Black History Month: Condoleeza Rice

Condoleeza Rice and mother, Angeleena Rice.

Condoleeza Rice is very unusual. Not just because she was a Black American woman who was Secretary of State. She is just absolutely brilliant. And gutsy, though most folks wouldn't think that about her.

She was raised just blocks away from the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that the KKK  bombed in 1963. She remembers the event. One of her playmates was killed in the blast. Growing up with that kind of terrorism aimed out you might discourage a girl from public office. But Condoleeza chose to be an achiever. Her parents were both involved in education, and taught her to be 'twice as good.'  She became a professor at Stanford (not too shabby) and could have been a concert pianist. When she chose to go into government service, eventually the Secretary of State, she set an extremely high standard not just for Black American women, but for all Americans.

Here is her address at the Republican Convention last year. Politics aside, such intelligence and careful choice of words really stood out in the midst of the last election.

Condoleezza Rice

Address at the Republican National Convention

 http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/convention2012/condoleezzarice2012rnc.htm