NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | THURSDAY, January 17, 2019
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Letter from the editor
THISISSUE 3“BEYOND THE BUZZWORDS” Social Justice January
Hey y’all! This issue’s proverb comes from the Adinkra symbol “sankofa,” which literally means “go back and fetch it.” My favorite interpretation of it is this: It is not taboo to go back and fetch that which you have forgotten. As we prepare for our annual remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I am led once again to examine and critique popular imaginations of him. I am reminded of the text of his “I Have a Dream” speech that preceded the infamous line often quoted in defense of racial color-blindness. I am reminded of his endless support of labor struggles and his criticisms of imperialism. I am reminded that most people in the U.S. hated him at the time of his assassination.
4 MLK EXHIBIT Experience the legacy of MLK through an exhibit created by NC State students and staff.
6 WHAT R. KELLY HAS SHOWED US Dropping Problematic Artists
6 CARING FOR OTHERS Leaders reflect on past, future of group.
During the next few weeks, I hope we can all go back and fetch new lessons from King’s life and legacy and continue pushing for the dream he was killed for. I want to reiterate to you that Nubian Message is here to serve you—our readers. We welcome you to submit suggestions, Letters to the Editor and guest opinion columns to nubian-editor@ncsu.edu. I am because we are, Keilah
The Sentinel of the African -American Community at N.C. State Since 1992. Keilah Davis
Kennysha Woods
Editor-in-Chief
Managing editor
Elikem Dodor
Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe
Layout designer
layout designer
Shanmukha Sandesh photo Editor
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
Social Justice January Goes “Beyond the Buzzwords” kennysha WOODS Managing Editor On January 23, Campus Community Centers will join together to host the annual Social Justice January, a day dedicated to teaching members of the campus community about various subjects relating to social justice and activism. There will be four workshops held between 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the community centers on main campus. This year’s theme is “Beyond the Buzzwords.” Starting in 2015, the Women’s Center, GLBT Center, African American Cultural Center (AACC) and Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) collaborated to host Social Justice January. Previously, event attendance was limited to those invited by the community centers, but this year, Social Justice January is more open to the general campus community. Andy DeRoin is the program coordinator of the GLBT Center and presenter of “Conversations about ‘The Other’ and the Cultural Construction of Oppression.” “This is the first time we’re doing a whole day of events,” DeRoin said. “We’re looking to really bring people into the campus community centers who haven’t been before.” According to DeRoin, the workshops will build upon each other as the content goes. The day starts with “Unlearning Diversity,” which will
be presented by Marcela Torres-Cervantes, the assistant director for community outreach and engagement of MSA. This workshop will introduce socialization and cultural narratives with a focus on how biases and stereotypes affect campus life. Afterward is “Unpacking Privilege” presented by Sachelle Ford, the assistant director of the AACC. “We all need to understand our privileges, and how they impact our experiences and also those of other people,” Ford said. “By bringing students together to ‘unpack privilege,’ this presentation helps the campus community identify ways we can all use our privileges to support equity and inclusion.” Next will be “Conversations about ‘the Other’” by DeRoin, who will look at how representation of marginalized communities in the media informs an individual’s behavior, allow for bias, and perpetuate oppression. Social Justice January concludes with “Immunity to Change,” presented by Carlyn Wright-Eakes, the rape prevention education coordinator of the Women’s Center. This workshop will teach attendees how they can make effective changes as a social justice advocate.
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NC State celebrates the legacy of MLK MLK Commemoration with Symone Sanders McKimmon Center | Jan. 17 | 3:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
Symone Sanders, a CNN commentator and press secretary for the 2016 Bernie Sanders presidential campaign, will give the keynote address for this year’s Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. Sanders’ speech, titled “MLK Jr.: The Realist,” recognizes King’s unique ability to push boundaries when no one else could.
“King’s First Dream:” Lunch and Learn with Jason Miller
African American Cultural Center Gallery | Jan. 22 | 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.
Professor of English Jason Miller will talk about the rediscovered 1962 speech from King. The speech is said to have inspired “I Have a Dream.”
MLK Service Days
NC State Agroecology Education Farm | Jan. 21 | 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
SOCIAL JUSTICE JANURARY EVENTS Unlearning Diversity
African American Cultural Center Witherspoon 356 | 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Unpacking Privilege GLBT Center Talley 5230 | 1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.
Conversations About ‘the Other’ Women’s Center Talley 5210 | 3:30 p.m.-5:00p.m.
Immunity to Change
Multicultural Student Affairs Talley 4261 | 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
Better Together will hold a service project with the SOUL Garden to observe King’s interfaith work and unite people of different faiths and non-faith. RSVP on Facebook @Better Together at NC State.
Mystery Service Saturdays
Reynolds Busloop | Jan. 26 | 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Leadership and Civic Engagement is hosting a MLK Jr./Interfaith edition of their Mystery Service Saturdays. Participants will be driven to and help an unknown service organization in the local community, with the opportunity for discussion afterwards. Sign up at service.dasa. ncsu.edu/need/ by Jan. 24.
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features
I Am a Man: AACC gallery honors MLK
emma diming/Nubian Message The phrase “I AM A MAN” is written on the wall at the “I Am A Man” exhibit in the African American Cultural Center Art Gallery on Jan. 16, 2019. The exhibit features the story of the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike of 1968 and the civil rights movement. Running from Jan. 16 to Feb. 4, “I Am A Man” will feature a virtual reality experience for viewers.
The African American Cultural Center Gallery opened their doors on January 16 to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with an exhibit that recognized and illustrated the work that he did in the Civil Rights Movement, the leader he was, and the huge imprint he left on this world. The exhibit entitled ‘I Am A Man’ is a collection of artwork designed by second-year students from the 2017-2018 academic year under the direction of Dr. Derek Ham and Scott Townsend, professors in the College of Design. The idea for the exhibit came from a virtual reality experience that Ham was working on that included the Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike of 1968 and the events surrounding Dr. King’s death. Ham’s goal is to tell the complete story of events. “The reason I was involved in all of this... I think I was drawn to parts of the story that people either didn’t know or have forgotten,” Ham said. “So I was trying to find new technology to tell the whole story, and that’s what the exhibit is about, is to kind of tell a
Yesenia Jones
Oluwajoba Ogun
Staff Writer
Correspondant
broader story that is a part of history that is sometimes overlooked.” Participants can partake in Ham’s award-winning virtual reality experience along with the visuals by placing a reservation through the AACC’s website. According to Dr. Moses Greene, the director of the African American Cultural Center, the virtual reality experience will include the opportunity to march alongside protesting sanitation workers, pick up trash and walk inside of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Unfortunately, the experience will also include the assassination of Dr. King. According to Greene, they include the assassination in order to implant viewers into the events that occurred following Dr. King’s tragic death. According to Greene, members of the NC State community are incredibly proud to have the exhibit on campus. “There’s a great sense of pride that this exhibit is returning to the African American Cultural Center Art Gallery,” Greene said. In order to allow various opportunities for
community members to view the exhibit, the gallery will be operating on extended hours for the next three weeks. Greene said, “We’ve extended our hours on some weekdays and even on the weekends, so that more people can experience it at their leisure.” The first participants to view the exhibit were a group of students in the University Scholars Program accompanied by their professor, Ken Johnson. As the associate professor of the University Scholars Program, Johnson encourages his students to experience the legacy of Dr. King through the exhibit. “I think it’s important for several reasons,” Johnson said. “I think one, to be aware of the Civil Rights Movement and the different pieces that get lost in the conversation and the sanitation worker strike is certainly one of those.” He believes it is important for his students to have a familiarity with the AACC. Erin Gniewek, a second-year studying animal science, and Carolyn Peters, a thirdyear studying business administration, were
two University Scholars at the opening. “It is super powerful,” Gniewek said, “being there, in the sense of silence, it’s kind of super powerful in that way.” Carolyn talked about her reaction to one of the panels that mentioned two men were trying to escape and got crushed inside the garbage trucks: “I was not expecting it at all, and I literally gasped.” The most favored panel was the sanitation worker prayer, which illustrated the gap between the cost of living and wages; a single paycheck could barely cover the cost of one’s rent. Bryanna Polk, a third-year studying electrical engineering said, “The sanitation prayer stood out the most.” Ham wants people to be inspired by the work of the sanitation workers and Dr. King because there’s still work to be done. He expressed how people shouldn’t overlook it but have a sense of pride by the work that was done. He hopes the exhibit makes people reflect on who they are, what they stand for and what they want to achieve.
features
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Photos by emma diming/Nubian Message
Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration
Symone Sanders January 17, 2019, 3:30 p.m. McKimmon Center go.ncsu.edu/mlk2019
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opinion
It’s Time to Stop Excusing Problematic Artists Two weeks ago, Lifetime aired a limited series titled “Surviving R. Kelly.” The series does a fantastic job of highlighting R. Kelly’s years of inflicted abuse on young black women. It efficiently exposes the manipulative behavior R. Jalen Kelly has expressed for Rose decades. Staff Writer The allegations against R. Kelly have been known for years; to the general public, none of this is new. His pedophilic relationship with the late singer Aaliyah was common knowledge and he had no issue advertising it through the title of her album “Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number,” which he produced. But despite all of R. Kelly’s grotesque actions circulating in the media, his streaming numbers have surprisingly increased. Or perhaps, not so surprisingly. If anything, this phenomenon just solidifies the public’s compliance with this tasteless behavior as long as it comes from a celebrity. R. Kelly wasn’t the first artist to receive a pass for this behavior, and he certainly isn’t the last. Many artists today have undercome serious allegations regarding domestic violence and sexual abuse. But despite all these allegations, their fans still support them. Take,
for example, the late rapper XXXTentacion. In 2016, the rapper was accused of domestic abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Geneva Ayala. Ayala documented months of suffering from his abuse, including being brutally beaten while pregnant and locked in a room for two days. Still, XXXTentacion’s fans rallied behind him. Even after his death the aggregation of morons commonly known as his fanbase, attempted to cement his legacy and perpetuate his “contribution” to the rap game. Rapper Kodak Black, is currently facing trial for raping a teenage girl in 2016. These sexual misconduct allegations have (again) been known for years. But instead of having his platform revoked, he has only gained more fame. Kodak’s most recent song “ZEZE,” featuring rappers Travis Scott and Offset, went viral. Both of the featured artists were well aware of the allegations surrounding Kodak Black and still chose to work with him. This kind of behavior is the reason why so many people feel completely irreproachable when listening to his music.
It’s easiest to observe people’s neglect of the seriousness of these accusations through “Surviving R. Kelly.” R. Kelly’s vile actions have been laid out on a timeline with irrefutable evidence and yet, people will still defend his actions. Not deny—defend. They know exactly what he’s done and fully believe his actions are worthy of defense. People will continuously defend these problematic artists as long as they believe the quality of their music is enough to justify any wrongdoings. It’s mind-blowing that people can’t hold the lives of black women to a higher standard than music. Especially these artists’ music. R. Kelly is not the “end all, be all” of R&B music. He never has been, and I promise, he never will be. “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Ignition (Remix)” are not timeless enough to forget the kind of disgusting man (pedophile) Robert Kelly is. XXXTentacion shouldn’t be one of the top streaming artists, posthumously or not. He wasn’t the first rapper to introduce self-deprecation to the genre and he definitely wasn’t the best. If hearing a man wail about death
R. Kelly’s vile actions have been laid out on a timeline with irrefutable evidence and yet, people will still defend his actions. Not deny—defend.
for an entire album is enough for you to overlook the horrible accounts of abuse he inflicted on a black woman, then it’s time to evaluate your priorities in life. And I can guarantee never listening to Kodak Black again will not be the end of the world. Honestly, you could probably call it self-care. The fact that this man gets to be a trash person while simultaneously making trash music is beyond me. Continuing to listen to artists like these men while knowing the kinds of things they’ve done is harmful in more ways than one. Firstly, by choosing to ignore the artists’ actions, you’re invalidating the experiences of all survivors of sexual assault. Secondly, streaming these artists puts more money in their pockets which indirectly allows them to continue this behavior against more women. There is no excuse for continuing to support problematic artists like this. You cannot plead ignorance when the facts are laid out for you. You cannot avoid blame while simultaneously funding them. You especially cannot “forgive” these men when it was never your place to offer forgiveness. Now is the time do better. To be better.
Self Care is Not the Only Radical Act A famous quote by author Audre Lorde says, ‘Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is selfpreservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Nubian Message used this quote as the cover for our self-care issue because Shawn of how much it resonated fredericks with my fellow colleagues. Staff Writer But there is an even more radical action: the act of caring for others. I want to make it clear now that my point is not to condemn self-care. Instead, I want to build upon the foundation Audre Lorde has laid, and also refute the superficial, white-washed, and ultimately toxic version of self care that is popularized on social media. When I first heard this quote, I could not
help but think about how revolutionary it was for people of color—especially LGBTQIA+ people of color, who often are further excluded and marginalized—to make sure they perform self-care in a world that doesn’t care for them as much as it should. While I acknowledge self-care is important, there is an old adage that has never failed me: “too much of a good thing.” Self-care in excess can be harmful, as you could become so absorbed with yourself, it will make it difficult for you to interact with others. You should pour into your cup until it’s full. But once it’s full, pour into someone else. Dr. Samantha Boardman for her website Positive Prescription wrote an article titled “Is Too Much Self-Care Bad For You” detailing how one of her patients took selfcare to an extreme.
“I had a patient, let’s call her S, who became so preoccupied with self-care that it began to undermine her wellbeing. She withdrew from her book club so she could read self-help books on her own. Plus, the group didn’t always choose books she liked so she felt justified in her decisions.” Boardman continued, “Making herself a priority gave her the license to decline invitations that weren’t convenient or to her liking. She decided not to attend a friend’s birthday dinner because it wasn’t at a vegan restaurant. She privileged “me time” over family time. When her sister came to town for a visit, she barely made time to see her.” This can be an even more harmful trend for communities of color. As people of color living in America, the mainstream cultural values don’t always align with some of the values within communities of color, making it imperative that communities of color maintain their communal values.
Individualism is a cultural value that is in the foundation of America. This individualism has grown, taking root in many levels of mainstream American culture. Nowadays, this cultural trend has expanded into digital space with the invention of mobile phones and social media. This trend was explored in an article in The Atlantic titled “Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation” by Dr. Jean M. Twenge, who is a professor of Psychology at San Diego State University and author of the book “Generation Me.” “Millennials, for instance,” wrote Twenge, “are a highly individualistic generation, but individualism had been increasing since the Baby Boomers turned on, tuned in, and dropped out. I had grown accustomed to line graphs of trends that looked like modest self care continued on page 6
opinion
OP-ED: Put Your Mouth Where Your Money Is: Get Involved With the Student Fees
Student Government is hosting a Student Fees Town Hall in the Currituck-Hatteras Ballroom on Tuesday, January 22 from 6:00 to 7:45 PM. The event will feature representatives from the campus entities to whom Alex Obiol we as students pay the Guest Columnist largest fees: Transportation, Wellness and Recreation, Student Centers Operations, Student Health, and the Education and Technology Fee. Together these entities represent $676.27, or about 52% of the $1,282.80 in fees we pay to NC State each semester as undergraduates, or the $1,288.80 we pay as graduate students. All students are invited to come and learn how our student fees are decided, how our money is used, and participate in a dialogue on the plans for the future of these fees. Why is this important? Every student pays these fees, which are used to fund many of the non-academic services provided to us by the university. However, only a handful of students know where the money goes and how it is used. By attending the Student Fees Town Hall, you can learn exactly what each of the pre-
senting entities are planning to do with fee dollars over the coming years and provide your student perspective. By contributing to the dialogue, you are helping decide how your money is spent. Additionally, student involvement in the fee process typically starts with the Student Senate’s review of proposed increases, which is then shared with the Student Senate President, who co-chairs the university committee that decides the official fee recommendation to the Chancellor. Despite the entire fee process from budget formulation to proposal taking approximately a year and a half complete, it is oftentimes sheltered from the broader student audience, and student input is limited to the final few months once input is difficult to account for. This town hall is the first opportunity for all students to participate in the fee review process, and at one of its earliest stages. Students should take advantage of the unique opportunity to engage in long-term fee planning discussions by participating in the Student Fees Town Hall.
self care
and lending a hand, reported better moods and lower daily stress levels than those who didn’t engage in helping behavior. This study, amongst others, have found that things such as compassion and generosity have positive psychological benefits. As college students, we can start this trend of being more communal right here right now; it would be poetic as we are the Wolfpack. So I encourage everyone reading this article to begin to do more than selfcare, to take time to care for another human authentically. Audre Lorde alluded to self-care is an act of self-preservation and it is. Caring for others, though, is another offensive act of warfare. As people color, we can use our care for others to fight the cultural forces that would otherwise undermine our value of each other’s humanity.
continued from page 5 hills and valleys.” The answer for this increase in individualism is for people—more specifically people of color—to become more intentional in taking care of others. The optimist in me would say to do this out of the goodness of your heart; however, I’m not naive. After reading Dr. Boardman’s article, I want to share that a research article titled “Prosocial Behavior Helps Mitigate the Negative Effects of Stress in Everyday Life,” has found that people who engaged in “other-focused” behavior, such as holding a door, asking someone if they needed help,
Alex Obiol is a third-year studying textile engineering and director for the Department of University Affairs for Student Government.
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