Inaugural Address
Daria J. Willis, Ph.D.
I am a historian by training. After earning my degree in history education and attending one student teaching session at a local Tallahassee [Florida] middle school, full of sixth graders, I quickly changed course. Teachers have a very special place in my heart, but I couldn't do it. At that moment, I decided that academia was where I wanted to be. What I did not know at the time was how the study of history would, should, or could be used as a tool in a college presidency.
Working on my dissertation, I studied the Black elite in the 19th and 20th century United States. My focal point was a woman named Adella Hunt Logan, born in 1863 in Sparta, Georgia. She was educated at Atlanta University and began her career as a teacher in 1883. She was of mixed-race blood and had a fire that burned bright for the cause of women's suffrage and for the plight of Blacks in this country.
She was a trailblazer for her time, albeit with her own human struggles on the campus of Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute. Her husband, Warren Logan, would later serve as a trusted friend and advisor to Booker T. Washington while controlling the finances of the school.
Now, Adella committed suicide by jumping from a window at the top of a building at the Institute. Although my dissertation analyzed suicide in the Black elite – a topic that does not get enough attention today – my research also gave me my first look into the inner workings of an educational institution.
My studies, under the direction of Dr. Maxine Jones, made it ever so clear the struggles everyday African Americans endured following the Civil War just to learn the three Rs: reading, writing, arithmetic. But before there was an Adella Hunt Logan in my worldview, there was also a Mary EC Day Smith. I published an article on her life in July of 2005 in the AME Church Review.
While conducting my research, I learned that she was born around 1852 in New York, and she traveled to Tallahassee as a result of her connections with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. The AME church at that time was working to expand its influence in southern states immediately following the emancipation of African Americans from slavery. In 1866, Mary arrived in Tallahassee. She was appointed a teacher in the Sabbath schools for newly emancipated Blacks, and she remained there for two decades.
Her many accolades include helping to organize and create the first Colored State Teachers Association of Florida. Finally, in 1891, she turned her sights to Edward Waters College, now today's Edward Waters University, where she started the college's first normal department or a teacher training school in what would eventually be known as a college of education.
Now, both Adella Hunt Logan and Mary EC Day Smith started teacher training schools. Both worked towards women's involvement as leaders in their respective communities, and both dedicated their lives to a cause greater than their own. They endeavored to change the narrative about freedmen following the Civil War and Reconstruction and, coupled with their religious beliefs and their determination to spread knowledge, they sought to free thousands of people through an education.
While I have chosen to highlight these trailblazing southern women, I want us to take some time to examine and juxtapose the times of slavery, Civil War, and Reconstruction right here in Howard County. This county had a little over 250 enslavers who owned around 2,000 men, women, and children.
When slavery was outlawed in Maryland on November 1, 1864, many of the formerly enslaved children did not have an opportunity to attend one of the 11 schools established by the Freedman's Bureau in the state. Instead of attending school, these children were forced to work for their former slave owners, thereby denying them an access to an education.
Now, while this is occurring, the 15th Amendment was passed, giving every US male citizen the right to vote, and an assault on Black voters occurred at the polls on November 4, 1879, in Elkridge, Maryland. At least 100 men fired into the crowd, seriously wounding two citizens who merely showed up to cast their votes.
For those of you not from around this area, Elkridge is right here in Howard County, Maryland, about 15 minutes from the college. These types of tactics continued in the county for the next 30 years. If we compare this experience to what we see today in our elections, I hope we can all recognize that the intent to suppress the vote remains a present-day issue.
So, let's fast forward to 1880, the state of Maryland finally funds the first school for Black children in Howard County, the Ellicott City Colored School. It operated from 1880 to 1953, only 17 years before Howard Community College officially opened its doors to the first class of students.
Not all children were permitted to attend the school, as they would need to receive permission from their landowner. Now, it's important to note that the Ellicott City Colored School offered evening classes for adults after their workday on the plantations. Does that sound familiar? Today we sit around and say, "How do we get our adult students in?" The answer was back in 1880.
While the state provided the wood for the actual building, it was the Black community who raised the funds, boarded the teachers, conducted their own maintenance, and funded the supplies needed for the school. Now, because the state refused to pay for electricity, the school also lacked running water and heating for nearly 73 years, which was its entire existence.
In addition to having only one school for Black children in Howard County, there was also the very real threat of terror for marginalized communities. In my keynote address, in honor of the local Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) chapter's 50th anniversary celebration, I spent a little time reminding the audience of the modern-day lynching of George Floyd and Michael Brown, with the use of social media, cell phones, cameras, the worldwide web.
One of the pillars of the AKA chapter is to advocate for social justice, and this is something we have also committed to at Howard Community College. But we have to remember from whence we came.
While everyone in this room recalls the tragedies of Mr. Floyd and Mr. Brown, during Reconstruction, Howard County Black residents were also subjected to tyranny from the dominant culture of that time. For example, in 1884 was a rumor that Hezekiah Brown was lynched. There was also Nicholas Snowden in 1880 and Jacob Henson in 1895. And on the tail end of 1908, literally on the last day of the year, December 31, there was a feared lynching of William Hatwood, only 59 years before the City of Columbia was founded. To put this into a broader historical context, Emmett Till was murdered on August 28, 1955.
To summarize, Blacks in this county lacked equal access to an education. They were subjected to tyranny. Although the 15th Amendment was passed, it became an issue of life or death whether one could participate in an election.
On Monday, October 10, 2022, the Howard County Library System, in cooperation with the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the Maryland State Library Agency, Morgan State University, and Equity Matters produced a report titled “Inequity Within: Issues of Inequity Across Communities, A Local Analysis of Systems and Social Determinants of Health.” This report aims to make us aware of the racial equity landscape in Howard County.
According to this report, Black residents were anywhere from 1.5 to 11 times and Hispanic residents were 1.5 to 7 times more likely to fair worse than white residents. For example, a little over 25% of Black and Hispanic children are not considered on track academically when they reach the ninth grade. There is also a greater percentage of Blacks and Hispanics in this county who don’t have a bachelor’s degree.
Now let me pause and mention that I don't believe that people should need to have a bachelor's degree to be able to have a career and earn a good family wage. The problem that's highlighted in this report is: if they wanted a bachelor's degree, they don't have access to it.
The report also highlights disparities in health outcomes such as Black women are 5.3 and 3.6 times more likely to receive late or no prenatal care compared to white women, and they're 2.3 times more likely to experience an infant death right here in Howard County. Black residents are also twice as likely to be diagnosed with diabetes compared to white residents.
In terms of home ownership, 15.1% of Black applicants and 13.2% of Hispanic applicants are denied home loans in comparison to only 5.1% for white applicants. Asian applicants are at an 11.2% home loan denial rate.
This report also highlights systemic racism using data because the numbers didn't come from nowhere. They have been with us in every city in America from the time the colonies were created to the development of indentured servitude, which morphed into slavery, all the way to the Civil War, Reconstruction, the turn of the century, to 2022.
Now some of you may be wondering though, "How does this history lesson relate to Howard Community College and where we stand today?”
But my question for the audience, my question for our elected officials, business leaders, faculty, staff, students, community members and our partners, is: “How far has the James Rouse experiment gone? Who is responsible for realizing his vision of building a new American city?”
Rouse was a developer and the visionary responsible for building Columbia as we know it today. Take walks in the parks and all that stuff; I love it. But he wanted us to create an integrated community. He found the perfect opportunity, an opening to put this vision into motion after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1968, also known as the Fair Housing Act, which provided equal housing regardless of race, religion, or national origin. To put it into further context, we couldn't get equal access to housing because it took 104 years after slavery was outlawed in Maryland to make it happen. So, when we talk about advancement and climbing the social ladder, when our newscasters pontificate on the ability of people to move out of the cycles of poverty, they are literally forgetting that folks are 100 years behind those who owned the land and those who were forced to work on it instead of getting an equal access to an education.
So, when we talk about those equity gaps, those phrases that we use in higher ed, we should not be blaming people for their station in life. We need to look at institutional performance gaps and not equity gaps. We need to look at what can we as an institution do better to serve people who have historically been denied access and opportunity. Because the central piece of this narrative is that in a world – a perfect world – had it been given to the freed Blacks in Howard County, I wonder how far they would be today. But that was denied to them.
When we look at the data released Monday, October 10, 2022, we cannot view it in isolation. We can't view it in terms of the last 10, 20, 30 years. We must understand that this is systemic. Our institution – the one you're sitting in – is a system. We must analyze our systems to ensure they are not putting barriers in place for future generations to access an education, such as keeping electricity and plumbing out of a school for 73 years.
So fast forward to 1946, when the Truman Commission gathered to discuss higher education for American democracy. Members of the commission already knew the power of a higher education. They understood that an educated community was vital if we wanted to keep our democracy alive and well. So why not place junior colleges, as we were once called, right here within the community?
Now, I dare say that the examples of that community support came from freedmen during Reconstruction, as was the example provided by the Ellicott City Colored School. But for the first time, the Truman Commission brought the topic of higher education onto a national stage.
Today people are questioning though the value of a college degree but in the 1940s, there was no question as to its usefulness. I argue though that today's questioning is merely another method or tool used to dissuade people of color from pursuing a degree, a skill, or certificate that will help them break the cycle of poverty for future generations.
So here we are in 2022, celebrating 52 years of existence amongst a turbulent past. Each HCC president that has come before me has had to lead this college through some challenging times. Each decade in this country brought its share of struggles and those struggles turned into opportunities to be better.
In his letter to America before he passed, John Lewis said, "Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we call the beloved community, a nation, and world society at peace with itself."
We have survived a global pandemic and, understandably, people are tired. But when I get into my funk, and I say I'm tired, I have to stop and think about my ancestors who worked the plantations in Georgia and Mississippi who could not afford to put down the plow or who couldn't stop picking cotton because they were tired. There was no sick leave available to them. The only thing they had were their convictions and the hope for a better future.
We must keep moving forward, and as we move HCC forward, we must also understand that the work we do in teaching and learning and providing experiences for everyone who comes to this college is helping to ultimately save lives while preserving our democracy.
So let me be clear, because I don't want you to leave this room and say that Dr. Willis's speech was political, I am presenting historical fact. I don't care who you vote for or what you believe. I care that you have enough information to make the best possible educated decision because you were given the critical thinking tools needed to make up your own minds, to discern what information is true or false and to vote based on your convictions.
And what of our students? We must situate our student's experiences within the historical context of this county, of the state, and of our nation because I'm sure that there are descendants of Howard County slaves knowingly or unknowingly right here at this college. We owe it to them, and we owe it to their ancestors to provide them with a quality education. We also owe it to every marginalized member of our community who has been denied access to essential needs, those people who have to think twice about whether to fix a flat tire or buy food to eat or who went through the pandemic with an empty pantry or without a place to live.
US News and World Report ranked us as the 6th most affluent county in the nation. Make no mistake, I can understand that. Our ranking is a testament to the hard work that makes this community a better place for all.
We are a healthy community. We are a best place to live. And this is also a leading place to raise a family. But I don't want us to lose sight of those who are within the walls of this community who are not truly seen when these rankings are released.
Howard County is wonderful and living here gives me hope for a better future despite our past. Trust me, I drank the Kool-Aid and will be closing on my family's new home right here in Columbia, Maryland, at 3 p.m. today [October 14, 2022]. I get it. When you ask me if I'm staying, this is my forever home. We aren’t going nowhere. We have work to do.
I am committed, though, to remembering our past and bringing it with me every day to build a better future for every resident in this community. What great timing to think critically about the future of the college.
As part of the college's long-term strategic planning process, HCC launches the Commission on The Future every five years. The purpose of the commission is to identify innovative ideas, emerging issues, and alternatives for the future of the college. Objectives include:
- increasing HCCs responsiveness to the emerging learning needs of Howard County
- establishing a process that will serve as a model for continued citizen participation
- helping the college prepare for the future
- creating a widely understood and shared vision for the future of HCC
- promoting an understanding of the mission of HCC.
This commission kicks off today [October 14, 2022] with five task forces: building a skilled trades workforce, offering early pathways to college and careers, supporting career advancement and change, innovation, and fostering community.
Just a note that, as of yesterday, we received word that we are getting $2 million from the Kahlert Foundation to support us with early pathways to college. Those funds will help our students who are coming from our high schools to take classes at HCC tuition free. We are very grateful for that opportunity.
I am so proud to partner with Judy Smith, who is a dear friend to the college, who has stepped up to chair the 2022 Commission on the Future. Judy is a managing partner of On Point Consulting, and she is here with us today.
Also with us are the chairs of the task forces: Laura Bacon, Nick Barrick, Dwight Carr, Bita Dayhoff, and Kimberly Prescott. Please join me in thanking them.
Thank you all for your leadership and commitment to the college and our community.
Over the next couple of months, taskforce members will explore HCC's current practices and discuss new possibilities for the college. The work concludes in December, and the report will be given in January 2023 to the college community, which will include recommendations for action. I look forward to hearing your recommendations in the context of the history I've highlighted today.
We’re going to end on a high note because I know this is some heavy material, but I just couldn't walk away from this opportunity to really get us to understand what's at stake. On Wednesday evening at the State of the County address, County Executive Ball announced $3.5 million in scholarship funding to support students at Howard Community College. Thank you, Dr. Ball, for believing in the vision and for doing your part to make the systems we operate in more welcoming to all of our students.
I appreciate this opportunity and know this has been a long morning for you, but I want to leave you with this quote from Dr. John Henrik Clarke. As we remember our past and consider our future, where we want to be, and as a historian, I've always kind of thought, “In 50 years, when they write about us, what are they going to say? What do we want them to remember about our time here today?”
[Quote from Dr. Clarke] "History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass people use to locate themselves on the map of human geography. History tells a people where they have been and what they have been, where they are and who they are, but most important, history tells a people where they still must go and what they still must be.”
While I am the first African American leading [Howard Community College], it would not be possible if it were not for the sacrifices of all who have come before me. We have work to do to realize an equitable future for all residents of Howard County. I promise to give my all to this college. I promise to give my all to this community as our lives and our nation depend on it.
Thank you.