...Timeline of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole's Life and Career ...

... In the summer of 2018, Erica Lorraine Williams interviewed Johnnetta Betsch Cole at the annual Democratizing Knowledge Summer Institute, held at Spelman College. Reprinted from the journal Feminist Anthropology , this conversation offers an opportunity for readers to reflect on the insights...

... This interview captures an informal exchange between mentee and mentor as Celeste Watkins-Hayes visited Johnnetta Betsch Cole as she prepared to return to her home state of Florida. Sorting through papers, books, artwork, and clothing that would later be archived at Spelman College and housed...

... The afterword is revised from a transcript of a recording of a conversation between Celeste Watkins-Hayes and Erica Lorraine Williams. It situates “when and where we enter” in terms of their connection to Johnnetta Betsch Cole and her work. The afterword also reflects on the expansiveness...

... The prologue takes the form of an intimate “Dear Reader” letter from Johnnetta Betsch Cole to her audience of readers. She discusses the origins of the term “speechifying,” as well as memories of giving her first speech during a church service in Florida. She also discusses a bit of her process...

...The Speeches This chapter features four speeches that reflect on Johnnetta Betsch Cole's origin stories—her background, childhood, and educational journey. In her 2015 speech at Medtronic, she shares lessons learned from her childhood in the segregated South. In her 2013 Alumnae Award...

... This chapter features four speeches that reflect on Johnnetta Betsch Cole's origin stories—her background, childhood, and educational journey. In her 2015 speech at Medtronic, she shares lessons learned from her childhood in the segregated South. In her 2013 Alumnae Award acceptance speech...

... As president of the nation's only two historically Black colleges for women—Spelman College and Bennett College for Women—Johnnetta Betsch Cole's speeches in this chapter affirm the importance of HBCUs. In her 1988 Spelman College inaugural address, she shares her vision for Spelman as a “mecca...

... of women and girls throughout the developing world. In her 2017 speech at the College Board's A Dream Deferred and HBCU conferences, Johnnetta Betsch Cole offers key lessons for successfully educating African American students. These speeches on higher education showcase the breadth of Cole's expertise...

... In the speeches in this chapter, Johnnetta Betsch Cole uses a feminist lens to illuminate issues of Black womanhood, women's rights, and the dilemmas facing Black women. In her 1989 Spelman College opening convocation address, she problematizes assumptions about womanhood often “labeled...

... Johnnetta Betsch Cole's incisive and compelling speeches on race and racism span a nearly forty-year period. In her 1981 speech at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, she discusses how racism and sexism were on the rise with the emergence of the New Right, while in her 2008 speech...

... The speeches in this chapter reflect on Johnnetta Betsch Cole's contributions to the world of art and museums after becoming director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art in 2009. In her 2012 commencement speech at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, she highlights the importance...

... The speeches in this chapter showcase the range of Johnnetta Betsch Cole's work in inspiring change around diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia, philanthropy, museums, and even corporate America. In her 2010 speech to Goldman Sachs, she outlines the moral and business case for diversity...

... This chapter includes a selection of Johnnetta Betsch Cole's commencement speeches, which capture a synthesis of the sage wisdom and inspiring advice that she offers to new graduates. In her 1996 speech at Emory University, she offers lessons learned from anthropology to help graduates...