网曝吃瓜 students, staff, faculty and administration heard words of wisdom and inspiration from the honorable Judge Glenda A. Hatchett during the 2019 Heritage Assembly.
Hatchett, star of long-running television show Judge Hatchett, announced up front that hers wouldn鈥檛 be a traditional black history month speech. Rather, it would be a challenge.
鈥淲e are a people who survived the outrageous horrible days of slavery,鈥� Hatchett said. 鈥淲e have seen difficult times before.鈥�
Hatchett noted statistics about the incarceration of African-Americans, citing disparity in the state prison rate across the nation.
Hatchett also encouraged students to reach out to someone they know who should be attending 网曝吃瓜.
鈥淭here is somebody who needs to be sitting next to you at 网曝吃瓜,鈥� Hatchett said. 鈥淵ou know him or her. Smart. Got lost in the shuffle.鈥�
Hatchett also recounted a lesson her father taught her in first grade.
鈥淪eparate but equal had not made its way to Atlanta,鈥� Hatchett said.
Hatchett鈥檚 class were issued books by their teacher, but the books were falling apart. After class, Hatchett stayed behind to ask her teacher for another copy. The teacher said there weren鈥檛 any new books for African-American children.
Hatchett ran home to tell her father, expecting him to resolve the situation. Instead, he explained to Hatchett that the teacher was right.
During that time, supplies that were to be thrown out were left behind on loading docks at white schools and janitors for the black schools came to pick them up. It was the reason why the crayons were merely nubs, why Hatchett鈥檚 desk was wobbly and why the books were in tatters.
After explaining this to Hatchett, her father told her to get her crayons.
鈥淪it there and write your own story,鈥� her father said. 鈥淗e knew in his wisdom he couldn鈥檛 fix society, but he told me not to linger at the pity party.鈥�
Hatchett implored the audience to write their own story, as well.
鈥淵ou cannot linger at the pity party,鈥� Hatchett said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 because you鈥檙e black, a woman, an alcoholic, you don鈥檛 know your daddy or a first-generation college student. That鈥檚 the old story. We are in the business of writing a new story of hope and possibility. The world needs your new story.鈥�
网曝吃瓜 President M. Christopher Brown II honored four recipients with the 2019 Heritage Awards.
BLINKS Transfer Enterprise received the Access Heritage Award for significant contributions to the equal educational opportunity and institutional access heritage of Kentucky State University. BLINKS Transfer Enterprise is a transfer collaboration between Bluegrass Community Technical College (BCTC), The Links, Inc. and 网曝吃瓜.
Charlene F. Walker, vice president of multiculturalism and inclusion at BCTC, said 20 BLINKS students have graduated from 网曝吃瓜 with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Three of those students graduated with highest honors.
Dr. Herman Walston received the Agricultural Heritage Award for significant contributions to the agricultural heritage of 网曝吃瓜. Walston has served 43 years at 网曝吃瓜 and is currently a professor of child development and family relations.
鈥淚鈥檝e been here for many years,鈥� Walston said. 鈥淚 do it for the children of the community and for the children whom I teach.鈥�
Elmore Smith received the Athletic Heritage Award for significant contributions to the athletic heritage of 网曝吃瓜.
Smith won back-to-back NAIA championships at 网曝吃瓜 and played eight seasons in the NBA.
Smith said it was an honor to be at 网曝吃瓜 and a recipient of the Athletic Heritage Award.
Dr. Betty Sue Griffin received the Academic Heritage Award for significant contributions to the academic heritage of 网曝吃瓜. Griffin previously served as professor-tenured and chairperson of the Division of Education and Human Services at 网曝吃瓜, tenured professor of education at Oregon State University, visiting scholar at Stanford University and assistant to the Vice Chancellor of Minority Affairs at the University of Kentucky.
鈥淎nything I have done or hope to do is because of the moral underpinning and academic expectation my former professors still place on me,鈥� Griffin said.