31st Bethune Recognition Program

501(c)3 Organzation

Lois Carson's Speech at the
31st Bethune Recognition Program
(full speech)

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Good afternoon;

I am honored to be invited to be speaker today for the 31st Bethune Recognition Program in the year of our 75th Anniversary. I have entitled my remarks “ Dr. Height’s Challenge To Us: Seek a New Height”. I want to urge us to think outside the box; we will review our history and fantastic track record over the last 75 years; then I will suggest areas for us to pursue in the future---as we search for a new height in honor of and tribute to the two women on whose shoulders we stand: Mary McLeod Bethune and her mentee, Dorothy Irene Height. A FANTASTIC TRACK RECORD

Close your eyes and imagine you were there on December 5, 1935 at the Harlem branch of the YWCA. The woman, speaking to you and representative of 18 organizations, is Mary McLeod Bethune. Her friend, Eleanor Roosevelt is in the audience and the young woman facilitating (doing the grunt work) is Dorothy I Height, a social worker in her first professional job. Thinking outside the box, Mrs. Bethune asked the attendees to consider and to endorse a new idea: Collaboration. Imagine hearing her make the compelling case for collective action:

If I touch you with one finger, you may not know that you have been touched—or with two or three; but if I roll my fingers into a fist, I can deal a mighty blow”
Those 18 organizations (affiliates) responded with a resounding “yes” and the National Council of Negro Women was born.

Today, 75 years later, we can boast over 30 affiliates, nearly 300 community-based sections, an International Division with field offices in five countries and a prestigious headquarters in Washington, DC, located halfway between the White House and the United States Capitol. We hold NGO (non- governmental organization status) at the United Nations, of which Bethune was the only female founder. Both our Founder and our late President Emeritus enjoyed national acclaim, honor and esteem. No other organization, white or black has gone to the White House more than NCNW. Mrs. Bethune, given her wisdom about power, said, “you deal with power at the seat of power”.

So, all our conventions have been held in Washington except two: Los Angeles in 1969 and New York in 1985 for the 50th Anniversary, where we were bused to Harlem’s famed Abyssinian Baptist Church for the commemoration of the founding.

My first White House visit was during the Ford administration, then during the Carter Administration, then Reagan’s and the first Bush administration. There definitely was a visit to the Obama White House.

Think of all this when you ponder the plank of the Legacy that says: “I leave you a respect for the use of power”. We are women who are aware, strong and active and who will command respect for our power.

Contrast that picture of the African American woman to the negative image foisted on us by others: despised, exploited, and otherwise externally defined—loose women, angry Sapphires, promiscuous, ugly, “nappy-headed whores and bitches. We are none of that!

Let me inject here that this is the 90th year of women’s suffrage—not for the African American woman—we achieved suffrage with the Voting Rights Act of 1968. But like Soujourner who was there for the occasion in 1920 and asked “Aint I a woman?” we will lay claim as women to suffrage for all women too.

We are the foundation of the black family; we vote more than any other group; we are hard workers. In fact, as Dr Height used to say, “The black woman does not need any more work; she needs more money for the work that she does”. Women before us could get more out of a dollar than anyone—those women who make a way out of no way. Bea Richards, the playwright, in her play “No Place to be Somebody” stress how black women have shouldered the burden evenly with the black male. In that play she said to her love interest, when he forbad her to take an action she chose, “I survived those slave ships just like you; I picked my bale of cotton just like you; so, don’t bring that Charlie ( expletive deleted) to me!”

Sisters, we have prevailed against many storms; we are self-defining, educated, accountable and, by the way, we are beautiful; and---- by the way, we are on our own. We are the force behind the Black Family and now, we must consider being the force behind the black community. We must think outside the box like Bethune did and forge a new direction for our next 75 years. We must find a new voice and launch a call to action like Bethune did. We must pass the baton to the thirty somethings, college women, and girls in high school and junior high school to take us to the new HEIGHT. We will continue to play our traditional roles of nurturers, but let’s extend the definition beyond our homes and families to the next level, to greater heights; our young women will “Take You There”. Speaking of songs, like Chaka Khan, we are “Every Woman”; Like Patti LaBelle, we “ Got A New Attitude”; Like Aretha, we demand “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” and like Helen Reddy, we will sing “I Am Woman-Hear Me Roar” We will speak to that Power that has become that dreadful force of which Mrs. Bethune spoke. Let us take responsibility for the black community where there are no banks, no groceries or service stations and where dreadful Power would like to take away the libraries and the youth centers. We will be The Advocates who say “ENOUGH”!

In addition to community development, we must focus on public policies such as Environmental Justice: do we know where the toxics are located or cancer causing agents? We must focus on schools where education is a civil right and where dreadful power is doing damage to our children; but we must assume some of the blame because we are not paying attention. Given the corruption in Bell, CA and other places, we must monitor for a transparent and accountable government; those are our tax dollars, too.

Finally, let us “buy black” by spending our money to the extent possible in the black community. Fred Jordan, entrepreneur in San Francisco, advocates setting aside the month of August as National Black Business month; he believes this is one of the best way to lower the high rate of unemployment. Since 1990, black households have earned the lowest median income of all races; median income was blacks-$34,000, Hispanics--$39,000, whites--$52,000, Asians---$66,000.n As of April, 2010 black unemployment was at 16.9%.The challenge will be formidable but let us try---try to find black hotels when you travel; patronize that small business even though there are problems; you know many of the majority businesses don’t care if you patronize them or not. Get proclamations to recognize the month. This is something we will do for our families, our communities and for our black souls.

How will we do all this? We will recruit our affiliates to partner with us as Mrs. Bethune did--to collaborate in addressing these priorities. This is the type of leadership NCNW was organized to practice. This is the “mighty fist” we will use to gain attention from local power brokers. In preparation for new level of work let us together call out the Principles we will need to move forward. These are given to us by Earl Graves, publisher of Black Enterprise magazine (see attachment).

 

Ladies, we can do this! After 75 years of existence we are poised and prepared to step up to a new height---the Dorothy Irene Height. Let us grab the golden ring of leadership and make something happen. We are, as the poet said, the captain of our ship and the master of our fate. So, like Dr. Height let us humbly, eagerly and energetically breathe new life into Bethune’s Last Will and Testament and climb Jacob’s Ladder again to soldier on –to keep on keeping on; let us celebrate 75 years of service by arming ourselves for 75 years of advocacy and action and thereby honor the memories of two great women: Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Dr. Dorothy Irene Height.

TO A NEW HEIGHT!

 

Lois Jean Carson