Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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memory yet lives in the hearts of the blacks and Bethune-Cookrnan College is truly representative of black pride. There have been other strong black women even before slavery was abolished. But, perhaps the discussion of black females active in today's society would be more relevant and rewarding. The first black woman in the U.S. history to be elected as a member of the House of Representatives is Mrs. Shirley Chisholm of Brooklyn. N.Y. She feels that the success of any political movement is organization and she is critical of black militants who lack organization. An advocate of Woman Power is Mrs. Betty Snabazz, widow of Malcolm X. We blacks are going to rule ourselves. Whites would consider it insane if any ethnic group tried to rule them. and we think it's insane for whites to try to rule us. About the only things we've been allowed to run are our churches and our bars. The stores, factories and businesses in black areas are owned by whites. Another outstanding person in black man's society is Mrs. Coretta King, widow of the martyred civil rights leader, Martin Luther King. She is trying to carry on the work of her slain husband by making personal appearances and speech engagements. Her goal in black movement is to maintain the policy of non-violence, which her husband had so strongly advocated. Black women are playing many roles in white man's society which have never existed for them before. They are asserting themselves in almost every conceivable field. But. this is not the picture of black women as a whole. There is a distinct line between those who have crossed and those who have not. Black students are merging to change the mood of all blacks in white man's society. During the '50s and early '60s the ultimate goal of the Negro student was integration. Now the aim is toward Black pride. Pride to the black man is psychologically rewarding and like a rebirth. In an effort to assert himself he had to play the role of a little middle-class black sambo' and orient himself to Ll western Anglo-Saxon culture. No longer is the black student willing to play that role. He is learning more and more about his history and has discovered that he was brainwashed into believing that he was inferior, The black man is very proud to be black and is striving toward Black unity. My place in society has not already been predetermined. I must decide where I am going, what I am going to do and how I will get there. I want to have a career as well as be a homemaker. The black female has to assert herself into the world by helping her man. In order for her to help. she must get an education and encourage the male to do likewise. After education, a sense of togetherness must continue to grow and be a dominate factor in the lives of all black people. At this point. the female is able to work diligently at her career as well as become an excellent wife and mother. Being black has never made me feel the need to make excuses for my thoughts. my mistakes and my aspirations. I am proud to be black and thankful that the black man has finally gained an acute sense of blackness, of pride, and of munity. Dawn has come for the black man and his dreams are slowly illuminating into reality. hite Femal by jan Roper The role of the white female in today's society is one of silent and slow rebellion. She longs to gain her equality with men. This equality encompasses such things as equal pay and equal job opportunities, etc. In short. women want their equal rights when compared with the men in the business world. The place, then, for the weaker sex no longer must be in the home. She is free to choose a career after high school, get married, or expand her education by going to college. Even women who have children and also work or go to school are no longer frowned upon by society. Of course, this does not mean that all women feel this way. Some traditionalists strongly feel that the female should stay home where she belongs, even if she is not happy there. She must gladly accept her position as the dishwasher, diaper-changer, bed-maker, husband-pleaser, and soap opera-watcher without any chance for a separate career. Many women of today don't submit to this stereotype. however. A woman's duties to her husband and her children, though, have not really changed much from the past. Because of this fact, a woman who wants to pursue a career and also raise a family, accepts a responsibility which is twice as great. Some women can handle this situation. however, while others miserably fail in one or both of their responsibilities. They find themselves completely torn between their own personal ambi- tions and their family needs. This brings up another interesting point. Women today have found that they don't necessarily have to get married at I8 anymore. Although statistics show that many girls do, the girls that don't are no longer labeled old maidsn until they are much. much older. This fact gives the white female the chance to fulfill her life-long ambitions without the pressures of society pushing her into marriage. This also gives her a chance to first accomplish her goal and then settle down to raising a family if she wants to. Perhaps this is why divorce is so high in this country. Young girls get married fresh

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Being black has never made me feel the need to make excuses for my thoughts, my mistakes. and my aspirations. U l a Black Female s Role in Society by Brenda Dooling Since the dawn of creation, man's ultimate desire was to have control over himself, to be free. This idea has permeated every agony filled struggle of man, whether physical or emotional, and yet remains prevalent in society today. Each step toward freedom was an important one and with each battle, the fervor became more acute. Finally, the bell of freedom rang as the actuality of slavery vanished and all men were legally declared free and equal. The concept of freedom and equality is not easily tangible and with the mere declaration of emancipa- tion, a man who was once in bondage still has to overcome a feeling of inadequacy. If freedom is being able to think, to act and to move without hinderance, how can a man who has been suppressed suddenly find his identity? The history of the black man is a brilliant and remarkable one. Although enslaved for more than 200 years. he was able to merge into the white world and eventually find his identity, thereby finding his manhood. The black female evolved into a dominant figure. During the time in which she had to care for the children of their masters' she often learned to write and read. Her role was important to that particular family, but perhaps even more so to herself than she actually realized. By constantly living and mingling in the home, her experiences were enumerable and valuable. A tendency to ignore contributions of the black man still exists because a feeling of superiority still exists. Although the abolishment of slavery occurred over 100 years ago, the premise that the black man is a thing to be used rather than a person to be respected, yet shadows the minds of people. The dream of the black man to be equal. though once dim, now illuminates the hearts of man as the dawn of a new day bursts through. He has found his purpose and no longer does he want to be dark imitations of whites. His purpose is an ever increasing plea for black unity and black pride. To be more specific, the role of the black female will essentially dominate the major focus of attention. She was the backbone of the family. They were like sponges constantly absorbing knowledge and teaching their family. It is quite evident that the educational background of the black man was a crude, sub-level one, though improvement eventually came. One individual who was devoted to educating blacks was Mary McLeod Bethune. Her parents were born slaves and were freed after 1865. Mary was born free and had an opportunity to become educated. She founded an institute which is continuously growing. A beautiful, outstanding lady was this educator. Her

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le in Society out of high school and 3 months later discover that they are no longer free to do what they want to do, so they break away from their husbands in search for this satisfaction. On the other hand, many past characteristics of the female are similar today. For instance, the female 's still expected to be feminine at all times, to at least pretend she is less intelligent than the male, and also play the match-making game to the best of her ability, with plenty of charm, poise, wit, and flirtations. She must also be willing to submit to the moods of the male, cheer his feats of strength, and give him at least enough sex to keep him temporarily satisfied. Why do I tell you all of these things? Because I am a white female and this is how I see my assigned position in life. I am a sophomore here at BJC andl have chosen to delve into the field Qtf-IQufl12jliSm.2jf1 occupation which is mainly controlled by men. This field offers a challenge to me. I must be able to compete with men and yet keep my femininity. It is certainly a difficult task but it can and has been done. Look at Nancy Dickerson, for instance. Of course, like all single girls at BJC, I do keep my eye out for an eligible bachelor, although I feel that I am far from being ready for marriage. I must first find myself in this life before I can possibly share my life with someone else. This I have not yet done, so I will continue to take advantage of my freedom and the chivalrous deeds of the male. In a few years, however, I will be willing to sacrifice for my husband and my children, even at the cost of my profession. Now, however, I must at least try to reach my goals. For if I don't try now, I will never know whether I could possibly have accom- plished them or not. This, I feel, is why most young females are fighting for their civil rights. They must accomplish their goals now, even at the cost of the male. Then they will be ready to accept the role of wife and mother - a role of sharing, love. companion- ship, and complete and total submission. 3 Q., ,alba I must first .find 111-well' in lliix life be-jbrv I 4-an possiblr slmrr' my life rvillz sonrvuie vlsv. U l I 1'