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CNN Live Today
First Black Women to Graduate from Citadel
Aired May 10, 2002 - 14:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Throughout most of its history, it was a bastion of white male military tradition. But on Saturday, the Citadel will graduate its first black women.
Brian Cabell now reporting from Charleston, S.C.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN CABELL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Another long, tough year ends at the Citadel. Another class graduates from this venerable and, at one time, controversial institution.
Plenty of women here now, a stark contrast to just a few years ago. But there are still a few reminders of an ugly past. Just ask 2002 graduate Sha Peterson.
SHA PETERSON, CITADEL CADET: I remember walking past certain battalions and guys hissing out the windows at me and, "Leave my school," and that kind of stuff. So...
CABELL (on camera): It didn't bother you?
PETERSON: In that case, yes.
CABELL: Did it bother you?
PETERSON: Well I couldn't let it. If I let it, I wouldn't be here now.
CABELL (voice-over): But she is here now, along with six other African-American female senior cadets.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: Good morning.
CABELL: They are celebrities of sorts, pioneers. The first African-American women to graduate from a college that was slow to accept blacks, even slower to accept females. The first black man graduated here in 1970. The first woman to attend the Citadel, Shannon Faulkner (ph), made it in only after an extensive court fight in 1995, then dropped out after a few days. Nancy Mays (ph) was the first female to graduate in 1999, but a couple of her female classmates dropped out after alleging extensive abuse by the males.
Now the resistance has ended. The abuse by individual cadets has subsided. Almost 100 females march alongside their male classmates, and more are on the way.
COL. HEDY PINKERTON, ASSISTANT COMMANDANT: We hope to see them increase. We'd like to see them get more closely to what they have at the service academies. About 15 percent would probably be a good number in terms of demographics.
CABELL: The number at the Citadel now is only about five percent, but officials say there's quality here. Sha Peterson, for example, recognition from "Who's Who", a chest full of medals and seven semesters on the Dean's list.
(on camera): Six or seven years ago the media were an almost constant presence here. That's no longer the case. That's a sign of the times, a sign of the changes. In the minds of many, the Citadel has moved from the 19th century into the 21st century.
Brian Cabell, CNN, Charleston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: Let's go straight to the source now. Two of them, what it feels like to make history. Two of those African-American female cadets getting their diplomas this weekend are with us live there.
Toshika Hudson is on the left, and Adrienne Watson is on the right.
Good afternoon to both you, and congratulations.
And Toshika, I understand you want us to call you Peaches by the way, so we shall oblige, given it is your weekend.
Do you guys agree, first to Toshika, do you agree that you're sort of celebrities on campus there?
TOSHIKA HUDSON, CITADEL GRADUATE: Yes, I can agree with that.
HEMMER: How do you feel it?
HUDSON: Well, I really didn't realize it until we started all the press conferences on Wednesday, and all the cameras that are around.
HEMMER: And now do you.
Adrienne, take us back in history. We were just listening to a story about Shannon Faulkner, who essentially broke the barrier on the gender side. You have done it essentially on the racial side.
Did you have a sense of that history when you enrolled four years ago there?
JAMIE MCCLOUD, CITADEL GRADUATE: Actually no, I didn't, because, you know, I was just thinking that, you know, I'm at the Citadel, and, you know, in four years I'll be graduating, but, I never really thought about how big of an issue that this could be. But, you know, I'm glad we came this are.
HEMMER: Yes. Congratulations to you. How are you received? Toshika, why don't you take that one? How have you been received there on campus?
HUDSON: I have a lot of support from some of my classmates. Then of course you have a few that think that maybe it is blown out of proportion a little bit. But we have a lot of support from faculty and staff, of course.
HEMMER: Yes. What advice you would give to other young women looking at you as an example, and for what you have done?
HUDSON: The advice I would give to other young women would be, whatever goals that you have, put it in your heart and mind, and be determined to reach it, no matter what you may face. As long as you are the determined to do that, and you have support from your family, you can achieve anything that you want to do.
HEMMER: Good advice there. Jamie (ph) what would you say to that?
MCCLOUD: Well, what I would say is that just to always keep God first and to remember that they can do whatever they want to do, if they put their mind to it. And also that it takes hard work, dedication and determination to reach your goal in life.
HEMMER: What do you think that enrollment -- just the two of you here, but there are five others in a similar situation -- what do you think your enrollment says about perhaps the changing face of America, in a sense?
MCCLOUD: Could you repeat that question, sir.
HEMMER: Yes. I'm curious to know, I mean, listen, you're setting history here. Does it say something about America, also, with your graduation this weekend?
MCCLOUD: Yes, it does say something about America. I think it just let's America know that there are a lot of barriers that can be broken and that there's also still many to be broken.
HEMMER: Well, listen,, I want to wish you both the best of luck this weekend, Jamie McCloud and Toshika Hudson, graduating from Citadel. Peaches -- where did you get the name Peaches, by the way?
HUDSON: My dad gave it to me when younger.
HEMMER: You're not from Georgia by chance, are you?
HUDSON: Oh, no.
HEMMER: All right. Well, listen, thanks, OK. Good luck to you.
HUDSON: Thank you. We're going to allow you guys to talk longer next time, I promise. Thanks, and enjoy tomorrow. OK. Fair enough, thank you.
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