VGCC president speaks at elementary school
Dr. Stelfanie Williams, the president of Vance-Granville Community College, was the featured speaker at a Black History Month program on Feb. 26 at Stovall-Shaw Elementary School in Granville County. She addressed the entire student body, as well as teachers and staff, after a musical performance by pre-kindergarten students and the awarding of prizes to students who won African American history trivia contests. As School Principal Amy Rice noted, Williams was recently named “ President of the Year ” for the N.C. Community College System.
“As you all know, this month is a time to recognize the achievements and contributions of African Americans in the history of our country and of our community,” President Williams told the students. “We are very fortunate today in the United States of America to be able to share our different backgrounds and experiences with one another.”
She recounted examples of African Americans who had invented things that improve our daily lives, from the portable pencil sharpener invented by John Lee Love to the compact microphone developed by Dr. James West, which is used in almost all mobile phones and other electronic devices.
“When you think of history, you probably think of older adults, or maybe even people who are no longer alive, but I also want you to know that children have played an important role in African-American history,” Williams said. She recalled the story of Ruby Bridges, who, at age six, helped integrate an elementary school in New Orleans in 1960 – an incident chronicled in a children’s book, The Story of Ruby Bridges.
“The president of the United States at that time, President Eisenhower, sent federal marshals to escort Ruby so that she could enter the school, because there were some angry folks outside the school,” Williams went on. “For several months, Ruby experienced hatred and angry people not wanting her to go inside her school. But you all probably know that every day she went to school with a smile, and she worked very hard.” Williams recounted that Ruby’s teacher noticed her apparently talking to herself on the way in. When asked why, the little girl replied that she was not talking, but praying, not only for herself but also for the protesters who did not want the school to be integrated, which eventually it was.
“So today, around this room you see some children who look like you and some who look very different, and you can all learn from one another, because of children like Ruby Bridges,” Williams told the students. “When you choose to be kind to someone or befriend someone who isn’t just like you, whether it’s in school or in your community, you are actually making the world a better place. I bet you that Ruby Bridges did not think she was changing history, she was just thinking about being good in her community and in her school. Like Ruby, you should pursue your education and work hard, no matter what. If you do, you’ll be able to go on to college, and that education will give you more opportunities to make decisions that make the world a better place.”
Dr. Williams explained to the children that she “enjoyed college so much that I went to college for over a decade, and I decided to make college my work.” Many hands went up when the president asked children to indicate if their parents had attended VGCC. In response to a student’s question, Williams said the most enjoyable part of her job is Commencement, when she gets to see students come up on stage and receive their diplomas.
Above: Stovall-Shaw Elementary School Principal Amy Rice and VGCC President Dr. Stelfanie Williams are seen here with students at the conclusion of the school’s Black History Month program. (VGCC photo)
