Fire science bachelor degree

W.E.B. DuBois said that at the beginning of time "the great Black race" gave the world "the Mother-idea," and that no group of mothers anywhere has a greater tradition of heroism and sheroism.

Behind the cell phones and the Palm Pilots and computers, the modern reincarnation of the mother-beginners are still making miracles and giving birth to miracles. Still the glue of Black America, they are pioneering in the creation of a new image of a mother who makes millions of dollars, puts out fires, performs operations and writes poetry, and who is at the same time totally involved in raising and motivating children. The multimillionaire entrepreneur, fire captain, physician and writer portrayed on the following pages are representative of the millions of African-American mothers who are keeping the ancient faith in a new time and a new place.

FIRE CAPTAIN

CAPTAIN SYLIVIA SMITH-PHIFER, the highest-ranking Black woman in the history of the Charlotte, N.C., Fire Department, is a pioneer, a professional lifesaver and a full-time mom. Captain Smith-Phifer says determination, "the fire in her belly, "is the secret to her success.

"Just give me a challenge," says the 5-foot, 107-pound firefighter, "and you're going to know that I've put every bit of my effort and my energy into it."

For 10 straight days a month, Captain Smith-Phifer works 24-hour shifts (8 a.m. to 8 a.m.) at the fire station. For the remaining 20 or so days of the month, she's a stay-at-home mom. Smith-Phifer and her husband, Jeff Phifer, also a Charlotte firefighter, have three sons Alexander, 7, Aaron, 5, and Zion, 2--and she's totally immersed in the daily lives of the children.

Hours of intense physical training and/or battling a blaze or two do not exclude her from doing the mommy stuff.

"Sometimes the juggling of the schedules or dealing with a really busy day is overwhelming," she says. "But regardless, when I get home in the morning, it's my children's time." She spends hours studying with her oldest son, Alexander, and is a Class Mom Representative at her middle son's school. And she's fond of taking nature walks and visiting the zoo with her baby boy while his siblings are in school.

The fire captain avoids burnout by relying on a circle of support that includes her spouse, family members and fellow firefighters.

"When I became pregnant, I was reassigned to office duty, and everyone in my department was very supportive of me," she recalls. "I have great family support--if I'm not at my sons' schools, my husband or my mom is there. And when I returned to work after having my sons, my mom helped baby-sit and brought them to the station twice a day so that I could nurse them."

The trailblazing fire captain, a graduate of the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, holds a bachelor of science degree in finance and was formerly in the insurance business. In 1992, her sister encouraged her to take the firefighter's exam.

Although she knew she would be entering a male-dominated arena, she never imagined that she would make history or that fighting fires was her destiny. "But when I came [on the force], I knew I had found my calling."

Captain Smith-Phifer says her other true calling is to prepare her sons for greatness.

"It's hard being a Black male," she explains, "so I try to do everything in life to make sure that my sons will have every tool available so that they can succeed."

ENTREPRENEUR

VALERIE DANIELS-CARTER, president and CEO of Milwaukee-based V&J Holding Companies, which operates 141 Burger King and Pizza Hut restaurants, has a company philosophy that says: "You ARE THE STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE." As the mother of a young son, Jeffrey Alan Carter II, Daniels-Carter applies that same philosophy to herself and her family.

"I try to develop him as a well-rounded child with his first priority being to set his goals on God and his second priority being that of self-esteem, self-value and self-worth, and then making sure he understands that he is a very integral part of my life," says Daniels-Carter of her 8-year-old son. "He understands that there's no one outside of this world who cares for him and loves him as much as his mom. We share a very genuine close relationship."

Daniels-Carter and Jeffrey begin each day with spiritual food as they have their daily devotion. After he leaves at about 8 a.m., she heads to work.

In the afternoon, Jeffrey stays with his grandmother, Rose Ann Carter, until his mother picks him up around 7 p.m. Daniels-Carter and her son have dinner together and watch television until it's time for sleep.

Still, running a business that covers five states means that the routine may shift on a moment's notice. There are days when she must travel. Whenever feasible, Jeffrey travels with his mother, especially on trips overseas, which is another learning opportunity for her son.

"I try to instill everything I know in young Jeffrey," Daniels-Carter says. "Knowledge is power, and the more he knows now, the more he can obtain and see. The more he is exposed to now, the broader his vision can be. I want him to have the largest vision he could possibly have that's within the will of God in his life."

Daniels-Carter does her best to give Jeffrey a full life, especially since her-er husband, Jeffrey Carter Sr., died in an accident three years ago. She says there was a period of learning how to manage after his death.

"My husband was just a wonderful person; he was a jewel," Daniels-Carter says. "He was just a wonderful role model for my son. So what I've tried to do is instill the values that existed in my husband in Jeff, the things that drew him to me as a strong Black man."

Daniels-Carter points to her family, especially her mother-in-law, siblings and her niece (who helps Jeffrey with schoolwork) as being very instrumental in her life and her son's life. With the family's support in his upbringing combined with her enduring love, Daniels-Carter believes her son will excel in whatever he decides to do.

"I am trying to develop the skill sets he's going to need to be successful in life," Daniels-Carter says. "My goal is to have my son be the competition that [others] measure themselves by."

AUTHOR

THE late summer of 1996 was a time of high expectations for author VENISE BERRY. She was eight months pregnant with her first child and had just given birth to her first novel, So Good, a tale that traces the relationships of three successful Black women. On October 9 of that year, Berry gave birth to daughter Averi Bryant, while her other "baby" was climbing the Blackboard Bestsellers list and establishing Berry as an exciting new voice in commercial fiction.

Five years and two additional novels later, Berry, an associate professor of journalism and mass communications at the University of Iowa, is now happily juggling the joys of motherhood with the demands of teaching and writing. With help from friends and family, the 45-year-old single mother is deftly managing her parenting and professional obligations. "Organization is the key," says Berry, who lives in Carrolville, Iowa. "Since Averi was born, I've become a great multitasker. I've learned that you have to be able to do a lot of things at the same time."

Berry's days are filled with classes and administrative tasks (she's the interim director of the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications at Iowa). Evenings are for Averi. The two read, watch television and spend hours constructing elaborate houses and neighborhoods with Averi's Legos building blocks. Motherhood, says Berry, has made her infinitely more selective about how she spends her time.

"It's made me realize how precious time really is," she says. "Now I only spend time doing the things that I really enjoy doing."

Berry says it has taken her, on average, about two years to produce each of her three novels. Her latest, Colored Sugar Water, is a meditation on spirituality. Carving out the time to write can be difficult.

"There are those times when I'm working when it's a real struggle because I feel like all I really want to be doing at this moment is playing with Averi," she says. "But there are some times when I really want to be working too."

Averi also spends a good deal of time--summers and some holidays --in Detroit with her father, a doctor, and his family.

"It's hard when she's away from me like that, but I've come to understand that she needs that time with her father and his family," Berry says. "And actually, I need that time, too."

PHYSICIAN

DR. BERNADITH RUSSELL didn't intend to have her first child during her first year of medical school. But there she was, on the first day of classes after spring break, going into labor right after anatomy, and giving birth to her daughter, Amina.