31 May

Rev. Jesse Jackson says Bennett women sustained the Greensboro Four’s protest with ‘strength and courage’

The Reverend Jesse Jackson was born in Greenville, South Carolina, but folks in these parts claim him as a native son because he graduated from North Carolina A&T State University. In fact, Jackson will tell you that he found himself at A&T, where he was a star football player, student body president, and leader of a movement to integrate public facilities and businesses in Greensboro. Jackson went to work with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1965 and in 1967 took over the Chicago-based “Operation Bread Basket”, where he was successful in persuading area companies to hire minorities. He became …

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07 May

In Memory of Former First Lady Barbara Bush

Bennett College honors the life and legacy of Former First Lady Mrs. Barbara Bush, who served as the College’s 1989 Commencement Speaker and to whom Bennett awarded an Honorary Degree. Mrs. Bush passed away at age 92 on April 17, 2018.  She was invited to speak at Bennett College by then-President Dr. Gloria Randle Scott, a native of Houston, Texas.  Dr. Scott was named to the Education Advisory Board of President-elect George H.W. Bush in 1987 and later met Mrs. Bush at a United Negro College Fund (UNCF) event in New York.  The two women became friends. Mrs. Bush has …

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05 May

Bennett graduates hear uplifting speeches from April Ryan, others at Institution’s Commencement

Bennett College’s 78 graduates were encouraged to give back to their alma mater and to embrace their beauty on May 5 in a commencement address by White House Correspondent/CNN Political Analyst April Ryan. “Graduates, you’ve got to think about from whence you’ve come,” Ryan said. “And you’ve got to remember to give back to Bennett College. It’s not about how much you give. While you’re standing, make a pledge to Bennett in your heart today. Graduates, I also want you to remember you’re beautiful black women, but most of all you’re beautiful. Ryan delivered Bennett’s 2018 Commencement address to about …

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05 May

Civil Rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. delivers Bennett’s Baccalaureate address

In an uplifting speech during which he referenced strong African-American women and had the graduates repeat after him, civil rights icon Reverend Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. delivered Bennett College’s Baccalaureate address on May 4. Jackson spoke inside a packed Annie Merner Pfeiffer Chapel, the same chapel where 60 years ago Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered a speech. Jackson was with King when he was shot on April 4, 1968, at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Bennett President Dr. Phyllis Worthy Dawkins presided over the Baccalaureate Service, which featured music from the Bennett College Choir, directed by Dorthea L. …

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