Sankofa

Johnnetta Betsch Cole served as President of both historically Black colleges for women in the United States, Spelman College and Bennett College, a distinction she alone holds. She also served as Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and as a Senior Consulting Fellow at the Mellon Foundation. She has also served in the voluntary position of Chair of the Board and Seventh President of the National Council of Negro Women. She currently serves as a Presidential Scholar of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). She has authored, co-authored, and edited several books and numerous articles for scholarly and general audiences, including Speechifying: The Words and Legacy of Johnnetta Betsch Cole (Duke University Press, 2023), Racism in American Public Life: A Call to Action (UVA Press, 2021), and Gender Talk: The Struggle For Women's Equality in African American Communities (co-authored with Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall; Random House, 2003).

"Drawing from nine decades of life, marked by fullness, challenge, brilliance, and joy, Dr. Cole offers a masterclass in purposeful living. In these pages, she invites us to walk with her as she models what it means to learn continually, lead with compassion, and stay rooted in the values that guide us toward a more just and thriving future." — From the foreword by Tiffany Galvin Green, Ph.D.