Beverly Daniel Tatum facts for kids

Beverly Christine Daniel Tatum (born September 27, 1954) is an American psychologist, leader, and teacher. She has done a lot of research and written books about racism. Her work often looks at race in schools and how teenagers develop their racial identity. She also studies how Black families and young people fit into mostly white neighborhoods.

Tatum uses stories from her students, her own life, and her knowledge of psychology. From 2002 to 2015, she was the ninth president of Spelman College. This college is the oldest historically Black women's college in the United States.

Tatum wrote a very famous book called "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" And Other Conversations About Race. In this book, she explains that people in America often don't like to talk about race. She believes we need to think about how developing our racial identity affects us psychologically. Her 2007 book, Can We Talk about Race? and Other Conversations in an Era of School Resegregation, also talks about the urgent need for these discussions. She points out that schools are still often separated by race. This separation affects how well minority students do in school.

Early Life and Education

Beverly Christine Daniel Tatum was born on September 27, 1954, in Tallahassee, Florida. Her parents were Catherine Faith Maxwell and Robert A. Daniel. Tatum calls herself an "integration baby." This is because she was born just four months after the 1954 Supreme Court decision. This ruling, called Brown v. Board of Education, made it illegal to separate students by race in schools. Tatum grew up in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. She remembers often being the only Black student in her classes there.

Many members of her family went to important historically black colleges and universities. These include the Tuskegee Institute and Howard University.

Beverly Tatum finished high school in 1971. She then earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from Wesleyan University. She also received her master's degree in Clinical Psychology in 1976. Later, she got her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology in 1984. Both of these degrees were from the University of Michigan. Much later, in 2000, she earned another master's degree in religious studies from Hartford Seminary.

Beverly Tatum's Career in Education

Tatum started her teaching career at the University of California at Santa Barbara. She taught Black Studies there from 1980 to 1983. After that, she became a psychology professor at Westfield State College (1983-1989). She then taught psychology for thirteen years at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. While at Mount Holyoke, she also held several leadership roles. She was the head of the Psychology Department, Dean of the College, Vice President for Student Affairs, and even acting President.

In 2002, Tatum became the President of Spelman College. This is a historically Black liberal arts college for women in Atlanta, Georgia. Her time there was very successful. She led a 10-year campaign that greatly increased donations from former students. This campaign raised $157.8 million for the college.

Tatum has shared her knowledge about racial identity development across the country. She has given lectures, led workshops, and joined panels. She even spoke at a special event about race relations in America's public schools. This event was hosted by President Bill Clinton.

Besides being a teacher and author, Tatum also worked as a clinical psychologist. She practiced from 1988 to 1998. Her special area was diversity training. This means helping people understand and work well with others from different backgrounds. She did this in both individual and group sessions.

In 2014, Tatum was chosen to be a member of the American Philosophical Society. This is a very old and respected group.

Beverly Daniel Tatum retired in July 2015. She became President Emerita of Spelman College. Now, she plans to focus on writing, giving talks, and being an expert on racial identity development. In March 2022, it was announced that Tatum would return to Mount Holyoke. She served as interim president for one year, starting July 1, 2022.

Understanding Race and Education

In her well-known article, Talking about Race, Learning about Racism: The Application of Racial Identity Development Theory in the Classroom, Beverly Tatum shares her experiences. This article was published in the Harvard Educational Review. She talks about teaching classes on race-related topics. She uses the Racial Identity Development Theory to help understand how students react to these subjects. She has always been committed to teaching and leading discussions about race. She explains her goal with this quote:

"I was convinced that helping students understand the ways in which racism operates in their own lives and what they could do about it, was a social responsibility that I should accept."

Over her many years as a teacher, Tatum taught a class called "Psychology of Racism" eighteen times. She taught it at three different schools. Even though the class sizes and students were different, Tatum noticed something common. Students often reacted emotionally to the material. They might feel guilt, shame, or anger. These feelings could sometimes stop them from truly understanding the topics.

Tatum believes students often resist talking about race. This is partly because it's seen as a forbidden topic. Also, it can clash with the idea that everyone succeeds based on their own hard work in America. White students sometimes don't realize how race has affected their own lives. Tatum explains this resistance using William E. Cross, Jr.'s Racial Identity Development Theory. This theory looks at how people come to understand their own racial group. There are different theories for Black and White people, with different stages of development.

As a professor, Tatum saw many students go through these stages. She shares parts of student journals. These entries show how students reacted to class discussions over a semester. Tatum shows that while students have their own personal journeys, their experiences often fit the racial identity theory. Tatum says this model, even if not perfect, is very helpful. It allows students to make sense of their experiences. This helps them grow in a positive way.

Tatum discusses many of these ideas in her popular book. It's called “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" And Other Conversations About Race. In the book, she explains how racial identity develops for Black and White people. She also briefly talks about Native Americans, Latinos, and Asian Americans. She uses personal stories from her children and students. She also uses research to show why racial identity development is important. It affects how well people do, their mental health, and how included they feel. Tatum stresses that teachers, parents, and everyone should learn about these topics. This will help them have meaningful conversations about race, especially in education.

Beverly Tatum's Impact

In 2014, the American Psychological Association gave Beverly Daniel Tatum a special award. It was the Award for Outstanding Lifetime Contribution to Psychology. This is the highest honor from the APA. The award recognized her work on the difficult topic of race relations in the United States. It also noted how this environment affects identity for African Americans. Tatum has spent much of her career talking to people about race and racial identity. Because of this, she is now a well-known expert on these issues. She is often asked to speak and lead workshops at different places across the country.

Tatum also made a clear impact at Spelman College. She was president there for 13 years. During her time, the money available for student scholarships doubled. Tatum also started an initiative called "Going Global." This program helps students learn about different cultures. It supports study travel programs around the world. In 2012, she started a "Wellness Revolution." This encouraged students to make healthy choices about exercise, diet, and sleep. And in 2014, Tatum helped the college raise $157.8 million. This amount was more than they expected. It was also the most money ever raised in the college's history.

See also

• Presidents and principals of Mount Holyoke College