Fisk University President and alumna Carolynn Reid-Wallace spoke about “Achieving the Democratic Ideal” Tuesday in the Laboratory’s Material Science Auditorium at Technical Area 3. The talk was sponsored by the Laboratory’s African American Diversity Working Group and the Diversity (DVO) Office as part of the Lab’s observance of national Black History Month. Photo by LeRoy N. Sanchez, Public Affairs"Fisk University is a 137-year-old institution not as rich as Vanderbilt, but I take great pride in the oldest but poorest," said Carolynn Reid-Wallace, president of Fisk University. Reid-Wallace spoke at the Laboratory's Materials Science Laboratory Auditorium on Tuesday as part of the Lab's observance of Black History Month.
According to Reid-Wallace, "Achieving the Democratic Ideal" has not really been accomplished, because the country has not always lived up to the eloquence of its national documents. There are ironies and contradictions surrounding the principles, she said. "While we were busy writing the Declaration of Independence and penning the Constitution, we also were encouraging slavery because of the economic reality that money drove circumstance," she said.
"I love this country and let us set the record straight there is no country like ours. The power of criticism will hopefully yield the power of correction," she said. "The same principles apply to both people of color and people [not of color]; the responsibility to be certain that we learn from our past and don't impose on others the same kinds of injustices," she added.
Fisk University's values are quality, compassion, innovation, diversity, community outreach and service and each play a major role in all that it does. These values are posted in strategic areas across the campus and are key to any successful institution and its ability to realize goals, said Reid-Wallace.
Fisk's history began six months after the Civil War and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. John Ogden, the Reverend Erastus Milo Cravath, and the Reverend Edward P. Smith established Fisk in honor of General Clinton B. Fisk of the Tennessee Freedmen's Bureau. The first students ranged in ages from seven to 70, but shared common experiences of slavery and poverty and an extraordinary thirst for learning. From Fisk's inception, it has played a leadership role in the education of African-Americans, according to its Web page.
"Today Fisk has one of the finest physics departments and liberal arts colleges in the United States. More and more women are studying physics, establishing curves that are not appreciated by the men, but it is recognized that women need to be in the sciences. Many of the undergraduates go on to Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and other Ivy League colleges. We also have opened our institution to Hispanics, Asians and Whites and the consequences to date have been extraordinarily good," Reid-Wallace said.
Among currently practicing black physicians, lawyers and dentists, one in six is a Fisk graduate. In proportion to its size, Fisk continues to contribute more alumni to the ranks of doctorally prepared African-American scholars than any other institution, black or white, in the United States. Former Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary is among Fisk's graduates, she added.
Regarding current world events, Reid-Wallace said, "We are standing at a precipice, serious threats are upon us, but we will find diplomatic ways to meet the crisis. Civilization will go forth and we will find strength despite imperfections of our democratic ideals. We have an extraordinary democracy and we must practice the art of perfecting the ideal," she said. "What we do today will be recorded in the history of time, not necessarily with our names, but in some way. 'Somos Uno,' we are all one people," Reid-Wallace said.
For more information about Black History Month see the Diversity Office (DVO) Web site at http://www.lanl.gov/orgs/dvo/ or see the Feb. 13 Daily Newsbulletin.