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4 - The Spotlight - Sept., 1972
Jamaica ...
the other side
by Kathy Jackson
This past summer a
group of 12 Spelman stu
dents and a member of
the Spelman faculty visit
ed the island of Ja
maica, land of sea, sun,
and suffering. The Spel-
manites were part of a
Creative Writing Work
shop that was a joint ven
ture of Spelman College
and the University of the
West Indies in Kingston.
It is interesting to note
that the Spelman sisters
were able to live as aver
age students in Jamaica,
and not as the average
tourist, which made a
great difference in the
things that they saw. The
sisters saw all the reg
ular attractions, such as
the Crafts Market of Ja
maica, the home of the
Prime Minister, and the
Institute of Jamaica. But
the sisters were also able
to talk to the common
people, to ride buses with
the working class (as op
posed to the ruling class),
to see the true side of
Jamica. Through lectures
given at the University,
the Spelmanites were
briefed on J amaican folk-
culture, Jamaican go
vernment, West Indian
poetry and short stories,
Jamaican drama, and Ja
maican art.
There were two sec
tions of the writing work
shop, fiction and poetry.
The fiction section was
handled by Dr. John
Hearne, distinguished Ja
maican short story wri
ter and novelist. Students
who wrote fiction includ
ed Diane Desmond (‘72),
Juanita Law ('73), and
Janice Williams (‘72).
Those students that were
interested in poetry were
lectured by one of Ja
maica's most celebrated
poets, Dr. Edward Brai-
thwaite, who is also
chairman of the Depart
ment of History at UW1.
Spelman's poets were
Shirlene Evans (‘73),
Peggy Ferrell (‘75), Lau-
rita Henderson (‘72), Jac
queline Henry (‘72), Kathy
Jackson (‘73), Gwendolyn
Mann (‘75), Brenda Mays
(‘75), Linda Quilliam
(‘72), and Janice White
(‘72). Mrs. Millicent D.
Jordan was the advisor of
the group.
One of the most enjoy
able parts of the entire
stay was the 2 hour bus
ride from Kingston, on
the south side of the is
land, to Ocho Rios, on
the north side. At Tower
Isle beach in Ocho Rios,
students not only enjoyed
the sea and the sand, but
they were seranaded by a
band of roving Jamaican
bandleiers. Yet as the
sisters rode through the
island, they could not
help but notice the acute
poverty that prevailed
throughout the island.
There were people who
lived in tin-roofed huts
whose nearest water
source was sometimes as
far as a mile away. There
were people in the center
of the island who had
never even seen the coast
of Jamaica, even though
the island is only 50 miles
wide and 100 miles long
at its farthest points.
There was an area call
ed West Kingston, an
area called the Dungle,
where the people are the
poorest in the island and
their only source of food
is garbage scraps.
Around every rich sec
tion, there is a poor sec
tion, where all the cooks,
maids, gardeners, but
lers, and the like live
with their families.
So the entire two week
visit for Spelman stu
dents was not just a Wri
ting workshop. It was also
an insight into another
culture of Black broth
ers and sisters.
It is hoped that this
will become an annual
juant for Spelman sis
ters. Jamaica is a land
of many people, and one
appreciates things much
more when one has been
exposed to both the beau
ty and the ugliness of
Jamaica, where winter
never comes.
Sisters in
Blackness
Welcome sisters to At
lanta, Ga„ and Spelman
College. Atlanta of
fers unending opportuni
ties to become INVOLV
ED, through local and na
tional organization work
ing for the improvement
of the conditions of Black
people. One of our major
functions will be coordi
nating and encouraging
student participation
in community activities.
We will also be. working
closely with the SGA
on various projects.
Hopefully, Sisters in
Blackness will be an edu
cation and action orient
ed experience for you.
We must realize our
responsibility as young
Black women to our cam
pus community and our
Black community as a
whole. We must take ad
vantage of available op
portunities to prepare
ourselves to deal....
Finally, a thought for
consideration, quoted
from the late Dr. Kwame
Nkrumah:
“The degree of a coun
try’s revolutionary,
awareness may be mea
sured by the political ma
turity of its women."
Social Calendar
Tuesday, September 12 Political Phisosophy
Night: Wade Harris Marna H. Gaston delegates
to Democratic Convention.
Wednesday September 13 Seminar on Sex
Education in Dormitories
Saturday, September 16 The West End Mall
Fashion Show with band
Monday, September 18 Concepts of the Black
Woman Politics and The Black Woman Mrs.
Shirley Chisholm guest speaker
Tuesday, September 19 The Movement and the
Black woman. Mrs. Coretta King, guest speaker
Wednesday, September 20
Black woman
Thursday, September 21
The Black Woman
Thursday, September 21
Woman
Friday, September 22
The Black Woman
Monday, September 25
Tuesday, September 26,
and Poetry
, .The Family and the
. .Woman’s Lib and
.Labor and the Black
.Woman’s Lib and
Black Arts Week
Black Literature
Big Sisters Help
Freshman were not the
only people that were run
ning around trying to
make it to all the activi
ties during their week.
Running ahead, beside or
behind them were a group
of workers that were
responsible for those ac
tivities.
Upperclassmen, serv
ing as freshman guides,
dedicated a lot of time
and effort into making
freshman orientation
week a success. Some
of the guides along with
Spelman Student Go
vernment Association
president, Annette Hut
chins, started to chart
the week this summer.
Upperclassmen, re
turning from their sum
mer vacation, took con
trol of their designated
task and finalized plans
for the daily activities.
From sun up to sun
down caught the guides
planning and preparing
social, political, and edu
cation events for their
little sisters.
Freshman Views Spelman
by Denise Hartsfield
F ear and doubt prevail
in the minds of most
freshman coming to a
new place for the first
time. You wonder how
the place will look, how
the attitudes of the girls
will be and how the
dorms will look. Its a
natural response, and
so it was as I first came
to Spelman.
Yes, I was one of the
doubtful freshmen I was
afraid of something new
and unusual; but soon it
all changed. The atmos
phere was one full of
Black awareness and
proudness. Sisters didn’t
let you go astray, and gui
dance was rendered to all
who need it. Its always
a good feeling to know
that someone with ex
perience is willing to
share it with you.
Leaving home and all
its conveniences plays
a major part in first
impressions when you
realize you’ll be some
where different for nine
months. The old build
ings, bare floors and
dorm style beds I will
admit present a new pic
ture in comparison with
wall to wall carpet and
French Provencinal fur
niture. To me it made
little. But total let down
was shown in the form of
tears and verbal protest
by several of my fresh
men sisters.
My major concern was
getting to know people as
well as my way around
my new dwelling place.
Acquaintances came easy
enough, and the upper
classmen didn’t give you
any time to get lost. They
were stationed every
where, guiding you here
and there.
where, guiding you here
and there.
The campus itself dis
couraged me little if any
at all. To me, the trees
and green grass were
inviting, thus, nature
helped Spelman in its
first impression.
August 27, 1972, was a
big and different day in
my life. It marked the
beginning of an educatio
nal and social experience
that I hope to cherish
forever. An old cliche
says that the first im
pression is a lasting
one. In some cases that
may be correct, but I am
a true believer that
“everything got to get
better.’’ And with sis
ters who are black, aware
and proud, the first im
pression has to be pretty
good and will keep getting
better.