ISSUE 20
From Dreams to Reality
(Excerpt From Her Upcoming Memoir)
By Rebecca S. White, Alumna of North Carolina Central University
Hello, my name is Rebecca Scotton White. I am originally from High Point
NC. I now reside in a small town in Randolph County. I’m widowed, living
with my daughter, Kimberly and her son, AJ. They have been a wonderful
blessing to me!
My early childhood days were spent in a Christian environment with a
devoted caring father who was a minister, and a loving mother, who was the
best cook around! She prepared hot, delicious, nutritious meals while dad
was the breadwinner. There were nine siblings. In mom’s spare time, she
became a writer. We were not all at home at the same time. Some sisters and
brothers had already left for college or the armed forces. We were raised to
believe that dancing, going to the movies, or listening to secular music, such
as jazz, rhythm and blues, or anything that was not Christian music was
considered unholy or a sin.
We slipped and did those things anyway and it was fun! On Saturday
mornings when dad and mom went grocery shopping. We would turn on
American Bandstand or Soul train, musical shows on the TV. or the radio
and would have a dancing good time! Our older sister, Teresa, who had gone
away to Howard University, would come home and teach us the latest
dances.
I really appreciated my teachings from my family and the church. They
helped me stay grounded when I went away to college.
During my preteen years, I was the president of a summer neighborhood
club. We shared summaries of books that we were reading. Mom made
cookies and drinks for refreshments. That was a fun memory!
My favorite teachers during that time were Ms. Reese. Mr. Forbes and Ms.
Brown. They were very motivational and genuinely cared for their students.
I began having school with the neighborhood children and taught bible
school one summer, when our family moved to Trinity NC. It was fun and
exciting! I loved working with children!
I also drew a school of cut out paper dolls. My playmate, sister, Gail, and I
would play for hours at a time with the school, having fire drills too! We
often laugh about this even today!
That’s when I knew that one day, I would be a teacher! My first role model
was my sister, Dr. Jacquelyn (Jackie) Scotton Joyner. Jackie was a loving,
wonderful role model and inspiration to all of us. She was the oldest in the
family and did her undergraduate work at North Carolina Central University
(NCCU) in Durham NC. She continued her education in Richmond, VA,
getting her master’s and doctorate degrees at Virgina Commonwealth
University. She’s no longer with us but has left a beautiful legacy and
wonderful memories to cherish! I followed in her footsteps and went to
NCCU to obtain my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.
I met the love of my life, Steven Douglas White in my sophomore year of
college but didn’t start dating him until a year later. I had dreams prior to
meeting him, of finding a handsome young Christian man one day, so that I
could have some beautiful babies! The dream came true!
One month after I graduated, Steven, (Steve) and I had a beautiful country
wedding at our family home. My youngest sister, Gail was my maid of
honor and William Martin, Steve’s cousin, was the best man. Rick, my
youngest brother, sang at our wedding! Two years later, our first son, Steven
Derez, was born.
Fast forwarding, Steve was a very ambitious young man. He learned the
profession of masonry, inspired and taught to him by my father. He later
attended Guilford County Community College, where he studied Blueprint
Comprehension. He had dreams of having his own company. He asked me
what I thought about it and I replied, “Go for It!!!” He started his own brick
masonry business and worked on several projects in the High Point/
Greensboro NC area. He later partnered with his brother Mike White,
building drainage structures for the NC State Department of Transportation,
the roads and highway division.
We had two more children, Brandon Scott, and three years later Kimberly
Eve was born. Our beautiful family was complete! I began focusing on my
career. I was the director of a childcare center in High Point, NC for several
years. I was employed also with High Point/ Guilford County Schools. At a
local church, I worked in the children’s ministry as director and directed the
children’s choir. Steve played the keyboard for the young adults and the
children’s choir.
We decided to relocate to Steve’s hometown, Siler City, NC. I became a
teacher and director of a child development center for physically and
mentally challenged children, mainstreamed in typically developing classes.
During this time, we both became involved in the music ministry at several
churches. Steve also became a minister and preached on special occasions,
and man, could he preach! I sang on the praise and worship teams while
Steve played the keyboard. It was very rewarding, doing the work of the
Lord and winning souls to Christ!
He later began construction of apartment buildings and was involved in
several projects in the surrounding areas of Chatham County.
Finally, we moved to Randolph County. I finished my teaching career in that
school system, retiring in 2013.
My love for teaching didn’t stop after retiring. I began teaching at Randolph
Community College as an English professor, teaching English for twelve
years, to students of other countries. I really enjoyed inspiring and working
with these students, who were determined after long hours, to learn English.
My favorite hobby is writing! I have written poems, songs, plays, and
published two books titled Miracle and I Love Poems, The latter was
illustrated by my niece Zayra Williams- Allen, daughter of our Teresa and
brother in law, Newman Williams, and twin of Jamila. Both books were
edited by my sister, Dr. Gwendolyn Scotton Bethea.
My sons are married and have their own private trucking businesses. Derez
also works as a security officer at several restaurants. He sings on different
occasions. Yateesha, Derez’s wife, works in a trucking company and is a
realtor.
Their younger sons, Israel and Bryson, are involved in sports, and both are
musically gifted. They keep us laughing with their sense of humor! Their
oldest daughter, Nijah and her husband are both NCCU graduates and work
from their home.
Brandon’s wife, Armecia, works as a registered nurse and graduated from
North Carolina A&T. Their son, Jaden is a personal fitness trainer. He
attended Guilford County Community College. Justin, their youngest son,
will be enrolling in UNC, Wilmington on a track scholarship in the fall
2026. He placed first in the State track competition and second in the
Nationals. Bryanna, the oldest daughter, is an NCCU graduate and is now
attending UNC Chapel Hill, working on her master’s degree in social work.
My grandchildren are all doing well academically in school.
Kimberly is an NCCU graduate and works as a Behavior Specialist. She will
be enrolling in the fall of 2026 in the master’s program, studying Behavior
Analysis at Purdue University. Her son, AJ, is a musician of several
instruments and loves sports! He won the Golden Helmet Award in 2025.
I am so proud of my children and grandchildren, and their accomplishments!
My husband became ill and left us in 2021. We miss him so much! His
genuine love for God, family and workmanship is what has inspired us to
keep going forward towards our goals! I know he is enjoying heaven and
smiling down from above! He loved us tremendously and we loved him too!
All my children have been so loving and caring since he transitioned.
I thank God for my loving parents who instilled in us the importance of
getting a good education to accomplish our goals. I also thank my other
family members, who have motivated us, leading by example, attending
colleges and universities, and doing well in their chosen careers.
I’m also thankful to our God who is guiding our footsteps daily. as we
continue making our dreams, reality!
Millions in Federal Funding Support:
Morgan State-led Public Health
Research to Curtail Health Problems
Among Black Mothers, Infants (Reprint
from the Morgan University Website)
Bridging the Divide in Maternal and Child
Health
Black maternal and infant mortality is increasing at an alarming rate despite
increased spending and 21st-century advances in healthcare. The numbers decry a
painful truth: according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
(HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH), for instance, Black infants are nearly
four times less likely to survive because of complications related to low birth
weight, and Black mothers are twice as likely to receive late or no prenatal care.
These and other figures present a stark reality for Black families who are poised
for parenthood yet struggle with unseen odds that place the lives of both mother
and child in the balance.
In confronting these harsh statistics, unraveling the complexities of factors
contributing to the disparity has become crucial for the Black community, which is
grappling with a disconcerting incidence of maternal and infant mortality that
demands urgent attention and meaningful solutions.
“There is overwhelming evidence from (the National Institutes of Health and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that greater than 60% of the cause of
maternal and infant mortality involves the social determinants of health,” said
Yvonne Bronner, Sc.D., professor of Public Health at Morgan State University and
principal architect of the integrative research taking place at Morgan that’s
examining the non-medical structural forces driving inequity in maternal health.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has committed more
than $50 million in support of the White House Blueprint for Addressing the
Maternal Health Crisis: a critical investment to help stem the increased rates at
which women in the United States are dying from pregnancy-related causes —
rates higher than in any other developed nation and disproportionately higher
among Black women.
Public health researchers at Morgan are standing on the frontlines to examine these
occurrences, better understand their origins, and illuminate pathways toward a
healthier and more equitable future for Black mothers. Their work involves an
expansive, community-based research initiative that will create a blueprint for
Black communities nationwide.
Within the last year, Morgan State's School of Community Health and Policy
(SCHP) and the University’s Center for Urban Health Equity (CUHE) have
secured more than $15 million in federal grants supporting a number of initiatives
with one common thread: maternal and child health equity.
“We are excited about this level of funding, what will come and what it means for
HBCUs and communities across the country,” said Kim Dobson Sydnor, Ph.D.,dean of the School of
Community Health and Policy at Morgan. “This work hasbeen prioritized, and Morgan has made a very intentional, strategic effort to be the foremost authority in addressing the longstanding inequalities
Black and brown women disproportionately face. The culmination of this funding and the research it
will support are truly a defining moment.”
Creating a Public Health Coalition
A significant stride toward Morgan’s goal to significantly reduce the incidence of
Black maternal and infant mortality came with a transformative federal investment
establishing the framework for a first-of-its-kind public health coalition.
Morgan will serve as the coordinating center and is charged with coalescing 16
research centers housed in minority-serving institutions nationwide, including one
at Morgan, in an intensive public health research that will examine the root causes
of mortality disparities between Black and other communities. The five-year, more
than $11-million HRSA grant, “Maternal Health Research Network for Minority-
Serving Institutions,” focuses on enlightening, educating and igniting “a paradigm
shift” in maternal health research rooted in community engagement.
Unique to this initiative and its funding are the awarded institutions. According to
Dr. Bronner, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-
serving institutions (MSIs) have long played ancillary roles supporting
predominantly white institutions in maternal and infant research. The Morgan
team with the support of CUHE led the establishment of the HBCU Alliance Team
for Maternal, Child and Family Health (HAT) consisting of partner institutions,
Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, Tennessee State University,
Texas Southern University and Chicago State University and the HAT has been
instrumental in advocating for the investment in our HBCUs.
“(HAT) will allow us to move these institutions forward in increasing their
maternal health research capacity while sharing lessons learned with our unfunded
institutions,” Bronner added.
Leveraging the expertise and efficacy that HBCUs have cultivated as anchor
institutions in the Black community is paramount to the effort. Many of the causal
factors of the health disparities are rooted in many social determinants of health,
and researchers have limited evidence examining the relationship between social
and structural determinants of health and maternal and infant mortality.
The disparities are systemic and will require a multifaceted, cross-disciplinary and
long-term approach that will encompass a phased, 15-year commitment to yield
progress in leveling the rates of maternal and child mortality, Bronner said.
“We’re currently in the capacity-building and strategic planning phase,” Bronner
said. “By year three, implementation will be in full swing, and within the next five
years, the ‘bottom-up,’ community-engaged, problem-solving curriculum and
research will be established, which will allow full devotion to competitive
sustainability.”
A Multifaceted Approach to Making an Impact
Public health researchers at Morgan are tackling maternal and infant health through
nationally scoped, long-term strategies and grassroots efforts designed to address
several immediate needs.
“Dr. Bronner had a vision for a national maternal child health agenda, and she is
seeing it through, along with contributions from many other Morgan public health
researchers who are making a critical impact in this meaningful work,” said Dean
Dobson Sydnor. “I am extra proud today, as Dean of SCHP, and also happy to say
that the Center for Urban Health Equity was able to support the work it took to
earn these awards.”
Complementing the efforts of the national coordinating center, Morgan was funded
for a five-year, $3-million research center grant to combat maternal mortality and
improve maternal health, particularly in underserved communities in the Greater
Baltimore region. Kesha Baptiste-Roberts, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor and
chair of the Public and Allied Health Department in the School of Community
Health and Policy, serves as the grant’s principal investigator.
Paramount to the effort will be building a framework and community-based
network for maternal health exploration and study, maternal healthcare workforce
expansion, greater accessibility to maternity services, and treatment of postpartum
maternal health issues, in marginalized communities.
“We are currently collaborating with our state and local health departments, and
national partners such as the Black Women's Health Imperative, Baltimore Healthy
Start, Light Health and Wellness, MOMCares, to name a few,” shared Dr. Baptiste-
Roberts.
Elaborating on Morgan’s effort to bring together a grassroots network of partners
and participants successfully, Baptiste-Roberts does not anticipate challenges with
recruiting and engaging research participants in the research projects.
“Our School of Community Health and Policy is rooted in the community. We
have a history of successful collaboration and true partnership with the
community…(and we) strive to engage in research that is community-informed,
community-engaged and focused on solving problems and improving the health of
the community.”
Another component of this effort is a CMS-funded grant focused exclusively on
researching the impacts of employing the doula mode of care to reduce maternal
and infant mortality among underserved Black and brown women. Investigators
led by Marilyn Berchie-Gialamas, D.N.P., C.R.N.P., NP-C, assistant professor in
Morgan State’s Department of Nursing, and principal investigator for the doula
research project, will conduct focus groups of diverse women living in Baltimore
who have had a live birth within the past two years, in-depth follow-up interviews
with the cohorts of focus group participants, and engagement with doulas who
have served for at least two years in the Baltimore area.
As indicated in a 2022 HHS Office of Health Policy report, the work of doulas has
been beneficial in maternal health. Doula’s support during pregnancy and birth and
their advocacy for patient autonomy — particularly for Black women — have been
shown to be effective in improving the labor and delivery experience and in
mitigating health disparities within underserved groups. The NOURISH program, a
full spectrum community doula program for college students developed by the
Black Women’s Health Imperative, was piloted at Morgan with 40 students who
are now serving their communities.
Parenting a Child with a Chronic
Illness: Finding Strength in the
Middle of the storm
By Charmaine Wilson-Dunn, Alumna, Wilberforce University, Central Michigan University
“Our approach of employing a focus group model to engage and obtain accounts of
mothers and doulas will allow our field researchers invaluable examination of and
insight (into) the impacts doulas offer throughout the entire pregnancy,” said Dr.
Berchie-Gialamas.
Over the next several months, Morgan and its School of Community Health and
Policy will be the epicenter of maternal and child health equity research activity.
From the HBCU Alliance Team of Research Centers providing a presence
nationally to the grassroots efforts deepening Morgan’s engagement in the greater
Baltimore community, there’s no shortage of human capital committed to this
effort. And now there’s a financial commitment at the federal and state level to
match.
The need for such research is undeniable. Maternal and infant health are
fundamental indicators of a society’s well-being, yet disparities persist, claiming
lives during times when families should be celebrating the fullness of life and joys
of maternity.
“We want to tell the untold story of a healthcare divide that demands our attention
and collective commitment to rewrite its script for a healthier, more equitable
future,” added Dean Dobson Sydnor. “Our legacy as public health educators,
researchers and practitioners is to end this cycle of inequity. That is our mission.”
Charmaine Dunn is the owner and CEO of Charm’s Consulting Services, LLC. Her passion is helping
others achieve success. She launched Charm’s Consulting Services, LLC in October 2016. Charmaine’s
wisdom, knowledge, and more than 30 years of federal government service includes working for the
Department of Defense, GSA, and U.S. Department of Education, and the White House Faith-Based
Initiative. These combined experiences, along with her knowledge and passion for supporting, serving,
and assisting others is phenomenal, along with her love for the least, the lost, and the left out –specifically
our youth in underrepresented communities, ignite fire in her belly.
She is affectionally known as the lady who is focused on Making a difference, Adding value, and
Creating change through transformation, aka the “MAC Lady”. She completed her Bachelor of Science in
Management at the first African American private institution, Wilberforce University. She obtained her
master’s degree in Business from Central Michigan University, and a master’s Certification in Project
Management from George Washington University. Charmaine has a John Maxwell Certification and
Coaching Certification from the Society of Life Coaches. Charmaine is also the co-founder of the Wilson
and Armstrong Foundation.
Charmaine was honored as one of the Professional Organization of Women of Excellence Recognized
(P.O.W.E.R) and selected as a Woman of Empowerment. She received the President’s Award from
President Barack Obama for the National Combined Federal Campaign and has received various
meritorious service awards from the federal government for superior work performance and outstanding
achievements. Charmaine was honored in the National Association Dean’s List, and Who’s Who for
Academic Achievement.
Charmaine continues to volunteer her time serving others. She is a dedicated member of True
Visionaries, Women of Incarcerated Loved Ones (WILO), the National Museum of African American
History, Professionals Who’s Who, and Autism Speaks.
Awards and Honors
Janet R. Griffin, Ph.D.,
Retired Professor of
English, Howard
University, wins
Volunteer of the Year
Award
Retired Professor of English, Howard University, has
received the Prince Georges’ County Government
Volunteer of the Year Award. A description of her award
appears in the narrative below.
Janet R. Griffin, professionally known as Lady Janet or Lady J, is a retired HowardUniversity professor/author/poet. She was a professor of English for more than fourdecades, teaching students the fundamentals of English, including English grammarand composition. In addition to teaching, Lady Janet has published more than tenvolumes of poetry which have been donated to students and can be purchased onamazon.com and alibris.com. One of Lady J’s lifelong passions has been mentoringyoung people, especially young women and children. The Columbia Gospel Messengerchoir was the first itinerant choir organized in Columbia, MD. It contained more than 74children. Along with mentoring, Lady J has always volunteered her free time in variouscapacities. For more than 40 years, she has maintained proudly her public relationsusher position at the Arena Stage. She also serves hot lunch for the Prince George’sCounty Senior Nutrition Program. After retiring, Lady J perfected her crochet art skills inthe service of donating her artwork to Howard University Hospital cancer patients. Her“caps supreme” with matching scarves and other stylish beanies are masterful andpopular gifts for any occasion. In recent months, Lady Janet’s art designs haveexpanded to include exquisite, crochet beanie caps for newborn babies to be donated tolocal hospitals.