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This was an email sent out by my Spelman sister and classmate. I felt it captured the complete essence of Spelman and wanted to share. Feel free to add the names of the Spelman women who have inspired your life in the comments section.

Today we honor the 125th anniversary of the founding of our beloved Spelman College. We honor the vision of Ms. Packard & Ms. Giles. We honor 125 years undaunted by the fight! We honor those who said we couldn't, and yet we did. They told us brilliance could not come from us, and we were brilliant. They told us beauty could not look like us and we were beautiful. They told us courage was unlike us, and we are courageous. They told us leadership was unbecoming of us, and we led. They told us to be invisible, but we made the whole world stop and take notice. They said there was no way, and we made one.

On this day 125 years ago, our foresisters came to the gates, destitute, often illiterate. They owned nothing but a yearning to learn and a deep-rooted sense of knowing that coming to this place was going to change the course of history for our people. On that day they shattered the threshold that had been so long protected by those who said Black women had no place at the table of knowledge. And on the day of our founding, Sophia B. Packard wrote "April 11, 1881. School opens with eleven scholars." Scholars.

Below you will find 125 spaces for 125 Spelman woman who have changed our lives in some way for the better. You can put as many or as few sisters on this list as you would like, and then copy, paste and forward to your sisters until the circle is complete. And please remember, our foresisters had nothing but a head on their shoulders andshoes on their feet. They had nothing of the resources we have today and they built something that has thrived for 125 years. You got avisa. Give up some money to Spelman today.

and when life's race is won, thy noble work is done, oh God foreverbind, out hearts to thine!

1. Dr. Shirley Toland
2. Dr. Johnetta Cole
3. Elder Bernice King
4. Dr. Beverly Tatum
5. Dr. Cynthia Neale Spence
6. Dr. Zenobia Hikes