Newspaper Page Text
Four Months From The Centennial!
Vol. XXIV, No. 4
The Voice of Black Womanhood
Atlanta Georgia-Spelman College
December, 1980
Spelman Graduate Speaks At
Southern Women’s Conference
Bridgett M. Davis
News Editor
Many of the luncheon guests,
forgetting about the food before them,
stopped their forks in mid-air as they
became totally engrossed in the
astounding and dynamic words of
Marian Wright Edelman who was
speaking to them in Spelman College’s
dining hall on Saturday, November 15,
1980.
Ms. Marian Wright Edelman,
chairperson of the Children’s Defense
Fund, was the keynote speaker for the
luncheon, one of the many events held
during the three-day symposium entitled,
“Southern Women from Myth to
Modern Times”.
Introduced by Ms. Isabel Stewart as a
graduate of Spelman’s class of’60, during
which time she studied in Geneva and
Paris as a Merrill Scholar, and as the first
black woman to obtain the bar in
Mississippi, as well as being one of two
blacks in her graduating class at Yale
University, Ms. Edelman was received
warmly by the audience.
Titescribing herself to he one who,
“never considered not serving; not being
concerned about the community,” Ms.
Edelman stated that she was inspired by
her relatives, by “strong old ladies living
in Mississippi during the ’60’s.” and by a
white northern male teacher at Spelman,
who taught her to remain “apart from the
mold.” It was this inspiration that
prompted Ms. Edelman, a distinguished
challenger and a seeker of coalitions, to
organize and head the Children’s Defense
Fund (CDF).
CDF exists “out of a need to help the
poorest age group in America,” said Mrs.
Edelman. She informed her listeners that
there are 4.1 million southern children
living in the U.S. below the poverty line;
one million U.S. children presently not
enrolled in school; two million U.S.
children who have been suspended from
school, and one half million of these
children growing up without homes. She
added that black children in schools in
Georgia alone are four times as likely as
white children to be labeled mentally
retarded.
Ms. Edelman expressed concern for
child health care by sighting such
examples of poor pregnant women whose
physicians continuously refuse to accept
Medicaid, thus forcing these women to
forego primary pre-natal health care. She
stated that millions of children are daily
refused health care by hospitals, and
eighteen million children have never been
to a dentist and, thus, begin losing their
teeth at ages as early as eight years old.
In light of such concerns, Ms.
Edelman’s Defense Fund has been
fighting for a child health bill in the
congress for three years. Such a bill would
offer a health and dental plan for millions
of children and pregnant women.
Believing that “It’s all right to lose, but it’s
not all right to give up.” she feels her fight
has been worth it.
“Because we can’t do everything, there’s
no excuse for doing nothing.”
Photo by Whitney Young
Women Speak Out Against
WIGO’s “Bad Girl” Contest
F. Renee Darensburg
Jr, Reporter
The Bad Girl Contest sponsored by
WIGOradio station has received negative
responses from local female leaders and
from several Spelman women.
CHANGES IN CALENDAR
Mid-Semester Examinations
March 2-3
Easy day to make up work for “Incompletes”
Spring Recess begins at
March 3
end of scheduled activities
Classes resume at 8:00 a.m.
March 9
Mid Semester grades are due in Registrar’s Office
Removal of "Incompletes” due in Registrar’s Office
Ms. .Ian Douglas, director of the
Community Relations Commission of
Atlanta City Government said she was
upset w ith the idea of such a contest and
with other such contests as the "Behinds
Contest” being held at various clubs
around the city.
She referred to these contests as
"vulgar and disrespectful” and felt it
unfortunate that during this crucial time,
black women were being seen its sex
objects. Ms. Douglas stated that the
crime of rape is increasing and urged that
women realize the negative impacts these
contests have on black women and black
men.
SCI.C Women’s president. Mrs.
1 velyn Lowery. reacted strongly to the
contest also.
“Glorification of the body isolated
from the mind, personality the total
being, contributes to the ‘sex-object’
syndrome which disrespects the
personhood of women,” she said.
“While the body is a significant part of
the whole person it needs to be
appreciated in relationship to the whole
not from!” she concluded.
Jondell .Johnson, director of the
Atlanta N AACP branch, feels that young
people should not participate in this
contest. She cautions young people
against this type of contest for. “It is
degrading . . . could be a front for a
number of things.” Mrs. Johnson is
planning to conduct a personal
investigation into the contest.
Continued on page 8
