Spelman Student JeShawna Wholley Honored for LGBT Activism

By Brandon Miller -

When I think of Spelman College, I think of that Cosby spinoff from the late 1980s, A Different World. The show was based around a fictional institution - Hillman College - but a lot of it was actually shot at Spelman. So when I hear about Spelman, that's the connection I make. But Spelman is adding to the list of things that will resonate in my super-gay brain. Yeah, Spelman is coming into its own as an LGBT-positive campus, and one activist is being honored as the catalyst for it.
Spelman is an all-women's historically black college. And thanks to JeShawna Wholley, Spelman has been able to establish a thriving Pride week. Wholley started the festivities in 2009 and the two-year-old celebrations are joined in on by a neighboring men's college.
“It feels wrong to sit by passively while important social matters that affect not only me but generations to come need to be addressed,” Wholley said in a speech. “The work that I do is an essential part of who I am, and I find out more about myself the further I am able to advance in the fight for human equality.”
As one of their top 12 leaders in action, Wholley received the 2011 Voice & Action National Leadership Award from Campus Pride. She also got to meet President Obama, when she was invited to a reception to recall the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. Keep in mind that Wholley hasn't even graduated yet.
The activist was a panelist at the State of Black Gay America Summit, held in Atlanta. The other panelists included state representatives, a police liaison and the executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition.

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