad
like the Black movement seemed
to be or like Black movies for
example?” “That’s so many ques
tions at once,” she answered.
“Give me a chance to deal with
one thing at a time.” “In a lot of
ways the whole Black movement
was beneficial. Without it there
may or may not have been an
“Essence,” I couldn’t say. So in
some ways it was a good thing. I
think that we have always tried
to be about raising the awareness
level of Black women.”
She continued, “I came to “Es
sence” and I wanted to be editor-
in-chief and I gave myself a
three-year time period. Okay, it
happened. Since that point there
are certain other thing I would
like to do. I would like to write
a book but knowing me I will be
liking to write that book for six
years. I don’t have the kind of
discipline to take the time from 7
o’clock til midnite to write. I’m
not that kind of person. I’d rather
go and hang out or read some
body else’s book or stare at a
wall.”
Upon graduation from Lake
Forest College in Lake Forest,
111., Marcia originally wanted to
be a historian but with a campus
visit from a member of the edi
torial staff of “Vogue” she “saw
instantly that magazine work
needs an eclectic person — one
who reads a lot and is interested
in many things. That person was
me.”
Asked just what the making of
that magazine we rush to the
mailboxes each month for entails,
Marcia said, “Each issue is usually
planned three months in advance,
like for instance we’re now work
ing towards our July issue. Gen
erally, we have a staff meeting
each week in which each member
of the editorial staff is supposed
to present at least five new ideas.
We talk over themes, graphics and
layouts. In July we’re supposed
to be celebrating the bicentennial
so we chose to do a layout on the
contributions of Black women to
this country. Also we’re having
an astrologer draw up a chart on
the birth of the U.S.A. to maybe
have some insight on why we act
like we do.”
Continuing on, she was quick to
point out that “the two main
things that sell a magazine are
advertising and circulation.”
“There have been sometimes,” she
added, “that I have been really
disappointed with some of the is
sues I turned out. But, you learn
from your mistakes and hopefully
try not to repeat them.”
During her college career in the
sixties, Marcia spent her Saturdays
tutoring children in math and
reading. The awareness-seeking of
the sixties and her role as student
and teacher brought forth “aspects
of myself which I had previously
sublimated, like my anger at the
injustices perpetrated on minori
ties and my anger at what those
injustices did to people. Although
I always had a Black identity, it
became stronger during those
times.”
Marcia’s first job in journalism
was as a researcher with Time,
Inc. She explains that the craft
“I learned was valuable but I
also learned a lesson that was
equally as painful. I saw how the
white Anglo-Saxon point-of-view
colored all aspects of history, ^s
I researched more deeply into the
history of Blacks in this country
I saw how history is written by
those who have the power to say
who you are. If you are the ma
jority, you can shape and color
history any way you wish.”
So as she became more of what
she calls a “needier” she was sent
upstairs to work with the now de
funct “Life” magazine on their
four part Black history series.
Shortly afterward she returned to
(Continued on Page 6)