The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 7

THE COURIER-JOURNAL, SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 1974 Society is taking a new look at the black woman1 that she has a better chance to further her education than does the black man. And the psychiatrist notes that white women with high school educations can get the same jobs as black women with bachelor's degrees. Therefore, black women, realizing this, are going on to get advanced degrees. And, she said, increasingly black women are being accepted into large, white universities as symbols of integration where they become isolated from the black community and often begin to identify with white society. The black woman who took care of her family and provided for them as a domestic worker, nurse or teacher, is now advancing in some cases faster than the black man.

The result, Dr. Gullattee says, is increased anxiety in black men. "There is a changing emphasis on what (her) role is. She is now competing with the black male." The question now, she says, is what effect that will have on the black woman and her relationship with black men. She thinks there may be a move afoot for the black woman to re- Interest and their research.

Sociologists, psychologists, doctors and authors discussed the black female in seminars and lectures with topics covering just about every aspect of the black woman and her life her home, her family, her children, her men, health care, media image, her professional life, and how she is portrayed in literature. Dr. Gullattee says there has been much discussion among the conference participants about the sudden interest in black women, "I believe," she says, "that the role of the female as an agent of change has been overlooked. In the past she has been viewed as matriarchal, demanding, over-permissive." Now, she says, that view has changed. There has been an increasing awareness that the child is the reflection of the family.

The tenets of the family are laid down by the husband and the wife, but the wife carries them out. "Now," says Dr. Gullattee, "they want to know, 'What is the nature of this Dr. Gullattee believes the role of the black woman has changed to the point By IRENE NOLAN Courier-Journal Staff Writer "Black women, historically, have been seen as super-providers in terms of affection and tenderness," says psychiatrist Alyce Gullattee. "But they have never been looked upon as having any sense, any intellect It has been a kind of benign neglect." But, says Dr.

Gullattee, assistant professor of psychiatry and assistant clinical professor of family practice at Howard University Health Center in Washington, D.C, black women are becoming increasingly well-educated and the numbers of black women in positions of responsibility are growing. The role of the black woman is changing, and along with it, society is taking a new interest in her who and what she is. "Black Women" is the theme of a three-day conference, sponsored by the University of Louisville's Pan-African Studies Department, which ends today at Stouffer's Louisville Inn. More than 300 persons registered at the conference to hear professionals, mostly black, from all "over the country talk about their areas of Staff Photo Dr. Alyce Gullattee is a psychiatrist from Washington, D.C.

I The media image of black woman was the topic of lively discussion at a Thursday afternoon seminar. The discussion began with a question from one of the seminar leaders on what the conferees thought of Flip Wilson's "Geraldine" por- traying the black woman. While some said they could enjoy the character for comedy's sake, many pb-. jected to the fact that Geraldine was' being portrayed by a man. They did not, like the idea of a black man portraying a woman.

"Many black women are thought to be masculine and domineering, noted one woman. "And." said another, "we cannot afford a Geraldine at this time when we have no other images on television." The audience talked about the image of blacks that white society gets from the media, and they were concerned with the role models for their children provided by books, television and movies. One woman criticized the televison show "Good Times," a spin-off starring the character that was the maid on "Maude," as an "updated version of the happy darkies." "There they are struggling in Chicago and starving to death, but they still laugh and sing," she said. Shaft is criticized Also receiving criticism was "Shaft." Shaft, a television detective, they said, never interacts with black women, unless they are prostitute types. The women he saves and shelters, they noted, are always white.

And "Sanford and Son" also got its share of bad reviews for portraying blacks as "Fast Fanny types of hot women." "The media," said Dr. Robert Staples of the University of California at San Francisco, "is an attitude producing and rein-. forcing medium. In general, the images of blacks have not been that positive. They reinforce the white image of blacks and justify their moral behavior." For instance, he said, women are por-, trayed as sex objects in "black exploitation" films, and there is a tendency in white men to approach them in that way.

establish herself as a mother and a wife, with her career being incidental. As to the black woman and her relationships with her white sisters, Dr. Gullattee says there has been "a tendency on the part of white women to feel arrogant and superior to the black women." And as the black female receives increased opportunity, white women feel more threatened than ever by her presence. "It used to be just inthe area of sex, but now it has moved to economics." "The priorities of white women and black women are essentially different," she thinks. White women in the liberation movement are seeking an acknowledgment of their presence, are trying to get men to consider them worthy, and trying to find something that will make their lives meaningful.

Black women, says Dr. Gullattee. already have this. Media image discussed White women are concerned, she says, with being recognized as human beings. Black women, already feeling recognised as human beings, are concerned with how they can use what they have to help their communities, their families, their race.

In the area of the image of black women projected by the mass media, Dr. Gullattee feels that they are portrayed in roles very narrowly confined. "You see black women smoking cigarettes and drinking liquor, but you never see a black woman chewing Doublemint gum." And while some might object to television's portrayal of white women, Dr. Gullattee notes that at least "they are portrayed in the complete spectrum of their roles." The psychiatrist feels that the recent television movie, "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," was an excellent portrayal of black womanhood. "These shows will not be on more frequently," she thinks, "because of the psychic impact.

They show the life struggle of the black woman and the atrocities she has to survive. It depicts the strength of the black woman. That is positive reinforcement for blacks, but it causes disturbing conflicts for whites, who must relive what they have done to blacks." School setting may affect achievement y.m WSWi. dA g0K iiiiiuiiwfi.MMiBMiii&iiiriiii iiiiaiiijii.i iii.i ifi By IRENE NOLAN Courier-Journal Staff Writer A low self-concept of black schoolchildren might not be the reason for their low academic achievement, as some had previously thought, according to a study by Dr. Grace Henderson, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Florida, Gainesville.

Dr. Henderson, who was in Louisville to deliver a paper at a conference on black women sponsored by the Pan-African Studies Department of the University of Louisville, found that black children do not have a low self-concept. In fact, she said, her study showed that they have a higher self-concept than white children. 17 sechoota included The study was conducted with black and white children in the fourth through the sixth grades in 17 schools in a Midwestern city. The schools included both high- and low-achieving schools and high and low socio-economic schools.

Ten schools were predominantly (over 70 per cent) white and seven were predominantly black. Dr. Henderson said her study supports the school of thought that stresses the importance of environment, or school climate, as an important variable in the academic achievement of children. And she- ay's I li a develop Psychologist stresses Home Line Christmas cactus will grow outside during the summer By JOHN LUCADAMO Courier-Journal Staff Writer "The ball game is not over in six years," said Dr. Jean O.

Britton, a professor of education and psychology at Penn-sylvania State University, in speaking about a child's early development. "The die is not cast. People are constantly changing." A child's early care and education are important factors in his development, she said in an interview Thursday, but as influences and experiences change, so do people. Living DEAR DOROTHY: My husband hates tomatoes in any form. I like them, especially since they add to our intake of vitamin C.

Other than orange juice, is there any other way of tempting him into foods with a good vitamin content? Ce-: cile Dormyer. High in vitamin are cantaloupes, strawberries, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, collards, sweet peppers, potatoes. DEAR DOROTHY: As youngsters will, our kids have stormed in and out of the playroom and one corner of the rug has curled up. Any easy way of turning it back? Marta Paevese. Roll it in the opposite direction about four or five inches back dampening it slightly.

It will help to put a weight on when turned back. Do this before it dries completely. Questions? Suggestions? Write Dorothy Ritz, Today's Living, The Courier-Journal. No phone calls, please. Staff Photo Dr.

Grace Henderson is an assistant professor of sociology. TODAY'S PATTERN Sew this inches slimmer style with a feminine yoke or scooped-low neckline. Printed Pattern 4774 comes in Misses' Sizes 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20. Size 12 has a 34-inch bustline. To obtain Pattern No.

4774, send one dollar to Anne Adami, in care of The Courier-Journal Pattern Dept. 300, 243 W. 17th New York, N.Y. 10011. Please print name, address, zip code and number and size of pattern desired.

Send exact amount only. A ol'. A found that climate different for children in black and white schools. "A lot of studies have just looked at self-concept an the cause and effect relationship of that. But we might have to take into account the school environment or setting.

We can't just wait around for equal education for our children. We must devise strategies that will make education responsive to the needs of all children." With a positive input, high self-concept, going into black children, and a negative output, low academic performance, Dr. Henderson looked at variables in the school climate or setting. System is supportive She found that the variables in school that affected students' academic achievement were the expectations of teachers, parents and peers and an atmoshere that students, teachers and principals care about the individual student's achievement. This is what Dr.

Henderson called a "supportive system." "In high-achieving schools, it is expected that the students will achieve," she said, and so everything that happens to the child is reinforcing. But what so often happens to a black child in a low-achieving school is that he does not have the reinforcement and support to In discussing the theme of a speech she was scheduled to deliver last night in Louisville, Dr. Britton said that people look at human development in terms of consistency of behavior. "We look at a person today and say, 'He was the same person yesterday, and he'll be the same person in 10 "We seldom look at the inconsistencies the day-to-day changes in a person. And if we see them, we don't believe them," Dr.

Britton said. "By laughter, by saying a person's too They are living in a foster home now, but before then, my wife's parents kept them, and naturally they told the kids what happened to their mother, but I don't think the kids fully understood it. The foster parents were advised by a priest to tell the children something about death, so they were told their mother got sick and the angels came and took her away. They seem to accept her death, but they have been asking to visit me. They know I am locked up.

If they come here, what should I tell them? A NUMBER IN MARYLAND DEAR NUMBER: Don't lie. Tell them you are being punished because, while you meant only to scare their mother, you accidentally killed her. (It's true.) With proper counseling, your children will grow to understand your part in this tragedy, and hopefully, they will harbor no bitterness nor hate in their hearts for you. God bless. DEAR ABBY: My problem is primarily one of vanity.

For years I have been conscious of the fact that all the women in my family have faces that start to sag early. By the time they are 40, they look like bulldogs. I am in my early 30s, and already I can see the same thing happening to me. Is there anything I can do about it? WORRIED DEAR WORRIED: See a dermatologist for advice on how to slow up the aging process. And see a plastic surgeon later.

If you have a question, write to Abby, in care bf The Courier-Journal. For a personal reply, enclose a stamped, sel-addressed envelope. Chicago Tribune-New York Newt Syndicate achieve. He is not expected to be a high achiever. In black schools and low-achieving schools, Dr.

Henderson said, there is often a creaming off process. Students who exhibit high potential are singled out by the teacher for support and reinforcement. The rest receive little. "White students," Dr. Henderson said, "have a high sense of control.

They are expected to achieve and they expect to achieve. But the aspirations of black students are not always realized." Dr. Henderson noted that her study is only the beginning of exploration into the area of how the school environment can be manipulated to help children in their academic achievement. Area TOPS Clubs plan rally day The Louisville-area section of TOPS Clubs (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) will have an Area Rally Day March 30 beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Convention Center-South on Fern Valley Road.

Members who have achieved outstanding weight loss will be recognized, and king and queen of the area will be named. They will then compete for the state king and queen titles May 17 and 18 in Danville. For further information, contact Mrs. Lawrence Mack, 5508 Georgia Lane. changes old to change, we keep people locked in place," she said.

This way of not looking for changes or accepting them in human development would have students always as students, former convicts always as convicts. But, Dr. Britton said, people can change and "they have the right to change." For example, former, prisoners "can be rehabilitated," she said. Dr. Britton was in Louisville to deliver the Patty Smith Hill lecture at the University of Louisville last night.

She was staying at the home of her parents, Dr. Julius J. Oppenheimer, dean emeritus of UL's College of Arts and Sciences, and Mrs. Oppenheimer. More than discussing Dr.

Britton's work, both father and daughter wanted to talk about Patty Smith Hill who developed the modern kindergarten in Louisville around the turn of the century. Rebelled against rigidity She rebelled against the rigid forms imposed on kindergartens by their Germanic origins. Instead, Patty Smith Hill emphasized social cooperation and creative expression. She listened to children and allowed them to behave naturally, Oppenheimer said. As a result of her work in Louisville, Teachers College of Columbia University appointed her to a professorship.

Dr. Britton said that it was a "plus for Louisville" that the city had "this interesting, innovative person and that there was a spot for her in Louisville." Dr. Britton graduated from, Louisville's Atherton High School and UL. She received a master's degree from Teachers College of Columbia University and a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago.

Her husband, Joseph, is also a professor at Penn State. They have a son, John, who is a high school senior. In emphasizing that people do not always develop in a consistent manner, Dr. Britton said, "We should have an environment, particularly in the schools, that recognizes and supports changes in a person's development." love is writing a message for him on the bathroom mirror. TM t.fl U.S.

Pat. Off Alt rihtl ftitrtJ 174 he Ui Anflt! litem Dear Abby Matching hair color may provide proof By DOROTHY RITZ Dear Dorothy: We got a Christmas cactus and the beautiful flowers quickly fell off. The rest of the plant looks okay, though, and I'm wondering if it's a plant we dare plant outdoors. Helen Lynd. Yes, indeed.

Many in the East and Midwest follow a routine of bringing their Christmas cactus out of their gardens soon after Labor Day and letting them dry out. As you may know, this isn't unusual with plants of this general type which flower when the days are short. The drying-out time is a period when the plant rests. Strong artificial lighting retards the bloom and if lights must be on, the plant should be protected with a double sheet of newspapers. The drying-out period should run about four weeks and then careful watering is called for, just enough to keep it moist.

If all goes well, you'll find buds forming as the days get shorter and, finally, blooms will come just about Christmas. Cobweb Comer Today's world is like a storybook By ABIGAIL VAN BUREN DEAR ABBY: What would you do if your husband came home with lipstick on his shirt, trousers and some on his neck, too? Also, Nor-bert has hairs on his coat, and they were a color like nobody in our family has. (Looks like a redhead.) I questioned him, and he swore up and down he didn't know how any of this stuff got there. Norbert works in an office with just one woman. I've Abby never met her, but he says she's as homely as a mud fence.

I want to trust him, but with all this evidence, how can UPSET IN PHILADELPHIA DEAR UPSET: First I'd find out if this mud fence has red hair. If she has, I'd suspect that she was close enough to Norbert to transfer the above-mentioned evidence. (P.S. Any man who comes home in that shape can plead insanity and get away with it.) DEAR ABBY: I am in prison serving a 10-year sentence for the death of my wife. I did a terrible thing which will follow me for the rest of my life.

I have two children, 6 and 4. I love them very much. In fact, that is what led to my killing my wife. I thought she was neglecting them, so I put a gun to her head only meaning to scare her, but I killed her. God help me, Abby, I never meant to kill her.

My problem concerns my children. 1 "Yet when some big companies go broke, they receive all sorts of economic aid. Make sense?" "No." She was getting interested and I warmed to my subject. "Another thing. Advertisers spend bundles to psych us up to buying their products.

Packagers, on the other hand, make it next to impossible for us to open the things once we've bought them. Right?" "Right. I'm asking for a buzz saw for my birthday. I know of no other way to open one of those big boxes of detergent." "Milk cartons are the worst," I said. "I think the one I tried to open this morning had been sealed hermetically.

"It might help," I added, "if all newborn babies were handed engraved cards saying, 'Welcome to Wonderland' immediately following birth. That would give them a clue as to what to expect." "I don't know. They're going to have to believe more impossible things than the White Queen dreamed of." How sad, I thought. Poor babies, As days pass I am becoming convinced that Wonderland is not an imaginary place. I am living in it.

I said as much to a friend yesterday. "Liz," I said, "do you ever get the feeling that Lewis Carroll is alive and well and living in the United States?" "He's been dead for years and you know it," she said nervously. "Have you been drinking?" "No. But there are times when I feel as it I had followed Alice down the rabbit hole or through the looking glass or both." "I think you need two weeks in the Adirondacks." "Not me. It's the newsmakers who need the rest.

When we stopped fighting in Asia, did the defense budget go down?" "It should have. Why?" (Liz does not follow the news.) "Right. It should have. But it went up." "That makes no sense," she admitted. "And when your gift shop went broke, did the government offer you money to keep it going?" "Never." By NANCY BALLANTINE Two of my favorite childhood books were "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking I'm often reminded of them when I listen to the news.

Good grief, I think, even the White Queen could believe only six impossible things before breakfast. Anyway, in my youth I accepted the books as fantasy. Now I wonder. Would I have loved them as much if I had suspected that I would one day find myself trying to cope in an adult world peopled by real live White Queens and March Hares and Mad Hatters? As the news gets curiouser and curious-er, we are all, it seems, expected to follow the White Queen's lead and try to believe six impossible things a day. I also have to deal with people who, like the March Hare, go slightly mad in the springtime.

I even know a few sad souls for whom time has stopped as it did for the Mad Hatter whose watch had stuck at 6 o'clock..