ABOUT THIS BOOK

Speechifying collects the most important speeches of Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole—noted Black feminist anthropologist, the first Black female president of Spelman College, former director of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, and former chair and president of the National Council of Negro Women. A powerful and eloquent orator, Dr. Cole demonstrates her commitment to the success of historically Black colleges and universities, her ideas about the central importance of diversity and inclusion in higher education, the impact of growing up in the segregated South on her life and activism, and her belief in public service. Drawing on a range of Black thinkers, writers, and artists as well as biblical scripture and spirituals, her speeches give voice to the most urgent and polarizing issues of our time while inspiring transformational leadership and change. Speechifying also includes interviews with Dr. Cole that highlight her perspective as a Black feminist, her dedication to public speaking and “speechifying” in the tradition of the Black church, and the impact that her leadership and mentorship have had on generations of Black feminist scholars.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Johnnetta Betsch Cole, author and editor of numerous books, is President Emerita of Spelman and Bennett Colleges, Director Emerita of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African Art, and former Chair and President of the National Council of Negro Women. She lives in Florida.

Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the Interim Dean of the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan.

Erica Lorraine Williams is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Spelman College.

REVIEWS

“Speechifying is a unique piece of scholarship. Focusing on Johnnetta Betsch Cole’s extraordinary oratorical practice as an academic, college administrator, museum director, and social activist, this collection highlights her career as a public intellectual—a woman who has made the most of her extraordinary gifts throughout her stellar career.”

-- A. Lynn Bolles, author of Women and Tourist Work in Jamaica: Seven Miles of Sandy Beach

“What emerges from this meticulously researched and passionate collection of Dr. Cole’s speeches—delivered to diverse audiences over decades—is the most compelling and informative portrait of one of our most influential and productive Black feminist scholar-activist-leaders. We are indebted to the editors, Professors Watkins-Hayes and Williams, for this loving, thorough scholarly project that makes a major contribution to African diaspora studies, women’s studies, and leadership studies as well as to Dr. Cole's home discipline, anthropology.”

-- Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies, Spelman College

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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