- Kimberley Guillemet
- 3 hours ago
Roger Airliner Young was born August 20, 1899 in Clifton Forge, Virginia. In 1916, Young enrolled at Howard University in Washington, D.C. to study music. She wrote in the yearbook: "Not failure, but low aim is a crime." Though her grades were poor at the beginning of her college career, her teachers saw promise in her. One such teacher was Ernest Everett Just, a prominent Black biologist and head of the Zoology Department at Howard University. Young eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1923, and earned her master's degree from the University of Chicago in 1926.
The following summer, Just invited Young to the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Massachusetts, as his research assistant. The first Black woman admitted to the lab, Young would spend ten research seasons at Woods Hole conducting research. In 1929, Just left for Europe, leaving Young to take over his duties as head of Howard’s Zoology Department with no official recognition or title.
In 1930, an overburdened and underprepared Young took qualifying exams for the doctoral program at the University of Chicago. She failed the tests. Undeterred, she returned to teach at Howard. During the 1930s, she authored and coauthored several papers on different aspects of marine biology.
Young was passed over and was not named Just’s official successor as head of the Zoology Department. One of her colleagues suggested she enter the doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania, and helped her secure a grant to fund her studies. In 1940, Young earned her PhD, becoming the first African American woman to earn a doctorate in zoology.
After obtaining her doctorate, Young became an assistant professor at the North Carolina College for Negroes and Shaw University. Later in her scientific career, Young held teaching positions at Bishop College, Paul Quinn University, and at colleges in Mississippi and Louisiana. In 1960, Young became a science professor at Jackson State University.
Young died on November 9, 1964 at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Young contributed a great deal to science. She studied the effects of direct and indirect radiation on sea urchin eggs, on the structures that control the salt concentration in paramecium, as well as hydration and dehydration of living cells. She was recognized in a 2005 Congressional Resolution along with four other African American women "who have broken through many barriers to achieve greatness in science.” A consortium of environmental and conservation groups established the Roger Arliner Young (RAY) Marine Conservation Diversity Fellowship in Young’s honor, to support young African Americans who want to become involved in marine environmental conservation work.
- Kimberley Guillemet
- Sep 3
― Frederick Douglass
While meditating on my morning devotional, I gazed outside my window and saw a bird perch itself on a rather flimsy branch of the great tree in our backyard. It was a bit breezy outside, but soon what had initially been a slight gust that caused the branch to sway gently back and forth quickly became a strong wind, causing the branch to move violently up and down and side to side. I kept waiting, expecting the bird to fly away, but it never did. It continued to hold on. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the wind died down and the branch's movement stabilized. It was only then, when the proverbial storm was over, that the bird flew away.
That micro storm reminded me of recent experiences in my life– times when my environment seemed unstable and the ground seemed a bit shaky with no stability in sight. I had to ask myself: was I going to fly away in an effort to escape or was I going to hold on and wait it out? The bird’s choice to remain on the branch while it was being tossed about by the wind and wait to leave only once the branch's movement stabilized is not the choice we see people opt for in today’s social climate. Patience, longsuffering, and unwavering commitment are not virtues that are regularly celebrated in current American culture. We live in a moment where instant gratification and quick fixes are deified, and there is little to no tolerance for discomfort.
When we face adversity and challenges, let’s refrain from running the moment things become uncomfortable. We can be assured that there is a valuable lesson in pushing through the discomfort. We become stronger and more resilient. And the reality is that often when we feel unsafe, pressured, or stressed, our decision-making abilities are not at their peak. It’s only when the wind stops howling and our foundation stabilizes that we are able to clearly see the choices and paths ahead of us such that we can make the wisest choice.
Hard is not synonymous with bad. Nothing in our lives that we will truly value or appreciate will come to us very easily.
Embrace the storm.
- Kimberley Guillemet
- Jan 1
― Adapted from quote by Rev. Phil Ware
We must stop viewing our fellow humans as enemies.
Much has transpired in the world since I last posted, including a national election. Understandably, people have strong feelings about the election and other issues at the center of American and international politics. However, those feelings should not cause us to assume that people who live and/or think differently than we do are our enemies. We are all brothers and sisters in humanity. That a person is registered with a different political party, lives in a different part of the country or is from a different ethnic group than ours, does not make them our enemy.
It may feel easier or safer to mentally place entire groups of people into generalized categories rather than to take the time to reach across the aisle and foster authentic relationships on an individualized basis, but it does not make it right.
You may feel as if animus toward a specific group is justified because a member of that group mistreated you, or someone you love, in the past. I disagree. We will never overcome evil by responding in kind. As the scriptures and countless wise men and women have said in various ways over the course of human history, “you cannot overcome evil with evil; you must overcome evil with good.”
I am myself no stranger to injustice and the impact of generational disenfranchisement and oppression. Difficult and hurtful events that transpire in our world at the hands of other humans can break our hearts and threaten to break our spirits. However, when we fight evil and unkindness with more evil and unkindness, no one wins. And don't be deceived, for even if it seems as though evil is prevailing for a season, know this: love always wins.
As we prepare our hearts and minds to turn the page to another year, let's resolve to be intentional about making our world better by using our talents, abilities and resources to lead with love.
