The FAMUAN: Friday, February 3, 2012 - Black History Month Special

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1959

Vintage Edition

Official Student Publication Vol. 27 , NO.7

Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, Tallahassee, florida

‘Master Craftsman’ captures Civil Rights in cement, stone

nities that have shaped my child and adulthood is one that I excitedly embrace.” After two terms in the Florida House of Representatives, he announced last November that he’d be running for representative of District 29. Bullard attended FAMU from 1995-1999 and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in history and a minor in education. He has noticed the changes to the campus since his collegiate tenure. “The campus has ex-

February 3, 2012

panded tremendously since I was a student. The new Student Union, Recreation Center and journalism school are definitely great additions to campus.” Elected in 2008 and re-elected in 2010, he currently serves on six different subcommittees within the Florida House of Representatives. “In my role as a state legislator I am a better researcher on different topics

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LeMoyne unveils the ‘Right’ exhibit

Keenan Doanes The Famuan Charlie Scott-Smith, a sculptor at Master Craftsman. By Tommy Hawkins

Fourteen Terrazzo panels constructed by the Florida State Master Craftsman Studio will honor Civil Rights Activists, the Tallahassee Bus Boycott and McQueary’s Lunch Counter sit-in of the late 1950s and early 1960s. “These Terrazzo side panels were crafted by the studio and contain images and text of significant civil rights events that took place in Tallahassee,” Wayne Spinx, sculptor for Master Craftsman Studio. Terrazzo is cement-based like a sidewalk, but the pigment in terrazzo is made of different stones and other material including shells, mother of pearl and even chips of mirror. “Being a part of such a historical piece for Tallahassee grew in importance for the studio the further we progressed on the project,” said Phil Gleason, studio manager for Florida State Master Craftsman Studio. “As we realized the gravity of the artwork, it also dawned on us what a significant piece of history this will be for Tallahassee. It was an honor to collaborate on such a necessary story telling.” The Craftsman Studio took images they received from the city and mixed different colors in the terrazzo to create the enlarged image on the panels. Spinx said terrazzo gives you more options as far as different colors and different textures you can create with the different types of stone included. The city created the general layout of the panels, which included photographs, protest signs, counter and bus images. The City Manager selected the committee members, said Dan Donovan of the Leon County Planning Department. Donovan said the committee was made up of veterans of the sit-in demonstra-

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Anniversary sparks alumni memories By Natalie Johnson Florida A&M is approaching its 125th anniversary this year, yet flagrant headlines detract from this extraordinary milestone. Usually, that’s the moment when FAMU students revere the people who they can relate to and judge their beloved university better than any critic. Alumni. The student body may represent the possibilities, fortune and tenacity of FAMU, but alumni represents the progression and effectiveness. El’Tanya Brown, a 1998 elementary education graduate from Ocala, Fla., says that going to FAMU puts a person in a league of greatness. “FAMU was my training ground to prepare me to go out and compete in the real world. I was taught how to market myself to get my foot in the door. I was groomed to be stellar and professional in all my endeavors to solidify myself as a permanent and vital fixture in any arena,” said Brown, the 2012 Military Spouse of the Year nominee. Then there are alumni who can articulate a time where segregation was a reality instead of a pastime. Alumni are the ones who put the significance of FAMU in perspective. They understand the meaning and purpose of the university and helped to create the acclaimed university it is today. Eva B. Mannings, who earned a degree in business, graduated from FAMU in 1946 when the school was called FAMC, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes. “There were several teachers who were influential in having me know about FAMC. They talked about the programs and activities FAMC had. I had a neighbor

who went to FAMC and she shared with me stories about FAMC. So, when I finished [high school], I got a Florida state scholarship and I was eligible to attend the college, so I came and I liked it,” said Mannings, the Miami native. “The skills, the treatment and the attitude that I got from FAMC are lifelong. I’ll never forget it.” But, on this third day of Black History Month, one can’t help but reflect on why an institution like FAMU is important for African-Americans. It’s been 51 years since Florida State University desegregated, 53 years for the University of Florida and about 50

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Dwight Bullard works hard for education By Ramzey Smith During college, professors and advisers often tell students their future is what they make it, and the possibilities are limitless. For Florida A&M alumnus Dwight Bullard, this was the best advice he could have ever taken. “Public service is what I have been brought up around and enjoy doing,” said Bullard. “The opportunity to go back to and protect the interest of the commu-

Tamisha Hawkins The Famuan LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts Host “Civil Right” Art Exhibition By Dominique Mayes Today, the LeMoyne Center for the Visual Arts will reveal its Black History Month Exhibit themed “Civil Right” from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The exhibit will consist of works from and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. This exhibit is a combination of pieces from LeMoyne’s traveling artists. Karl Zerbe, a former Florida State professor, will showcase his works that were inspired by events witnessed during the Civil Rights Movement. Zerbe immigrated to the United States from Germany to escape Nazi persecution. He was touched by the way African-Americans were being treated during this time and dedicated his art to expressing the hostility he saw. Many of his former works were destroyed by the Nazis. There will be portraits by Mickey Adair of local and national Civil Rights Activists, leaders and noted people

along with images from the funeral of local Civil Rights Activist, Rev. C.K. Steele. LeMoyne’s affiliated artist Kenneth Falana and visual arts professor at Florida A&M will showcase his private print collection of Civil Rights pieces. Among these pieces will be enlarged black and white photos of Tallahassee is the 60’s. The exhibit will include works from other affiliated artists such as, Yvonne Tucker, Earl Johnson, Dean Mitchell and Chester Williams. Joining into a partnership with Florida A&M’s Meek-Easton Black Archives Research Center and Museum, the show will also highlight how FAMU faculty, like Arteberry White, Lewis Hooper, Hobie L. Williams and Arthur Berry, were instrumental in LeMoyne’s beginnings. LeMoyne is excited to

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