NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM |WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015
Student Spotlight: Musician won Chance to open Homecoming concert p.6
Actress Laverne Cox visits N.C. State
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THISISSUE 3 Year of the Ruby NPHC Hosts Stroll Off 4 Students respond to “Black culture” parody party with Town Hall 5 Secrets are the currency of infamy 7 Cover Story Student Spotlight: Meet”Sonny Miles
One line summary of page story. COVER PHOTO: Jordan Williams, a sophomore studying communications, competed in the PackHowl competition at Campout on Friday, October 23, 2015 and won the opportunity to open for Tori Kelly. Hours before the concert on Thursday, Williams was notified that he would not be allowed to perform. Williams performed for those waiting in line at the Ritz prior to the Tori Kelly concert. Photo by Kaydee Gawlik.
The Sentinel of the African -American Community at N.C. State Since 1992. Editor-in-Chief Christopher Hart-Williams Only with the permission of our elders do we proudly produce each edition of the Nubian Message. Dr. Yosef ben-Yochannan: Dr. John Henrik Clark: Dr. Leonard Jeffries: The Black Panther Party: Mumia A. Jamal: Geronimo Pratt: Tony Williamson: Dr. Lawrence Clark: Dr. Augustus McIver Witherspoon: Dr. Wandra P. Hill: Mr. Kyran Anderson: Dr. Lathan Turner: Dr. M. Iyailu Moses: Dokta Toni Thorpe and all those who accompany us as we are STILL on the journey to true consciousness.
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NPHC Hosts Annual Stroll off QUIANNE’ HOLMES STAFF WRITER Among the homecoming traditions established by faculty and students for years to come, one in particular brings much excitement to the African American community. On Friday night, students, alumni, faculty, and guests arrived at Talley Student Union’s Piedmont Mountains Ballroom to attend the 2015 NPHC Stroll Off. Open to the public, the NPHC Stroll off is a greek fraternity and sorority step show that allows participants to exhibit their talents while representing their organizations before judges. The Mu Xi Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta of North Carolina State University and the Gamma Tau Chapter of Iota Phi Theta of Shaw University won
the stroll off. “A win is just a win, until you add up the hours you put in to get that win, until you total the conflicts and resolutions that occurred throughout the process of preparing for the show,” Cynthia Sharpe, a member of Zeta Phi Beta said.“The hard work paid off. Tonight we got more than just a win.” Hosts Ivana Mbdullah, a member of the Mu Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Josh Moore, a member of the Kappa Lambda Chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. entertained the audience with jokes and crowd interaction.
Participants battled for three rounds, each with a different meaning. The first round required them to create a tribute performance using a mix of one artist’s songs. The Kappa Lambda and Psi Delta chapters of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. strolling to a mix of DMX songs such as “How It Goin’ Down and the Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” the Ques maintained synchronized steps and hops while ending in memorable side splits. The ladies of the Kappa Omicron Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. who dedicated their performance to Missy Elliott, created a fun vibe with their interactive routine. The Gamma Tau Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc. performed
a routine in tribute to Tupac. To finish round one, the ladies of the Mu Xi Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. honored Beyonce and Destiny’s child synonymously. With cartwheels and crowd participation, the Zetas even recreated the “Cater 2 U,” performance by Destiny’s Child. Round two asked participants to perform to a mix of songs that would be considered songs of uplift and empowerment. Omega Psi Phi started the round off by creating a Black Empowerment statement strolling to songs such as “Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A.” Continued on page 5
YEAR OF THE RUBY Jessica stubbs Staff writer Homecoming week was filled with football, tailgating, parades, parties, and coincidentally, costumes since the last day of homecoming week landing on Halloween. October 25th through October 31st also marked the Mui Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.’s Delta Week 2015: Ruby in the Rough. Throughout the week the ladies held events like sisterhood game night, entrepreneurship workshops, and a feminine product collection to be donated to Interact Domestic Violence Center. At the end of the week, the ladies held their 40th Anniversary Gala, The Year of the Ruby. Chapter president Jasmia Shropshire sat down with the Nubian for a Q&A to highlight and celebrate their milestone anniversary. N: For those who don’t know, can you explain
the significance behind this year’s gala? S: October 25, 1975 marked 40 years since the Mu Omicron Chapter was chartered on the campus of North Carolina State University. We were the first African American Sorority to be chartered on this campus, by 10 phenomenal women. In order to commemorate their legacy, we held Delta Week 2015: Ruby in the Rough, followed by our weekend long reunion celebration, Year of the Ruby. Why the name “Ruby in the Rough”? S:A 40th anniversary, is known to be a Ruby Year. Ruby is a stone of love, passion, power, and nobility. Valued more than diamonds, the energy of a ruby transfers an uplifting nature and courageous spirit. This reunion was a re-dedication to our commitment to Mu Omicron, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, at large as we are rubies
in our own right. The same zeal 40 years ago, is what motivates us today. We wanted to challenge MO to recognize the rubies within all of us, and encourage everyone to follow our passions in order to positively impact the people around us, our communities, and the world at large. It was a call to embody the characteristics of the Ruby in our daily acts, thoughts, and hearts just as our Charter Members did! Continued on page 4
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Students respond to Parody Party with Town Hall Ben Assefa Correspondent Students led a town hall meeting on Monday,Oct. 26 in Witherspoon Student Center following the news of a racist parody themed costume party hosted by students off-campus.
happens, that people choose not to represent. They’re just taking the stereotypical position. You see plenty of Blacks around campus but choose to stereotype us in this light, ” Hicks said.
immediately. Similar ideas involved forcing students to take a class that offers curriculum on cultural diversity if the Code of Conduct has been violated by said student.
It was following the release of the Technician’s article, “Student party at The Retreat parodies ‘black culture’,” that most students and faculty heard about the party. The article discussed the blatantly stereotypical and racist theme of a “BET vs CMT” party was attended by students who had past ties to the former Interfraternity Council (IFC), organization, Theta Chi fraternity.
The third and, perhaps, most effective means of reaching out to the greater community and work on bridging gaps and truly understanding one another was through personal connections. Ideas such as peer education, a seminar led by peers, face to face conversations that have situational simulations.
At the meeting were a wide and balanced group of representatives from various organizations, such as the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity, IFC, Multicultural Student Affairs, Student Government members, and individuals who came as simply concerned students.
As the evening progressed, the conversation held onto the focal point of the conversation, with the party still being the premise, but eventually the Town Hall Meeting went beyond the on the surface problem, and went into the systemic flaws that we’ve all become victim of. In a very well-organized fashion, facilitators Jasmine Cannon, vice president of The Society of Afrikan Amerikan Culture (SAAC) and Kinesha Harris, president of AYA Ambassadors asked the audience to break up into groups of people whom you do not know and coordinate amongst one another to work on ideas, collectively, to come up with possible resolutions or suggestions to respond accordingly to the CMT vs BET incident and others like it.
Attendees shared their reactions and gave general statements about how they felt in regards to the party.
Groups had an array of excellent ideas. One of the most commonly thought up idea, amongst all groups, involved an incentive initiative.
One word descriptions were thrown into the discussion by facilitators to get a general idea of how individual’s thoughts. Shocked, annoyed, embarrassed, and were a few of the words used.
It goes without saying that the Pack loves its sports and its loyalty points. A suggestion made from that would be to reward loyalty points for going to certain cultural events or seminars on cultural awareness. Another similar thought was to allow card swipes at the Pan-Afrikan Festival for people to earn loyalty points and to hopefully learn something about their fellow peers. This idea stirred the audience, as their interest became peaked and showed much interest in following up this idea.
“I’m not surprised at all,” said Soraya Russell, a sophomore studying international relations. Russell said it frustrates her she’s not surprised. “It happens here and other places. And nothings being done about it.” Kiara Hicks a senior in sports management said the news of the party was an insult, being that Diversity Week had been days before. “Diversity week was just last week, yet here we are. The main people attending programs are of the minority communities--the ones constantly marginalized. People want to throw a party that generalizes. There’s so much more that
Other ideas revolved around more consequence based actions, rather than rewarding based actions. Suggestions for mandatory sessions involving cultural competence followed by a certain level of accountability also caught the attention of myself and other members of the audience. Simply put, if you go to one of these cultural competence sessions and repeat such a violation then consequences should follow up
RUBY Continued from page 3
The weekend included: a game night, a formal welcome where Sorors were able to receive 40th anniversary bags, t-shirts, tumblers, and other giveaways. N: Any special guests or big names stopping by? S: We had a couple MO Delta celebrities that we all were overjoyed to meet. It was so surreal, and emotional, all at the same time! We had 5 Charter Members attend, and one of them gave a speech. But we were very grateful that they could even be a part of the weekend. They were proud of the place we are at now, and encouraged us to continue to work hard. N: What are some upcoming events that DST has planned for the month of November? S: Most immediately, we will have our postponed program “We Are Not in Kansas Anymore” coming soon so please look out for that flyer. Our Mr. Crimson and Cream Scholarship Pageant Informational is November 11th at 7:13, we would love if you could tell any interested males in need of a scholarship to stop by! We will also be having an upcoming community service event. Finally, we will be having our annual MO Gift Wrapping Party the last week of December, where we wrap donated toys for the children at the Garner Road Community Center. You can keep up with all of our program and events via Instagram at @muomicrondst and twitter at MuOmicronDST.
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Secrets are the currency of intimacy Homecoming speaker shares the power of secrets Zoe wilson correspondent To kick off the start of Homecoming week, NC State hosted the creator of PostSecret Frank Warren, who is now known as the most trusted stranger in the world. Warren spoke to a large crowd about his experiences that led him to create the successful PostSecret network. Ten years ago Warren thought of a crazy idea and decided to hand out thousands of blank postcards to strangers all over Washington DC, and encouraged them to send an anonymous secret to his home address. His goal was to get 365 postcards, one for every day of the year. Today his total count of secrets he has received to his home surpasses 700 million. “It didn’t take long before my crazy idea didn’t seem so crazy,” said Warren. When he first created PostSecret, he did not know what kind of path it would take until he received one postcard in particular, that gave him an epiphany of how he could uses all of these secrets to help people. One side of this specific post card had a picture of a door with a hole in it. On the other side it read, “The holes are from when my mom tried knocking down my door so she could continue beating me.” The day he uploaded this on his website it got one million views and others started sharing similar secrets, and although this did not solve their abusive secrets, it gave them an outlet to make their burden seem lighter so they could feel a little bit better. Warren could personally relate with this postcard and admitted that he too had a similar door in his childhood experiences. He also shared some of the hardships he has endured in his life such as losing a friend and family member to suicide, being homeless, having mental illnesses and having to get help for his depression. He was very thankful that he was
able to find help when he needed it, and decided to guide his website towards helping others who are struggling with their secrets. Since the creation of PostSecret, Frank has been able to donate over one million dollars to suicide prevention hotlines. “Children almost broken by the world are most likely to change it,” said Warren. “If you can find your way through the darkness to light, and I believe you can, whether it is through medication, religion, therapy, a friend, music, or art, on the other side you will be transformed. You’ll have this beautiful story of healing, a story you can use to help others.” Warren spoke of psychological research done on secrets that found those carrying a secret about being homosexual or having affairs in their marriage are more likely to get sick. Warren encouraged his audience to let go of their secrets because it leads you “closer to the person you’re supposed to be, doing the work only you can do.” Graecie Vrchota, a senior majoring in social work, told Warren after his speech, “When my brother came out to our mom, she bought him your PostSecret book as a way for him to feel better about his secret.” The PostSecret project was created by Warren in 2005, today people continue to mail their secrets anonymously on homemade postcards. Selected secrets are posted on the PostSecret website postsecret. com. NPHC continued from page 3 Alpha Kappa Alpha grabbed the crowd’s attention dressed as Black Panthers as well as displaying the black power symbol of a raised fist. Incorporating songs such as “Glory,” by John Legend and Common
and “Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud,” by James Brown made their empowerment statement loud and clear. Iota Phi Theta created a poetic justice atmosphere with their use of songs such as the interlude from “Testify,” by Common and “U.N.I.T.Y.,” by Queen Latifah. Zeta Phi Beta used songs of independence to make their empowerment statement. Songs such as “Independent,” by Neyo and “RESPECT,” by Aretha Franklin. This wave of empowerment addressed many social justice issues through song choice and body movements. The final round allowed participants to do a freestyle performance that could showcase any talents. Omega Psi Phi kicked off the last round strolling to songs by Drake, Future, and J Cole. Alpha Kappa Alpha maintained the hype choosing crowd favorites like, “Hotline Bling.” Iota Phi Beta incorporated acting, costume changes, and a medley of music ranging from rap to rock. Ultimately, the Zetas finished the round strolling to songs such as, “That’s my best friend.” “The two month planning process was hectic but I had an amazing supporting staff to help out,” said Moore. “Instead of letting our smaller council size affect us, it made us more effective or lean. Dealing with chapters’ prior obligations was tough but I think that the committee put on a great show even with a limited council in terms of chapter sizes.” Moore studies sustainable materials and technology and Mbdullah, also a senior studies textile engineering. Members of the judging panel included those affiliated with the National Pan-Hellenic Council along with a representative from Greek Life.
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Student Spotlight Meet “Sonny Miles” Jillian Smith Staff Writer Sophomore and Communication media major Jordan Williams, better known by his stage name Sonny Miles, sang his way to victory last month. He along with the student female a cappella group, Ladies in Red won the Union Activities Board “Open for Tori Kelly Contest”. The opening performances, however, scheduled for the annual Pack Howl Homecoming concert on Oct. 29, was not able to take place.
from the combination of Miles Davis and Sonny Stitt, two artists Williams’ grandfather often listened to. “He never made it to see me grow into who I am now, so it’s basically a tribute to him,” said Williams.
“The management at the last minute just said no,” said Matthew Wright, a sophomore in Graphic design who was supposed to MC the concert. “The reaction was what you would expect. People were upset, confused and disappointed. I was bummed and I wasn’t even performing,” Wright said.
A native of Winston-Salem, NC, he attended Mount Tabor High School where he was in band and began to play the clarinet. Williams also plays guitar, bass and drums.
Williams joined other contestants who posted audition videos to Youtube for them to be voted on. The five acts with the most votes on the UAB website were chosen to perform at the beginning of Campout on Oct. 23. At Campout, a student poll and celebrity judge panel selected Williams and the a cappella group to perform. Concert or not, Williams has captured the hearts, minds and smiles of NC State’s student body with his self-written song “Liberation.” The name Sonny Miles was born
His interest in music began when he was young, listening to his father’s vinyls, drawing inspiration from popular music artists like Prince.
Williams began playing drums at church when he was nine-years-old, about a year ago he set out to teach himself how to play guitar and bass. In many of his YouTube videos, you can catch him playing and singing covers to acoustic guitar. Williams is also a member of the student men’s a cappella group Grains of Time. He has been singing with them for a year. “I found my passion at 17. I think that’s when I knew I wanted to do it for the rest of my life,” Williams said. Sonny Miles has been spotted all around Raleigh wherever there is an
open mic night or anything he can find. He has also performed at Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem. He averages about four to five performances every week on top of school work. The hardest part of these performances is getting people to remember you according to Williams. “It’s just making sure that people stay with you. It’s making people retain Jordan Williams, a sophomore in communications, poses for a portrait on November 1st in Witherspoon. Williams was one of the you. That’s the diffi-winners of the Packhowl contest and was selected to open for Tori cult part,” he said. Kelly, the headliner for the 2015 Homecoming Concert. Photo by Kai F. McNeil
Sonny Miles has a unique sound, one that resulted from a combination of different artists from different genres that wouldn’t typically put together. He describes it as a mix of John Legend, John Mayer and Bob Dylan. “His style is super chill and catchy. It’s nice, it’s real easy to listen to. It kind of just gets you rocking and snapping,” Wright said. While Williams wasn’t able to open for
Tori Kelly, he did get to meet her. “Some things don’t work out in your favor, other things do,” read the caption of a photo he posted to Facebook of him and Kelly the night of the concert. Williams just released his first EP as Sonny Miles titled “The Beta Chapter,” on Nov. 1. You can find it on Spotify, iTunes or SoundCloud or go through links on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.