Dr. Taylor's Lecture (Lauren Bolden)

This week’s lecture by Dr. Taylor was truly inspirational for me. When I chose to come to Howard I knew that I was choosing a school with a rich history, but I had no idea to what extent. The many great names that come from Howard come only as a reminder that each and every one of us here is destined for greatness, and that this is the place where we will take or first steps towards our future.

                A few of the facts that Dr. Taylor mentioned surprised me. I had no idea that Zora Neale Hurston was the founder of the hilltop. I have read Their Eyes Are Watching God and I am so proud that someone with such talent was the founder of our school paper. I was also surprised to know about the woman my dorm was named after. Staying in the Annex I have heard the saying “women of excellence” but I never knew the story behind Mary Mcleod Bethune and how she started her own school. I also learned the history behind the names of all the buildings I am around every day. I learned about Mordecai Johnson (the 1^st president of Howard) and Inabel Burns Lindsay ( the 1^st dean of the school of social work).  Also about Ira Aldridge(an extremely talented actor) and Lucy Diggs Slowe (founder of the AKAs).  From Douglass Hall to Cramton Auditorium, each building has a rich history and story all its own.

                Hearing this lecture today inspired me to try and figure out how my name can be among the countless greats that have attended or had an impact on Howard University. Through all hardships and frustrations each person was determined to have an impact, and this is the kind of life I would like to lead.

by,
Lauren Bolden

Lauren Bolden (Dr Carrs lecture) 8/31/10

Dr Carr’s speech today was inspiring and truly informational. I appreciated the enthusiasm through which Dr. Carr expressed his knowledge of the origins of human intelligence. Along with learning about my history I also got to learn a few powerful words from the language of my ancestors. I have always thought about blacks as “African Americans” or Caribbean, or African, but I have never thought about how we are all one. I have never thought about what it means to be black all over the world, or the bonds that we share. The lecture today encouraged me to do so.


Dr. Carr talked about how everything originated in Africa. How the first astrologists, and languages and just people in general originated there. He was quick to remind us that while in America whites teach us about how they discovered these things; it was our ancestors who made great discoveries years and years before. He talked about how long before it became cool to “go green” our great great grandmothers cherished the earth and tried to protect and not abuse it. I was moved by the great wisdom of my people, that none of my teachers as of yet have been too quick to talk about.

I was inspired by the drive my ancestors had to learn, and I now know that it is up to me to carry the torch. It is up to our generation, our people to make the next great advances. Instead of being so focused on what’s going on in the world of celebrities or who looks the best, we should be focused on being great people and challenging ourselves to learn for the betterment of our people.