A life that melds art, perseverance

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH PROFILE

Cecelia B. Hodges
By: Kristin Boyd
   Creative expression is as much a part of Cecelia B. Hodges’ genetic makeup as her petite frame and full lips.
   It first emerged in childhood, when education and advanced reading skills were valued like good china in her Harlem, N.Y., household. In high school, Shakespeare held her undivided attention.
   Ms. Hodges’ dance with creative expression continues today, evident in her recitations, one-woman shows, book club meetings and verse-speaking choir at Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church.
   "I grew up in a household in which the spoken word and reading were important," said Ms. Hodges, a retired Princeton University professor. "By osmosis, I took it in."
   Ms. Hodges’ father was from Dominica; her mother from Antigua. The family lived in New York City’s Washington Heights neighborhood, which continually sang the praises of the Harlem Renaissance.
   "I thought I would live and die there because no arrogant New Yorker thinks they’re going to leave," she said, smiling.
   Fueled by an intense thirst for knowledge, Ms. Hodges attended Hunter College in New York. While she enjoyed both theater and education, she decided teaching was a less risky career. She graduated at 19 with a degree in English.
   Returning to her neighborhood roots, she became an English teacher at the junior high school she attended. She later taught at the High School of Performing Arts, which was the centerpiece of the movie and television series "Fame."
   She went on to earn a master’s degree in history of drama from Columbia University, and a doctorate in oral interpretation of literature from Northwestern University.
   "I wanted to be a college professor, but for black people in New York City, that wasn’t an option then," she said. "I think I’ve always liked the close, intellectual engagement, the analytical discussions. Maybe I thought I would have more fluidity, more opportunity to pursue subjects from different postures and points of view."
   She landed a position at Talladega College in Alabama and met a professor who taught her "how to start the fire in the soul of a student," she said.
   With that passion, she pursued other positions, eventually becoming a professor of oral interpretation at Douglass College, the women’s college of Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
   The experience, while elating, proved trying. At the time, she was the sole black faculty member at Douglass, she said.
   "The expectation of what we were going to do was not high," she said. "We just had a double, sometimes a triple burden to carry, especially to achieve professional excellence. Antagonists wanted to hinder our success."
   However, Ms. Hodges persevered, and as a tenured associate professor in the late 1960s, helped establish the college’s African/Afro-American Studies Program.
   "That is my legacy (at Douglass)" she said. "The hope was through the study of our ancient history, we could confront our present and create a solid future."
   Her work and name carried across the region, and she was invited to teach an African-American literature seminar at Princeton University. The chosen work: "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, one of her favorite books.
   "So here comes Cecelia," she said, swinging her head from side to side, imitating her confident strut. "The class was fantastic."
   Unwilling to let her get away, the university offered Ms. Hodges a teaching position in the English Department, which included 50 staff members. She was the lone woman and lone black person, but her students kept her experience enjoyable, she said.
   "That was my focus," she said. "That’s all that really mattered. I concentrated on my classes and my students."
   Sitting in her West Windsor home last week, surrounded by African artwork, potted plants and books, Ms. Hodges said she still keeps in touch with many of her students. They often call her to share good news or ask for advice.
   Long since retired, she now hosts "The Third Sunday Book Club" meetings in her home and continually feeds her theater interest.
   She participates in several drama groups and theater guilds and performs her one-woman shows about late author Zora Neale Hurston and late U.S. Congressman Shirley Chisholm of New York, the first black woman elected to Congress.
   This weekend, she wrapped up her role as Miss Leah in "Flyin’ West" at Princeton University’s Matthews Acting Studio.
   "It’s very fulfilling," she said. "It takes an enormous amount of preparation, as does teaching. You have to be able to keep people interested in what you’re talking about."
   Readying for a practice reading, she pulled out her three-ring binder and recited a paragraph from the script.
   "People can no more forget the plantation than they can forget their own names," she said, her voice vibrant with wisdom. "When you forget that, you ain’t got no history past last week."
   The statement rang true with Ms. Hodges, who said each step of her journey has shaped the next.
   But much like the chapters in a well-crafted novel or acts in an award-winning play, her life story continues to unfold, one creative expression at a time.