94.16

red: the blood that unites all people of Black African ancestry, and shed for liberation

black: black people whose existence as a nation, though not a nation-state, is affirmed by the existence of the flag

green: the abundant natural wealth of Africa

PC: Robert Leslie

PC: Dr. Ricky Little

Union Through our eyes

H

annah Armstrong (Armstrong): What brought you to Union College?

Robert Leslie (Leslie): The Lord brought me to Union. I only had one friend that I knew here. She pushed me to apply to Union. I didn’t think they would accept me, but Union called me the same day I applied. Now I’m here.

Dr. Ricky Little (Dr. Little): God’s providence.

I had plans to go to another institution to work.

Everything was basically settled, and then things took an unexpected turn. Afterward, some friends approached me separately and told me about the job at Union. I told them that I would check it out. A stranger also sent me an email about the job opening here. I applied, we had a video interview, and I was invited to visit the campus. Later the job was offered to me and I accepted the position. That’s how I came to Union. I could see God’s hand at work and I knew this is where the Lord wanted me to come. It was unexpected in many ways, especially since I never thought that I would live in Nebraska.

Armstrong: Now that you’re here, are you happy you came?

Leslie: I’m very happy I came. The community of friends and the support system I’ve built here has kept me at Union. They’ll be family for life. I’ve had opportunities to become a leader within the community. That’s a huge reason I’ve stayed.

Dr. Little: Extremely happy! I can see God’s wisdom in closing the other door and opening this one. The position at the other university opened up again a year after I got here and an administrator wrote to me to make me aware of it. By that time, however, I was hooked on Union and didn’t even look into it.

Armstrong: Do you feel the statement that Union is a diverse college is a true one?

Leslie: I do believe that it’s getting there, but I don’t think that it’s fully diverse right now. There are other cultures here, but are all cultures represented in an intentional way?

Dr. Little: I think so. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the student minority population was over 40 % when Continued on page 2.

4| Clocktower Staff Editor-in-Chief I first arrived and was projected to rise to over 50% in the next ten years. At my previous university, achieving Jovan Cross diversity in the student population and among the faculty Assistant Editor was a really big issue. There was very little diversity, so Juliet Bromme I was very pleased when I came here and saw what the Layout Editor numbers were. I think Union will continue to make strides Chrisheline Kalawo in increasing its minority population among faculty as well.

Social Media Editor Armstrong: As a black man at Union College, do you Nicole Mckenzie feel that you’re treated differently?

Website Manager Leslie: I haven’t seen it. Does that mean it hasn’t Celinda Mansilla happened? No. I just haven’t personally dealt with it.

Section Editors Dr. Little: No, I don’t think I have been treated Max Bromme differently at all. Everyone here that I have had any type Katie Buxton of professional or personal relationship has treated me fairly, supported my efforts and been very encouraging.

Claudia Bauemeister Armstrong: Do you feel race is an issue at Union Photographers College? If so in what ways?

Levi Ventura- Head Leslie: The celebration of race and diversity has not been fairly Enoc Teron met at Union College. We’re starting to get more diverse in our Joseph Lee student body, but we need to be more intentional about seeking Adreana Ward out the different cultures we have here. How can they be better cared for? Whenever there is a celebration in their culture, Life Writers how can we celebrate it as a community at Union? Certain Alexander Nesmith cultures are facing a lot right now. How can we support them?

Hannah Armstrong Dr. Little: I am not aware of any systemic issues of race Hannah Drewieck on our campus and I have not personally experienced any Religion discrimination or bias due to race, but I have had a few students Jade Covel share with me isolated issues that they either experienced or noticed, which they believed were race-related at their core.

Entertainment TJ Pittinger Political Gabriel Zita Hannah Armstrong is a senior Jacob Sanchez studying health and human performance.

Sports Sierra Sanchez News Drew Hickman World News Wesley Rodriguez-Diep HOUC Fransico Campos Social Media Instagram -@clocktowerasb Twitter - @ClocktowerASB Facebook -The Clocktower

through our eyes...

RELIGION

History of regional conferences

|5

T

he regional conferences of the Seventh-day Adventist church were formed over 70 years ago. These are Black conferences – such as the Central States Conference that covers our state of Nebraska.

Allen Chapel here in town is part of the Central States Conference. In 1909, the North America Negro Department was organized by the General Conference to support the work and organization of Black Seventh-day Adventists.[1] During the next several years, many state conferences had a department specifically focused on mission to Blacks.[2] In 1942, the name of the Negro Department was changed to the Colored Department in an attempt to be less divisive.[3] Then in 1944, 100 years after the Great Disappointment, the General Conference in its Spring Council recommended that regional conferences be organized.[4] By this point, there were approximately 17,000 Black Adventist members throughout about 233 churches.

[5] It was decided that this member base was big enough to be able to support a conference financially. However, for each conference to financially support itself, the territory covered by each conference had to be bigger than just one state.[6] Thus the term Regional Conference was developed and conferences were segregated.

Conferences were assigned territory based on membership density.[7] Despite the segregation caused by this division of conferences, documents published on April 2, 1970 by the General Conference and July 28, 1981 by an ad hoc committee of the General Conference outlines

PC: blacksdahistory.org

that this was not to be segregation. The document explained that “Seventh-day Adventist churches open their doors to any would-be worshipper or prospective member regardless of race or color and welcome such with brotherly love and concern”[8] and “conferences selecting qualified spiritual leaders as pastors shall not be limited by race or color.” Should some black pastors be appointed to white churches and some white pastors appointed to black churches, a very desirable example of church fellowship and understanding would result; therefore, programs to this end should be undertaken with the support and guidance of unions”[9] In this way, the General Conference attempted to emphasize the importance of inclusion while still allowing the Regional Conferences to be independent. Today, Regional conferences are still independent but united with the world church, and their regions overlap with the state conferences.

[1] [2] [3] http://www.blacksdahistory. org/negro-department.html [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] https:// adventistregionalministries.org/history/

Jade Covel is a junior studying religion.

6|

UNION NEWS

“Black History in the Making: Ian Jones-Quartey”

T

here are many brilliant and powerful figures in African American history. That being said, I think it’s equally important to recognize history as it’s being made. So I’ve chosen to write about one of my favorite current creatives in the animation industry: Mister Ian Jones-Quartey!

Jones-Quartey has been working at Cartoon Network for the past decade, starting as a storyboarder on Adventure Time, one of the channel’s most beloved and well-known shows. Since Adventure Time is a “board driven show,” meaning any given episode is written and drawn simultaneously, JonesQuartey was essentially in-charge of his episodes’ content. Later on, he helped his partner Rebecca Sugar, which is literally one of the cutest famous-people relationships I’ve ever seen, develop her series Steven Universe. This has also gone on to be one of Cartoon Network’s most-watched programs.

He worked as a director, helping create some of the first season’s best episodes.

In 2013, Cartoon Network uploaded the animated short Lakewood Plaza Turbo to its YouTube channel. This was actually a pilot created by Jones-Quartey, and, as with

PC: sva.edu

PC: ok-ko.fandom.com

many other shorts, it was posted online to gage popularity. It proved to be successful, and next thing you know, Ian Jones-Quartey had his own television show! The original pilot was retooled and redesigned and in 2017, OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes televised.

I connected with the show because of the love of video games it wears on its sleeve; I kept a running list of all the references I could find throughout its run. Despite its surrealist nature, it also managed to have a very grounded emotional center in each episode. The show ended with three total seasons late last year.

I may have written this to gush about a bunch of shows I absolutely adore, but I think it’s pretty incredible that this one individual has managed to work on so many legendary works of animation. With his return to work on Steven Universe Future, it doesn’t look like he’s slowing down anytime soon. I look forward to all of his projects, as should you.

Drew Hickman is a sophomore studying communication.

ENTERTAINMENT

|7

12 years a slave Review

PC: independent.co.uk

I

t is February, Black History Month, so I wanted to highlight a movie that is good in what it sets out to do: 12 Years a Slave. This is not a movie for the faint of heart. However, it depicts American history and it should be seen.

This movie is basically an American horror movie based on true events. The main character is Solomon Northup. He is a free man who is kidnapped and forced into the slave trade. The other characters in the movie are the slave owners, Solomon’s family and the other slaves. However, we mainly see the horrors through Solomon’s eyes.

The movie is brutally realistic. The film does not shy away from showing how slaves were treated. We are shown their living conditions, a slave auction and the lives of slaves of the past. We see the brutality of the slave owners towards the movie’s characters.

This movie is dark. We see humans treated in ways they should have never been treated.

The reason why I consider this horror is because it is true to history. Throughout the movie, the owners use whatever is at their disposal to manipulate, control and excuse their actions, proving they were some of the worst human beings that ever existed.

The movie showcases some incredible acting, including Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon and Michael Fassbender and Benedict Cumberbatch as the owners.

The story is more than just about Solomon.

The movie portrays the idea of losing hope. At first, Solomon holds on to the hope of seeing his family again. Soon, however, as time passes, hope drains away. Solomon was put in the worst place on earth, went through hell and was forced to give up the only hope he had.

Unfortunately, this is part of our American history. It is not something that we can forget.

PC: goldenglobes.com

TJ Pittinger is a freshman studying theology.

8|

DEMOCRATIC

Extending the fight

PC: biography.com

T

his Black History month, who are the historical and current significant African American figures we should be celebrating? Do we want to praise multi-talented visionaries like Donald Glover, boisterous champions like Muhammad Ali or inspirational philanthropists like Robert Smith? The answer to all of these should be yes; these, among others, are all people who significantly impacted the world and those around them. They all led lives that emulated so many quality attributes and left incredible legacies for future generations. However, there is a man in the House of Representatives with courage and resolve that we should all strive to follow. His name is John Lewis.

Lewis was born in 1940 and grew up in rural Alabama. He experienced some of the worst discrimination America had to offer at that time including his experience attending a segregated public school. Having faced racism firsthand, he set out to make a change while at Fisk University. He became involved in several protests as a student, such as the Nashville sit-ins and the Freedom Rides, both of which led him to be arrested and brutally beaten numerous times. Nevertheless, he continued his protests, culminating in the strength and resolve in him becoming chairman of the influential Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

The SNCC helped organize famous protests like the Selma to Montgomery March that turned into “Bloody Sunday” and the March on Washington–punctuated by Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream,” of which Lewis is the last remaining living speaker.

After his time as chairman of the SNCC, Lewis transitioned into a number of roles, including being the Director of the Voter Education Project (VEP) and being elected to the Atlanta City Council. He eventually decided to extend his fight for human rights by moving to Congress, being elected to the House of Representatives in 1986 and continuing to serve Georgia’s 5th District since then. He has been one of the most consistently liberal figures in the House and was one of the first Representatives to publicly endorse Obama during his run for President in 2008. He was publicly recognized for his life’s work in 2011 when then-President Obama awarded him with the highest honor a civilian can receive: The Presidential Medal of Freedom. Even though this award can’t possibly encapsulate everything that Lewis achieved during his life, it serves as a reminder to all of us of what a lifetime of service and courage can look like.

Gabriel Zita is a junior studying psychology.

REPUBLICAN

|9

A Legacy of Freedom and Humanity

PC: fee.org

E

very February, the U.S. dedicates an entire month to honoring African American culture by celebrating Black History month. It is important to acknowledge the diverse cultures and heritages that have contributed to the American story. A prominent and very influential American was Fredrick Douglass. He was a man whose intelligence and resilience left a lasting legacy for over a hundred years. Frederick Douglass was an abolitionist leader who was born into slavery sometime around 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time, advising US presidents and lecturing to thousands on a range of causes, including women’s rights and Irish home rule.

As was often the case with slaves, the exact year and date of Douglass’ birth are unknown, though later in life he chose to celebrate it on February 14. Douglass initially lived with his maternal grandmother, Betty Bailey. At a young age, he was selected to live in the home of his plantation owners, one of whom may have been his father .

He was eventually made to work for Edward Covey, who had a reputation as a “slavebreaker.” Covey’s constant abuse nearly psychologically broke the 16-year-old Douglass.

Eventually, however, Douglass fought back and won a physical struggle against Covey.

After losing a physical confrontation with Douglass, Covey never beat him again. Eventually, Douglass began to plan his escape from Covey’s enslavement around the age of 18; he tried to escape from slavery twice before he finally succeeded.

Douglass married Anna Murray who was a free woman when he was about 20 years old, on Sept. 15, 1838. Douglass had fallen in love with Murray, who assisted him in his final attempt to escape slavery in Baltimore. They had five children together.

Douglass made history many times especially when he became the first African American nominated for vice president of the United States as Victoria Woodhull’s running mate on the Equal Rights Party ticket in 1872.

Nominated without his knowledge or consent, Douglass never campaigned. Nonetheless, his nomination marked the first time that an African American appeared on a presidential ballot.

Fredrick Douglass led a life that made way for those to achieve success after him. He later founded newspapers and published many different articles that supported the growth and spearheaded the achievements of the African American community in the U.S. He was a vital force in the achievement of a free African American society. It was through his leadership and example that helped push African American’s towards a brighter future.

Jacob Sanchez is a freshman studying general studies.

10 |

SPORTS

Magic johnson s.s. sports

PC: ballislife.com

S

ince February is Black History Month, I thought I would write about one of the most influential African American basketball players: Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

He is legendary in the world of basketball, and is considered to be possibly the greatest point guard of all time.

He was drafted by the Lakers in 1979 and played as their point guard for 13 seasons.

He earned the NBA Finals MVP award as a rookie and won four more championship titles in the 80’s. He was selected twice to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, once in 2002 for his individual career and again for being part of the Dream Team. The Dream Team was the United States men’s Olympic team which won gold in 1992.

Johnson announced in 1991 that he had contracted HIV and retired from the NBA. However, he returned shortly afterwards to play in the All Star game, where he won another MVP award. He retired again for four years before coming back a final time in

1996 to play his last games with the Lakers.

Also in 1996, he was crowned as one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time.

Off the court, he was instrumental in changing people’s view of HIV, which had been previsouly labelled as a “homosexual disease.” Since his diagnosis, he has been an educator about preventing AIDS/ HIV and how to practice safe sex.

We can appreciate how amazing Magic Johnson’s basketball career was and recognize his accomplishments off of the court as well.

Sierra Sanchez is a freshman studying biomedical science.

making history in hollywood

LIFE WRITING

| 11

PC: essence.org

E

arlier this month, the world watched the 2020 Oscars play out. Favorites like “Joker,” “Ford v Ferrari” and “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” took home well-deserved awards. In honor of Black History Month, I want to recognize some of the greatest accomplishments by talented African American Hollywood stars in recent years.

The most notable win in the 2020 Academy Awards was that of Best Animated Short Film, awarded to “Hair Love.” In seven minutes, the short tells the story of Stephen, an African American father, and his daughter, Zuri. Usually, Zuri’s mother would do her hair for a special occasion, but one night, her mother was unavailable, and Stephen took on the task. This proved difficult, but the struggle of crazy, curly hair and the successfully finished hair-do emphasized the beautiful relationship between a young child and her father.

Released in February of 2018, “Black Panther” had great potential at the 2019 Oscars. It was nominated for six awards including Best Picture, and ended up taking home three: Best Original Music Score, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. “Black Panther” is Marvel’s first film to win an Oscar. Two of these awards made history – Ruth Carter became the first African American woman to win in costume design and Hannah Bleacher became the first African

American woman to win in production design.

In the 2018 Academy Awards, Kobe Bryant took home the Best Animated Short Film trophy for “Dear Basketball.” Written and narrated by Kobe himself, this short is based on the letter that Kobe Bryant wrote announcing his retirement.

Actress Regina King joined the list of 2018 African American winners when she was awarded a trophy for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk.” Also in 2018, director Jordan Peele was the first African American to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, after his thriller “Get Out” received high ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic.

I don’t know about you, but I now feel inspired to make a list of all the 2020 award-winning films, grab my popcorn and have a night in!

Hannah Dreweick is a sophomore studying business administration.

12 |

WORLD NEWS

haitian sensation the global citizen

PC: nationalgeographic.com

M

any people know Haiti to be one of the poorest countries in the world, especially after the earthquake that happened 10 years ago. Despite all the struggles and hardships the island is going through, they still are pushing forward to the future, to better standards of living and working hard for those who will come after them. If there is anything that resonates with the Haitian people it is the desire and ability to fight for what they deserve.

This has been apparent in their history especially as they were the first successful slave revolution of any country.

Back in August 22, 1791, the Haitian Revolution had begun and would continue on for almost 13 years before Haiti was able to free themselves from French colonial rule. Much of the inspiration of the Haitian Revolution was inspired by the fact that the French Revolution and the ideas for that stemmed mainly from the Enlightenment. While the French were discussing philosophical ideas such as equality and liberty, the Haitian slaves were starting to question

why they weren’t getting treated in a similar fashion than their fellow human beings across the Atlantic. After much suffering and struggling, as well as assistance from countries such as Britain, the Haitian people were victorious.

Today, Haiti is still suffering the effects of the earthquake but things have improved.

The people are still resilient, fighting for that spirit of improvement and hope for the future. Jean Samson Edouard is an example of this Haitian spirit. After he and his now wife survived the earthquake 10 years ago, Jean Samson decided that he would do whatever it takes to improve his country. Like many Haitians, he had the opportunity to go live in South Florida and start a new life, but he chose to stay.

He says, “I need, when I pass away, my children can say, ‘Hey, my father struggled to change something in Haiti.’” Today he is a principal of a school and his wife is a nurse. He also is studying economic development in order to help improve his community in any way that he can.

Wesley Rodriguez-Diep is a senior studying international relations.

ACA

a bit for the french ttmoaius

B

PC: youtube.com

HO UC M

PC: Andrew Allen

eet Andrew Allen, a Texas native and a public relations and marketing major. Coming from the South and in this current political climate, Drew and his family still face some discrimination and racial profiling. He says that he still gets followed in stores to ensure he’s not stealing. So when February comes around, he is grateful for the significance of Black History Month. He says that it is remembrance for history. It is a time to highlight and educate people about the history and process of civil rights and African-American accomplishments. To him it’s also a reminder to be thankful for those who fought and struggled and came before so he could attend a college and not face segregation.

Andrew is hopeful, to say the least. While he says that hate can never be eradicated, things can still improve. He cites that even within our lifetime, there have been changes in people’s mindsets. Racism is vastly different than in the 1960s, so there is still hope that racism will continue to become less popular, as long as there is a conscious and collective effort to change and improve society. There is a long road ahead, since this society is far from perfect, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impossible.

| 13

lack history has changed the course of history multiple times and no doubt it will continue to do so. The fall of the Apartheid in South Africa in 1994 and the work of Reverend Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr. to end segregation and racism in the U.S. changed entire nations. George Washington Carver changed the face of agriculture and how we see the peanut. Marie Van Britton Brown invented Home Security. The Tuskegee Airmen were one of the most well known squadrons in World War 2, earning respect from nations on both sides of the war. The list goes on and on, covering everything from inventions to art to athletics. In the U.S. these deeds are easily found. In France it’s a bit more difficult.

So I have decided that I’m going to give you a brief crash course on some of the most recent impacts that African culture has had on the French.

Afro Trap – Afro Trap is a musical style that has taken France by storm.

As you can probably tell by the name, Afro Trap blends African beats with the beats of the underground, French rap style. Most notable for rarely deviating from the original rhythms it came from, Afro Trap has quickly captured the attention of listeners all over the world. One of the largest artists of Afro Trap currently is Ngatie Abedi, who is also a professional soccer player.

Sports and Fashion – African based style has greatly impacted these two unrelated worlds. France took the last world cup with four out of 10 starting positions being of African descent. On the fashion side of things, in the last 20 years, four Miss France winners

14 |

MISC. CORNER

have been of African descent.

While at surface level it may not seem as though African culture can be seen in France. However, you can see its influence permeating through most parts of life. The greatest French musician, Stromae, is of Rwandan descent. The current French government spokesperson is 26

27

28

29

Sibeth Ndiaye, of Senegalese descent.

Throughout each piece of government, entertainment and life, people of African descent have improved it.

Alexander Nesmith is a sophomore studying communication.

February 30

31

1

Basketball Tournament uGather 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

uGather 9

10

11

12

13

World Pageant

14

uGather

SUDOKU 9 1 6

Black History Month was started by Carter G. Woodson in 1926.

3

3 4

7

1 4 2 5 7

7 3 1 5

THE PUNDERBOWL How do you throw a space party?

You planet.

2

6 5 7

7 1

Nursing Club Event

DID YOU KNOW:

7 6

3 4 8

15

8 9 3

http://www.sudokuessentials.com/easy_sudoku.html

The Clocktower encourages reader feedback and strives to maintain accuracy. If you have comments, ltower@gmaiil.com l.com. please email us at cltower@gma The Clocktower, established in 1927 and sponsored by the Associated Student Body of Union College, is published semi-weekly during the fall and spring semesters.

The opinions expressed are the opinions of the writers and are not to be construed as the opinion of the editors, Associated Student Body, Union College, or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

| 15

Special ThANKS TO JOSLYN LEWIS ANGENITA PIERRE-LOUIS RENAE CROSS ROBERT LESLIE GABRIEL ZITA ANDREW ALLEN