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12 - DECEMBER 2000/JANUARY 2001 MBCWO- 63 Years Of Communications - HBCUs Making The Connection In The 21st Century. Fruit of the Learning Tree Black writers talk about how historically black colleges and universities particularly cultivated their talents Ethnic News Watch reported that more than half of all African American students earn bachelor’s degrees in journalism and communications at HBCUs. by Taiia Smart-Young and Cassandra Lane / / hv he blacker ■ ■ I the college, the sweeter the knowledge." Students and alumni of historically black colleges and universities have recited this motto with pride, and the shout remains important from a writer’s perspective. The role of traditionally black colleges is to prepare students to survive publish ers and editors who have fre quently ignored or misunder stood black authors. Creative writing can be deeply per sonal, as though exposing a chunk of your soul for judg ment or praise. An HBCU can provide an amiable setting for folks who are eager to study black literature, and create memorable work in the tradition of Richard Wright (Lincoln University), Zora Neal Hurston (Morgan State), Ralph Ellison (Tuskegee University), Toni Morrison (Howard University), Iyanla Vanzant (Medgar Evers Col lege), James Baldwin (Lincoln University), Spike Lee (More house University) and Earl Greaves (Morgan State Uni versity). Most notably the person with perhaps the most profound recent impact on books and reading—Oprah Winfrey—attended Tennessee State University, also an HBCU. David J. Dent, a Morehouse alum and journalism profes sor at New York University, says HBCUs are valuable for aspiring writers on many levels. “A lot can be said for learning in a comfortable environment, not comfortable in a lethargic way, but to learn, grow and develop intel lectually free of racial hostili ties and tensions.’ Says Dent, author of In Search of Black America, Discovering the African-American Dream, “For students of HBCUs race doesn’t impose itself in terms of relationships and social factors. You get to know and understand people and that is a very important dynamic for being a writer.” Despite obtaining a graduate degree in journalism from Columbia University, Dent credits his experiences at Morehouse— including a gig at the campus radio station and some exposi tory writing classes—for laying the foundation for his career. In 1984, poet and English professor Toi Derricotte had a rudeawakening while pursu ing a master’s of fine arts degree at New York Univer sity. She asked her instructor why black writers were not included in the curriculum, and his response was, “We don’t go down that low.” Luckily, Derricotte channeled her frustration into forming a haven for black poets, known as the Cave Canem workshop, but comments like those made by her former professor’s can crush vulnerable minds. Last year, as an endowed chair at Xavier University, Derricotte informed her stu dents that because during slavery black people were not allowed to read or write, many of their descendants still have an inferiority complex about writing. “When I was in grad uate school, I was the only black person in my writing classes,” she told her students. “I thought, ‘I’m not going to be as smart as these other people. I’m not going to write as well.’” Poet and Dillard University English professor Mona Lisa Saloy, who launched the cre ative writing program at Dil lard, grew up in New Orleans in the 1960s. She says that today many black children are still, unaware of the town’s historical and cultural impor tance and black Americans’ literary and artistic contribu tions. “The first time I heard the work of Alice Walker, it blew me away, that we black people had our own literature,” Saloy says. Now, in addition to pur suing her own studies and work, she spends her time teaching and counseling stu dents. She also exposes the students to other nationally known black writers, such as Pearl Cleage, Brenda Marie Osbey (a Dillard alum), Gwen dolyn Brooks and Amiri Baraka. Yona Harvey, who earned her bachelor’s in English from Howard University and is currently completing a MFA at Ohio State University, con trasts her experiences at the two schools. At Ohio State, she says, ‘I knew it was all white there (only three black students are in her MFA program), but I was looking for that same kind of mentorship that I had had at Howard. I didn’t get it. I think the people are very nice, but I wasn’t close to anyone. As for writing, there was no one exploring their identity in their work. Obvi ously, we didn’t look at a lot of poets of color. We didn’t have any black poets or wri ters visit the school.” But at Howard, E. Ethel- bert Miller, renowned writer and director of Howard’s Afri can American Resource Cen ter, was Harvey’s mentor. ‘You just kind of pop in his office,” she explains. “He’s just sitting back there behind his desk. There’s always a zil lion people trying to talk to him, but everyone tells you that if you’re a young writer, you need to go see Ethelbert:’ And despite his own literary work, “he always takes time to get back to you as a student. I think he’s such a good men tor because he understands the importance of mentoring. Steven Henderson was his mentor.” Harvey’s mentorship with Miller opened up the world of black literature for her. After switching majors from nurs ing to English, she was exposed to black writers’ books in her classes. Ethelbert also encour aged her to get involved in literary activities outside cam pus, such as Cave Canem, where she ultimately met her husband, Terrance Hayes, poet and Xavier University creative writing professor (and author of Muscular Music), and Haye’s mentor, Toi Derricotte. Tina McElroy Ansa, the bestselling novelist who’s cur rently adapting her book Baby in the Family to film, affirms that it’s important to have mentors who can relate to you on a cultural level. At Spelman she had instructors of “outstanding caliber” and listened to lectures from the inspirational Dr. Gloria Wade- Gayles, endowed chair of humanities at Dillard Univer sity, where Ansa continues to spread her infectious love of writing and reading to stu dents. “We all wanted to be like her-wonderful, smart and well-read. She infected women with writing:’ says Ansa about the woman who introduced her to Zora Neale Hurston and Their Eyes Were Watching God. After giving the southern girl a stellar grade on a paper about Hurston, Gayles asked her protege: “Do you know that you're a writer?” Little did Wade-Gayles know what those words gave Ansa the freedom to fashion stories about the southern folk who intrigued her as a girl. This meeting was such a turning point for the young writer that she urges HBCUs to expose students to writers. Ansa, .the former writer-in- residence at her alma mater, states that it’s important for students to make that face-to- face connection and ask ques tions. “It’s difficult to stand up and say I’m a writer,’ be cause people automatically ask, ‘Well, what have you published?’ or ‘Are you mak ing a decent living?”’ Valerie Wilson Wesley studied philosophy and soci ology at Harvard University’s School of Communications. Maybe those disciplines were effective in plotting her widly popular Tamara Hayle mys “...it’s important for students to make that face-to-face connection and ask questions. “It’s difficult to stand up and say I’m a writer,’ because people automatically ask, ‘Well, what have you published?...” Pearl Cleage Howard University, Spelman College and Atlanta University Toni Morrison Howard University Class of 1953 David Dent Morehouse College Class of 1977 Ralph Ellison Tuskegee Institute Class of 1937 Tina McElroy Ansa Spelman College Class of 1971 E. Ethelbert Miller Howard University Class of 1972 Toi Derricote Poet and Professor Xavier. University Elizabeth Nunez Novelist and Professor Medgar Evers College During a recent survey of college life at TMSF schools, Ashley discovered a shrinking interest in newspaper and yearbook activities... teries about a sassy, take-no- junk gumshoe. For Wesley, her Howard days were invalu able. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without it (the Howard experience).” Fondly remem bering a course conducted by Sterling Brown, Wesley says, “He would just read to us and to this day whenever I read his poems I hear his voice. That’s the gift of the HBCU.” Another gift of the HBCU, the John Oliver Killens Work shop at Medgar Evers College— was named after the novelist, writer-in-residence at Medgar Evers, John Oliver Killens also the organizer of the Na tional Black Writer’s Confer ence (originally held at How ard and Fisk Universities). Author and professor Dr. Eliz abeth Nunez, director of the CONTINUED ON PAGE 14