The Way She Became an Academic

As stated in her biography, Beverly Guy-Sheftall received a B.A. in English with a minor in secondary education when she was only 19. Her fifth year of schooling was at Wellesley College, where she wrote her English thesis then proceeded to teach English at Alabama State University and Spelman College. It was, however, at 22 that Beverly Guy-Sheftall claims she was “propelled into women’s studies” and she’s been at if for more then thirty years. Beverly Guy-Sheftall’s idols include many famous feminists but most importantly Anna Julia Cooper, Toni Cade Bambara, and Bell Hooks. These were the women that captured her interest in women’s studies and drove her to become an academic in that department. Her master’s thesis was the first sign of her involvement with women’s studies, where she realized that the world is male-dominant and that woman should be heard. She continued to read and research, taking her first women’s studies course during her time at Wellesley. Throughout the rest of her academic career everything began to relate to her new interested in gender and race issues, specifically focusing on “complex intersections between history and literature in the constructions of black and white womanhood, especially in the South (Howe, 223),” where she always considers home. Beverly Guy-Sheftall understood that history and culture are intertwined with race and gender. What really established Beverly Guy-Sheftall into the academic world was the publishing of her first literary work Sturdy Black Bridges, which she co-wrote with colleague Roseanne Bell and feminist Bettye Parker; it became a foundation text for black women’s studies. Beverly Guy-Sheftall’s reasons for Sturdy Black Bridges resulted from the lack of black women’s literature and intellectuals she felt was available to her college students. She wanted to provide something more that her black female student’s and other students could gain some knowledge and understanding of the importance of black women’s studies. While Beverly Guy-Sheftall is an established academic through her degrees, being established as an academic in women’s studies was a separate independent journey.

Work Referenced:
Answers.com. Black Biography information about Beverly Guy-Sheftall. Contemporary Black Biography. 2006, The Gale Group, Inc. [22 February 2007]. http://www.answers.com/topic/beverly-guy-sheftall

Edited - Howe, Florence. The Politics of Women’s Studies. The Feminist Press. New York: 2000