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<Pagt 3
November 19, 1990
A LEGENDARY VISIT:
DR. KENNETH CLARK, PSYCHOLOGIST
By Rich£ Richardson
Dr. Kenneth Clark, a renowned
writer and psychologist, made a
tremendous impact upon American
society when he proved that
segregation abetted low self-esteem in
African-American children. In the
famous "doll experiments" that he and
his wife Dr. Mamie Clark conducted,
African-American children identified
positive characteristics with a White
doll more often than not. On the other
hand, negative traits were associated
with a black doll.
Essentially, the findings of the
Clarks greatly influenced the Supreme
Court’s ruling concerning the Brown vs.
the Board of Education case in 1954.
Thus segregation was abolished.
Recently, Dr. Kenneth Clark visited
Spelman as a scholar-in-residence. On
the eve of his departure, the Spotlight
conducted an interview with him.
Spotlight: Dr. Clark, what
compelled you to assess the self-
concepts of African-American children,
and how did you discover the link
between negative self-concepts and
segregation?
Dr. Clark: Well, I guess I made
the link by the responses that the
children gave me. They were separate
but they felt that by being separate and
segregated that they weren’t as good as
those who weren’t. That’s the link.
Racism.
Spotlight: You and your wife
made a tremendous impact upon
American society when you did your
research and yielded your findings in
the 1950’s. How has this altered your
lives?
Dr. Clark: Well, I guess it has
altered our lives by getting us more
directly involved in the struggle for
justice and humanity. We want
equality to be available so as not to
damage the way that children perceive
themselves.
Spotlight: Do you feel the self-
concepts of African-American children
have improved as a result of
integration?
Dr. Clark: I wish that it had. I
wish that it had substantially improved.
There are a lot of things that have
improved. For example, there isn’t
segregation in transportation anymore.
There isn’t segregation in public
accommodations. The only place there
is segregation per se-there are two
places really-in education and in the
church. As Martin Luther King, Jr.
once said, that all apart, Sunday
morning is one of the most segregated
times in our society.
Spotlight: As a psychologist, what
do you suggest as a solution to the
problems in our society?
Dr. Clark: Decency, humanity,
empathy, are important determinants of
the basic social problems.
Spotlight: To my understanding,
you retired from your profession in the
1970’s. How have you spent your time
since then?
Dr. Clark: Writing, consulting,
and being here at Spelman and
enjoying every moment of it.
Spotlight: You are definitely a
venerable African-American man.
Also, you’ve interviewed three very
influential African-American men:
Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr, and James Baldwin. What
impressions did they make upon you?
Dr. Clark: They made impressions
of being genuinely concerned with their
fellow human beings - genuinely in the
frame of the struggle for justice. I
liked each one of them. I liked them
very much even before I interviewed
them and even maybe more so
afterwards.
Spotlight: Vinette Carol, the noted
playwright, has been a constant
companion of yours here at Spelman.
I understand that she’s an old friend of
yours. How did you discover one
another on campus?
Dr. Clark: Accidentally, I just
left her. I didn’t know that Vinette
was going to be here, and she didn’t
know that I was going to be here.
And she was walking across the
campus and I got out of the car and
said, Vinette! And we both embraced
each other. We’ve been friends since
adolescence. Having Vinette here is
very, very positive. She is an
extraordinary person. She directed
plays on Broadway.
Spotlight: What has made the
most significant impact at Spelman,
and how has your experience been in
general?
Dr. Clark: Well, I’ll start with the
latter part. My experience has been
most positive. I’ve visited or have
been invited to. a number of colleges.
And I’ll tell you one of the things
that...what stands out in my mind is
the sense of pride and dignity and the
output of affection which the
students express — things that are
genuine feelings which I sense. After
I’d been here about a day or so, I was
just impressed with the fact that the
students said "how are you Dr. Clark,"
and they smiled. I told Dr. Cole that
the pride which the students have in
themselves, the sense of dignity, is just
most impressive.
Spotlight: So, where will you go
from here?
Dr. Clark: Home.
Spotlight: In terms of your work,
where will you go?
Dr. Clark: Well, I’m retired. I
write occasionally. I don’t like most of
the things that I’m writing now.
What’s happening is that I’m sort of
repeating myself. So maybe I should
let young people do the writing.
Tina Ansa
(continued from page 1)
who worked for Random House.
Morrison gave Ansa encouraging
comments but was unable to publish
the story.
As a result, Ansa started
developing the story and eventually the
little girl grew into Lena, the main
character of Baby of the Family.
Presently, the book is in its third
printing and is doing exceptionally well
for Ansa’s first novel. The paperback
edition is due to be published next
year.
Ansa said that she wrote the novel
to show "how special it is to be a
black child in the South." She feels
that in literature, the cold and negative
side of African-American life is
portrayed. So, Ansa created the
southern town, Mulberry, where "blacks
live rich lives." She also presents a
positive African-American male image
in her novel. The character of Lena’s
father depicts the providing as well as
loving black father.
Ansa’s work-in-progress is a novel
about what happens to a certain black
family when the mother decides to
pursue her freedom. Also, Ansa and
her husband are attempting to make a
screenplay for Baby of the Family.
Ansa offered advice for aspiring
writers that is easier said than done:
"write constantly and read widely!"
She feels that "writers are born rather
than made." Moreover, like "learning
to play the piano, writing takes
constant practice."
Tina McElroy Ansa and her
literary achievements confirm the
tradition that Spelman College molds
the minds of magnificent African-
American women who accomplish great
and wonderful things.