Voice Mag azine
T HE I NT ERSECT I ONAL I T Y I SSUE Hail to the Female!
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From the editor Features Throwbacks Arts & Culture Editorials
The New Blac ?W hile t he tale of how we suffer, and how we are delig hted , and how we m ay tr ium p h is never new, it alw ays m ust b e heard .?
Recently, I?ve been trying to focus on the essence of Blackness and it brought me back to this essay I read over the summer titled ?The New Black Aesthetic? written by Trey Ellis, an associate professor at Columbia University, in 1989 when he was writing a term paper for an African-American class during his junior year at Stanford University. How are we to define Blackness? Our external colors and figures are large blinds to our personalities, especially to those who don?t look like us. Ellis said that ?we all share a lot more than just skin color? like our artistry and our appreciated individualism, while maintaining our cultural sense of collectivism. The Blacks thriving in their own self-righteous originality are the same ones who are isolated, because our individuality is continuously being compromised for conformity. Our love for being different is outweighed by our craving to be accepted. Now, there?s a time when we look at some of the key points that Ellis brought up, calling himself a cultural mulatto due to his education by a multiracial mix of culture, giving him and those like him the access to navigate through the ?White? world or ?mainstream society.? 2016 is seeing this
The New Blac
Nat urally Good Enoug h by Aaliyah Roulhac
Growing up I was socially conditioned to view beauty as what I saw in the magazines or on television- like most people. I believed that being beautiful meant having long, straight hair, or straight, white teeth or a flat stomach and big breasts. My mother and other family members made it a point to always buy me black barbie dolls so that I?d be playing with figures that reminded me of myself. While this was a great gesture, it still didn't change the way I felt about a certain area of my appearance- my hair. When I was a little girl I viewed my natural hair in a way that was a LOT different than how I view it today. My unprocessed mane was rough and coiled when wet, soaked up water like a sponge, was anything but a pleasure to comb through, and- what annoyed me the most- was incredibly puffy. As a child, I wanted that hair that my Latina friends hadthe stuff that waved up when wet and flowed down my back when dry. Unfortunately for me (as I naively thought) this was not the hair that I had inherited. I lived for the days when my aunt, who has been my beautician my entire life, would press out (using a curling iron) my hair on special occasions. My cousins and I were not allowed to get perms until my aunt felt that we were of age, so before that time, press and curls were my only chance to be beautiful like those girls on television. When I was old enough to get my first perm, I was ecstatic! Gone was the ever-present corn rows or afro-puff ponytail styles that I alternated with frequently and now I had silky, straight hair. For a while I was on cloud nine and before I knew it, I was getting touch ups and doobies- a style that involves a wash, condition, roller set and an hour-long sit under the piping hot dryer- on a regular basis. That went well for a while until my hair began to shed and break
RUTGERS MO t o sex u al
RUTGERS MO t o sex u al
VOICE: So we?ve seen the posters everywhere, but tell us about how it all started? Why did you start the no more campaign? Jake: We really wanted to bring the No More Campaign to campus. It?s already a national campaign and we wanted to use that influence. We got inspiration from famous people like Amy Pohler, Courtney cox, and Eli manning who took pictures in front of the posters. We wanted to bring that message to the University. We started the campaign through residence life and I used my influence as an RA to bring the message to my students. So on a hot October day we stood outside with 7 colored poster boards and took pictures with 80 students who passed by the quads circle. We encouraged all of them to post their pictures in front of the derogatory saying on their social media. By the end of the week we saw over 1000 posts on Facebook alone of people talking about the campaign and the sayings underneath the no more sign. VOICE: Have you heard any people really changing their opinions, outlook and how they speak based on the campaign? Jake: Yes and no. It?s more about an unveiling of a conversation because before it was more taboo. When somebody would talk about rape it was a word you would run away from. It?s an uncomfortable conversation with anybody. I think talking about these topics make people develop opinions
about it and create a conversation. We think about our job more as informing. We?re informing people about the resources, the statistics, and really getting them involved. Miquel : Agreed. The campaign is a tool to open up that conversation. Through the different Facebook posts, certain conversations have happened that would have never happened before. VOICE: Speaking of conversation starters, how did all the boards and pictures that we see in the student center come about? Miquel : The boards! That was our first kind of event that we did and it was definitely a success. Jake: Before we did that, it was a purely digital campaign. It was fantastic, but it didn?t tap into the population that wasn?t completely connected thru Facebook or twitter or Instagram. We got funding from HOPE and Student Affairs, printed out about 4000 pictures and posted them all over campus. The student centers were so amazing to allow us to use their walls to make an impact. It?s awesome because it?s front and center and it?s the first thing you see. VOICE: Why are women?s issues and issues of sexual assault so important? Jake: We definitely acknowledge that it pertains more to women, but it?s an equal conversation to men and women. (1/ 5 for women. 1/ 6 for men) It?s definitely a women?s issue, but it?s not only a women?s issue. Miquel : It?s important for girls on campus because there are stereotypical responses when you say ?I was attacked or I didn?t feel comfortable?. People always say ?Oh what were you wearing? Or did you kiss him before? You?ve been with him before so you have no right to say no.? That needs to stop. Anything that happened before doesn?t mean that you lose all rights to your body. I don?t even know how that makes sense. We?re standing up for all the
victims that are blamed and victimized when they should really be celebrated for coming forward and getting their message across so it doesn?t happen to somebody else.
VOICE: You talk a lot about conversation and the words people use. Why are you placing such an emphasis on speech? Jake: The vernacular you use is very important and it?s one of the most important parts of the campaign. If somebody hears what happened to somebody else when they talked about [their experience] , they would be discouraged from coming out and talking about it themselves if it happens to them. Miquel : There are trigger words and trigger points. Words that people say can really hurt people. It can bring them back to that day or that moment and do a lot of damage. Some people aren?t even aware of the things they say. If they know even the right or wrong things to say it can make a difference. VOICE: Why do you think this issue is so relevant to Rutgers right now? Miquel : It?s a big deal at Rutgers and on all campuses around the country. There?s been a lot of talk about it and so for us to bring it down to Rutgers alone was key. Even though it?s so important that its going on around the world, we?re focusing on Rutgers. Drinking is a big thing at Rutgers, but at the same time
Kim Kard ashian and t he Different Cam p s of Fem ale Em p ower m ent by Geor g ia Bennett
On March 8th, Kim Kardashian took to Instagram to post a nude photo accompanied by the caption ?When you?re like I have nothing to wear LOL?. As expected the image caused much controversy, and within hours of it being posted it had received attention from people from all across the internet. Most interestingly however, was the response garnered from celebrity A-listers, such as Pink, Amber Rose, Bette Midler and even with the young Chloe Moretz weighing in on the post. Pink?s initial response, which was the catalyst for the ensuing conversations about women?s worth in relation to how they depict themselves, included statements encouraging women to use their ?brains, their strength? their ?magic?? in order to succeed as opposed to ?using your body, your sex, your tits and asses? to gain a certain ?kind of attention?. This comment was met by criticism from the likes of Amber Rose, who argued that ?If a grown mother of 2 is comfortable with her body and wants to show it off that?s none of your business or anyone else?s?. It soon became clear that the internet was split into mainly two camps on the subjectthose who believed Kim Kardashian should set a better example for women, and refrain from so frequently using her nakedness as means to get attention, and those who believe it to be Kim Kardashians prerogative to take pictures of herself in whichever way she chooses, and for whatever purpose. Ironically, this all coincided with the 108th International Women?s Day, a Day designed to be all about ?celebration, reflection, advocacy and action? ?, the hysteria around this event is indicative of the contrasting views that surround the female identity in 2016. In response to the onslaught of messages, retweets and indirect comments, Kim took to her website to further assert her pride in her own body and the choices she makes, writing ?I
am empowered by my body. I am empowered by my sexuality? And I hope that through this platform I have been given, I can encourage the same empowerment for girls and women all over the world? she continued to say ?I will not live my life dictated by the issues you have with my sexuality. You be you and let me be be? # happyinternationalwomensday?. Whilst Kim?s argument on the surface may seem fair, considering that is in in fact her body, and therefore she has a right to do with it what she pleases, what I cannot and will not agree with is the idea that she is doing this for other women. Quite frankly, I think Kim Kardashian is one of the most vapid people to ever receive such global attention. She has made a career out of being in some way outrageous, and continues to build her empire on the attention she receives from doing things that she knows will get a divisive reaction. Call it Entrepreneurship if you will but please don?t call it philanthropic. The so called ?platform? Kim Kardashian has is one she uses entirely for her and her families advancement and I think the argument she is somehow the spokeswoman for sexually empowered women is farcical and completely transparent. Along with other members of her family, Kim manipulates the masses, marketing her ?success story? through it?s ever glamourous high?s and low?s, luring in viewers from across the world who begin to live vicariously through Kim?s perceived bourgeoisie lifestyle. The Kardashians have knowingly marketed themselves to largely impressionable young women and girls, and have even gone so far as to create fashion,
S K C A B W O R H T
Parks was the recipient of many awards and recognition for her courage and bravery such as the highest honor from the NAACP, the Springarn Medal, in 1979, the Rosa Parks Peace Prize in 1994, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1996, the highest award given by the US executive branch, the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997, the highest award given by the US legislative branch. The Rosa PArks Library and Museum in Montgomery, located on the corner where she boarded the bus on which she was arrested was dedicated to her in 2001. After her death, the US Senate and the House of Representatives honored Parks by allowing her body to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. According to a Wikipedia article, :Since the practice of lying in state in the Rotunda began in 1852, Parks was the 31st person, the first woman, the first American who had not been a U.S. government official, and the second non-government official to lie in state. She was also the second black person, after Jacob Chestnut, one of the two United States Capitol Police officers who were fatally shot on July 24, 1998. Former President Ronald Reagan had previously lain in state in the Capitol in 2004. An estimated 50,000 people viewed the casket there and it was shown on television on October 31.? Her coffin was also taken to Montgomery for a couple of memorial services and her final service was held in Detroit where she was buried. When presenting her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, President Clinton said: ?When Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white man on an Alabama bus 40 years ago, she ignited the single most significant social movement in American history. When she sat down on the bus, she stood up for the American ideals of equality and justice and demanded that the rest of us do the same. When our descendants look back in time to trace the fight for freedom, Rosa Parks will stand among our nation?s greatest patriots, the legendary figures whose courage sustained us and pushed us forward. She is, and continues to be, a national treasure.? And Mrs. Rosa L. Parks truly is.
The Beaut y of a Woman The soul of a black woman Who can resist? The confidence, the creativity, the undeniable warmth I dare not resist Passion blooms in her heart Her beauty never departs This is such, of a beautiful black woman She is strong, she is smart, and she is sweet Her tone is that of love Her body is as smooth as butter Her eyes embody the genuineness of blackness She is proud and never ashamed What a woman! She has the fierceness of a lion The bravery of a soldier And the blackness of night She might be light She might be dark But who cares She is a wonderful black woman A beautiful black woman What a woman! Adetayo Ogunsanya October 2003
A POEM BY KELLY LOOPZ
I write to you for more reasons than one. First and foremost I hope life has treated you well. I hope you've had the strength to get up every time you fell. And I hope your mothers health is well I can guarantee you, life won't be as pleasant in hell Its been 2 years since you and I crossed paths for the first and last time Do you remember me at all? It started as a night of good times One for books But I guess no matter the fun, a crook is a crook 1 drink, 2 drinks, 5 drinks, 6 drinks The tunes are off the hook And I don't know if that was an earth quake or just my vision that shook Next thing I know I'm asleep in a dark room I hear your voice, a soft whisper but in my head it's a boom I'm fighting with all my might, yet unable to move You had something to say, something to prove And so you forced me to listen You were hurtful, and ugly, and extremely rude You were angry, dirty You were unapologetic, brazen, and disgustingly crude
You ate me alive as if I was your plate of food You entered my space as if it was yours to intrude And I'll never be the same because of you I woke up the next morning, it couldn't possibly be true But there was pain and in my heart As real as a bruise My womanhood crumbled As I realized the truth You got the better of me and my soul held he proof Jagged and broken, Music became mute Colors became dull Smells became faint Love become hate I was angry and hurt And I would do anything to make it stop I found comfort in sex, and the sound of champagne pop I was drowning in my misery with no want to stop Looking for a solution hoping to find it in the last drop Bottle after bottle Disappointment always made its way to the top
UNTITLED II Bobby Akporot u I must be a .5 on your richter scale Cuz I shake no ground for you I must be, wait... how's that go? "A zit on the butt of the world's smallest ameba?"- invisible to your naked eye I must be nothing more than a summer breeze And definitely not a spring gust For I can't seem to blow you away I'd like be a burning blaze and not a flickering candle light- my passion burns much hotter But you can't seem to feel my warmth Why do you cast me aside? to wait in the thorned grass? The pain is becoming nearly unbearable My heart can't take much more... Perhaps I should "wising up" and "move on up" But the east side is far too cold- without you I'll continue to be that insignificant itch That prickle on your neck hair That whisper when you wake up And one day - you might listen One day... You might hear me You might see me
It 's a big univ er se. To st ay in onet iny pl ace is doing a disser v icet o your sel f . JANELLEMONAE
Janelle M onáe is a shining example of a person who defies any and all expectations by being true to herself. She isn?t afraid to speak her mind on the issues that matter to her and consistently fights for what she believes in. H er activism reaches many different populations, such as the LGBT community, women, and African-Americans. M onáe?s style is unconventional, but at the same time, innovative in a way that forces anyone to take notice. H er creations are truly one of a kind and provide a glimpse into her artistic repertoire, which has described as ?a soaring orchestral trip enlivened with blockbuster vocals, mysterious imagery and notes of Sixties pop and jazz.? M onáe has without a doubt forged a defiant path for herself, all the while, enlightening the masses on the struggles of the ?O ther?, or the people who are systematically oppressed or misrepresented in today?s society.
A Reb ulut ionar y
T he title doubles as an acronym which stands for Q ueer, U ntouchables, Emigrants, Excommunicated, and N egroid. M onáe described the song on her twitter as one that ?is meant to make you jam, dance, funk out and dialogue later.? ?Q .U .E.E.N .? also features Erykah Badu and peaked at 47 on Billboard?s H ot R & B/H ip-H op Songs chart. Recently, Janelle M onáe has entered into a deal with Epic Records to rebrand her independent record label as Wondaland Records and to promote artists like Jidenna, Roman GianArthur, St. Beauty, and Deep Cotton. In addition, M onáe is scheduled to make her film debut in M oonlight, written and directed by Barry Jenkins, as well as starring in the upcoming film, H idden Figures. Both are set to be released in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
MARTHA UGW U
Janelle M onáe is a singer/songwriter known for her funky beats, eccentric style, and soulful, truthful lyrics. She is also known for her activism as well as her music. She first made her debut in 2010 with the release of her album titled T he ArchAndroid, which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary R & B Album. T he lead single on that album, called ?Tightrope?, is a true testament of not only her musical talent, but her ability to convey subtle messages critiquing societal norms and addressing its flaws. Looking past the infectious bassline, heavy percussion, and jazzy horn section, what is left are the words straight from the mind of M onáe, which stress the importance of maintaining balance in one?s life. T he song also refers to the importance of individuality and creative freedom, two things that should be always be embraced, despite the scrutinizing prominence of modern-day society. From an entertainer?s standpoint, the song stands to represent the struggle of keeping a level head in an industry where it is quite easy to let the fame go to one?s head or completely crash and burn. O ver the years, M onáe has made a name for herself, quickly gaining popularity in the music industry and garnering many accomplishments as a result of her hard work. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, became a CoverGirl spokeswoman in 2012, and released a sophomore album in 2013 titled T he Electric Lady. T he lead single from that album, ?Q .U .E.E.N .?, is a song done in a question and answer format that addresses the issues faced by many oppressed groups and sheds light on the stereotypes and misconceptions of these groups in society.
Mis o g yn y in Med ia C h ic h i Ob i
M isogyny is a cultural norm that has been used by men for many centuries. Feminism was and still is the biggest movement that challenges misogyny in many ways. Women have always been devalued by men until the start of the feminist movement in the 1960?s that demanded women to be given equal rights. Since then, misogyny has taken on a new form in entertainment and social media. Women and their bodies have become even more objectified in music videos and social media for pure viewing pleasure. Hip hop has been known to be very real about social issues until Nelly?s ?Tip Drill? music video. That was the first times the porn industry has made its way into hip hop, using women as sexual objects for male fantasies. I n the video, private parts can be seen, constant touching and shaking of the behind and the most popular scene of him swiping a credit card through the crack of a woman?s behind. This started a heavy trend of rappers using women in videos for nothing else but their bodies. The problem also lies in the fact that these women may not even know they are contributing to their own oppression. Similar to music videos, social media has become a comfortable market for women to be objectified. Dan Bilzerian, a misogynistic social media star, is a professional poker player who earned millions through gambling. His social media pages are filled with naked women who he brags he?s sleeping with. I n images, Bilzerian is usually fully dressed, sitting comfortably while a crowd of women surround him, only wearing thongs. M ost of his followers are male, who comment degrading things against women while praising Bilzerian for being able to capture them. Comments seen under his posts call the women ?whores? and ?prostitutes? who deserve no respect from any man. Followers agree that it?s okay for Bilzerian to sleep with them as long as he is not actually in a relationship with them. Bilzerian has posted against getting married or being in relationship with women which suggests using them sexually is good enough. His followers express their dream of living a life he has; having millions and being surrounded with a bunch of gorgeous, naked women. This misogynist trend continues into the post of other social media stars, even women themselves. Singer, Niykee Heaton has risen to fame with her music and good looks. She is glorified because she is a white woman with ethnic curves in all the right places. On her social media pages, especially her Facebook, male followers suggest for her to follow a new career path in the porn industry. M any comments have been made for her to join the popular porn site Brazzers, where she should be ?nailed from behind.? Her images have been reposted with the Brazzers logo. They consistently degrade her as a ?whore? because of the way she dresses and presents herself. They believe she should stop her singing career and do what she they know she will be good at, which is porn. This type of behavior is not only constant for participants in the media but also in the comments sections. Commentators now have a platform to say as they wish and aid in dehumanizing a woman. There is no filter or protection of any sort to protect women from this issue. M isogyny is a norm that cannot be abolished by other women. M en have created and forever hold that power against women. The benefit of male privilege is that misogyny can continue to manifest, however long men want it to. Women have to continue protecting each other from the harm, to reduce the power significantly. The more women fight about this, the more it will be heard.
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