Nubian Message, Sept. 22, 2022 — A New Age

Letter from the editor

I am Jaz Bryant, a fourth-year student double majoring in Science, Technology & Society and Political Science with a minor in History. I am pleased to announce that I am the Editor-in-Chief for the 2022-23 school year! I am excited to take the reins from Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe who held it down for the first issue of the semester. Today is also my 21st birthday. So, the first issue I resided over being released on this date is the ultimate birthday present.

This issue touches on different problems within the Black community. Our writers address the meaning of ‘natural’ hair, the effects of generational trauma and racism in video games. We highlight different on-campus events such as the Y2K Fest and the Poetry Workshop. Lastly, since this is a newspaper we highlight current events, including the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

With all these changes happening globally and within Nubian Message, we’re in a new age with the same blessed.

THIS ISSUE

4 Y2K FEST look at the BSB's Y2K Fest

6 PHOTO GALLERY gallery of a week at NC State

8 MOVIE REVIEW Invitation movie review

10 BRITISH MONARCHY

Britain's legacy and its relation to dialogue

cover photo BY Henry McAbua/ Staff Photographer

Jaz Bryant Editor-in-Chief nubian-editor@ncsu.eduAranaBlakeMilanHall

The Sentinel of the African-American Community at N.C. State Since 1992.

314 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695 office 919-515-1468 advertising 919-515-2411 online thenubianmessage.com

The Carribean Students Association tables in Talley Student Union during the first day of Latinx Heritage Month on Thursday, Sept. 15 , 2022. Message

Layout designers Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe managing Editor nubian-managineditor@ncsu.edu

Only with the permission of our elders do we proudly produce each edition of 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.

Eleanor Saunders Correspondent

end the cycle of Trauma

householdsToxic generationaland

curses. These two topics are linked in more ways than one and can be seen in many households across the country.

What are toxic households? Toxic households e.g. dysfunctional families, “are created through harmful behavior patterns that don’t respect the individuality of every member. It is common for children in these families to be the target of psychological and physical aggression. This harms the development and healthy growth of their affective relationships.” according to Exploring Your Mind.

Shaniya Woolridge, a second-year double majoring in Anthropology and Psychology, was asked, “When your mom texts you or calls you, do you get nervous and/or anxious?” Shaniya answered “Yes,” expressing her realization of the extent of herThistrauma.exemplifies how a toxic home environment can remain persistent even once one leaves the house. According to E.B. Johnson, recognizing that you are a part of a dysfunctional family is the first step in healing. If you do not heal from the trauma, you were forced to partake in as a child. The trauma will continue to affect you into your adult life.

There are fifteen signs that indicate being raised in a toxic household, according to IdeaPod. One sign is not having any privacy in your home. Other signs include the dominant family member playing the victim to gain and keep power and the siblings set against each other by the parents. Lastly, the children are sometimes judged and criticized ,while the drama and disagreements in the household seem to be on a never-ending loop.

The first sign is not having privacy in your home. Examples of this include not being able to shut your bedroom door, not being able to spend too much time in the bathroom and always having your phone searched. You have to monitor everything you do to keep the dominant family member, usually one or both parents, off yourTheback.second sign is the dominant family member playing victim to gain and keep power. Examples include the dominant parent saying one thing to the children but another to their spouse. Another

example is the dominant parent always being concerned about their image when someone else is hurt mentally, emotionally or physically. Lastly, when the submissive parent tries to check the dominant parent but the dominant parent blames the children, knowing the children can’t speak up for themselves. For the children, they can never win because they are children. Correcting the dominant parent can be seen as disrespectful and will blow up in the child’s face.

The third sign is when siblings are pitted against each other by their guardian(s). Examples include saying one sibling is prettier than the other, lying to the children about their siblings to get the children on the parents’ side or favoring one sibling over the others. This causes a rift between the siblings. Feelings of competition, betrayal, and jealousy can also run rampant within the household.

The fourth sign includes the dominant parent who is constantly judging and criticizing the children. Examples include judging what the child wears, criticizing the child for showing “weak” emotions,

e.g. tears, and looking at the children in disgust as if they are the dominant parents competition. This causes the children to be anxious whenever they are with the dominant parent.

The fifth and final sign includes the dominant parent causing drama and disagreements within the household. Examples include the dominant parent fussing about the smallest things and blowing drama out of proportion. This causes the children not to want to be in the household and prefer not to speak to their parents.Living in a toxic home environment causes a host of mental and selfesteem issues. Living in such an environment can cause low self-esteem, low self-worth, depression, anxiety and feelings of helplessness and anger, according to StressTherapist. Living in a toxic environment for too long can become detrimental to your mental health.

What are generational curses? Generational curses are believed to be related to religion. Generational curses are sowing and reaping believed to be passed

down from one generation to another, according to Christianity.com and Bible Study Tools. This includes divorce, incest, poverty, anger and living in a toxic home environment.Generational curses, just like toxic households, have signs. These signs include fear, emotional instability, family struggles and divorce, according to The Prayer Warrior. These signs can be seen passed down through generations and can negatively affect children. A family who is suffering from a generational curse is also suffering from “faulty mindsets and destructive behaviors.”

An example of this is alcohol abuse. Many people are afraid to drink alcohol because their family members from past generations abused the drink. Some people exercise in place of drinking alcohol because they would rather be addicted to working out than drinking alcohol, according to Alcohol Rehab.

The lines between toxic households and generational curses cross. Toxic home environments are a form of a generational curse, according to The Prayer Warrior. Parents accidentally or intentionally allow their childhood trauma to carry over into their households causing their children to experience the same childhood trauma that theyForexperienced.instance,agrandmother who mentally abuses the mother. In turn, the mother will play mental games on her daughter, mentally abusing her as well. The trauma the mother experienced from her mother is passed down to the daughter. They have experienced the same trauma, just in different generations. Hence, the toxic household that the daughter grew up in is now the same household that the mother grew up in.

According to Bible-Knowledge.com, the first step to stopping a generational curse is recognizing it. The next step is to notice slips and correct your errors. Forgiving the dominant parent, or both of your parents, is the last Overall,step.tostop the generational curse of a toxic household, you have to forgive the wrongdoer(s) and take steps to insure that you do not create a toxic living environment for the next generation.

Image From Creative Commons

An Ode to the 2000's: Bsbs y2k fest

Micah oliphant Correspondent

Juicy Couture, Baby platformlow-risePhat,jeans,

sandals, oversized jerseys, rhinestone baby tees, bedazzled sunglasses and chunky necklaces. These were just a few of the iconic clothing pieces shown off at the Black Student Boards “Y2K Fest” located in Talley Ballroom on Thursday, Sept. 15.

The early 2000’s was an iconic time period within American history and pop culture. Icons include: Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, The Kardashians, Sarah Jessica Parker, Avril Lavinge, Pharell, Usher, TIP, Nelly, Destiny’s Child and countless others. They were at the forefront of media and fashion and were key components in the trends we adore today.

According to Popsugar, brands like Sean Jean, Miss Me, Ed Hardy, Von Dutch, Kangol, among countless others, were heavily styled during this time. This created a time period where styling taste was at an all time high, creating a distinctive decade forManyfashion.brands now are heavily influenced by the 2000’s culture, media and fashion. Creating some of our favorite clothing pieces that currently reside in our closet

now.The early 2000’s were truly a pivotal point in pop-culture history. So, there is no surprise why the Black Student Board chose to host a 2000’s themed celebratory throwback Thursday.

At the beginning of the event in Talley Ballroom, DJ Double-A played `` Like You by Bow Wow” featuring Ciara. There were fluorescent purple LED lights, a minibar in the back of the ballroom with Sour Watermelon and other tasteful Mocktails. Photo booths were stationed at opposite ends of the ballroom with enchanting backdrops.Asmore people started to enter, people began to truly embrace the ambiance. The lines for the mocktails began to fill. Tables around the room also began to be filled with students in their 2000’s inspired outfits, where they were able to decorate CDs and socialize.

When 7 pm rolled around, the event MC’s and both members of the Black Student Board introduced themselves and the DJ. They then gave the run down of the activities that the event would be composed of.

One event was trivia, where two people from the audience would come up, stand

on opposite ends of a table with a buzzer in the middle (real Family Feud-esque) and be asked questions on important news events that happened between 2000 and 2009. The trivia allowed for the audience to be engaged. Noticeably so when Kody Willingham, second-year Biology major, one of the Black Student Board’s MC’s for the event, asked the participants whose VMA acceptance speech Kanye West interrupted. The audience answered the question before the participants could even think about an answer causing an awkward silence within the stage.

The next event was Finish the Lyric. Similar to how trivia was set up, two participants would come up on stage and stand at opposite ends of the table with a buzzer in the middle. DJ Double-A would play a clip of popular songs from the early 2000’s and the two people on stage would have to press the buzzer and finish the lyrics that would've played if the DJ finished the song. This was another activity that included the crowd, which created such a compelling and amusing vibe, with people singing the lyrics along with the participants on stage.

The third activity was a lip-synch battle. The MC’s chose people from the audience to come in front of the stage to lip-synch

a culturally significant song from the early 2000’s then decide who did it best. Songs included “Bills, Bills, Bills” by Destiny’s Child, “Blame It” by Jamie Foxx and among countless others. To engage the audience, the MCs would point to the participant who lip-synched and ask the audience to scream if they enjoyed their performance.Thefinalwas a Fashion Competition. The MC’s invited anyone who wanted to to come up on stage and let the audience critique their outfit. The criteria: who represented the fashion culture of the early 2000’s the best. Lots of contestants walked on stage and showed their swag. This allowed the audience to yell once the MC’s pointed to each contestant to help show how much they loved their fits.

One outfit that stood out on stage was Jadyn Mclean, a first-year Criminology Major. She walked onto stage with a two piece jean set, gold necklace, glasses, gold circle chain belt and light-brown heels. Their afro tied together their outfit. It represented Black people’s influence within Y2K fashion and culture.

Jadyn and another individual won the Fashion competition. Aaliyah Saunders, a third-year Nutrition Sciences Major, walked onto stage in one of the most

enchanting outfits at the fest. The outfit imitated Sasha, the iconic Bratz doll, winter-wonderland outfit. They walked onto stage in White Camel-311 Demonias, a white skirt, a dark colored off-theshoulder, zip up tank and a white fur hat. They did a 360 spin on stage, posed then walked off. They effortlessly captured the audience with their blissful appearance.

After the fashion competition, DJ Double-A started playing music allowing everyone to dance together and just vibe as a collective.Throughout the event it was easy to spot the men/masculine individuals’ outfits

Nenfot Goyol, a fourth-year Textile Technology student, really grabbed the crowd's attention. Goyol came to the event in an oversized, long-sleeved orange top, black jeans and orange jordans to tie the fit together. Their style and downright swag was something that was easy to gravitate towards.Another person’s outfits and overall vibe that caught everyone’s attention was Adrian Gibbs, a fourth-year, Science Technology and Society major. They came to the fest in the dopest NesQuik racer jacket, a white oversized tee, navy-blue denim jeans and white ‘clout goggle’ sunglasses.

It was easy to spot Gibbs on the dance floor, living and vibing out to the music, pulling other students towards them with their immaculate vibe and smoove dancing. Their braids with clear beads flowing with every movement they made.

Goyol, Gibbs and many other masculine figures stepped out and showed their appreciation for the male influence within Y2K culture. It is a fresh reminder that in a very woman-dominated industry where men’s fashion isn’t heavily represented, men’s fashion is still prominent and holds a place within the arts.

Black Student Board’s Y2K Fest was a great success. Willingham agreed, telling Nubian Message that he would rate the setup and overall success of the event a “definite 10 out of 10”.

The event has left many on the edge of their seats. What else does the Black Students Board have up their sleeves for the rest of the semester? They have a history of coming up with impactful events and even more unique themes, so nothing less is expected from this minority ran committee.

Kaela Belingon/Stafff Photographer

Adrian Gibbs, a fourth-year in Science, Technology and Society (left), and Lance Patterson, a first-year in Exploratory Studies, dance in a crowd on Sept. 15, 2022 at Talley Student Union. Y2K Fest was a 2000’s throwback party hosted by the Black Students Board.

Find your Fire, Let it Burn

Jaz Bryant Editor-in-Chief

The Curl Conundrum

On Sept. hosted2022,Alexis16,Lawsonapoetry

workshop. he African American Cultural Center and the Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies department co-sponsored theTheworkshopeventwas on the second floor of the Witherspoon Student Center. Upon entering the room, guests were greeted with displays of Black art and Lawson’s poems. Four tables were lined at the front of the gallery room with pencil and paper for participants. The workshop started with casual chit-chat between Lawson and contributors.Lawsonpowered up her slideshow titled “Find your Fire, Let it Burn” before delving into the workshop. First, she had people take turns introducing themselves. Next, Lawson explained the rules of the event with an emphasis on being comfortable and personal boundaries. Then the interactive portion of the event began.

The first activity was a 7-minute journaling session where participants had to include the words: lavender, cardigan, wrinkled hands, golden hour and popsicle. The journal could be a short story or poem. During the 7 minutes, Lawson played music to help soothe participants. After the time was up, people had the opportunity to share what they wrote.

The next part of the workshop explained the parts of a poem. Lawson identified lines?, stanzas and rhyme schemes as the essential elements of poetry. She then used different poetic styles to exemplify her lesson. For lines, the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes was used. For stanza, The Rose that Grew from Concrete by Tupac Shakur. Lastly, the example for rhyme was Lose Yourself by Eminem. Lawson stated the most common rhyme scheme is ABAB. She then emphasized the importance of creative control stating, that it was okay “..to spell a word different to make [the audience] get it…”.

After explaining the parts of a poem, Lawson moved on to the process of developing an idea. She described different inspirations people have for writing poems. Lawson gave examples of lying big, having a conversation, and talking to yourself as ways to develop an idea. Then she gave participants time to brainstorm their ideas.

After giving time for guests to brainstorm, Lawson showed two spoken word poems. The first was Footnotes for Kanye by Jasmine Mans and the second

was Rape Joke by Belissa Escoloedo and Rhiannon McGavin. Lawson took time to ask participants what they noticed about the poems and how they contrasted.

Next, Lawson began to describe what it means to dig deeper into poetry. She emphasized that comparison is key. Additionally, she gave the example of personifying an inanimate object.

In the final part of the event, Lawson showed a slide with different online sources for writing poetry, including RhymeZone, Syllable Counter, and others. She then gave guests 20 minutes to write a poem based on the ideas brainstormed earlier. Once again, Lawson played music while people wrote. At the end of the 20 minutes, people took turns sharing what they wrote and giving feedback.AlexisLawson closed the Poetry Workshop with insightful remarks. She left the audience with the words, “There’s creativity in every kind of writing.”

Nubian Message had the chance to briefly speak with Lawson after the event.

Nubian Message: What inspires you to be creative?

Alexis Lawson: I think life being boring inspires me to be creative because I am too extra to live a dull life…Trying different arts and things helps me make my life more exciting because I’m in charge of my own life…Being creative allows me to try different things without the pressure of being perfect at it…

NM: Why do you think it is important to inspire other people to write?

AL: I think that over the years we have lost a lot of the meaning behind our words and behind how far a story can go. And not just a story in what we traditionally think of a story [or] a book but someone’s life story or someone’s conversational story that you leave behind when you speak to a person. I think we have forgotten how impactful those things can be…I am always 1encouraging people to write. If not write, speak. If not speak, think because…[if not] we will live in a world where people are always

Alexisconflicted.Lawsonhosted

a poetry workshop where participants were able to hone their writing and learn new skills. To hear more thoughts like this, follow her @HerBlackHand

Quick question, what is the natural hair community doing? Every single piece of advice is contradictory or outdated and it has basically become a space to go if you’re ready to be judged. Don’t even get me started on the hair chart that people take as the word of God. At this point, I don’t view it as a community, more so a perfectionist cult.

I remember when the natural hair movement really kicked off and to be honest, I don’t think this is one of those ‘the good ol days’ situations. I vividly remember there not being a common meaning of the term ‘natural.’ Some people viewed it as not having a relaxer but other things such as color were fine. Others thought that it was when you simply left your hair as is after washing. People fought to have their hair considered natural because when your hair is ‘natural’ you’re suddenly put on a high pedestal. This is ironic because when I think of the standards of the Black community, I don’t think many people are kind to hair in its natural state.

The Black communities standards on hair are suffocating. Long, loose and precisely defined curls or coils with no frizz. That is simply not how hair is going to magically behave all the time. Especially when trying to learn how to do your own hair is basically like navigating a labyrinth.

In my opinion, the natural hair community has somewhat screwed themselves in the sense that everything is so overcomplicated. Why do I need to use several different butters, creams, oils, etc. every single wash day and spend multiple hours styling? Can it even really be considered a wash n go after being manipulated to behave a certain way for hours on end?

There’s a lot of outdated advice that people treat like law which is pure insanity. So many of these techniques came from before 2016, posted by people who aren’t even hair professionals wanting to just share something they personally do. An example is co-washing which is just wetting and applying conditioner on your hair. Why is this considered washing when in reality, it is just moisturizing hair? I have no idea, but the whole point is a select group of people on YouTube have a whole community in a chokehold with the idea

that shampoo is bad.

The borderline religious view on these hair rules has made the community a headache to deal with. If someone were to post their routine that differs from the norm, be prepared to read comments about how blasphemous what they are doing is. In a space with little wiggle room, where people are not granted the luxury of a learning curve, there is bound to be a lot ofIjudgment.mentioned before how having natural hair is put on a high pedestal and the irony behind it. When you are a black woman with natural hair, it means that you love yourself and that you’re confident. But if natural hair is not absolutely perfect, then you’re lazy and messy, you clearly don’t care about how you look, you must not like your hair because you do not know how to do it. Because bad hair days are absolutely not

Toallowed.avoidthe fear of a bad hair day, people will resort to wigs, straightening their hair or wearing a protective style. Those come with benefits such as less effort having to keep up with hair, being viewed as put together, you’ll get compliments. But of course, women cannot do anything without judgment so when your hair is straight then you must hate yourself and want to be white. When your roots grow out in your protective style then clearly you’re too broke to fix it up. There is also absolutely no room for experimentation out of fear of disgracing the sacred status of being

Thisnatural.isareflection of a bigger problem that the black community faces and that is that we are too judgemental and hard on ourselves. I believe that this is a result of racial discrimination (as most issues the black community faces are). When constantly facing discrimination based on our appearances from non-Black people, it is hard for that not to be internalized. We don’t want to look broke or messy. Then those internalized statements get passed down and that’s how you end up with a generation not knowing how to do their hair because it was straightened their entire childhood. The natural hair community was initially supposed to fight back against this but even then you can still see these standards creeping in.

Read the rest of this article on thenubianmessage.com

Milan Hall Staff Writer

A Week At NC State

Left:Henry Mcabuya/Staff Photographer Jadrien Bumidang, first-year majoring in Accounting, preparing to hit a pinata n Thrusday, Sept 15, 2022 at Talley Student Union. The Carribean booth at the Latinx Heritage Month Kickoff setup a pinata that students could swing at to try and break.

Right:Natalie Folsom/Staff Photographer (From left) Mashfiq Rahman and Shahriar Chowdhury, graduates in mechanical engineering and Rafuel Shougat, a PhD student in mechanical engineering, take a photo with Mr. Wuf at the Pack the Oval Party at the Oval Sept. 15

Left:Emily Peedin/Staff Photographer Eren Hebert, Technical Lead at the Entrepreneurship Garage, smiles on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022 at the Entrepreneurship Garage. Hebert discussed how the Entrepreneurship Garage helps students in all aspects of business, from physical creation to networking.

JadeRight:Williamson/Staff Photographer Workshop leader Alexis Lawson, freelance writer, joins the attendees as they do an exercise during the HerBlackHand Poetry Workshop in the African American Cultural Center Gallery on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022.

Phelan Murray/Staff Photograpger

Jada Williams,

By Breeyonna Williams (Guest Artist)

As the glass slab on wheels slowly but steadily pursued its destination, you couldn’t help but rock and sway with its movements as if you were placed amidst rocky waves. Being completely made of glass, one would think that riding in such a vehicle would make one feel exposed and one with their surroundings. But looking around, you can’t help but feel a disconnect with the people and places around you. The world feels distorted despite you having a crystal-clear view of it. You expect to feel the wind as tree branches bend and yaw and hair strands billow in the breeze but the air around you remains stale and stagnant. The sun rains down and coats every surface imaginable but from the bus, you can feel it glisten but somehow, you can’t feel its heat.

There’s something both oppressive and freeing about going on the journey you’re on, on a bus such as this. With nothing from the outside world, not even the people and animals roaming by, seeming to acknowledge the presence of the bus, you can’t help but let your thoughts run away from you. Are you really here? What does it even mean to be real? Is this all some hallucination that your brain’s thought up, finally cracking under the weight of suffocating mundanity? You suddenly feel the need to get off. Like if you don’t get off right this second you’ll collapse in on yourself when you meet the eyes of another passenger across the way.

You don’t know this person, not truly, but a part of you feels like you could’ve passed them on the street one day. You don’t understand why they’re on the bus, and you’ll probably never know. No one talks on this glass prism despite how many passengers it holds. Without saying a word, they give you a tiny smile just enough to let you know it’s there.

That’s when you realize.

All of the strangers on the bus, with their unique destinations and their varied reasons for traveling, are fragments of you. That one way you laugh, that experi ence you had five years ago, that one food that you love, little parts of your very existence are all in these fellow passengers of yours. With that line of thinking you also share pieces of them too. This prism has given you the gift of being able to see the parts of yourself reflected in these strangers.

You wonder if you share fragments with the people you pass or if there’s something special about the bus and its journey.

You take a deep breath and feel yourself becoming grounded. The suffocating feeling from before dissipates, and you allow your fascination with the cityscape to distract from your background noise of wayward thoughts.

The bus rolls down the road oblivious and apathetic to your mini breakdown. But now, the destination feels closer than before, and the trip is more manageable. You clutch your stuff to your chest and find yourself more hopeful about this than before.

As the glass slab on wheels slowly but steadily pursues its the passen gers and you can’t help but rock and sway with its as if y’all were placed amidst rocky waves.

Biracial Girl Boss takes on Vampires

When I first saw the trailer for The Invitation, I was excited. I rooted for Bonnie in Vampire Diaries, Tara in TrueBlood and absolutely loved Queen of the Damned, so a movie about a Black ‘final girl’ seemed too good to be true. Turns out it was.Themovie starts with the protagonist, Evie, grieving the death of her last living relative. She decides to take a DNA test. Results are in and (surprise) she has a long-lost wealthy relative ready to save her from poverty. Evie meets with Oliver Alexander, her new-found cousin, and he explains the scandal her white great-grandmother, Emmaline Alexander, caused by fleeing England. To the movie’s credit, Evie makes a joke about Emmaline having to have married a Black man. In their first meeting, Oliver extends an invitation to a family wedding and Evie accepts.Thenext scene in the movie depicts five different maids getting out of the back of a dark van. They each have numbers embroidered on their uniform. The camera zooms onto girl number four in an obvious attempt at foreshadowing before Evie enters the stage. The maids drop their glasses and Evie helps to pick them up ,only to be scolded by the Butler, Mr. Fields. Here where she meets tall, dark and handsome Lord of the Manor, Walter DeVille who breaks up the confrontation.

Jaz Bryant Editor-In-Chief

Walter DeVille takes a fancy to Evie, then buys her a gown for the pre-wedding party he is hosting that evening. At the party, she meets two maids of honor, whom I nicknamed Barbie and Marceline. Walter and Evie share a first dance then break away from the crowd. He bares his heart to her and reveals that he is a self-proclaimed bad person. While most people consider that a red flag, our glasshalf-full protagonist doesn’t and leans in for a kiss

Fast-forward,instead.Evie is having nightmares about her great-grandmother taking her own life. She wakes up and sees a ghost sitting in the chair across from her bed. So, what does she do? Go on a run to de-stress, and honestly, she’s so real for that.

A few nights later, she wakes up and sees a creature crawling above her bed. Evie crawls underneath the bed to hide when she is yanked out (scary). Suddenly, Walter appears and he stays the night until she falls back asleep. Isn’t he romantic?

Then the plot gets interesting. Marceline and Barbie take Evie to a spa day. Marceline tells Evie not to trust Walter before sucking the blood from a cut on Evie’s finger. I would like to note that Evie was more upset by the potential of Walter not being who he said he was versus the bloodsucking. Despite the weirdness, Evie listens #girlssupportinggirls. Lowkey, it was only because Evie had went snooping and found a file of herself in Walter’s office. When she’s packing, Walter convinces Evie not to leave and they have sex… without a condom. All is forgiven and she agrees to attend a masquerade dinner for the groom and unknown bride that night.

Throughout the duration of the movie, Evie asked numerous people who the bride was going to be and people would give shady answers. She was not suspicious enough for me. Finally, it is revealed to Evie that she is supposed to be the bride. Adding insult to injury, she finds out that Barbie and Marceline are Watler’s wives. Then, Mr. Fields slits the throat of one of the maids. The guests at the dinner party cheer and drink the fresh blood.

The traditional horror movie hijinks ensue. Evie tries to escape and is caught. Tries to escape again and is caught. Finally, she has to go to the wedding. Waiting at the altar is maid number four, who is the last surviving maid. Evie drinks Walter's blood as it is part of the ceremony. Before Walter can return the favor, she uses her new-found vampirehood to burn him and everyone else in attendance. She releases maid number four and begins her final escape.Ofcourse, things are never that easy. Evie has to fight Marceline and Mr. Fields. Barbie ends up killing both herself and Marceline. Mr. Fields is defeated. Somehow, Walter ain’t die. She has to kill him again. Now, she is safe.

At the end of the movie, Evie returns with her dark skin best friend, Grace, and says something along the lines of: you have never been my sidekick.

As a fan of gothic horrors, the movie had a lot of potential. I understand the premise of looking into the social implications of a wealthy white man praying on young women. I even appreciate the added flair of Evie being biracial. However, the film’s director, Jessica M. Thompson, attempt at social commentary falls flat because of the implications of Evie’s actions.

First, the allusion to burning down the manor to symbolize burning down

old-world systems falls flat when Evie’s biracial status is taken into account. It is obvious that her racial ambiguity serves to make her more palatable. Almost like a reverse one-drop rule. While it could be argued that that is the point, the director did not set out to make that connection. Therefore, it is another case of a poorly written person of color by a white woman. Second, the halfhearted comment Evie directed towards Grace to explain that the movie did not fall into the sassy Black side character trope failed. This is one of the moments where showing, not telling, would have been a useful tool. Grace was used as a prop to provide comedic relief when Evie was still crushing on Walter. The scene, which involved Grace being on facetime while Walter flirted, was funny. However, I would have liked to see more of Grace beside her interactions with Evie. At the very least, a scene of Evie explaining to Grace about the vampiric events she had justWhileendured.focusing on the gender and racial aspects, the movie willfully ignores the class issue. Ironically, the director wanted to highlight this issue. To start, what average Ph.D. candidate or server can just take time off to go on vacation? Next, Evie’s (almost) forced marriage wasn’t the worst gender discretion in the movie. The maids, whom I can only assume were hard on cash, did not have the luxury of being courted. And they were all women. They were sent into the manor like lambs for slaughter. Evie did not notice their disappearances. A focus on how workingclass individuals are put in positions of harm due to the actions of the ruling class would have drove the point home. Or a comment on femicide.

In traditional girl boss form, Evie was only able to survive by turning a blind eye to atrocities until she was forced to confront them. The movie’s attempt at radical feminism only showcased how often intersectionality is ignored. The fact that the script was written with a white woman in mind as the main character is plain to see.If I examine the movie outside of the political vacuum it placed itself in, it’s not half bad. I think it will be a cult classic like Jennifer’s Body

Image From Creative Commons

Ezuma-IgweUgonna Managing Editor

Wassapened This Week:

Author Note: These are events that happened this week that I chose to highlight. These are in no way everything everyone needs to know. I highly encourage everyone to read the news from reliable sources to develop their own opinions.

My opinions have been italicized.

In this week of Wassapened This Week we focused on Black people winning and succeeding. I was tired of seeing negatives and wanted to shine a light on the great things we Black folk are doing.

Emmy's

On Monday, Sept. 12th, the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards was a historic night for Black women. Only 36 Black women have won Primetime Emmy awards, according to Essence. The awards ceremony honored American primetime television programming released from June 1, 2021, until May 31, 2022. The extraordinary Quinta Brunson, incomparable Sheryl Lee Ralph, admirable Lizzo and groundbreaking Zendaya all won awards that night.

Brunson, creator and star of ABC's hit comedy Abbott Elementary, made history as the youngest Black woman ever nominated as an actress in a comedy, at 32. Also, her three Emmy nominations already made her the first Black woman nominated in three comedy categories in the same year and the second Black woman in the Emmys' 74-year history to win the award for outstanding writing for a comedy series. Not one, not two but three historical moments from one person! My dear, it's not easy, ohh. We hail you!! Though Jimmy's foolish self tried to outshine Brunson with that nonsense comedy bit, he couldn’t even come close. Quinta's accomplishments shine far brighter.

Ralph won her first Emmy on Monday, a legend in every sense of the word. Did you know this woman has been killing it in Hollywood for over 40 years? Not only is this long overdue but extremely well deserved. Ralph won outstanding supporting actress in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Barbara Howard in Brunson's hit sitcom "Abbott Elementary." She's the second Black woman to win the award; she got it 35 years after Jackée Harry won for her role on "227" in 1987 and 1988.Lizzo, the

multiple award-winning musicians, won the award for the outstanding competition program. Lizzo won the award for her Amazon series "Lizzo's Watch Out for the Big Grrrls," which documented her search for backup dancers. Lizzo has kept true to her word and has been a champion for Black women, the LGBTQ community and women of all sizes. She said she wasn't going anywhere and she meant that sh*t.

Zendaya, the multiple actress-winning actress and star of "Euphoria," made history again when she won the Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a drama series. Did you read that correctly? She did it AGAIN; this is not the first time. Don't talk to her anyhow. She's not your mate at all. With this win, she became the youngest actress to win for acting at the Emmy Awards twice at 26. Also, she is the second Black woman, only after Viola Davis, to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama. You thought I was done? Well, I'm not. Abeg, keep reading. Zendaya was also the youngest producing nominee ever and the first Black woman to receive songwriting and acting nods in the same year. Remember when I said she was not your mate? I meant it.

Theatre

On Monday, Sept. 12th, the once "Cort Theatre" shun for the first time as the "James Earl Jones Theatre." This name change was first announced in March as the Shubert Organization pledged to rename one of its 17 theaters in honor of a Black artist. This is truly a full circle moment as Jones gave his first onstage Broadway performance at the Cort Theatre in 1958 in the play "Sunrise at Campobello." Jones had also performed in 14 theatrical productions at Shubert theaters and starred in 21 Broadway shows. The renaming makes it the second major Broadway theater named after a Black artist. Jones' six-decade career has easily cemented him as one of America's most renowned actors. Throughout his career, he has earned numerous awards and accolades, amongst them but not limited to two Emmys, a Grammy, an honorary Oscar and two Tonys. He has achieved the highly coveted EGOT status. An honor attained by only 16 other people. I love seeing people receive their flowers while they are still alive. Oftentimes, people aren't praised till they are gone. I always thought, does it truly matter if the praise recipient never gets to see how much they are loved? Also, it's refreshing to see a Black man praised for his accomplishments and contributions to the world.

Woman King

On Friday, Sept. 16, "The Woman King," the historical epic directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, was released to much praise and critical acclaim. The film chronicles the story and life of the Agojie, the all-female warriors that dominated and protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey, modern-day Benin, during the 17th to 19th centuries. This is not the first time Hollywood has pulled inspiration from the Agojie, as the Dora Milaje of Marvel's blockbuster "Black Panther" was also based/inspired by them. I loved that the main cast was all dark skin women and men. I don't know the last time I've seen so many dark skin women kicking ass on a cinema screen. MY GOD, it was amazing. Before I watched the film, I was aware they were advertising it as a Black female empowerment film, so I knew that the film would not be completely accurate considering the complicated history of the Dahomey Kingdom. I was still able to see the beauty in what they created cinematically while also understanding the importance of not basing my entire understanding of historical moments on cinematic depictions. They did exactly what they said they would and I think they did a fantastic job at it but as always, I highly encourage everyone to learn history from reliable sources.

Graphic By ugonna Ezuma-igwe

CHASS: Surviving NC State

Hear MonarchYe,Down

IkekhuaJeanine

Correspondent

departments. The financial gap between the two sides of campus is not only seen in the buildings; it is so much bigger than the buildings. It’s also visible in the number of resources that the CHASS department has compared to the engineering departments.

As an international studies and communications major, I am in the CHASS department. Although my department does a great job of providing its students with resources, they are underfunded. During the school year, I was searching for a journalism internship. I went to my communications advisor. She directed me to a couple of resources, but her knowledge was limited. I reached out to other people, but they also provided me with the same resources. At that point, there was no one else to reach out to. I had exhausted all my resources.Iunderstand that NC State is a STEM school. I was well aware that I was coming to a school geared towards people interested in engineering and math. The problem is that the College of Engineering gets more resources than the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. The problem is that NC State University does not provide enough money and resources for its students in CHASS to excel in their field.As a CHASS student, I often have to find out about internship opportunities from sources outside of NC State. I don’t have enough people in my specific department that can help me find internships. I don’t have enough faculty or staff to guide me along my career. I have no problem finding

an internship on my own, but I should not have to. I should feel supported in my major. As of right now, I don’t feel that I am supported. Other CHASS students share these same sentiments. I often hear other humanities and social science college students complain about not feeling supported.Thedifference between the resources in the College of Engineering compared to CHASS are stark. Over the summer, I got accepted into a research program. This program was housed in the College of Engineering. I spoke to my CHASS advisor about the program and the stipend we were receiving. Before I mentioned the amount of money I was receiving, my advisor jokingly said my program had to be in the College of Engineering ‘cause no other NC State department has that kind of money. Even some of CHASS faculty know their department is underfunded.

NC State University's CHASS department is not bad. It has some of the most intelligent and caring faculty members I have ever met. Nevertheless, the department needs more money. As a CHASS student, I need more paid internships and opportunities. I need more places where I can go and find internships. I should not have to contact people outside of NC State University to learn about CHASS-related opportunities.

CHASS is a growing department at NC State. This college is supposed to provide students with the connections and knowledge they need to excel in their future careers. The faculty are doing their best, but there is only so much support they can provide. It is up to NC State to provide the humanities and social science college with enough funding to support their students. If NC State provided enough funding and resources, students would not feel the need to complain. Students would not see the difference in the amount of money invested in buildings on each campus. At the end of the day, NC State University is not providing enough financial support to CHASS students. They can do better. They simply have not done it yet.

Jo Miller Correspondent

storythreads,formsKingdomfuturepast,beendiscussionsElizabethpassingpromptedsocialexplodedspacesConversationalhavewithcommentarybytheofQueenll.OnlinehavetacklingthepresentandoftheUnitedintheofTwittermemesandposts.Inoppositionto

public commentary, many have claimed it’s ‘too soon’ to be starting any talk related to the monarch. The transition of the crown (which holds over two thousand jewels from other countries) is a perfectly appropriate time to talk about the need for purposeful change. Rather than waiting ‘til they’re comfortable and years have gone by.

During her seven-generation reign, Queen Elizabeth did not apologize on behalf of her country's violent hand in other nations' histories. This is reminiscent of the many times Britain forcibly censored the afflicted anti-colonialist Black and Brown voices to avoid addressing their atrocities. In attempts to reinforce their power, it was common for Colonial settlers to remove proof of their war crimes from writtenBritainrecords.neverpublicly acknowledge calls for reparations and formal apologies over the looting, genocide, resource extraction, etc. They never address the things they’ve gone out of their way to blur. They are essentially omitting any possibility for a homogenous historical awareness of their crimes. While simultaneously attempting to dust away the history which laid the groundwork for most modern conflict

All this chaos is hidden behind the public veil which is this white woman that drinks tea, plays cricket, and never states her opinion to the public. The queen was a clear-cut example of how deeply their royal propaganda is intertwined in their daily lives. It’s easy to be good at maneuvering political atrocities if you never actually talk about them!

Despite breaking off from Britain in 1776, many Americans openly disapproved of the humor being made after her passing. For some it seems they don’t want to acknowledge the British atrocities because America has done similar things in history. Others believed it is immoral for the victims of Britain to make commentaries regarding the death of the main symbol of contemporary imperialism and oppression. Policing how individuals should compose their feelings or reactions in order to ‘Be Respectful’ is a hypocritical a** notion. To tell the victims of trauma that the who-what-when-where-how-why is what makes it appropriate to comment upon publicly is to manipulate them to believe their experiences aren't valid emotionally.Attempting to neutralize the criticisms on literally any aspect of Britain sounds like it’d be a massive feat. However, their late figurehead was celebrated for mastering stoicism in the face of everything. She was a blank slate for projection by intentionally being as palatable as possible. It is not possible to be universally palatable and to try is to intentionally leave out billions.

To create change is to acknowledge others’ discomfort. There’s violence in not acknowledging wrongdoings. Embracing the public with tea and empty words is harmful pageantry which does not protect them from their decades of immorality. Akin to how the Japanese harnessed cuteness to distract from their war crimes, an act of indirect violence.

People will discuss the lasting effects that began under her reign, no matter the situational intensity. Ideally, King Charles lll will take this opportunity to address the requests that the prior monarch ignored. Colonial rhetoric and tears won’t neutralize the resistance to the British legacy. Defending them won’t provide them virtue.

When I walk on the

There is Hierarchy in the Black Community

Are competition and hierarchy seriously prevalent in the black community? I’ve had some time to dwell on it and here’s what I think. A week ago, I saw a Tiktok video by a user named @ iheartjaidior, and in it, she said, “HBCUs are filled with nothing but insecure bullies.”Thiscaught my attention because I felt this was a controversial opinion, so I opened the comments to see what other people thought about it. Many Black people agreed with her, saying that’s why they ended up going to a PWI. I sat there and contemplated this for a few minutes.

and colorism were often brought up.

Many said that students at HBCUs often judge other Black people who don’t have 40-inch buss downs and Telfar bags, who don’t have loosely textured hair, who are dark-skinned, who listen to different music and have different hobbies than a Black person would be “expected” to have.

understand why Black people will avoid being in Black spaces.

They fear judgment and fear isolation. And in this fear, they have sometimes been driven away from the Black community as a whole. They seek refuge in other communities that may seem more accepting of them as a person.

exhaustion of being Black in a white world. I think it’s important to recognize this and try to fix the issue one step at a time. However, I think it’s also important not to generalize Black people and HBCU students as “judgemental bullies” because all of us aren’t like that.

HargettNadia Correspondent

I explored the subject further, and I ended up coming across other videos explaining the issue. Classism, texturism

I have never attended an HBCU but I have been to a predominantly Black high school and I have been in Black spaces for practically my entire life. With that being said, I feel like I could see where these people are coming from. In high school, I was often ostracized because of my fashion choices, the way I wore my hair and my interests and music tastes.

I was often accused of acting “white” whatever that means. Many Black people around me who were maybe “different” from what you’d expect from a Black person experienced the same thing. It’s very frustrating and some could somewhat

I feel we need to acknowledge that the inner hierarchy within our community is a very real Classism,thing.texturism and colorism have been present in our community for a long time. I feel this is because we are at the bottom of the minority pyramid, so some of us feel the need to have a way to be at the top within that bottom tier.

I may be Black but I have more money than other Black people so I’m better. I may be Black but my hair is loose and my skin is light so I’m better.

It’s a mindset some of us adopt as a coping mechanism; a way to deal with the

Many Black people are very warm and welcoming no matter who you are, what you look like or what you like. That’s how I’m able to have a circle of Black friends that I love and enjoy spending time with. Avoiding those Black people who may have judgemental tendencies and negative energy is very understandable and completely valid but in shunning those people, do not shun us all.

Stay connected to your Blackness and remember that there are always Black people out there who will accept you for who you are.

No Escape in Escapism

Escapism has been something that people have used in order to remove themselves from the harsh reality of the world. However, that hasn’t been the case for people of color. For me, video games have always been a way to leave all of the stress and bulls**t from my day to day. It’s just something so comforting about being able to hop on the console and be someone else, be somewhere else, even if it’s just for an hour. But, like with everything that holds some sort of economic profit, it holds a racist underbelly that most people ignore. Especially those who benefit from the representation that they hold a monopoly over.With worldwide Video Game Day occurring last week, it's a reminder about how big of an industry video gaming is. The video game industry has expanded

ModlinAustin Staff Writer

over the past several years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, grossing an estimated revenue of $200 billion from 2015 to 2022. This number has only been increasing with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. It’s crazy thinking how video games as an industry outclasses every other entertainment industry as a whole. A more interesting question is who’s the largest demographic of consumers that power this industry?In2015 there was a study that attempted to find out who was the largest demographic of people who purchase video games. The study showed that on average, 83% of Black teens and 69% Hispanic teens play video games, which completely eclipses the 71% of white teens. You would think that with these numbers video game developers would have a history of inclusivity and good representation in their video games right? Well I’m here to tell you to be disappointed. Historically, video games have always been a white dominated field, especially in terms of representation. Many of my

childhood moments playing video games, the heroes that I would typically play as would white men. What makes it even worse looking back on it was that outside of the white characters that would be in abundance, most (if not all) of the other characters were aliens. So you’re gonna look me in the eye and tell me that a white person can exist in some sort of dystopian video game world but people of color can’t? This delusional behavior from video game developers has occurred for some time now.Most of the imagery that I and many other people of color got in video games were sports games like FIFA, 2K, and GTA. So aliens and all kinds of fictional creatures can exist alongside white characters in science fiction games and have deep and multifaceted storylines, but all black and brown people amount to are athletes and robbers?NowI’m not saying that the games aren’t enjoyable, cause I play them. However, sometimes people just wanna see a Black mage or wizard, or a Black main character

that actually looks black. H*ll, Spider-Man on the PS4, one of my all time favorite games, had Miles Morales looking like he was in serious need of a haircut. They fixed it in the second game starring Miles but the point stands. Now I wish other video game companies would follow by example. Why do we have to nag and pester video game companies to have more and better representation of people of color in video games? Especially since people of color are their primary consumer. Without us the franchises that make them so much money wouldn’t be able to be as popular as they are.You would think in a fictional world that it wouldn’t just be white people doing the saving. But, like many other things, they seem to constantly be painted as the main character to everything. While there are developers that are finally adding black characters into video games that actually give good representation, we still have a long way to go.