Black Women Expose 'Myths' At Symposium

The first--and possibly the last--Radcliffe-sponsored symposium on black women drew 200 participants to Agassiz Theatre over the weekend.

Fifty-two participants delivered papers at workshops and colloquiums organized by Doris Mitchell, assistant dean of students at Radcliffe. At the wrap-up session, the symposium's organizers circulated petitions which urged undergraduates and alumnae to protest the phasing out of Mitchell's office.

Mitchell's post is a casulty of the so-called non-merger merger reorganization of Harvard and Radcliffe.

"Because [the office] may not fit in structurally is no reason to eliminate its function in the university," Mitchell said yesterday.

A wide range of investigative and sociological studies on the black woman as a professional and a role-model were presented at the two-day symposium.

Much of the almost all-female audience consisted of Radcliffe alumnae, many of whom expressed dissatisfaction at the failure of the Administration to integrate blacks into the mainstream of University life.

"It was a shock to see black women who had graduated as far back as 1929, for example, returning to Radcliffe for the first time," June Cross '75 said yesterday.

"They said it was a cold place when they went here, and they were glad to leave," Monique Belton '76 said yesterday. "But they provided supportive roles for us. It was the the most valuable experience I've had at Harvard," she said.

Among papers presented were studies of black women in the professions, and colloquia on mixed marriages and black family life.

Although the gathering was largely female, the role of the black male was frequently a subject of debate. "There is a myth that the black female has made great strides but 60 per cent of the top professional jobs [held by blacks] are occupied by black men," Mitchell said.

The Horner theory (that women fear success in competitive job situations with men) does not relate to black women, according to Mitchell and many of the researchers at the workshops. "Work was always part of the socialization process. Now we are trying to determine at what level we'll be working. We want the best opportunity," she said.

"I was surprised to see white faces after two days with beautiful black sisters," Cross said. "My ego has gone through a lot of changes at Harvard. It was good to share common problems and goals, and advice on how to get there," she said