Newspaper Page Text
LIFESTYLE
Page 3
Clark Atlanta University Panther
February 13, 1990
“I don’t think I could
ever teach anywhere else,”
shecommented. “I feel
there is a definate mission,
calling and a special need
for me to work with Black
students. I just don’t know
that the added money would
be worth it elsewhere.
Somethings are just not
done for financial gain.
“There is a need for our
students to know their his-
toryand know what it
means. There is a need for
them to have andknow the
facts and the meaning of
Black history. Know
ing their history should be
an incentive to succeed,
to persevere. We owe that to
our foreparents who have
under gone so much. “I am
here to challenge oui stu
dents to excel and to encour
age them to fulfill o.. his
tory by doing their best ”
NCNW
Members of the play rehearse a dramatic scenefor the play “TheR iver Niger. ”
‘The River Niger’
Continued from Page 1
excellent young actors
including Shawn She
pard, Ayeola Williams,
Laurice White, Marcus
White, David Mansaka,
and Randall Davis.
Former Clark Student
and designer, Steven H.
Bolder, returns to the
University as set designer
and former students
Christopher Hall and
Tedy Hardiman serve as
technical director and
public relations
representative.
For more information
reservations please call
880-8303.
Dr. Autrey ‘Recalls’ History
By TANYA Y.COLLINS
Staff Writer
“Recall, class. Recall,”
echoes through classrooms
and halls of various build
ings on Clark’s campus as
Dr. Dorothy Autrey begins
her class lectures about
African American and
United States history.
“Recall, class, when the
first Blacks arrived in what
later became the United
States. Recall, class. Class,
recall when slavery became
legal and when it ended.
Recall. Recall.”
That six letter word -
recall - seems an intricate
part of who Dr. Autrey is
and how she structures her
classes.
On any given day, ob
serving Dr. Autrey’s lec
tures may leave even the
student who hates taking
history with a passion in
awe with a thirst for more of
the same. She promptly
enters the classroom with a
warm, sincere greeting then,
without hesitation, begins a
brief review of her previous
lecture by asking students
to regurgitate (“Recall”) a
few well stressed facts from
her last lecture.
“Recall, class. Recall
from our last meeting. .
./’students expect to hear at
the beginning of each
class session.
“I believe in preparation
and retaining knowledge/'
Dr.Autrey commented
about her instruction. “I
organize my thoughts and
ideas and I take a lot of time
doing this,” she said before
adding that an instructor’s
classroom creativity is also
important.
In as much as this Tal
ladega College history
graduate who earned both
master’s and doctorate de
grees from the University
of Notre Dame, said that
preparation and creativity
are key to her classroom
demeaner, she said that
praying to God for guidance
unlocks the door.
“I pray that the Lord
help me to be able to reach
the students and somehow
help me connect with the
students’ inner being. After
doing that something magi
cal happens once I get into
the classroom,” Dr. Autrey
summised.
While talking about her
first teaching experience at
her Alabama alma mater,
Dr. Autrey described her
nervousness and reluctance
to teach. Initially a sociol
ogy major, this
Ozark, Alabama native had
no idea where her interest
really lied upon entering
college. “I chose sociology
because I heard someone
else say it and it sounded
good to me,” she giggled.
“But after taking World
Civilization from an out
standing teacher I changed
my major.” Dr. Autrey
added that her admiration of
herTuskegee and Atlanta
University-graduated
brother, who was a Eu
ropean History major, also
influenced her decision,
advantages to a position at
largely white-populated in
stitutions.
Continued from Page 1
tance of becoming a mem
ber of NCNW, Anita Jo
seph, coordinator and
past president of MAS of
NCNW, discussed the role
of the college student in
NCNW.
“It’s easy to get caught
up in the Utopia of college.
We are our brother’s keep
ers. As student, you made it
thus far—it is your respon
sibility to give back and
network with younger
people. But more than any
thing, stay involved,” ex
pressed Joseph.
The message of the tele
conference was directed to
wards the Black family.
Height stressed the
NCNW throughout the tele
conference were looking
towards the future through
self-help. “We want the
country to know we’ll build
on the strengths of the Black
Family,” she noted.
Joseph spoke of the
“Traditional Family Val
ues” panel discussion con
vened by Julian bond, for
mer U.S. Senator from
Georgia, Dr. Niara-Sudar
Kasa, president of Lincoln
University in Pennsylvania
in , presented seven values
entitled the “Seven R’s.”
Those values are as follows:
respect, responsibility, re
ciprocity, restraint, rever
ence, reasonable and recon
ciliation.
Lincoln’s president
explained that respect is a
cardinal principle; respon
sibility extends much be
yond the nuclear family;
reciprocity compels those
to give back what was given
to them; restraint deals with
subordinating desires for
the sake of the family; rev
erence shows honor and re
spect for God who brought
families here and thus far;
reasonable suggests being
moderate and fair with one
another; and reconciliation
refers to being able to for
give each other.
The panel discussed
that all families in the U.S.
are changing. The nuclear
family, single-parent fam
ily, and the stepparent
family were three examples
given of the changing fam
ily. “But why is the Black
family the only family
being classified as a crisis,”
questioned Dr. Sudar Kasa.
She continued, “What fami
lies could escape (un
harmed) if they lived under
the same conditions of
Black families like single
parenthood and life below
the poverty line.”
The NCNW was
founded Dec. 5, 1935, by
Mary McCloud Bethune, a
distinguished educator and
government consultant.
The organization is an
“organization of organiza
tions,” and serves as a clear
inghouse for activities of
women.