2008.09.21: September 21, 2008: Headlines: COS - Afghanistan: African American Issues: Nursing: Sarasota Herald-Tribune: While a senior nursing student at St. Louis University in Missouri, Anita Rogers answered "yes" when the call came to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966
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2008.09.21: September 21, 2008: Headlines: COS - Afghanistan: African American Issues: Nursing: Sarasota Herald-Tribune: While a senior nursing student at St. Louis University in Missouri, Anita Rogers answered "yes" when the call came to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966
While a senior nursing student at St. Louis University in Missouri, Anita Rogers answered "yes" when the call came to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966
"We were a group of 26 nurses and two pharmacists; of that, two of us were black," said Rogers, who lived and worked as a nurse in Afghanistan from January through September 1966. Being a black woman meant Rogers suffered from culture shock. She was surprised by the stark conditions in which the volunteers had to work at an Afghanistan hospital, but most of her shock came from racial differences she encountered. "To get around, we were issued bikes by the Peace Corps, so for my 22nd birthday they bought me this bike because I was 22 years old and had not learned how to ride a bike," Rogers said. "You should have seen me trying to learn how to ride it." While riding through the streets, Rogers often heard the Afghan word for "black" shouted her way, but she wasn't familiar with another word yelled her way. "They made a hissing sound and shouted a strange word," she said. "That word turned out to mean 'cat,' which really meant 'whore' or 'streetwalker.' I can still hear that hissing, which sounded like a cat getting ready to strike at you." Despite the few hardships, Rogers' memories are mostly fond recollections of the lifelong friends she made and the beauty of a country and culture that continues to shape her life. "My Peace Corps experience in Afghanistan truly changed my world view," she said. "In Afghanistan, I had to face some issues, particularly on race and religion that I had previously brushed aside -- assuming that, at 22 years old, I knew all the answers.
While a senior nursing student at St. Louis University in Missouri, Anita Rogers answered "yes" when the call came to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966
Spurring interest in Peace Corps
Published: Sunday, September 21, 2008 at 1:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, September 20, 2008 at 6:10 p.m.
Caption: Anita Rogers, third from left, is shown singing with other Peace Corps volunteers in 1966. Photo: Anita Rogers
As an expert in the preservation of African-American history, Anita Marie Rogers is used to handling delicate artifacts and rare documents from all over the world.
Recently, she found herself searching for documents in her personal archives to retrieve some of her life's most precious memories.
While a senior nursing student at St. Louis University in Missouri, Rogers answered "yes" when the call came to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in 1966. She is now one of dozens of local Peace Corps alumni working to revive the organization.
They alumni kicked off the national campaign for a "Bigger, Better, Bolder Peace Corps" by hosting 100 house parties in all 50 states and 10 countries earlier this month. The campaign's goal is to build support for doubling the current size of the Peace Corps. To reach its goal, the National Peace Corps Association launched the "More Peace Corps" campaign to help reach the goal by 2011, the 50th anniversary of the Corps' founding.
Rogers hosted one of the house parties in her Bradenton home earlier this month. Rogers invited supporters and prospective future Peace Corps volunteers to celebrate the historic past and plan for the Peace Corps' future. As the house filled with people, memories of innocent young hearts filled with a desire to serve the world flooded the gathering of almost 40 of more than 100 former Peace Corps volunteers who live in the Manatee and Sarasota area.
Another event was held Saturday at the Family Heritage House Museum at Manatee Community College, where Rogers is the museum specialist. The event featured an excerpt from a film about Sargent Shriver, the first Peace Corps director and brother-in-law of Peace Corps founder President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy's original vision included 100,000 volunteers working with host country nationals to create a global change for peace. While the organization never reached that goal, officials want to be successful this time with the help of testimonies from former volunteers.
"Being in the Peace Corps was a life-changing experience," said Rogers, who joined the Corps at age 22. "I sent my application in my senior year of nursing school. I can remember getting the call from the Peace Corps at school, and they asked me if I wanted to go to Afghanistan. I had no idea of where they were talking about, but I said yes and looked it up on the map later."
After accepting the challenge, Rogers spent that summer in her native New Orleans, working as a nurse in the pediatric section of the Charity Hospital. She later arrived in Portland, Ore., for three months of Peace Corps training that included learning the Afghan language.
"We were a group of 26 nurses and two pharmacists; of that, two of us were black," said Rogers, who lived and worked as a nurse in Afghanistan from January through September 1966.
Being a black woman meant Rogers suffered from culture shock. She was surprised by the stark conditions in which the volunteers had to work at an Afghanistan hospital, but most of her shock came from racial differences she encountered.
"To get around, we were issued bikes by the Peace Corps, so for my 22nd birthday they bought me this bike because I was 22 years old and had not learned how to ride a bike," Rogers said. "You should have seen me trying to learn how to ride it."
While riding through the streets, Rogers often heard the Afghan word for "black" shouted her way, but she wasn't familiar with another word yelled her way.
"They made a hissing sound and shouted a strange word," she said. "That word turned out to mean 'cat,' which really meant 'whore' or 'streetwalker.' I can still hear that hissing, which sounded like a cat getting ready to strike at you."
Despite the few hardships, Rogers' memories are mostly fond recollections of the lifelong friends she made and the beauty of a country and culture that continues to shape her life.
"My Peace Corps experience in Afghanistan truly changed my world view," she said. "In Afghanistan, I had to face some issues, particularly on race and religion that I had previously brushed aside -- assuming that, at 22 years old, I knew all the answers.
"Little did I realize that it was just the beginning of my spiritual journey of seeking the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can" and continually praying for "the wisdom to know the difference."
Contact Yvette Kimm at yvettekimm@aol.com.
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Headlines: September, 2008; Peace Corps Afghanistan; Directory of Afghanistan RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Afghanistan RPCVs; African American Issues; Nursing
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Story Source: Sarasota Herald-Tribune
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Afghanistan; African American Issues; Nursing
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