Caribbean Life, FEB. 26-MAR. 4, 2021 35
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February is Black History
Month, and it is a time when we raise
awareness of the history of Blacks in
America, their achievements, contributions
and role in shaping American
history. Earlier this month, I was
honored to speak to one such woman
who both contributed to and shaped
the history of CUNY/Kingsborough
Community College (KCC).
The first time I met Dr. Thelma
Malle was at an intimate breakfast
in late 2018 for the Kingsborough
Community College 1963 Society,
our distinguished group of loyal and
prolific college donors. Although my
5’10” frame towered over her, she,
I would come to learn, was the real
giant.
Thelma London Malle was born
in Harlem to Barbadian parents.
She attended New York City public
schools and earned a bachelor’s degree
at Columbia University and her
master’s and doctorate degrees from
New York University. She wanted to
major in Chemistry, but she could
not tolerate the fumes in the lab during
her organic chemistry class, and
subsequently changed her major to
mathematics. Often, she was the
only Black woman in her classes
and shared with me that she was
fortunate not to have ever confront
the racism or sexism that others had
experienced. She ultimately received
her undergraduate degree in mathematical
statistics from Columbia
University. She used her degree to
teach mathematics both in junior
high schools and at Kingsborough
upon her arrival in 1965. But she
wouldn’t stay in the classroom long,
as she was appointed as the dean of
the Mid Brooklyn Campus. Before
retiring from KCC in 1998, she would
serve as the Dean of Academic Programs
and Professor of Mathematics
and Computer Science.
As she reflected on her time at
Kingsborough, she cited helping
students who were at the brink of
dropping out “hang on” and complete
their associate degrees among
her greatest accomplishments. She
recounted to me a story of a student
who was incarcerated who wrote to
her and asked her to do two things:
contact his mother, and because
he had done work at KCC, send his
transcript. Dr. Malle was able to
help, and the student went on to finish
his degree while incarcerated.
When he was released, he obtained
a master’s and a doctorate degree
and became a university professor.
He, Dr. Malle said, was an example
of someone who the world wanted to
throw away, but he saw the value in
himself. Dr. Malle credits her belief
in other people, and the goodness of
others, that made it possible for her
to be successful.
We talked too, about the successes
of other African American
women who were also firsts like Vice
President Kamala Harris whom she
described as an excellent person. Dr.
Malle shared that in the ‘70s and ‘80s
she and others tried so hard to have
students have a sense of their value to
progress. So, she is extremely proud
of what Vice President Harris has accomplished
by reaching one of the
highest levels in government. She
stands, Dean Malle said, as a “wonderful
representative of women and
women of color.” And she even had
a few words of advice for me as the
first African American and first African
American woman president of
Kingsborough; she told me to believe
in myself and know that I have a role
to play because there are students
who need someone who supports and
understands them. She reminded me
that I am a person of consequence,
and it is my calling to make a difference
in the lives of others.
My intent on profiling Dean
Malle for Black History Month was
to highlight this woman who became
the first Black dean of Kingsborough
Community College. But her place
in Black History is so much more
than the achievement of being first,
it is about helping students achieve.
Today, in the midst of her continued
civic activities, including her immeasurable
philanthropic gifts to
Kingsborough, she continues to do
the work of helping others to achieve.
She is Black History; not for what she
did, but for all that she has and continues
to do for others.
Dr. Claudia V. Schrader is
president of Kingsborough Community
College, a 72-acre academic
oasis located in beautiful
Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn that
offers students affordable twoyear
degrees for their future. For
more information on the College
visit www.Kingsborough.edu.
EDUCAT I O N PROFI LE
Black History Pioneer Is More Than An Achiever; She’s A Visionary Leader
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/www.Kingsborough.edu
/www.Kingsborough.edu
