PEAK — Promoting Education, Awareness, and Knowledge
University of the Rockies is proud to share our PEAK initiative: Promoting Education, Awareness, and Knowledge. Every month, we'll highlight different causes and opportunities that reflect the values of the University. You'll also learn ways that you can participate or be more involved.
February 2012 – African American History Month
Today's young people can be inspired by the many African Americans who have
so greatly enriched our country in the sciences, arts, politics, and more.
Frederick Douglas, a former slave who became an abolitionist leader and an inspiration for the first “Negro History Week” in 1926.
The tradition of African American History Month dates back to the early 20th century. Carter G. Woodson, the renowned educator and historian, founded what was then called “Negro History Week” in 1926. Woodson chose February in honor of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two men he considered the greatest advocates of the emancipation of American slaves (www.naacp.org). In 1976, Negro History Week became African American History Month, a time when President Gerald R. Ford said Americans should “…seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history” (1976). (http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov.)
African American Women of Note
Mary McLeod Bethune (July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955)
Mary McLeod Bethune was the first African American woman to be involved in the White House and held council with four different American presidents over the course of her career. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, a group she called an "organization of organizations," and one that she hoped might bring the concerns of black women to the world’s attention. She also wanted a venue through which she might give black women the opportunity to become advocates for social justice and equality.
Bethune Park in Minneapolis, MN is named after Mary McLeod Bethune, the first African American woman to serve as the head of a federal agency.
It was Bethune's career as a teacher that helped her achieve her dream of opening the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in Daytona Beach in 1904, with only five students. Despite its humble beginnings, in 1929 the school became Bethune-Cookman College, an institution that became fully accredited in 1943.
Bethune was best known for her influence on Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal Government and from 1936 to 1945 she worked closely with the administration. Bethune also worked as Director of Negro Affairs for the National Youth Administration, an organization that was created to help young people find employment. Because of her great contributions in the fields of advocacy and equality, Bethune became the first African American leader, and the first woman, to have a monument erected in her honor on public land in our nation’s capital (www.ncnw.org).
Gwendolyn Brooks (June 7, 1917 - December 3, 2000)
Gwendolyn Brooks was born in Kansas in 1917 and raised in Chicago. During her prolific career as a poet and writer, she authored more than 20 books of poetry, including Blacks (1987), Riot (1969), The Bean Eaters (1960), and Annie Allen (1949). The latter work was so acclaimed it made her the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize.
Brooks was named Poet Laureate for the state of Illinois and was also a Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Her awards and accolades include an American Academy of Arts and Letters award, the Frost Medal, a National Endowment for the Arts award, the Shelley Memorial Award, and fellowships from The Academy of American Poets and the Guggenheim Foundation (www.poets.org).
While much can be said about Brooks’ career, it is only fitting that we allow her writing to speak for itself.
We Real Cool
The Pool Players.
Seven at the Golden Shovel.
We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon (1960).
For more poetry from Gwendolyn Brooks, please view this video:
Mae Jemison (born October 17, 1956)
Mae Jemison is a doctor, an astronaut, and an inspiration to anyone that follows the fields of science and medicine. She began her secondary education at Stanford University, where she received degrees in both Chemical Engineering and African American Studies. After graduation, she went to Cornell University Medical College, where her educational journey was both exciting and enterprising. She studied in Cuba and Kenya and worked at a refugee camp in Thailand. Jemison also did medical research as a Peace Corps medical officer in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
During her time in Sierra Leone, Jemison applied for NASA's astronaut training program. She was accepted and became one of 15 candidates selected from over 2,000 applicants. This selection also made her the first African American woman ever admitted into the astronaut training program. Jemison trained with NASA for a year and became a science mission specialist. On September 12, 1992, she flew into space aboard the Endeavour and spent just over a week in space conducting weightlessness experiments on herself and the crew (www.biography.com).
Listen to Mae Jemison talk more about her experiences:
The positive impact that female African Americans have had on our country’s history is incalculable. While it is impossible to credit every educator, artist, political figure, doctor, scientist, and advocate for social justice in this article, we hope that you’ve learned something about these women who made great contributions to our country, and we encourage you to look at their lives as examples of what can be accomplished despite any prevalent limiting or prejudiced beliefs of one’s time.
More information on African American History Month can be found at www.naacp.org.
University of the Rockies Student Spotlight: Dionne Mahaffey
Doctor of Psychology, Business Psychology specialization
Long before she arrived at University of the Rockies, Dionne Mahaffey of Atlanta, Georgia, was already a success. Five years ago, she launched her own company, The CPAI Group, Inc., which recruits college-educated employees for celebrities and has become known as Hollywood’s "Staffing Agency to the Stars." Describing just a few of her successful career highlights, Mahaffey reports: "Several years ago, I successfully negotiated a multi-year, multi-million dollar contract with the National Football Players Association for my agency's Lifestyle Management division. CPAI was named the "Official Lifestyle Management Agency" for NFL seasons 2003-06. This historical appointment was the first time that such a contract was awarded to a minority- or female-owned company. I also authored ‘Beyond the Red Carpet...’ a career guide focusing on behind-the-scenes careers in the entertainment industry, and I have been featured as a Hollywood insider on Oprah, MTV and E! Networks."
At 39 years old, Mahaffey certainly did not need a doctoral degree to make a career for herself. Why did she choose to enroll at University of the Rockies? "I transferred from another school’s PhD in Business program, where I had been majoring in Marketing," she says. "The well-being of other people is more important to me than the traditional management topics found in a PhD Business program. My purpose for pursuing a doctorate at University of the Rockies is to transition from the ‘rat race’ into academia. University of the Rockies provided the best fit because their curricula and programs were more consistent with my goals: to position myself as a ‘thought leader’ who can provide expert commentary and socially relevant analysis on a wide range of topics spanning infidelity, gender loyalty, female rivalry in the workplace, and other nouveau-feminist topics.
"I like the flexibility of University of the Rockies," continues Mahaffey, "the professionalism of the staff and the diverse program offerings. The professors are extremely nice and very interested in student success. They are personable and you really feel as if you are in the classroom with them. The Admissions Counselors are polite, courteous and diligent." Of her own Admissions Counselor, Mahaffey says, "Catherine Beecher contacted me regularly upon my first inquiry to make sure that I got everything in on time, and she has kept in touch."
Now in the first year of her online doctoral program, Mahaffey is hard at work researching "the mechanisms of human thought, and how thoughts, expectations and interpretations affect an individual's behavior." She continues, "My specific interests include: psychology of women, multiculturalism, discovering the authentic self, conflict resolution and consumer behavior. I would like to utilize humanistic coaching methods to help strengthen what's right with their lives."
As for specific projects, Mahaffey explains, "I presented a poster on Female Rivalry in the Workplace and Beyond. That is the anticipated topic of my dissertation. I would like to publish articles regarding women and how we interact with one another." As for her long term career plans, Mahaffey says she plans to apply her degree to work in academia, perhaps with some consulting and coaching on the side. "I am eager obtain a university position to teach and share my experiences with college students." With her Doctor of Psychology from University of the Rockies, Mahaffey should have no trouble finding even more success in her career.
Sources:
Black History Month. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.naacp.org/campaign/black_history_month?utm_medium=email&utm_source=NAACP&utm_campaign=20110201BlackHistoryFacts&source=20110201BlackHistoryFacts
Brooks, G. (1960). We real cool. The bean eaters. New York, NY: Harper & Brothers.
February is African American History Month. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/about.html
Gwendolyn Brooks. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/165
Mae C. Jemison Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.biography.com/people/mae-c-jemison-9542378
Mary McLeod Bethune. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.ncnw.org/about/bethune.htm
PEAK Archive
