Rice is a staple for cultures all over the world — our Arts & Life team explores the versitility of this humble grain. See Arts & Life, page 21.
Without effective disability services, college can be more of a struggle than an opportunity. See Opinions, page 25.
DePaulia
The
Volume #104 | Issue #11 | Jan. 21, 2020 | depauliaonline.com
Chicago reflects on King more than 50 years after Marquette Park violence By Patsy Newitt & Mackenzie Murtaugh Asst. News Editor & News Editor
Back on track ALEXA SANDLER | THE DEPAULIA
Pantelis Xidias (bottom left) and DePaul’s bench celebrates a three-point shot as the Blue Demons continued to pile up points in the second half Saturday.
Historic season sees new life with win over No. 5 Bulldogs By Nate Burleyson Asst. Sports Editor
Saturday was a game that the Blue Demons needed desperately. Sitting at 0-4 in Big East play without a win since Dec. 21 against Northwestern, DePaul was due for a game like the 79-66 drubbing of No. 5 Butler. Reeling after a four-game losing streak with the demons of their past knocking on the door, DePaul and head coach Dave Leitao made a statement that cemented them as a team to stick around in the Big East. The skill of the Blue Demons is undeniable even during a losing streak. Questions could be raised about different parts of their game, but the 12-1 start to the season let everyone know this potential is there. “If we come together, I’ve said all year that we can beat anybody,” Leitao said. On the opposite side, things can get ugly quick in this conference. And a loss against Butler would have continued the bleeding. “But also if we don’t [come together], anybody in this league can beat us,” Leitao added after the game. This caution and calmness has been typical of Leitao this season. It’s one of the most promising starts and talented group of players he’s had at DePaul. Even during the lowest points of the season, there has been a level of faith. The defensive identity that
ALEXA SANDLER | THE DEPAULIA
Junior guard Charlie Moore flashes a big smile as his team stunned Butler.
the team took on is part of a system that the coaching staff drew up that the players bought into with such intensity. All five starters play their defense on a high level.
“I love playing defense,” freshman Romeo Weems said. Weems has played a locked-in defense all season – the six feet seven inches wing had three steals and a block to go with his 11 points on 3-of-4
shooting from beyond the arc. Most of the former Michigan Mr. Basketball’s impact doesn’t show up in box scores. “Going out and doing it for my teammates – trying to make the game easier – that’s my role,” he said. The Blue Demons played a gritty game reminiscent of their contest at Iowa on Nov. 11 where they blew the Hawkeyes out of their own building. Speed and athleticism were big factors for DePaul, who was able to get whatever they wanted against Butler. Paul Reed was one of the biggest positives for DePaul. In games he has scored 18 points or more, he has shot 65 percent from the field. This efficient offense not only leads to plenty of points, but helps everyone else. NBA scouts are looking at Reed for a reason. The thirdyear forward was the Big East’s most-improved player last year and is averaging 16 points and 11 rebounds this year. He can score from anywhere on the court; pick and pops, drives, catch-andshoot 3’s, as well as his back to the basket game. “As a big who can actually move his feet and be agile enough so it makes it a lot easier for guards, knowing that you got somebody like [Reed] right behind,” senior guard Jalen Coleman-Lands said. DePaul did everything they’ve wanted to do at the highest level they’ve been at all season. They opened the game on a 22-6 run with Reed sitting at 13 points after just eight minutes. The Blue
See MBB, page 25
In an all-white Marquette Park on Aug. 5, 1966, Martin Luther King, Jr. was struck by a rock while protesting housing segregation. The civil rights leader and his supporters were met with extreme hostility by white residents and the march resulted in 30 injuries and 40 arrests. “I have seen many demonstrations in the South, but I have never seen anything so hostile and so hateful as I’ve seen here today,” King said to the Chicago Tribune afterward. In the South, he said, the history of Jim Crow kept the lines of segregation clear. In the North, segregation was blurry and messy from years of racially-motivated policy. Chicago has a particularly deep civil rights history and connection to the late Dr. King, who would have turned 91 yesterday. The city celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 20, commemorating his work and focusing on what there is left to do. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference turned their attention to Chicago in January 1966 with the Chicago Freedom Movement, an effort to shed light on the conditions of blacks in the north. King appropriately chose Chicago, a city that today remains one of the country’s most segregated. He moved his family to the neighborhood of North Lawndale in 1966 and began working to address issues of housing access and racial inequality in Chicago. The Chicago History Museum showcased King’s legacy with its annual MLK Jr. Day celebration. The family-friendly five-hour event featured crafts, storytelling, a performance by the Chicago Chamber Choir and a reenactment of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. The event celebrates its 37th year in 2020. Since 1983, the museum has taught many Chicago children and residents the impact King has had on the civil rights movement. It was an easy decision to begin the annual celebration in 1983 after President Ronald Regan signed the national holiday into law. But because of his polarizing opinions on civil rights, the process of making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a national holiday was arduous. This process was an uphill battle — it was not finally recognized by all 50 states until 2000. See MLK, page 4