Conversations: Straight Talk with Americas Sister President
by By Cole, Johnnetta B.
Category: Social Science , LGBT Studies , Lesbian Studies

Johnnetta Cole's mother once told her: "When it comes to choosing your life's work, follow your passion." And that she has done with a vengeance. When she accepted the presidency of Spelman College in 1987, she was a professor of anthropology and Director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program at Hunter College, and the author of two books on anthropology. She was also nationally known as an expert on cross-cultural studies of race, gender, and class.Since assuming leadership of Spelman, Dr. Cole's career has continued to be a series of spectacular achievements: at her inauguration, Bill and Camille Cosby made a gift of twenty million dollars to the college - the single largest gift from individuals to a historically Black college; she was appointed by President Bush to be a founding director of the Points of Light Foundation; she was the first Black woman to be named to the board of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce; and she was recently elected as the first woman to the Coca-Cola Enterprises' board of directors.In Conversations, Dr. Cole - feminist, educator, African-American spokeswoman - speaks directly to her younger sisters: America's Black women. She calls out to them to take an active role - as she is doing - to help make their world a better place. She speaks out on racism, sexism, Eurocentrism, and isolationism. She makes concrete suggestions to help them break down the walls that hold them back. This isn't just a book for young Black women, however. Upbeat, optimistic, and inspiring, Conversations is for anyone who cares about improving his or her universe and making it a better world. Hearken to Dr. Cole's words: "Let's save our Earth. It's the only one we have. Let's make it a place filled with peace and justice."