African Proverbs for All Ages

About Johnnetta Betsch ColeNelda LaTeef

Johnnetta Betsch Cole is a noted anthropologist and educator who has worked on issues of racial gender and other systems of inequality throughout her career. A native of Jacksonville Florida she grew up during the days of racial segregation. She holds a B.A. in sociology from Oberlin College and masters and doctorate degrees from Northwestern University. Dr. Cole is the only person to have served as president for both Spelman and Bennet Colleges; she was also the Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art from 2009 to 2016 and now serves as the Chair of the Board and the President of the National Council of Negro Women. Nelda LaTeef is the award-winning author and illustrator of The Hunter and The Ebony Tree Animal Village and The Talking Baobab Tree. She grew up in a US Foreign Service family and spent her childhood attending schools in Europe Africa and Asia. She holds a degree in social anthropology from Harvard University and has traveled throughout West Africa conducting field research even visiting the fabled city of Timbuktu. Nelda lives in Virginia with her family where she enjoys traveling tennis and cycling.