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Friday, April 1, 1983
BENNETT COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. C.
VoL XLIV, No. 7
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GLOBAL WOMEN BEARING GIFT OF WISDOM: Drs. Thelma Dean Njaka and Thelma C. Davidson Adair
and Mrs. Geraldine A. Totten compare perceptions during the five-day Women’s Studies International Semmar,
Mar. 20-24. Njaka is assistant director of animal health for the West Virginia department of agriculture.
Alumna Adair (‘37) gave the keynote speech while Totten is coordinator of the Women’s Studies Committee. The
Seminar stressed that women strive for knowledge, independence and flexibility.
”As I See It”
Coalition inspires Belle
by Joan Y. Davis
I recently had the privilege
of attending a conference
sponsored by the Coalition of
100 Black Women in New
Jersey. During the three-day
conference, I came in contact
with some of the most influ
ential and successful women
in the country.
Often I found myself star
ing in admiration and respect
at the judges, lawyers, jour
nalists, businesswomen, doc
tors, and other careerwomen
I met at the conference. These
very beautiful and very intel
ligent women were just the
type of women I had been
longing to meet and I loved
every moment that I spent
with them.
There were many things I
admired about the women I
met at the meetings, but, most
of all, I admired their unself
ishness. They had every right
to be cocky and selfish, but
instead they were reaching
back to help us climb up the
ladder of success. They were
giving back a portion of what
they had taken and that made
me respect them all the more.
I left the conference feeline
inspired and encouraged. I
know things will be tough,
but I am willing to work like
the women I met worked and
still are working. I want to
reach my goals just as these
women have. I want to taste
the fruit of success just as
they are and if I believe in
myself as they believe in
themselves, I can make it and
I will.
I wish all my Bennett sis
ters could have shared this
experience with me. You all
might have gained something
from it. Since you did not,
think about what you have
just read, get yourself to
gether, and go out there for
what you want if you know
what it is. If you don’t, find
out.
There is a chunk of this
world with your name on it,
Bennett Belle. The only way
you can get it is if you work
for it.
Students meet artists
by Yolanda DuRant
Dr. Alma Adams toured
New York City with her Con
sortium Art course during
spring break.
The seminar is a one-week
course designed for students
to discover whether or not
they really want an art ca
reer. The students meet art
ists and visit museums and
galleries. On the trip they met
three artists — Yvonne Jac-
quettee, Edwin Rath, and
Romare Bearden.
Yvonne Jacquettee, is a suc
cessful painter who uses very
large canvases ranging from
eight to ten feet in size. She
primarily does landscape
scenes as pictured from air
planes. Jacquettee’s work ex
posed the students to impres
sionism. Adams stated that
Jacquettee’s great success is
due to the right connections
she made.
Abstract and surrealistic
art is the second type work
they were exposed to through
Edwin Rath. Rath does not
make a living from his art
alone. He is still struggling
to make a name for himself
with his art.
The third artist participat
ing in the seminar was Ro
mare Bearden. Adams de
scribed Bearden as one of the
greatest Afro-American art
ists in the world. Bearden,
born in Charlotte, N. C., has
achieved world fame with his
work. His works were pro
moted by Europeans. Beard
en’s style of art is collages in
which he creates each piece
of the collage. He refers to
his works as paintings be
cause each piece of the collage
is his design.
The art students also vis
ited The Metropolitan Mu
seum of Arts where art from
the Vatican was on display.
They also got a chance to
study the Rockefeller collec
tion of African art.
Women^s Seminar
Seek advancement advises Adair
other highlights of the trip
were visits to The Museum of
Modern Art, Frick Museum,
the Whitney and the Guggen
heim. They also visited the
Studio Museum in Harlem.
This museum is owned and
operated by blacks. It is called
the Studio Museum because
it provides a place for artists
to work. The artists work
there for about a year and get
a chance to exhibit their
work.
Some of the other activities
the students enjoyed were ses
sions with gallery owners and
a visit to the Art Students
League.
Adams stated that “one les
son all the students learned
was that you really have to be
dedicated to be an artist and
work at it to make it.”
The six-day trip was very
successful for Adams and the
15 consortium students. The
course ends with a final paper
or project from each of the
students.
by Dee Evans
“Women have not moved
forward, but in reality wom
en have regressed,” said Dr.
Thelma Davidson Adair at
the opening of the Women’s
International Studies Sem
inar Mar. 20.
In Adair’s keynote address,
“The Global Women: Op
tions and Opportunities,” she
stressed the great need for
women to start advancing and
make great contributions like
their ancestors.
Adair pointed out that the
major problem for women in
America today is the femini
zation of poverty. “In reality
the poorest people in America
are women. Estimated by
year 2000, not only will the
majority of the poor be wom
en, but the greatest percent
age will be racial ethnic
women,” she explained.
Women are poor because
men have moved into indus
try and factories, leaving
women to tend and take full
responsibility for their de-
psndents. This leaves the fig
ures showing that “70% of
the women in the country are
dependent upon men as sole
breadwinners in the family.”
“For every job category,
the majority of the women
work in non-traditional roles
such as agricultural work,
and the technological work
has been left for the men,”
claims Adair.
She gives figures saying
that in the 21st century, 2.1
million of the jobs being cre
ated will be for kitchen help,
janitorial work, and fast food
work and “they will all go to
women.”
Adair, however, does give
four recommendations for
women to gain future
opportunities.
Having knowledge of the
past was her first recommen
dation. “Know the oral his
tory of your family and your
self and tell it . . . know
contributions that women
have made,” she stresses.
“Be a creator of the net
works . . . it’s important to
know the legal minds of wom
en everywhere and find out
who the persons are across
the land trying to pursue
common goals,” explains
Adair as her second
suggestion.
Risk-taking is Adair’s third
third option: “Going to a cir
cus or riding a roller coaster
is mild compared to the risk
women have to take and most
women are afraid.”
She suggests to women that
they should try to gain the
highest possible level of work.
“Results have shown that
women who enjoy success,
who have the highest self
esteem and women who dare
to say ‘I want it all’ are the
most fulfilled and satisfied,”
says Adair.
In short, women need to
take all the “vigorous tasks
in the work place.”
Lastly, Adair recommends
that women develop a sense
af stamina.
Even though Adair pre
sents some options to help
women grab for opportuni
ties, she still feels “the new
vision of women is yet to
come.”
Adair, a ’37 Bennett grad
uate, is a professor of educa
tion at the University of City
of New York, Queens College.
She is also the national
President of Church Women
United in the USA.
Miller tells seniors to persevere
by Deborah Lewis
The ability to accomplish
great things will come from
the perseverance that stu
dents demonstrate, explained
President Issac H. Miller, Jr.
at the annual Senior Day
ritual.
Miller referred to President
Reagan’s political slogan
“Stay the Course” by saying
“the college graduate today
will need to stay the course
. . . and show perseverance.”
Miller examined the econo
my and the future employ
ment outlook. He said, “the
cost of an education will tri
ple if not quadruple and
homes will do the same.” He
explained that this is the age
of employment for the highly
technically trained.”
The extent of a student’s
success will depend on her
(See Page 3)
VISITING THE LAIR OF A LEGEND: Brilliant artist Romare Bearden's studio
was one of the many major stops on the spring-break itinerary of consortium
art students who trekked to New York under the guidance and instruction
of Dr. Alma Adams and former Bennett professor Eva Hamlin Miller. The trip
was an eye-and-soul opener.