It’s About Time! Condoleezza Rice Is First Black Woman Selected For Augusta Club Membership

August 20th, 2012 - By Alissa Henry
"Condoleezza Rice Golf Digest"

Source: GolfDigest.com

“Today, one of the last bastions of male supremacy is no more,” USA Today sports columnist, Christine Brennan announced, “Today, Augusta National has made a crucial statement to every girl and woman who has thought about picking up a golf club. The message is simple: You are welcome.”

Nearly 80 years after it opened for play, and twenty-two years after accepting Black men, the Augusta National Golf Club is allowing two women — former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and business executive Darla Moore — to join the all-boys club.

In a statement released by the club, Augusta National chairman Billy Payne said:

“This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National Golf Club. We are fortunate to consider many qualified candidates for membership at Augusta National. Consideration with regard to any candidate is deliberate, held in strict confidence and always takes place over an extended period of time. The process for Condoleezza and Darla was no different.

These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership. It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their Green Jackets when the Club opens this fall.

This is a significant and positive time in our Club’s history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family.”

The club’s “no girls allowed” policy has been a contentious point of debate for years. The New York Times reported:

In 2002 Martha Burk of the National Council of Women’s Organizations began a campaign that urged the club to include women. Hootie Johnson, the chairman at the time, said he would not be forced “at the point of a bayonet” to admit women.

Just this past April, Billy Payne stumbled over questions about their policy and offered that it was a “membership issue” and ultimately a “private matter”. Not all press is good press though, and just months after that PR fiasco, the club has changed their stance.

In a statement released by the club, Condoleezza said she looks forward to becoming a member:

“I have visited Augusta National on several occasions and look forward to playing golf, renewing friendships and forming new ones through this very special opportunity. I have long admired the important role Augusta National has played in the traditions and history of golf. I also have an immense respect for the Masters tournament and its commitment to grow the game of golf, particularly with youth, here in the United States and throughout the world.”

Why Condi? She told Golf Digest that she took up the sport seven years ago at the age of 50 as an escape from long hours in the West Wing. Naturally (and perhaps surprisingly) athletic, she was a competitive figure skater when she was younger and plays tennis now. She’s also really into the NFL. Since taking up golf, Condoleezza has memberships at Stanford Golf Course, San Francisco Golf Club, Shoal Creek, and Country Club of Birmingham. Though she’s not hardly the only Black woman to pick up a golf club, Augusta was looking to make headlines thus Condi was an obvious choice.

Undoubtedly, the leaders of Augusta National are patting themselves on the back right now and toasting to their own progress, but admitting Darla Moore and Condoleezza Rice is still only a teensy step in the right direction. In fact, this would be a legitimately laudable move if it were say, 1940, but in 2012 admitting two women is hardly cause for more than a “finally”.  In fact, Augusta should be embarrassed that it took them this long to allow female members.

Still, it’s a good moment for Condoleezza personally who has spent most of her life blasting through one glass ceiling after another. Her politics are highly controversial, but considering her life overall, she’s practically made a career out of inhabiting places previously off-limits to women and black people in general. In fact, for a woman like Condi, being admitted to an all-boys club is probably just another Monday for her. Let’s just hope there will be more joining the club in the future, just like her.

Follow Alissa on Twitter @AlissaInPink 

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  • anonymouse

    the augusta situation was never my fight. I never loss sleep over the fact that extremely wealthy and connected females could not join. there’s important things to think about

  • Wow

    Really? Why again should this be cause de célèbre for us again. Once again we are happy that a racist country club has reluctantly opened the front doors to us. They were catching flack because they host major golf tourneys but were unwilling to admit women. So I guess they said we’ll do you one better, We’ll admit Condi Rice, she’s a woman and black to boot and we know she wont be inviting any other blacks into the fray, since she doesn’t associate with any.

  • Machelle Kwan

    You can join their clubs, dine in their restaurants, even date some of their people. They still don’t like or accept us.

  • Machelle Kwan

    So she’s gonna be the token black chick? Wow. How pathetic. Black folks are constantly begging for “their” approval. Whatever happened to pride?

    • Gimmeabreak78

      Although, I hate this celebration over the Augusta letting women (and black people 22 years ago) in, to be fair, I don’t believe for one second that Condoleezza Rice begged anyone to become a member of their boys’ club. As a matter of fact, I would bet money that they came groveling to her.

      • Ms. Esq

        Right. I mean someone had to be first. I’m disgusted that it took Augusta this long but it’s about time. Now it will start opening the doors at the other clubs.

  • Gye Nyame

    Why do minorities blacks/women feel a sense of achievement when accepted into racist and sexist institutions? Why do we so desperately need their acceptance to feel validated? Its the residual effects of slavery, and the never ending message that until we are accepted by whites our accomplishments mean nothing. Condi is the former Secretary of State, highly educated, an intellectual that speaks different languages and plays classical piano, and she’s politically astute. As far as I’m concerned admission to this “club” does more for them than it does for her. I would have told them to take those golf clubs and shove it.

    • Gimmeabreak78

      Thank you. I didn’t find this information to be front-page news or anything that needs to be celebrated. If a private organization wants to stay all-white, all-male, or all-whatever, that’s their business and not my problem. I’m only concerned when places of public accommodation or that receive government funds discriminate on the basis of race, nationalality, sexual orientation, etc. Condi’s resumé doesn’t need any extra padding. She didn’t need this membership and I am almost certain that they approached her rather than the other way around. Any time an exclusive private organization becomes less rigid on it’s “requirements” for membership, it is almost always economically motivated, so I am far less convinced that the Augusta let Condi and the other wioman in because they saw the light, and more convinced that it was because they saw the dollar signs.

      • Kenedy

        This was breaking news on CNN today…breaking freaking news…..we ARE talking about some golf club here…right?

  • http://www.facebook.com/jason.f.vorhees Jason Fangz Vorhees

    With her being a black republican who is not michael steele…..it begs the question “if she ran for president would we as a people vote for her even if her opponent was a white democrat?” Condi Rice as much as lot of blacks hate republicans is a great example of what you black women should strive for. Educated, networked, paid and pretty much the face of the states on the world stage when she was working in the white house.

    • Gimmeabreak78

      Condescending tone about “what you black women should strive for” aside, I don’t think you can honestly consider Condi to be a traditional Republican in terms of matters of public policy. Yes, she’s served as NSA and Secy. of State under a Republican president, but she is far from a party line Republican. She is pro-choice, and pro-affirmative action, for example. Your statement seems to imply that black women just blindly vote blue without thought to policy, and giving undue weight to the race of the politician. Allen West, Herman Cain, and Alan Keys are all black Republican men who have all sought public office, and have done so with virtually no black support. If what you implied were true, then it would follow that black people would simply vote for these men because they are black. But, alas, the truth belies that supposition, because black people didn’t vote for them because they disagree with them on issues of public policy, common skin color be damned.

  • Damien

    Why is her blackness even an issue. Shes the first of 2 women admitted. I’m pretty sure the people at Augusta made no mention of her race yet we do. interesting

  • Nellie

    Good for her. This is bittersweet news though. I mean damn it’s the 21st century and we still trying to be accepted.

    • L-Boogie

      I agree. Sometimes Black folks can be so stupid. Create your own country club and make it exclusive by the people allowed in.

  • Nikol.com

    B’%&ch please.
    We don’t give a conde-hoot ..or leeza-hoot.

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