First we celebrate Wilhemina Holiday. Wilhemina Holiday, or Billie as she was known, was born in Jacksonville, Florida in 1930, but was raised here in Manhattan. She graduated from NYU with a degree in psychology and sociology from what is now the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development.
Holiday had an extensive career in law enforcement. In January, 1984, she was appointed to be the highest ranking African-American woman in law enforcement in the United States as deputy Commissioner for Community Affairs under the New York Police Department. The first African-American woman police commissioner. She served under the Benjamin Ward,
The first black Commissioner of Corrections, and later head of the New York Police Department in the Koch Administration. Although she led the way for women of color in law enforcement, she was perhaps most proud of her presidency of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People known as the NAACP
Mid-Manhattan branch for eight years. Thank you, Billie, for leading the way. Shifting from law enforcement to another side of the law we honor Enid Foderingham Thorpe. Enid Thorpe was one of the first African-American women to graduate from the NYU school of law in 1922. Alongside Anna Jones Robinson
They became the first two African-American women attorneys in the state of New York in 1923. Here you see Enid’s photo in a section dedicated to college graduates in the Crisis, The official magazine of the NAACP. The Crisis was founded in 1910 by W.E.B Du bois, who would have been the editor
For this issue featuring our sister. The NYU law school took a strong stance on the value of women admitting women to study law in 1890, and continuing to challenge other law schools toward the value of underrepresented groups. In 1923, the American Association of Law Schools
Excluded NYU in its list of top law schools due to NYU admitting students of color, and holding courses in the morning, afternoon, and evening to accommodate different social classes. Women of color remain the most underrepresented group in the field of law today. Thank you, Enid continuing to be another first,
And a beacon for the future. Let us celebrate an artists, Winifred Mason, the first African-American professional jeweler. Winifred Mason, was born in 1918 in Manhattan. Her parents migrated from the West Indies to the United States only a few years earlier. Mason received a Bachelor’s in English literature in 1934,
And went on to receive a Master’s in Education from NYU in 1936. After graduating, she worked as a teacher for the Works Public Administration, WPA, and as a craft instructor at the Harlem Boys Club. In the 1940s, Mason taught youth metalworking skills. Receiving a grant to study folk art by West Indians,
Mason also did research in Haiti, where she met her husband, Jean Chenet. Mason grew to become the first African-American jewelry designer selling pieces in national department stores, including Lord & Taylor’s and Macy’s. Ebony magazine feature Mason jewelry in the article, “Copper For Christmas,” in December, 1946. Five of Mason’s pieces are on collection
At the National Museum of African-American history and culture including this necklace, cuff and earrings. And this cuff was the first example of designed by an African-American woman to enter the museum’s collection. Mason’s life’s work inspires generations of jewelers, and metal artists, especially black women metal artists. Thank you, Winifred, for being a pioneer
Of the 20th century. We celebrate one of the founding members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, and one of the first African-American women on Broadway, Osceola Macarthy Adams. Born in 1890 while studying ancient Greece and Philosophy at Howard University, Adams was one of the 22 founders of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.
The Alpha Chapter was founded on January 13, 1913. After graduation, she helped to form a chapter in Chicago, Illinois. She also served as national treasurer. Delta Sigma Theta named an award in her honor for members who contributed to the arts and drama. Osceola appeared in six Broadway plays
Including “The Emperor Jones” with Paul Robeson. Finding roles was never easy for Osceola. She was considered too fair to play black parts, so she often had to play white roles. She adopted a stage name, Osceola Archer. Adams directed plays at the Putnam County Playhouse, and the American Negro Theater in Harlem.
She helped to start the careers of Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. Fighting against racial discrimination well into her 70s, Osceola was a member of the Actors Equity Committee on Minority Affairs. Thank you, Osceola, for your talent, leadership, and determination as a founding member of Delta Sigma Theta, and as a performing artist.
Let’s examine our author, 12th past national president, and former New York University faculty member, Dr. Jeanne L. Noble. Born in Albany, Georgia in 1926. Jeanne L. Nobel graduated from Howard University, and received her master’s and doctorate degrees from Columbia University in Guidance and Developmental Psychology. Her first career positions were as professor
And Dean of Women at historically black universities. After completing her doctorate at Columbia, she was hired by the New York University School of Education known today as Steinhardt. A significant achievement, Dr. Noble was the first African-American woman promoted to full professor at New York University in 1960.
Nobel completed the first basic research on black women in college and published the book, “The Negro Woman’s College Education” in 1958. in the 1960s, she published, “College Education as Personal Development,” used as a textbook in college orientation courses for the first year students. In the 1970s, she published another book,
“Beautiful, Also, Are the Souls of My Black Sisters: A History of the Black Woman in America.” As vice president of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, she provided financial assistance and moral support to the Little Rock Nine. She served on the Rituals and Ceremonies Commission, was a founding chairperson
Of the Sorority’s National Commission on Arts and Letters, and established the Teen Lift mentors program. In her final as president Ebony magazine named here one of the 100 most influential Negroes of the Emancipation Centennial Year, 1963. She was appointed to many federal national commissions by Presidents Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon,
And Gerald R. Ford. Dr. Noble helped design the Women’s Job Corps Program and was a part-time director of training for the Harlem Domestic Peace Corps. She was the first black woman to serve on the National Board of the Girl Scouts, USA. Dr. Noble ended her education career teaching at Brooklyn College.
She produced and moderated “The Learning Experience” in 1977, a weekly education show broadcast which earned her a regional Emmy. Thank you, Dr. Noble, for your contributions to education, equity, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated. Finally let us celebrate our mentor, the legend and activist, Dorothy Irene Height.
Dorothy Irene Height was born in 1912 in Richmond, Virginia. Her family later moved to Rankin, Pennsylvania where she excelled as a student, and received a scholarship to attend college. In 1929, Barnard admitted her without knowing her race. She learned upon her arrival they retracted her offer,
Because they had met their annual quota for two Negros. Height went downtown to graduate from New York University where she received a bachelor’s in education, and master’s in psychology. Her first job was as a social worker in Harlem. She later joined the staff of the Harlem Young Women’s Christian Association, the YWCA.
She created diverse programs, and push the organization to integrate YWCA facilities nationwide. During a chance encounter with African-American leader, Mary McLeod Bethune, Height was invited to begin working with the National Council of Negro Women, the NCNW. Through NCNW, Height focused on ending the lynching of African-Americans, and restructuring the criminal justice system.
As the fourth president of the NCNW serving for 40 years, Height supported voter registration in the South. Presidents, Lyndon B Johnson, John F. Kennedy, and the Attorney general, Robert F. Kennedy often sought her counsel. She served an advisor for seven presidents while head of NCNW. Height served as Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated,
10th president. During her tenure she established the National Library Project. The Five-Point Programmatic Thrust, led the purchase of a first headquarters, and hosted the sorority’s first convention at an all white hotel. In 1963 Height, and other civil rights activists organize the march on Washington for jobs and freedom.
Although she played a role in the march, she was not invited to speak. In fact, no women were included on the program. Despite the apparent gender discrimination in the Civil Rights Movement, Height continued working on the front lines. For all her efforts during the Civil Rights Movement,
Height was awarded and recognized by many organizations. In 2004, Height was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal. She also received an estimated 24 honorary degrees including her honorary doctorate from NYU presented by president James Hester in 1975. Let us now hear from Dr. Height in her own words
At the age of 93 speaking with the Dean of NYU Steinhardt. One of the things that I’ve often said to people when you face discrimination, you can’t afford to get bitter, and I always use that illustration to say Barnard turned me down because I was black. I will never forget what it meant to me, that I came to NYU and I was so accepted
And became so much a part of the university. You know, I felt so much a part of it. In 1920, the women who found the Delta Sigma Theta tried to march in a suffrage parade, and they were denied, but they got into the parade anyway, and they marched down Pennsylvania Avenue,
So they were brave young women. In 1939, after completing my work here in NYU enough. I became the national president, and worked on getting them to look at job opportunities. And I’ll never forget the woman who took me into the sorority, she said, “You have us working on job opportunities.”
She said, “You’re taking all the fun out of the sorority.” And I said to her, “Well, as I understand the history, and the founders, and the values in express, you’re a supposed to be able to have fun doing some service.” And from that little beginning, today the sorority is more and more vigorously
Working on social issues. I’m still working at 93 to make the 14th amendment assure equal justice to all. I often say to young people, “You can’t deal with issues just by sound bytes on television, or little snips that you see. You have to do your own study.
You have to be willing to put the time into it.” I value my background and my experience, because I’ve had enough of a challenge just seeing what kind of person do you want to be rather than what are you gonna do? Because the way you do it is based upon who you are,
And how you feel about yourself. I would just say, keep going. (laughs) Tell you’re like Harry Tubman did to me growing up, He said, “Look backward and move forward, but keep going on.” Because I think that more and more education has to accentuate the best that’s in people.
I served and I felt that meant a lot to me, and that we have to be able to help more and more people learn how to live with diversity. It’s you I want to continue so long and siloed until we get a society where we have not only law and order,
But equality and justice.
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