Explorations in Black Leadership

Co-Directed by Phyllis Leffler & Julian Bond

High School Community

BOND: Now, what parts of your education were instrumental in developing your leadership skills and don't say you're not a leader.

DOVE: [laughs] Elements of my education?

BOND: For example, were you president of the Girl Scouts?

DOVE: Hmmm — No, I was not president of the Girl Scouts.

BOND: You were shy.

DOVE: I was very shy.

BOND: Retiring.

DOVE: I was extremely shy, and I'm still shy, but you just have to suck it up and get over it. I was in Student Council in high school and this is very interesting. I hadn't really thought about it in terms of leadership before, but when I was in 7th grade, I and a group of my classmates were put into what was then an experimental idea of tracking and putting people into accelerated classes. As a result, I basically shared certain classes with the same group of students from 8th grade on and so we were pushed into AP English and History and math. What happened was that we did form a community and yet we also were often put into leadership roles, but I think that having that community was also very important.