NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | wednesday, NOVEMBER 15, 2017
CELEBRATING RESILIENCE
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Letter from the editor Hello lovely people, Can you believe November is already half over? I know, it’s crazy. Just a few weeks left of the semester to go. I, for one, am already listening to Christmas music. Judge if you want, but as far as I’m concerned, the first noel begins on the first of November. Besides the imminent Christmas carols, November marks two very special things, and the first is Native-American Heritage Month. In this issue, we have a little preview of what’s still to come and some pictures from Culture Night on Tuesday, the 14th. If you haven’t gotten the chance to go to any events, make sure you get some in before the month is out. We need to support our Native brothers and sisters as much as we support each other. The second special thing, for us personally, but also for us as a community, is the Nubian’s 25th anniversary! We’ve got a lot going on, from the special issue to a little shindig in the African American Cultural Center Gallery. I’m practicing a lot of selfcare to get me to it and through it, but we’ll get there.
THISISSUE 3 CULTURE THROUGH MUSIC Musical connection to community
4 NATIVE HERITAGE MONTH Highlights of upcoming events
5 BLACKADEMICS
Dr. Stephen Ferguson
6 MARCUS HOWARD
Co-founding Engage Millennials, LLC.
7 KENTON’S CORNER It’s On Us
With everything going on, this is a more low-key issue, but we made sure to give you guys some food for thought. Featured in this issue are two very interesting people that are part of our campus community. Marcus Howard’s story of co-founding a business to help black-owned businesses is an inspirational one, especially because he’s a grad student right here at NC State. And then there’s Dr. Ferguson, who I would like to officially welcome to the Wolfpack family. He’s one of the few African-Americans in the philosophy field, so if you’re into deep thought and understanding the world a little better, he might be someone you want to say hi to. One last thing: our fantastic layout designer is leaving us to study abroad. And while we’re super excited for her, we’re not so excited to lose her. So, if you or anyone you know has experience with InDesign and wants to earn a little extra change, hit us up. As always, I hope you read something that sticks with you and makes you think. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, you can always reach us at nubian-editor@ncsu.edu. Love, Anahzsa
COVER PHOTO BY Amrita Malur
The Sentinel of the African -American Community at N.C. State Since 1992. Anahzsa Jones
Editor-in-Chief
Keilah Davis
Managing editor
Allona Wilkerson
LAYOUT DESIGNER
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.
news
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 | 3
African American Choral Ensemble Coming Soon ANAHZSA JONES EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Courtesy of Special Collections Research Center at NCSU Libraries.
New Horizon Choir circa 1980-1989.
Beginning in the spring semester of 2018, the Music Department will be offering an African American Choral Ensemble (AACE) for academic credit, in collaboration with the African American Cultural Center. Dr. Daniel Monek, the head of the Music Department, said, “The group will provide NCSU students and members of the Raleigh community an opportunity to explore, study and perform vocal music of the African diaspora, including spirituals, folk forms, traditional and contemporary gospel and formally-composed choral works by composers of African descent.” The idea for the AACE came about through discussions between Monek and Moses Greene, the director of the African American Cultural Center (AACC). The two shared a desire to introduce students to vocal music from the African diaspora. The Music Department, faculty, staff and students all had a hand in bringing the idea to reality, according to Monek. Monek also cites the New Horizons Choir as inspiration for the new ensemble. New Horizons Choir was a performance ensemble that began in 1977 and focused on Gospel music and spirituals. It is no longer offered through the Music Department.
Greene also credits the idea to conversations he had with alumni and faculty who were at NC State in years past. “The basis for this comes out of traditions that were here at NC State 25 years ago, when there was an academic component that went along with, at that time, the New Horizons Choir,” Greene said. “This is an attempt to return, if you will, resurrect that academic component which gives the sacred music of the diaspora the training, the teaching that it deserves.” The Music Department currently offers traditional coursework that focuses on the music of the African diaspora, such as History of African American Music. What these courses lack, according to Monek, is the application of the information. The Music Department has not had “an applied course or ensemble that allows students to explore the interpretation and performance of this music since the discontinuation of the New Horizons choir many years ago,” Monek said. The New Horizons Choir began under the direction of music faculty member Eleania Ward, and was later directed by adjunct faculty member Ron Foreman. Monek feels that the discontinuation of the choir has “left a gap in the Music Department’s offerings.” A gap was also left in the cultural offerings of NC State. Two of Greene’s goals upon becoming director of the AACC were to expand focus on the visual and performing arts and increase faculty engagement. This ensemble provides a marriage of those goals that he feels will revive the sense of community for African-American students that existed in the past. “When you’re talking about the retention and the recruitment of African-American students and presence of the African diaspora,” Greene said, “you’ve got to think, what is going to reflect them culturally that while they are away from home, they can say ‘while I was away from home, I was a part of this?’ There was a greater sense of those things 20 years ago.” For Greene, the course is an opportunity to revive the focus and connections of the African American Cultural Center. Black Repertory Theater, Dance Visions, and New Horizons Choir were three organizations that existed in the past that were integral to African-American culture on campus. Dance Visions is the only one of
these still active at NC State. “The African American Cultural Center was the place where those things came out of,” Greene said. “In speaking with those who were here 20 years ago, in speaking to alum, and speaking to what made the AACC feel like home, there were affinity groups, Dance Visions, Black Repertory Theater and New Horizons, that were connected to the center. And so I’m just trying to resurrect that which once was part of the life’s blood of the center.” The students will be learning vocal pedagogy, the study of the art and science of voice instruction and techniques that Greene said he hopes will empower them to sing African-American and Pan-African sacred music in a more skillful way. The Music Department also hopes for
the AACE to support and collaborate with student-run ensembles affiliated with the Music Department and tied to the choir’s mission, such as NC State’s student gospel ensemble, Uninhibited Praise. Daniel Hueholt, a third-year student studying meteorology with a piano performance minor, is excited to see how the ensemble develops. “Anything bringing greater diversity to the Music Department is certainly a good thing,” Hueholt said. “Besides it obviously being important to have greater representation of minority students, I think it’ll be great to have an ensemble whose programming brings in composers from non-traditional backgrounds.”
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news
Native American Heritage Month
KEILAH DAVIS MANAGING Editor
Throughout November, Multicultural Student Affairs has hosted events in celebration of National Native American Heritage Month. Thus far, events have ranged from panels to workshops focused on topics from Native men’s masculinity to Native American history trivia. On Tuesday, Nov. 14, a culture night showcased American Indian cultures through dancing, drumming and storytelling. The theme for this year’s heritage month is “Resilience.” Amberlina Alston is a third-year student studying psychology, a proud member of the Lumbee tribe of North Carolina and the president of the Native American Student Association. “Resilience is a big theme of Native American culture. It’s very relevant, as Native Americans fight to have equal rights and equal representation,” Alston said. “We’re still here, we’re still strong, we’re still together.”
Amrita Malur/Correspondent Tonya Carter, resident of Warren County, dances at the Native American Culture Night hosted on Nov. 14 in Talley Student Union. Carter is a member of the Haliwa-Saponi community which is located on the Warren and Halifax Country border in Northeastern North Carolina. She performed the blanket dance, a dance of courtship.
Upcoming Events: Wednesday, November 15 Unpacking the Bags We Carry: Violence Against Women in Indigenous Nations Witherspoon 201 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. This workshop will examine the historical origins of domestic violence within Native communities. Saturday, November 18 Native American Heritage Month Celebration NC Museum of History | 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. The NC Museum of History’s annual event features all eight of North Carolina’s state-recognized tribes through crafts, games, food and performances.
Monday, November 20 Gregg Museum Native Art Show Gregg Museum of Art & Design | All day The “Treasures of Native America” exhibit will be on display until April 29, 2018. On Monday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m., Native students will present their own artwork for display.
Elijah Moracco-Schelp/ Correspondent Elijah Carter, first year studying forest management, dances for NC State students during Native American Culture Night in Talley on Tuesday, Nov 14. Carter was armed with weapons that Native Americans would historically use in battle.
Tuesday, November 21 14th Annual Dream Catcher Workshop Talley 4270 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. Participants will learn about the significance of dream catchers and have the opportunity to make their own. Tuesday, November 28 Native Beadwork Workshop Talley 4101 | 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. This workshop will cover traditional and contemporary styles of Native American beading.
For more information, visit go.ncsu.edu/nahm.
Amrita Malur/Correspondent A drum circle performs a song at the Native American Culture Night hosted in Talley Student Union on Nov. 14. In the Haliwa-Saponi tribe, located in Northeastern North Carolina, men traditionally play the drum that had been gifted by women in the community. In addition to the drum circle, singing, dancing, and legend-telling were a part of the Culture Night.
features
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2017 | 5
Blackademics: DR. stephen ferguson An introduction to a new philosophy professor, one of too few African Americans in the field Shawn Ferguson CORRESPONDENT Stephen Ferguson joined NC State’s Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies this semester as a tenure-track professor. Ferguson earned his bachelor’s degree in history and philosophy at the University of Missouri and earned his master’s and PhD in philosophy at Kansas State University. Before coming to NC State, Ferguson worked in the Department of Liberal Studies at North Carolina Agricultural & Technical University, a historically black college. There was no philosophy department and, because of shrinking funding, he could not implement any philosophy in his tenure at NC A&T. “I thought it would be a much more stable move to come to Raleigh,” Ferguson said. He was looking forward to teaching philosophy again too. Ferguson was interested in students of color and their role on NC State’s campus. “I think State is at one of those major turning points,” Ferguson said. “The question is what students’ role is in the change coming down the pipeline. It seems the administration have adopted a diversity initiative, and I am not sure of the students’ role in that discussion. I am not clear on what students of color want from diversity on campus.” He then spoke about the welcoming environment at NC State’s philosophy department. His transition from a historically black college to a predominantly white institution has been smooth, and his colleagues have been very candid in having open and honest dialogue about diversity. “This has been a fun experience,” Ferguson said. “There is a general openness, and I think the timing is perfect to offer the courses I have.” Ferguson’s educational and philosophical journey started with what he feels is an essential part of the college experience: Activism. “I got interested in politics through student activism,” Ferguson said. “I really wanted to understand politics. I had a
good mentor, John McClendon, who introduced me to philosophy. John McClendon was involved in the second generation of black philosophers who graduated with a PhD in philosophy.” Ferguson thinks of activism as a laboratory in which students can figure out the best methods to challenge power. “Black studies would not be a thing without student protest, and women’s studies are a byproduct of student protest,” Ferguson said. He also highlighted a difficult part of student activism. Students cycle through college in four years while the administration is in power for much longer, giving little time for students to reflect on their activism. One of the main issues on Ferguson’s undergraduate campus was the student government’s desire to cut back on funding for black programming on campus. During this struggle, Ferguson began reading the works of philosophers like Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin and Robert Allen. “All the revolutionaries of the past were Marxist and were a big influence on me,” Ferguson said. However, Ferguson’s biggest influence was the work of political philosopher and Pan-Africanist Kwame Nkrumah, who led Ghana’s fight for independence from British colonial rule and served as Ghana’s first prime minister. Ghana was the first sub-Saharan country to gain its independence. Ferguson cited Nkrumah’s book “Consciencism: Philosophy and Ideology for Decolonization” as particularly influential. “One thing that came out of these readings is study groups and discussions,” Ferguson said. “They molded me to think of philosophy, to use philosophy to solve every day social issues. Another part of my work is political. It is tied to the relationship of politics and philosophy.” According to the article “What Is the State of Blacks in Philosophy?” published in Critical Philosophy of Race, only 1.32
Jordan Taylor/Staff Photographer Stephen Clifford Ferguson is a new professor in the philosophy and religious studies department. He encourages students to get involved in philosophy because it can help develop a lot of critical thinking and logic skills. He teaches several courses, including Philosophy of Race and Africana political studies. Here he stands in Witers Hall on Nov. 7 2017.
percent of professionals affiliated with U.S. philosophy departments are black. When asked about being a black man in the field, Ferguson could not help but chuckle and quote black philosopher Charles Mills. “Charles Mills said it is the whitest of all the disciplines,” Ferguson said. “The hardest part is making the case that black philosophers and topics they talk about have a legitimate place in philosophy. Unfortunately, I’m not sure how open the canon will be to black philosophers, and a lot of that has to do with people not knowing who they are. A part of my research is pulling back the veil on some of
these black philosophers and the role they played in history.” Ultimately, Ferguson cherishes the impact his work will have on younger generations. “There’s a sense of philosophy being a guide through these big questions. My work is kind of a guidebook to your generation. I see myself as bridge between the next generation and the previous generations.”
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features
See a Need, Fill a Need How a graduate student turned a bad banking experience and a handwritten letter into a business by millennials for millennials Kennysha Woods CorRESPONDENT In today’s day and age, one wouldn’t expect a handwritten letter to catch the attention of the CEO of any business, but Marcus Howard has found out otherwise. It was a letter that led him and his business partner and best friend, Charles Hands III, to the CEO of Mechanics and Farmers Bank, James Sills III. “We had to be different,” Howard said. “He gets a ton of emails and messages from the [bank’s] website. We got a call three days later.” Some of you may know Howard as a second-year graduate student in education policy, leadership and development and the founding president of NC State’s Black Graduate Student Association since January 2017, but he also co-owns Engage Millennials, LLC with Hands, and serves as a chair on M&F Bank’s new Millennial Advisory Board. However, the story begins before the letter, with Howard and Hands’ interest in black-owned businesses throughout history. “We would read black history books,” Howard said. “We read about the Reconstruction period and Black Wall Street, and how prosperous Black Wall Street was in the 1920s. So we wanted to see that in the current times. We read a book called ‘Black Business in the New South,’ and it was about historically black businesses in North Carolina. One of those businesses was M&F Bank.” M&F Bank started in 1907 and is the second oldest minority-owned bank in the country. Howard and Hands sought to support the bank, but one unpleasant visit deterred them from investing. “We had a bad experience with service, technology and the aesthetics of the building. We were disappointed,” Howard recalled. “Most millennials don’t even tolerate a first bad experience.” He added, “The next generation are millennials. They’re the largest demographic in the United States right now and in order to sustain growth into the future, you’re going to need them as customers.” Howard and Hands didn’t want to put
their money into a business they didn’t have confidence in, but they also didn’t want the bank to disappear with their older customers. They wanted to remedy the old building, improve the staff ’s knowledge of available products, and update the bank’s website, but the primary concern they had was the bank’s lack of presence on social media. They believed it was causing a disconnection between the bank executives and millennials. “A lot of people don’t realize that a lot of senior executives are old, and don’t know a lot about social media,” Howard said, “but social media is like the most effective and free way to engage people and advertise. It’s a need, and they don’t know how to use it.” So they sent the letter, and after a series of meetings with bank executives, the Millennial Advisory Board was created to bridge the bank with the millennial demographic and stimulate the surrounding community. Additionally, Howard and Hands helped improve the bank’s social media utility, update the website, and spark building renovations and production of millennial-specific products set for release in January 2018. But disconnection with the younger generation isn’t a problem limited to M&F Bank. “There were other minority-owned businesses across the country that had the same issue,” Howard said. “If we could create a solution for [M&F Bank], we could create solutions for all of these businesses.” That’s where Engage Millennials comes in; Howard and Hands use the startup to help older companies with older executive leadership develop products, services and advertisement strategies that appeal to millennials. “I think Charles and I want to inspire other millennials, particularly in the minority community, to look within their community for problems and create those solutions,” Howard said. “Finding a solution is not necessarily having a particular degree or being in a certain field of work. The solution is always right inside of you.
ALEX ZACHMAN/Correspondent 26-year-old graduate student Marcus Howard is on the M&F Bank Millennial Advisory Board with the goal of helping the bank reach out to millennials. Marcus is also the president of the NC State Black Graduate Students Association, which he helped to found last year in 2016.
I majored in education and in science in undergrad. I don’t have a business degree anywhere.” They also want to help invigorate the surrounding community. “Banks are staples in communities, and we want to help revitalize low-income communities,” Howard said. “To do that, you need a strong financial institution, strong businesses with money flowing in and out.” In pursuing their business opportunities, Howard has learned two vital lessons he advises every young, aspiring entrepreneur to know. “Something important we learned was relationship-building,” Howard said. “We knew what we were talking about and we knew what our solutions were. But we had to get access to the people who could enact and affect change--the CEOs. Relationship-building is very, very important. Until you’re able to build genuine relationships
with the people in charge, you’ll never be able to make that connection.” His second piece of advice is to “find a need and fulfill a need.” Howard said, “If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, instead of looking for ways to make money, look for problems and needs in the community and try to find innovative ways to fill those needs.” Howard emphasized the importance of pursuing entrepreneurship in order to find solutions for problems rather than creating a business with the intention to make money. “We had other businesses that failed,” Howard said, “Party-promoting companies, event-planning, tutoring business. All of this stuff was fueled by [the intent] to make money. With this business, we found a genuine need in the community, and we filled that need, and it turned into a business.”
opinion
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KENTON’S CORNER: Assault Isn’t A Party Problem With the pervasiveness of sexual assault in Hollywood and elsewhere recently coming to light, there’s something I have to say. Sexual assault and interpersonal violence are kENTON GIBBS not topics which should become split along party STAFF WRITER lines. I am one of those people that feels like most problems of our society can be traced to either America’s roots or the ideologies of its two major political parties. However, sexual assault and interpersonal violence against women aren’t a part of those issues. Besides being sexual predators, what do Kevin Spacey, Jeremy Piven, Oliver Stone, Harvey Weinstein, Senator Roy Moore, Bill Cosby, Bill O’Reilly, Louis C.K, Roger Ailes, and President Donald Trump have in common? At first glance it isn’t political party. One might be tempted to say sexuality until one realizes Kevin Spacey iden-
tifies as a gay man. So what is the shared thread? Simply put, these are powerful men abusing their power and asserting dominance over those around them. When Fox News was having all of their sexual assault skeletons dragged out of the closet, I was happy that predators were being exposed left and right, but I knew the source would cause problems. Fox is known for being very conservative, so the first thing people jumped to was not whether or not the survivors are okay. Instead, it was about how conservatives are predators who don’t care about women. Well lo and behold, when the heavily liberal-leaning Harvey Weinstein was found to be a notorious predator, it became about how Democrats are the real predators. This shouldn’t become a match about which party and its supporters does what more. It should be about how we can raise our boys in a manner that isn’t conducive to many predators’ sense of entitlement. The often quoted “When Is Rape Okay” studies shine a light on this. The study was
conducted among high school students in 1978, so many people feel as though we have progressed past these types of ideas, but this clearly isn’t true. One of Weinstein’s first statements after his accusers came forward was this: “I came of age in the 60’s and 70’s, when all the rules about behavior and workplaces were different. That was the culture then.” Unfortunately there was never a time where masturbating into a plant in front of a coworker was socially acceptable. But even beyond him and this ever growing list of abusers, there is something to be said for our culture when inexcusable sexual behavior is conducted by men so frequently. And I applaud all of the women who are speaking up regardless of how close the day they speak about their dramatic experience is to the actual event. The most visible voices are those of A-list actresses, however my hat goes off especially to the everyday women who used a gesture as simple as the hashtag #metoo. If women among the ranks of Lupita
Nyong’o, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie have had these vile acts done to them and felt the need to stay silent, what are the odds that women of much lower recognition would feel emboldened enough to speak up? Just know that if the men of Capitol Hill, as well as Hollywood, are steadily adding to their sexual assault tally, who’s to say those working in the fast food industry aren’t? But I want to reiterate again, this is not a women’s issue. Men, it’s on us to reverse this disturbing trend. Fellas, check your friends when they say rapey jokes. Make it your business to ensure that the people in your circle aren’t the type to think that they are entitled to women’s bodies. Your jersey, your letters, your name in the closing credits, nor your corner office guarantee you agency to a woman’s body. Nothing but consent from that woman gives you that.
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