Published: May 11, 2005

SPELMAN COLLEGE TO HONOR HOWARD ZINN, DIAHANN CARROLL AND VIRGINIA DAVIS FLOYD AT 2005 COMMENCEMENT, MAY 15TH

Marian Wright Edelman, Founder, Children's Defense Fund,
to serve as Baccalaureate speaker

Howard Zinn

Diahann Carroll

Dr. Virginia Davis Floyd

Atlanta, GA (BlackNews.com) - Forty years after inspiring students as a Spelman College faculty member, Howard Zinn, Ph.D., will return to inspire another generation of students as speaker for the College's 118th Commencement to be held at Cathedral at Chapel Hill, in Decatur, Ga., on Sunday, May 15 at 4 p.m. Dr. Zinn, historian, activist, educator and playwright, will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at the ceremony, where nearly 500 students will celebrate becoming part of the Spelman alumnae sisterhood.

Dr. Zinn, widely known for his book "A People's History of the United States," edited "Voices of a People's History of the United States," in 2004 as a primary-source companion, which has sold more than one million copies. The story of Dr. Zinn has been captured in the recent documentary, Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train.

Dr. Zinn played an active role in mentoring and supporting Spelman students who worked in the civil rights movement in Atlanta and across the South-students such as Marian Wright Edelman, Roslyn Pope, Ruby Doris Smith Robinson, Hershelle Sullivan Challenor, Bernice Johnson Reagon and Alice Walker. This story, and those of these women who fought against segregation, are well documented in the new book, "Undaunted by the Fight: Spelman College and the Civil Rights Movement," written by Professor Emeritus Dr. Harry Lefever, Ph.D. (Mercer University Press, 2005). The book meticulously documents the period of 1957-1967.

Actress and humanitarian Diahann Carroll is a pioneer in television, film and theater, and she will be honored with a Doctor of Fine Arts. In 1968, Ms. Carroll was the first African American actress to star in her own TV series, "Julia" for NBC. In 1984, she was the first African American actress to star in the award-winning, nighttime dramatic series, "Dynasty." She has blazed a path in entertainment followed by many other African American women, and has been recognized with the Women in Film Crystal Award for her contributions to the advancement of women in the industry. In addition, she has received the NAACP Defense & Education Fund's Black Women of Achievement Award.

Another activist, Dr. Virginia Davis Floyd, C'73, will receive the National Community Service Award. Dr. Floyd is the Visiting Scholar in Traditional Knowledge at Spelman College. Dr. Floyd is highly regarded for her research and community leadership in the area of traditional medicine and global cross-cultural experiences. She is vice president, PROMETRA International and executive director, PROMETRA USA.

Marian Wright Edelman, C'60, will serve as keynote speaker for Baccalaureate, Saturday, May 14 at 10 a.m. in Sisters Chapel at Spelman. Ms. Edelman, Founder of the Children's Defense Fund, is well known for her work on behalf of children across the nation. However, her early days of activism occurred in Atlanta as a student. Ms. Edelman graduated as valedictorian from Spelman in 1960, attended Yale Law School, and was the first black woman to pass the bar in Mississippi. She headed the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund in Mississippi from 1964 to 1968. Ms. Edelman is also prominently featured in the new book "Undaunted by the Fight: Spelman College and the Civil Rights Movement."

Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top 100 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges - Bachelor's," 2004 edition. This private college for Black women boasts outstanding alumnae such as Children's Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman; former Foreign Service Director General, Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and Pearl Cleage; and actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson. More than 81 percent of the full-time faculty holds Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees and the student-faculty ratio is 12:1. The students number 2,121 and represent 41 states and 15 foreign countries. www.spelman.edu