Uhuru na umoja Tuesday, February 15, 2022 an ethnic supplement to the collegian The Black Student voice of California State University, Fresno, since 1969
Black History Month
(Paula Burch-Celentano/Tulane University)
By Dessalines Yamoussou The month of February is dedicated to Black History Month and originated in the United States in 1926. The United States & other countries utilize Black History Month to celebrate, honor, and highlight the sacrifices, contributions, and accomplishments of Black people. The idea of celebrating Black History month was pioneered by Carter G. Woodson who was an educator and historian. The month of February was chosen for Black History month based on the birthdays of Fredrick Douglas who was a abolitionist, writer, orator and former enslaved American, and Abraham Lincoln who was the United States
President who issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. The celebration of Black people and the acknowledgement of Black peoples contributions to the United States is important to Blacks living in America. Seeing the influx of major retail stores, colleges, schools, museums, businesses, etc acknowledging Black people during Black History Month is appreciated. However, I think it’s important to celebrate Black History (which is American History) every day of the year.
Importance of Representation man portrayed as successful in their career enjoying life with no hardships attached to their character as a typical stereotype. Even in cartoons, younger children need to see someone like them portrayed as a superhero that saves the day.
By Zion Sanders In honor of Black History Month, representation is significant in the African American community. The meaning of representation in layman’s terms is the representation of oneself, and in this instance, African Americans in positions of power. In this situation, power can mean a multitude of areas such as the workplace, schools, television, home and more. Witnessing a person of color representing our culture allows us to see firsthand the possibilities that we as a community can achieve. Representation matters in every aspect of life. Seeing someone like yourself is motivating and inspiring. An example of this can be turning on your television and seeing a Black woman or
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Seeing someone like yourself expands your thought process on your future. With young children, they are able to dream about the infinite possibilities they can achieve. For young adults, they are able to observe either their teachers, employers and ask for insight on how they were able to get where they are now. This allows us to feel more comfortable when we step into these places because we know that our voices will be heard and we will be seen. Representation will always be an important part of African American culture. Hopefully representation becomes a norm for future generations.
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India Arie leaves Spotify By Dessalines Yamoussou Joe Rogan has recently come under fire for comments he has made on his controversial podcast “The Joe Rogan Experience”. The controversy began when Rogan invited guests on his podcast who were allegedly spreading false information about the COVID-19 virus and vaccines. One of the more polarizing guests is biochemist Robert Malone. Malone allegedly made claims about the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccines. His appearance incited a call for Spotify, the popular music streaming service, to address the misinformation being spread on his podcast. Malone has since been banned from other social media sites including Twitter for similar comments. More recently, musical artist Neil Young refused to be on the same streaming platform as Rogan because of the misinformation on Rogan’s podcast. Spotify has, at his request, removed his music. Since then, other artists have come forward to get their music removed over the Rogan COVID-19 misinformation controversy.
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Musician India Arie has asked to have her music removed, but not for the same reason. She asked for her music to be removed when a viral video montage of Rogan’s gratuitous use of the N-word was made public. Arie also shed light on what some think is unfair pay practices from the streaming services. She alleges Rogan was paid $100 million dollars for his podcast while musical artists are paid $0.003 of a penny for every stream. Arie explains Spotify was built off of the backs of musical artists which is puzzling why they are paid so little. Rogan has since apologized for the years he used the word but some think the damage is already done.
Representation Matters By Dessalines Yamoussou Representation matters means seeing media depictions that relate to a wider audience. It is a statement that has been trending on social media and other media outlets. However, people who are not part of the groups that are underrepresented in the media may struggle to understand what the statement means and why it is important. Representation matters because people (especially Black children) need to be able to identify with the characters they are watching in the media, reading about in novels, or learning about in the classroom.
It is further important because the stories and voices of Black people have been ignored and/or silenced for so many years. Seeing positive Black male teachers on a university campus matters to me because I didn’t have Black teachers growing up. I grew up in a predominantly Black neighborhood and most of the community was educated. In the media, it was portrayed that Black men would end up in jail or dead. In my view of the world, that has not been the case. In my lifetime, a Black person has become the President of the United States. Hopefully, more Black kids can be inspired to pursue their dreams. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/TNS)
Meet the Staff
Hello, my name is Dessalines Yamoussou and I am the Editor-in-chief of Uhuru Na Umoja. I was born in Fort Hood, TX. My parents were both in the military and shortly after my sister was born, we moved to Washington D.C. where my father was from. I spent the next 19 years growing up in Southeast D.C.
Hey everyone, My name is Rashad Flood. I have lived most of my life in Monrovia, California and now I am a third-year student at Fresno State as a History major. I am an avid gamer and my favorite genres are: RPGs, Beat em’ ups, racing, Fighting games, and Platformers.
After graduating from high school, I went into the United States Navy, where I served on Naval Air Station Groton Connecticut, which was a submarine base. My next duty station was at Naval Air Station Lemoore, where I was attached to the USS Abraham Lincoln. Once I transitioned out of the U.S. Navy, I wanted to go to school.
Dessalines Yamoussou
I transferred to Fresno State to begin my behavior program in African Studies and I graduated in 2019. I currently am in pursuit of a master’s degree in history.
Rashad Flood
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Giving Vonetta her Flowers By Dessalines Yamoussou Vonetta Flowers is a Bobsledder straight out of the “Cool Runnings’’ movie. Just like the Jamaican Bobsled team from the movie, she was on the first United States (USA) women’s team to compete. However, unlike the Jamaican team, Flowers and her teammates won gold the very first time they competed. Flowers has not only won gold, but in 2002 she became the first Black athlete from any country to win gold at the Winter Olympics in bobsledding. Bobsledding is defined as the act, skill, or sport of riding or racing on a bobsled. It was widely considered a European sport until Flowers arrived on the scene. Fast forward 20 years and Black women are now dominating the sport. Since Flowers won Gold in 2002 there has been an increase in Black women participating in bobsledding. America’s Olympic bobsled team is now predominantly made up of Black women. The United States 2022 Winter Olympic Bobsled Team has 5 members and four of them are Black Aja Evans, Elana Meyers Taylor, Sylvia Hoffman, and Kaysha Love. The United States Bobsled Team is heavily favored to take home multiple medals during the 2022 Winter Olympics. Flowers is responsible for opening those doors.
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Maya Angelou on the Quarter By Dessalines Yamoussou Maya Angelou is an iconic Black female author, poet, civil rights activists, singer, and dancer. She was born on April 4, 1928 in Arkansas and died on May 28, 2014.
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The United States Mint has recently begun issuing quarters which feature Maya Angelou as one of the first coins in its American Women Quarters Program.
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She was the first Black woman streetcar conductor in San Francisco, the first Black woman poet to speak at a Presidential inauguration in 1993 at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, and the first Black Woman to have her first screenplay “Georgia, Georgia” adapted into film.
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“I know why the caged Bird Sings” is the 1969 autobiography that Maya Angelou is probably best known for. Her autobiography highlighted her triumph over childhood trauma and racism. She was the first Black woman to do many things.
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This year she became the first Black woman to have her face depicted on American currency. d te ni
She has also received numerous awards and honorary degrees. It is significant to note that she was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2000 by President Clinton and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our country’s highest civilian honor, in 2011 by President Barack Obama.
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Angelou has been recognized worldwide for her contributions to literature.
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It is long overdue to have a Black woman is placed on American currency for the first time in history. The doors that Angelou has opened highlights the fact that representation does matter.
She paved the way for Amanda Gorman to make history on Jan. 20, 2021 as the youngest inaugural poet at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. This would not have been possible had Maya Angelou not opened those doors. Yet, it is sad that we still have “First Black” being utilized as a preface on things. Progress is happening for Black people, but there is still much more work to be done.
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Student of the Month
Shop Black
By Dessalines Yamoussou Meet Julian Prater who is in his second semester at Fresno State. He wants to be a software engineer who invents and develops software that helps people ,and in his free time he would like to develop video game design. My name is Desssalines Yamoussou (DY). I am the Editor-in-Chief of the Uhuru, the Black Newspaper on campus. I was excited to meet Mr. Julian Prater and get to know him. Mr. Prater is from Central California. He was Born on Naval Airstation (NAS) Lemoore. (Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com)
By Dessalines Yamoussou Every year during Black History Month there is a call from local businesses to Shop Black. It is important to support Black-owned businesses because by supporting Blackowned businesses you are supporting Black communities. Black businesses have to compete with larger businesses and many times they lack the resources to compete at that level. Many, Black businesses also suffer from age-old practices of being denied loans from major banks or having to pay higher loan rates. The pandemic has also taken its toll on Black businesses. The lack of consumers has caused many Black-owned businesses to fail. In a climate where almost eight out of every 10 Black businesses fail within the first year adding, the extra stress of the COVID-19 virus has exasperated the workforce for Black-owned businesses. As someone who frequently purchases from Black-owned businesses in Fresno, I urge everyone to please shop Black-owned. A few of my favorite Black-owned businesses in Fresno are as follows: Chef Pauls, Rhapsody’s, Kocky’s, Planet Vegan, Pink Palace, and Tower Blendz.
Uhuru Na Umoja Advisor: Angel Langridge
Joanna Lopez
Hi there, my name is Joanna, but you can call me Jojo. I am a first generation student and I am currently a sophomore. I am currently undeclared, but I am planning on majoring in Psychology since I want to do my Masters in Social Work. I enjoy running and writing in my free time.
His father bravely served his country and was stationed at NAS Lemoore at the time. Mr. Prater now calls Hanford, California his home. I was curious why he decided to come to Fresno State.
Courtesy of Julian Prater
DY: What brought you to Fresno State? Mr. Prater: “Since it’s the closest university, within the proximity and due to family needs. I should probably be close by in case something happens. I’ll be able to come and help. I’m not like three hours, four hours away like UC Davis” Hearing about why Prater decided to sacrifice leaving the area for school and instead stay close to home, I was curious about his family dynamic and where he fits into it. DY: Do you have any siblings? Mr. Prater: “Yes I have two siblings. I have a brother named Jordan and a sister named Jasmyn so we are all J’s haha. My sister is 17 and my brother is 21. My sister is a senior in high school and has been accepted into a few colleges, but she is still thinking about where to go. DY: What advice would you give to a freshman who would want to eventually get into Fresno State? Mr. Prater: “Advice from someone who doesn’t really talk to people is to definitely link up with the people you have classes with. That can help you academically and maybe you will even make friends with them eventually. So, for example, say you have a lab, try to get to know your lab partner. You might build a good relationship with them.”
Meet the Staff
Melvin Ricks II
Hello my name is Melvin Ricks II, born in Stone Mountain, Georgia, but I have lived in Fresno for the last 12 years. I am a first year graduate student in the history department. My plans, as of now, are to either go into teaching or get a job working at a museum. I love rap, pop, R&B and soul music, however I can not listen to country music.
Zion Sanders
Hello, my name is Zion Sanders, and I am a Sophomore at Fresno State. I enjoy reading, drawing, hanging out with my friends and family, and listening to music. My major is Biochemistry and a minor in Africana Studies. I am in the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) and Office of Black Student Success (OBSS) programs. I aspire to become an Anesthesiologist, get my MD and Ph.D.
If you have any any questions, comments, ideas, or stories you want to submit, email them to samstewart@mail.fresnostate.edu