Angelena Rice
Encyclopedia
Angelena Ray Rice a teacher
of high school
music
and science
in Birmingham, Alabama
and Denver, Colorado
, was the mother of former United States Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice
.
She was born in Alabama
to Albert Robinson Ray III and his wife Mattie Lula Parham (Alabama
She married John Wesley Rice, Jr. and lived in Titusville
, a Black middle class
neighbourhood in Birmingham, Alabama
. She named her daughter Condoleezza, after the Italian
musical notation “con dolcezza” meaning to play "with sweetness". Angelena Rice managed her daughter's schedule, schooling Condoleezza in academic subjects and music
, and sending her to ballet
, youth group, and church. Since Condoleezza could read fluently by age five, Angelena Rice wanted her to start school. When the principal of the black elementary school said she was too young, Rice took a one-year leave of absence and home-schooled her daughter. This education was rigorous and structured.
Angelena Rice enrolled her daughter in a variety of schools to expose her to different social and educational experiences. She instructed her daughter to excel and be above average in every endeavour.
Angelena Rice's parents protected her from Birmingham's Jim Crow laws
by telling her to use facilities at home, rather than segregated washrooms and water fountains. Later, Angelena Rice was told her daughter could not use a "whites only" dressing room, but argued until the shop clerk relented.
In 1969, Angelena Rice was diagnosed with breast cancer
. She died in 1985, aged 61.
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
of high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
and Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, was the mother of former United States Secretary of State
United States Secretary of State
The United States Secretary of State is the head of the United States Department of State, concerned with foreign affairs. The Secretary is a member of the Cabinet and the highest-ranking cabinet secretary both in line of succession and order of precedence...
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
.
She was born in Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
to Albert Robinson Ray III and his wife Mattie Lula Parham (Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
She married John Wesley Rice, Jr. and lived in Titusville
Titusville, Birmingham, Alabama
Titusville is a historic neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama, United States southeast of Ensley near UAB's campus. It is centered on 6th Avenue South between downtown Birmingham and Elmwood Cemetery....
, a Black middle class
Black middle class
The black middle class, within the United States, refers to African Americans who occupy a middle class status within the American class structure. It is predominately a development that arose after the 1960s, during which the African American Civil Rights Movement led to reform movements aimed at...
neighbourhood in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. She named her daughter Condoleezza, after the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
musical notation “con dolcezza” meaning to play "with sweetness". Angelena Rice managed her daughter's schedule, schooling Condoleezza in academic subjects and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, and sending her to ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, youth group, and church. Since Condoleezza could read fluently by age five, Angelena Rice wanted her to start school. When the principal of the black elementary school said she was too young, Rice took a one-year leave of absence and home-schooled her daughter. This education was rigorous and structured.
Angelena Rice enrolled her daughter in a variety of schools to expose her to different social and educational experiences. She instructed her daughter to excel and be above average in every endeavour.
Angelena Rice's parents protected her from Birmingham's Jim Crow laws
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
by telling her to use facilities at home, rather than segregated washrooms and water fountains. Later, Angelena Rice was told her daughter could not use a "whites only" dressing room, but argued until the shop clerk relented.
In 1969, Angelena Rice was diagnosed with breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
. She died in 1985, aged 61.