Tess: I would like to shine the spotlight on a legendary institution of higher learning: Spelman College. This college in Atlanta was first established in 1881 under the name Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary. In 1884 the name would be changed to Spelman Seminary and in 1924 the institution would be changed to its present name Spelman College. This is a ationally recognized and ranked institution.
This institution has aided in the formation of many notable women:
Marian Wright Edelman (noted as the founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund)
Alice Walker (actvisit, Pulitizer prize winning author)
Esther Rolle (actress, star of Good Times)
Bernice Johnson Reagon (founder of the Grammy winning group Sweet Honey in the Rock)
Marcelite J. Harris (first African-American woman general in the United States Air Force)
Pearl Cleage (author of many books including What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day)
Bernice King (attorney & minister; daughter of Coretta Scott King and MLK)
Wanda S. Lloyd (former senior editor of USA Today, now editor of The Montgomery Advertiser)
Though those names are nationally known, Spelman College has allowed many African-American women to advance. As a historical college (over 120 years old) and a nationally known one, it has long served not just as a beacon to those who have attended but as a sign of the possibilities that are out there. Spelman College's glorious past and present enable many to "have a dream."
