Learning Her Stories – Expanding Our Consciousnesses

March 04, 2010

Marie Carmèle Rose-Anne Auguste – Haiti

March is Women’s History Month, and it is an excellent time to remind us of the need to expand our consciousness as humans by learning some of her stories – about individuals who have helped to shape our collective realities, our connected futures, and the future of our global community.

Because of the recent earthquake in Haiti, the world’s response for Haitian relief, and the growing awareness of the need to rebuild Haiti’s infrastructure, it seems an appropriate time to learn more about some of the women of Haiti and their stories.

Thus, I became interested in learning more about her stories in Haiti. There are so many remarkable women and men to learn about, and I could not help but wonder why I did not know more about their stories and how their stories connect with our stories before now.

I was particularly touched by the story of Rose-Anne Auguste. From the reports about her, Rose-Anne Auguste was born in November 1963 in Jeremie. She studied at Port-au Prince’s Lucien College and earned her baccalaureate degree in 1984, and in 1988, she earned her nursing diploma from the National School of Nursing. The more I learned about Ms. Auguste, the more I compared her life to what was happening in my life in the 1980’s—it was evident that we were worlds apart in much more than geography.

Rose-Anne Auguste’s career seems to have included working in a number of non-governmental agencies in Haiti. What appears to be different in her life from most of our lives is that she lived through a military coup in 1991 and is reported to have risked her safety to rescue patients from the State University Hospital and keep the hospital operating.

In the Reebok Human Rights Programs website, they state that the State University Hospital was Haiti’s only trauma facility, and this facility was shut down sometime during the coup. The website states, “ a nurse and a human rights activist named Rose-Anne Auguste took an axe, broke the door, and reopened the hospital. She convinced a number of physicians and nurses to work with her and acted as de facto hospital director for several days until she was removed by the military. But that didn’t deter her commitment to providing health care for poverty stricken Haitians.” *

In 1992, Rose-Anne Auguste founded the Women’s Health Clinic, in association with Partners in Health Organization. My daughter, Madelyn, was about three years old then, and I was working at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania—separated by geography and an awareness of their stories and some of their struggles in Haiti. In 1994, Rose Ann Auguste was awarded the Reebok Human Rights Award; it is reported that she donated this award to support destitute women in Haiti. Today, Rose-Anne Auguste is reported to live in Canada.

What touches me about the story of Rose-Anne Auguste is her courage in face of personal danger and her persistent attempts to improve health care and to eliminate human rights abuses in Haiti. During her acts of courage, Rose-Anne Auguste was a young woman. Getting to know her story helps to underscore our global connectedness. There are reported to be about half a million Haitian Americans in the United States of America. There are many more stories we need to know! Think what learning these stories could mean to my 20 year old daughter and her generation!

*http://www.reebok.com/Static/global/initiatives/rights/awards/recipients/auguste.html
 

Tags: Rose-Anne Auguste , Haiti , human rights , healthcare

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Expanding Our History- It Can Be a Transformational Experience

February 01, 2010

As Dr. Julianne Malveaux, President of historic Bennett College for Women looks on, President Howard-Vital addresses students, faculty, and guests in Greensboro, NC.

Last week I had the opportunity to address a group of faculty, staff, and students at Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, North Carolina for their Lift Every Voice Speaker Series. The intent of my address was to focus on one or two extraordinary, African-American women of the 20th century to help students put into perspective their roles and responsibilities as women in the 21st century. My overall message was that these 20th century women had “paid for us,” and that it was now our responsibility to pay for the 21st century’s citizens by choosing to lead productive and intentional lives.

I have to admit, I did not much like history when I was in high school or when I was an undergraduate. It seemed to me, at the time, that history, or whatever social science nomenclature it was given, satisfied another course requirement, and that it could be mastered with memorization of key facts and a regurgitation of factors that led to some event. Moreover, when I was studying in the mid 20th century, “history” just was not my story, so it did not hold much interest for me beyond earning the grade to maintain my grade point average. There was a definite disconnect.

After my master’s degree program, however, I rediscovered history through reading biographies. It was probably one of my earliest epiphanies as a young adult when I realized that learning about the lives of others was valuable, inspiring, and essential in helping me define my own future. Now, I admit I read biographies of a range of people who were not really covered in my high school or college classes. Nonetheless, the struggles, life choices, failures, and victories of these people helped me to understand myself, my current reality, and to imagine some future actions for myself within a broader context. I believe it was through reading about their lives that I began to more deeply explore the concept of courage.

Once again, we are headed into what has been termed, “Black History Month.” While there are plenty of stories to go around about persons of African-American descent who have achieved marvelous accomplishments, I believe that the real value of expanding our knowledge about our American history is that an expanded base of stories of courage, resilience, and love will resonate with more Americans and will furnish more examples of problem-solving, compassion, and coming of age in an array of circumstances. The broader the range of American experiences to which we expose our youth, the more likely our youth will be able to identify with the prolific American values of hard work, compassion, honesty, self-sacrifice, and courage that we wish to promote for generations to come.

In my own life, I know that the biographies of Fannie Jackson Coppin, Jane Adams, and Maya Angelou have been extremely inspirational and transformational. I often think about how many youth we might reach by exposing them to a richer array of American experience. Otherwise, we allow our youth to fall victims to an overwhelmingly consumer-driven culture. However, if we help them learn more about, and relate to the lives of amazing Americans, think how transformational it would be!

Michelle Howard-Vital, Ph.D.
President, Cheyney University
 

Tags: Bennett College for Women , black history

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2010

January 07, 2010

Hurray, 2010 is here! It seems hard to disagree that the 21st century is coming in with a bang. Without a doubt the world is flatter and more connected. The Internet and other technologies have changed the way we work, live, and play. If you were born in 1910, you probably hardly recognize the place -- our world! For the most part, everything is moving faster, and it is hard for anyone to truly be anonymous with the enculturation of Google, MySpace, Face Book, Blogging, Text Messaging Twitter, and who knows what is to come next.

It is easy to get carried away with the swift speed of work, life, and entertainment without focusing on some areas that have not changed as much as we had hoped at the end of the 20th century. For me, the educational enterprise is one of the areas in which I had hoped to see more positive changes occur. For instance, even with the heavily usage of social media by many Americans, especially those under the age of 30, education instruction in the traditional classroom still looks the same. There is usually one teacher facilitating learning or "teaching" and a group of students in seats. Nowadays, many of these students are texting each other, making plans for after class, and checking the various news services that are keeping them updated on the latest in the entertainment world. I know there is no mystery that there are some students who just do not perform well in this type of "learning" environment. The question for me becomes how can we incorporate some of these social media habits and ways of learning into instructional design and evaluation? How can we challenge students to move to "level nine" in understanding a concept with as much enthusiasm as they employ on entertainment games?

Thus, it probably will be of little surprise that I would like to speed along the change of instructional design and evaluation in the 21st century. What is of most concern to me is that there is still what is called an "achievement gap" between various groups of Americans. When you look at the data closely, it seems that there is a correlation between the achievement gap and family income, early childhood development, family values, nonverbal messages to students, low expectations, and various historical biases against certain groups of people. I would love for someone to do a regression analysis on just how much each of these factors contribute to the achievement gap. Then, I would hope we would act on this knowledge. However, what seems to matter most in 2010 is what we are going to do about these "achievement gaps" which span through elementary, secondary, and higher education and lead to underemployment and under achievement for hundreds of thousands of citizens in our society. If you live in certain urban areas, it is probably not too much of a stretch to connect these achievement gaps with despair, the growth of the prison system, and the decline of the economic viability of the area.

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to bring attention to the potential of America-- what we could be if we had so many more Americans prepared equitably to be responsible and contributing citizens. With the flatter, more connected world, it is really a matter of national security to develop as many Americans as we can to a higher intellectual and social level of living.

Happy New Year!

Michelle Howard-Vital
 

Tags: educational enterprise , achievement gap , social media

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The Season for Giving Thanks

November 10, 2009

As the Holiday season quickly approaches, and the leaves display a beautiful assortment of natural color before they fall from the trees, members of the Cheyney University community tell us there is much for which to be thankful. Our students tell us that they are thankful for their resilience and preparedness for future challenges; they affirm that because they are accustomed to doing a great deal with the meager resources at Cheyney University—they are ready. Our students believe that because of their overall lack of advantages they will be prepared to handle whatever life offers them, once they have completed their college education. Students proclaim, also, that they are thankful; for the caring faculty, coaches, and staff. They value the small classes and the quality interactions they have with faculty and staff. Further, many of our students assert that they are thankful to be at Cheyney University for the opportunity to acquire a college education and an opportunity to gain knowledge and skills for more effectively giving back to their communities after graduation.

Our alumni still recount stories of the affect that specific faculty, coaches, and staff at Cheyney University had on their development when they attended the University decades ago. Our alumni tell us that they are so grateful for the sacrifices and commitment of their former teachers, coaches, staff, and mentors because those dedicated individuals helped them to develop into the responsible men and women they are today. Many alumni are also grateful for the lifelong friendships and connections they have with the extended Cheyney University family. Alumni also let us know that they are appreciative that there was, and still is, a Cheyney University that takes students from where they are and helps them to pursue personal dreams.

Many of the current faculty and staff tell us that they are pleased to work with some of our students who have not been privileged, but who bring a wealth of experience, optimism, talent, and courage to the college environment. Some of our staff who are baby-boomers, moreover, attests that they are pleased to work with the students at Cheyney University because it furnishes an opportunity for them to bring forth a diverse group of new leaders for their disciplines and for the nation. It furnishes an opportunity for them to “give back” and to pay for future generations.

Some of our colleagues in the K-12 continuum offer that they are grateful for some of the successes of Cheyney University—some of their students who left high school as more-or-less nondescript persons blossomed and developed into leaders by the time they graduated from Cheyney University. Other colleagues in the K-12 continuum are thanking Cheyney University for expanding our dual enrollment activities and our outreach to precollege venues.

Without a doubt, I am thankful for the anxiously awaited new residence hall, so that we can offer our students accommodations similar to other institutions. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve the students of the Commonwealth who come to Cheyney University and trust us with their hopes and dreams. Overall, I am also thankful for my assortment of skills and talents that can be put to use to help build a stronger America—one student at a time.

I am also thankful for the family and friends who support me, so that I can support others.

Michelle Howard-Vital

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Homecoming 2009—A Commitment to Future Generations

October 13, 2009

After thirty years in higher education, I have attended numerous homecoming events at our respective universities. Both my husband and I agree, however, that Homecoming at Cheyney University was different—it was a family reunion. As is the custom on homecoming weekends, thousands of CU alumni came “home” to attend various social events and to connect once again with not merely colleagues or classmates, but beloved members of a family spanning four generations.

If you merely scan the list of events on the Homecoming calendar, you may miss the difference in tone and spirit of homecoming. Of course, there was the football game against Millersville University in which the Cheyney Wolves amply demonstrated that they have the heart and discipline to become PSAC competitors. There was also the Lifetime Alumni members breakfast, the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet, the various meetings of the respective graduating classes and Greek organizations, the book signings, the jazz concert, the vendors, the Legacy Breakfast, and of course the tailgating of hundreds of alumni on “the Hill.”

Besides the football game and the extraordinary vitality and school spirit demonstrated by the cheerleaders, the Cheyney University Band, the Athletic Department, and the volunteers, the two events that seem to exemplify the tone and spirit of Homecoming to me, were the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet on Friday night and the Legacy Breakfast on Sunday morning. Both events were attended by hundreds of alumni who gathered to retell more and more facets of the Cheyney University “story.”

The Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet began at 7pm on Friday evening, and by 10 pm, alumni athletes were still thanking former teachers, coaches, and the Cheyney University family for providing the opportunity, discipline, and excellence that still resonates with them on their life journeys. Although there were varying nuances in each of the inductee’s stories, the general theme that consistently emerged was that the faculty, staff, and coaches at Cheyney University had mentored, cared for, and guided the inductees during critical periods of their young lives. They were there for them. Each inductee told of the periods at Cheyney University that was critical to their development as responsible men and women. Listening to these stories and adding their own excellence to the evening, the current CU Jazz Combo played soft jazz notes at program interludes.

Homecoming weekend activities hosted by the University officially culminated with the Legacy Breakfast on Sunday morning. At this breakfast, many more stories from the alumni were shared—this time from alumni who graduated in the 1930’s, 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, and so forth.

Hundreds of alumni listened with awe and amazement as 100-year-old pioneer, Dr. James Dumpson, recounted highlights from his illustrious career in New York City in which he served as a United Nations advisor, consultant on Pakistan, Commissioner of Welfare, a member of the Commission on Narcotics and Drug Abuse, and numerous other roles. Mrs. Hermione Pinckney Hill Logan, the daughter of former Leslie Pinckney Hill, the first president of the Cheyney Normal College, shared memories of living in the president’s house on campus in the much earlier 20th century. She recited, from memory, the famous poem her father wrote entitled “The Teacher.”

Alumnus Charles Grantham, former executive director of the National Basketball Association Players Association, who is currently the CEO of Ceruzzi Sports and Entertainment, offered the keynote speech. During his time as executive director, Charles Grantham played a pivotal role in the revitalization and advancement of the NBA. You could literally hear a pin drop in the large room as he shared stories of courage and character that he observed during his years of interacting with prominent athletes in his role with the NBA.

As is usually the custom, one family was highlighted as a legacy family at the Legacy Breakfast. This year’s family was recognized for having 18 family members who received degrees from Cheyney University–and the legacy continues as two students in the family are currently enrolled at Cheyney University.

By the time the Legacy Breakfast concluded on Sunday afternoon, it was obvious that the Cheyney University alumni were back to celebrate the faculty, staff, and significant others who had contributed to their personal transformations. They were back to reconnect with their family who helped them become responsible and contributing men and women.

By 1:00 pm. on Sunday, we had laughed, commemorated those who were no longer with us, prayed, and promised to help new generations of students endure and achieve. Numerous alumni volunteered to mentor the current Cheyney University students and to work with the vice president of student affairs to provide internships for each student before they graduated.

And as always, the Legacy Breakfast ended with holding hands and singing our Alma Mater more meaningfully than ever:
Cheyney, Cheyney, Alma Mater
Thou whose light can never fail.
With a deep and true devotion
We, thy sons and daughters, hail,
Hear the pledge thy children offer
Strong of hand and clear of brain,
When thou callest, Alma Mater,
Never shalt thou call in vain.
Thou has taught us not to falter,
To be loyal, brave and true,
Striving upward by thy spirit,
In whatever we may do;
And at last, when we have triumphed
Down the long life battle-line,
All the honor and the glory,
Alma Mater, shall be thine.

WORDS AND MUSIC: LESLIE PINCKNEY HILL
President of the College, 1913-1951

And they left home again.
 

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