THURSDAY, JANUARY 16, 2025
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EDITION
How the MSU community continues to celebrate his legacy today
“Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”
Martin Luther King Jr .
Illustration by Zachary Balcoff.
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Michigan State senior guard Jaden Akins (3) goes for a layup during a game against the University of Washington at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan on January 9, 2025. Michigan State won 88-54. Photo by Finn Gomez.
Alum publishes novel inspired by experience at MSU
By Ria Gupta rgupta@statenews.com
As a sports reporter for The State News, Candace Johnson, then Candy McCrary, covered various MSU athletics, from track to basketball to gymnastics. However, after the 1989 sit-in, she became part of a series of stories about race on campus that was published in the spring of 1990. Dubbed “Separate State: MSU in Color,” the series covered topics of interracial marriage, racism in fraternity recruitment and adapting to new “racial environments” as the minority student population increased. Her assignment, which later became a front page story, focused on students who were minorities in high school. The article contained interviews with a white student who attended school in Detroit and a Black girl adopted by a white couple. Inspired, Johnson wrote an accompanying
column to share her experience growing up in Fennville, Michigan, a predominantly white town an hour away from Kalamazoo. Although she enjoyed her time as a cheerleader and member of the student council, there were only two other Black students in her graduating class; one was her brother and the other moved to Fennville a year into high school.
Of that student, she wrote: “She did not have an identity crisis the way I did. I knew I was African-American on the outside, but if you were trapped in a dark room with me, you’d swear I was white.” Both stories appeared in an edition of The State News on May 14, 1990.
“The feedback and reception I got from that column was overwhelming,” Johnson told The State News.
“I heard from the state senator, I heard from alums,” she recalled. “I heard from students who said, ‘We talked about your column in our sociology class.’”
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That was when Johnson realized she’d stumbled onto something: others weren’t aware that identities like hers existed. That idea turned into something greater, a novel which was selfpublished in December of 2024.
“The Kitchen Isn’t Where You Cook” follows Marisa Logan, a Black woman raised in the fctional small town of Petersville in southwestern Michigan. Like Johnson, the main character also attends Michigan State University and begins her cultural awakening, learning how to navigate her identity as someone who’d always be classifed as “different.”
The title is inspired by an interaction that occurs in the novel between Marisa and her cousin, who teases her for not knowing what a “kitchen” is.
Johnson said that, within Black culture, the kitchen doesn’t refer solely to the room in a home where dishes and pots are kept. The term also refers to the thin, delicate hair at the nape of the neck where, for Black women, the hair is more tightly coiled, making it harder to use tools like a hot comb or fat iron.
“It’s a Black term that most Black women would know about, but Marisa doesn’t because of where she grew up,” Johnson said.
The divide between Black and white culture is a prominent theme both in the novel and Johnson’s personal life.
“The identity crisis story narrative is always discussed when it comes to people who are
biracial,” Johnson said. “You have to pick a side, you have to pick your white parent or your Black parent. It’s never told from this perspective of someone like Marisa, or like me, who have two Black parents, Black grandparents, and the identity crises in the search for your own culture within that atmosphere.”
In her column, Johnson said that arriving at MSU was the beginning of her “cultural awareness.”
“One of the reasons I centered Michigan State in the book … is because with a campus that size, you’re able to see the diversity and you’re able to actually get out of your comfort zone and have that curiosity that I think you need.”
After getting married and starting a family, what fnally drove Johnson to fnish the novel was reading Quincy Jones’ autobiography, “Q,” though she’d started it years prior. In his book, he urges those with a God-given talent or purpose to pursue it, lest their life feel unfulflled. So, Johnson pursued.
“Even with all the identity crises and everything else, writing has always been my go-to,” Johnson said. “It’s just something I have to do. It’s not like I make a choice to write.”
Johnson’s purpose was highlighting the experiences of other Black people in towns like hers: “We exist. We live in small town America in the Midwest.”
The book is available at Books-a-Million, Amazon and other digital platforms.
Candace Johnson, MSU alumni and author of “The Kitchen Isn’t Where You Cook,” shares her story of cultural awakening as a college student at Michigan State University. Photo courtesy of Candace Johnson.
MSU PROFESSOR WORKS TO DOCUMENT BLACK HISTORY
By Amelia Fraser afraser@statenews.com
Going through history books, you can commonly pick out the same fgures you know to be infuential. Important as they may be, there’s often part of the story that remains untold. Michigan State University associate professor of history Dr. LaShawn D. Harris has taken on the task of telling these stories from the framework and perspective of her own life.
Growing up in New York City in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Harris said she lived in the “Crack Era” of New York, and recalls participating in the economy at the time.
“I was a participant in the informal economy,” Harris said. “I got my hair done by people in storefronts. Being in the ‘90s, I bought illegal music. I bought, on the train, illegal videos.” Harris recognized these as the things people had to do to make money, and are some of the untold stories her research highlights. In her first book, “Sex Workers, Psychics, and Number Runners: Black Women in New York City’s Underground Economy,” she examines the role of Black women in the economy and their unrecognized work.
Selling these goods and services was not
regarded very highly in society. But, to the Black women in those communities, it was their livelihood, their joy and their community. Even the women more highly regarded in society had untold stories.
“Billie Holiday — jazz singer — she sang the song ‘Strange Fruit’ which is about lynching,” Harris said. “She was a sex worker before she became, you know, the infamous ‘Lady Holiday.’ Ella Fitzgerald — another blues woman during the 1930s, ‘40s, ‘50s, really famous — was a numbers runner.”
Like Harris, these women were also New Yorkers, and are part of the reason she is in her feld of study. Infuencing her work is those fgures of Black history who are unapologetic in their Blackness and in their politics, listing infuences from literature like Toni Morrison, Dorothy West and James Baldwin; and also infuences from politics like Malcom X and
Marcus Garvey.
“I love when people really confront people and take it to them,” Harris said. “The courage that you have to muster up to respectfully do that, but just to do that. I love folks like that.”
Another leader like this for Harris is Martin Luther King Jr., who Harris depicts in a more
humanized way that may not be emphasized in school or the news.
“King is a young preacher, an outside preacher, 26 years old, comes to Montgomery and leads this boycott as a young person,” Harris said. “I’m inspired by how he and young people become the faces of the civil rights movement, which was a really unpopular movement at the time.”
The lessons King taught are still applicable to today’s politics. Harris stated that plenty of groups, including Black people, women, LGBTQ+ and others, have to continually fght for their rights. King helped in showing the way, recognizing the work he did in his youth but also the life he had outside of that.
“I wish people knew more about King in the terms of the joys of his life,” Harris said. “The joys of being with his family which he, you know, sacrifced a lot. I wish people knew more about King and his craving for vacations. There’s a great series of photos of King in 1967, the year before his death, in Jamaica with Coretta and with his three children.”
With political leaders, images like that aren’t always shown in the news or other media. It shows an important side to our leaders,
Harris said.
“We just see (our leaders) as political and struggling,” Harris said. “But to see them in these different types of moments, you wish that they had more of those moments.”
Harris continues to highlight these untold stories and is putting out another book this coming year.
“Tell Her Story: Eleanor Bumpers, Police Violence & The Crime That Galvanized New York City” highlights the true story of Eleanor Bumpers, a Black woman who was killed by police brutality. Harris spoke not of the activism taken in the public as a result of her killing, but the family and what Eleanor’s life was like before she was killed and how things changed after her death.
This story is just one of many that has captured Harris’s interest. Getting to highlight the families and communities behind confict is one of her favorite parts of her job.
“You do the work because you’re interested in doing it and you just love doing it. And you want to shed light on new issues, and you want to bring people’s stories to life,” Harris said. “So the real reward is being able to do the work and get it published.”
How to attend MSU celebration events for MLK Day
By Amy Cho acho@statenews.com
With Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaching on Monday, Jan. 20, Michigan State University has a wide range of events scheduled to take place starting this week.
From Jan. 16 through Jan. 24, MSU will be hosting the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration to honor Dr. King’s legacy.
Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion
Offcer for ASMSU and a member of the 2025 MLK Planning Committee Alex Guo said these specific events were chosen because they showcase the community overall.
“Outside of the fact that a lot of these events are beloved events that the community continues to support, these events really highlight different aspects of not only the committee but our university,” Guo said.
Guo also believes that the celebration itself is important because of its focus
on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
“It’s celebrations like these, people who have brought us to where we are right now and how we can continue moving forward with the vision of MLK, which is a world that celebrates every individual, that doesn’t discriminate, that is focusing on inclusivity, and focusing on our values as an institution, which is really uplifting everyone,” Guo said.
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Dr. LaShawn D. Harris is an associate professor of history at Michigan State University and a historian of U.S. history with a focus on African American, Black Women’s and urban histories. Photo courtesy of LaShawn D. Harris.
Dr. LaShawn D. Harris wrote “Sex Workers, Psychics, and Number Runners: Black Women in New York City’s Underground Economy,” which examines the role of Black women in the economy and their unrecognized work. Photo courtesy of LaShawn D. Harris.
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. walks at the IM East Gymnasium for MLK day on Jan. 15, 2024. Photo by Maya Kolton.
MSU Jazz concert to honor interwoven legacies of jazz music and Martin Luther King Jr.
of speaking out against oppression.”
This year the concert program is titled “I Have a Dream for the World.” When deciding on this theme, Whitaker was considering both the past and present. The election was on his mind and he knew there would be a lot of uncertainty with the results.
“The only way democracy works is that, when you’re disappointed and you lose you gotta really fgure out a way to overcome that,” Whitaker said. “That’s really what Martin Luther King encouraged, for us to persevere no matter what happens. In African American culture we live with this sort of thing our whole life.”
Through the music played in this program, Whitaker wants to combat feelings of uncertainty and uplift members of the community.
“What I wanted to do with the concert — and we will try to do — is inspire peace, because you can’t let anything rob you of your peace,” Whitaker said. “(Music) heals the soul, but also music is also a way of bringing understanding of issues in a way that nothing else could.”
These themes of peace and perseverance are what Whitaker hopes to convey through the music. Not only the perseverance that King showed throughout the Civil Rights Movement, but the perseverance that continues through modern movements against oppression, like the Black Lives Matter movement.
She said that incorporating a range of music into the concert is how the musicians are able to tell a story.
“The music changes as society changes,” Wilburn said. “Like, this music changed because the Civil Rights Movement changed, you know. It’s just pretty interesting to show where it came from to where it is now.”
Every student performing in the concert has a deep understanding of the history and weight behind performing these songs, Whitaker said. Throughout the rehearsal process, Whitaker speaks to students about the songs, but there is also a jazz history class at Michigan State that undergraduate students in the music department are required to take.
Annual Diversity Showcase
By Hannah Locke hlocke@statenews.com
In 2001, when MSU held its first “Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest” concert commemorating Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and legacy, the concert hall had 600 seats. That evening, 4,000 people showed up. Event organizers had to put the concert on televisions in the hallway so that everyone could enjoy. Since this inaugural concert, the event has been held annually and the community has continued to show up. The concert has sold out each time, with some years even selling out two concerts. This year, the concert will take place on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 3 p.m. in MSU’s Fairchild Theatre, and the program will be performed by MSU Jazz Orchestra I. While advance tickets have already sold out, there is the opportunity for community members to buy a limited number of tickets at the door.
Director of Jazz Studies Rodney Whitaker will
be conducting this year’s program; he is also responsible for the theme and music choices.
Whitaker has been involved from the very frst concert. He founded “Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest” alongside Wycliffe Gordon, a former associate professor of jazz and artist-in-residence.
“One of (the) things we rarely think of, but Martin Luther King grew up during the time jazz was popular,” Whitaker said. “He loved music. His favorite musicians were Dr. Billy Taylor and the great Duke Ellington. That was the music of his youth.”
Many jazz musicians stood alongside King as activists throughout the Civil Rights Movement.
“It made sense that that music would be sort of like the soundtrack for the Civil Rights Movement,” Whitaker said. “People are not aware that people like Louis Armstrong was the frst person to speak out against Little Rock … Jazz musicians were really at the forefront
“Listening to themes from the Black Lives Matter movement, and the one that was most powerful to me was ‘Black Rage’ by Lauryn Hill,” Whitaker said. “It really speaks to the time, not that people are gonna go burn up houses, but that rage also can be funneled or channeled through works of art, music, activism.”
Every year the concert showcases many iconic jazz works from the civil rights era as well as older African American spirituals. But Whitaker also makes an effort to include contemporary songs in the concert as well, to showcase how music continues to act alongside movements against oppression.
This year’s concert will include music from iconic artists such as John Coltrane, Abbey Lincoln, Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog Jr., as well as contemporary artists like Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder.
Second-year jazz studies graduate student and bassist Emma Wilburn will be performing in the concert for the second year in a row.
“It’s a class about jazz and the history behind it … where it started from with slavery and work songs and the birth of jazz, and the hardships that these musicians had to go through,” Wilburn said. “And I think that’s what’s so powerful about this specifc concert, because there’s so much meaning behind it.”
First-year jazz studies graduate student and alto-saxist Tommy Noble said that the students’ understandings of jazz history and the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. make the concert feel more important than usual.
“It’s an important day in American history to remember MLK, and we’re not just playing to, you know, maybe make people feel better, but to commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr., and for all he did for our country,” Noble said. Alongside many of the songs performed by the jazz orchestra, there will be guest vocal accompaniments.
The guest artists include Michigan State alumni and jazz vocalists Jasmine HamiltonWray and Ashton Moore, as well as jazz vocalist Rockelle Whitaker.
“It’s pretty special to be able to play these songs with the singers, and really get to hear the lyrics and feel the meaning behind the songs,” Noble said.
Whitaker said that by inviting vocal accompaniment, there is a chance for audience members to relate to the music on a deeper level because they are hearing the lyrics as well.
“I think I’m overwhelmed because every part of it is gonna be either exciting or even some things will be inspiring,” Whitaker said.
“Every aspect of the concert will be powerful, uplifting, some moments beautiful, and some moments will make you cry.”
The MSU Jazz Orchestra performs at MSU’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest Concert at Fairchild Theatre. Photo courtesy of MSU by Derrick L. Turner.
EVENTS FOR MLK DAY
THURSDAY, JAN. 16
On Thursday, Jan. 16, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Unity Dinner will be held at the Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center from 5:30-7:30 p.m.
During the event, this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Endowed Scholarship recipients will be announced. Registration is required.
FRIDAY, JAN. 17
On Friday, Jan. 17, “Weekend Wellness: A Dreamer’s Mindset, Healthy Strategies for Achieving Wellness and Building Community” will be held at IM East. Additionally, the “Spartan Glow and Flow” Family Skating Event will be held from 5-7 p.m., and the Health and Wellness Fair will be from 6:30-9 p.m.
Finally, from 8 p.m.-midnight, the “Late Night Spartan Glow and Flow” skating event will be held.
This event will provide giveaways, food
and t-shirts. Skates will also be provided to participants, free of charge.
SATURDAY, JAN. 18
On Saturday, Jan. 18, MLK Student Symposium – “Voices of the Dream: For Us, By Us” will be held at the MSU Union in the Ballroom and Lake Erie room from 2:45-6:45 p.m.
SUNDAY, JAN. 19
On Sunday, Jan. 19, MLK Student Committee Ecumenical Service will be held at the MSU Alumni Memorial Chapel at 1:30 p.m. The event will feature a speaker from “Truth Seekers,” a campus ministry group, and the MSU Gospel Choir. A soul food reception will follow.
Additionally on Sunday, the “Jazz: Spirituals, Prayer and Protest” concert will be held at the Fairchild Theatre at 3 p.m.
The MSU Jazz Orchestra and jazz vocalists from the program, along with alumni, will perform various songs that embody the theme of “I Have a Dream for the World.”
This event is free of charge. Tickets can be reserved, and some seats will be available at the door.
MONDAY, JAN. 20
On Monday, Jan. 20, the MLK Commemorative March will take place at 9 a.m., starting at the Beaumont Tower and ending at the Multicultural Center.
A reception will be held at the Multicultural
Center after the march.
Organizations wanting to participate are asked to register in advance.
TUESDAY, JAN. 21
On Tuesday, Jan. 21, the Social Justice Film and Discussion on Fannie Lou Hamer’s “America” will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the MSU Library in the Green Room.
The screening will also be followed by a panel discussion and Q&A featuring Lansing City Council members Tamera Carter and Trini Pehlivanoglu, MSU student Cindy Villarreal-Medina and will be moderated by Ph.D. candidate Erika Vallejo. Light refreshments and snacks will be provided.
This event will be free of charge and open to the public.
There will also be a virtual option available through Zoom.
THURSDAY,
JAN. 23
On Thursday, Jan. 23, Coffee and Conversation will take place from 9-10:30 a.m. at Chittenden Hall.
Hosted by MSU Women of Color Community, Dr. LaShawn Harris, an associate professor of history at MSU, will lead a discussion on contributions, challenges and legacy of Black women in civil rights, equity and social justice. The frst 20 individuals to register will receive a free copy of Dr. LaShawn Harris’ book.
Additionally on Thursday, MLK Observance by the MSU Medical Colleges will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. at Conrad Hall
Auditorium Shondra L. Marshall, Ph.D., director of the Michigan Public Health Institute’s Center for Racial and Social Justice, will lead a talk.
Light refreshments will be served and an RSVP is asked to be flled out.
FRIDAY, JAN. 24
On Friday, Jan. 24, the MLK Historical Landmark Virtual Student Engagement Exchange will take place from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Clara Bell Smith Center Auditorium. This event will feature virtual viewings of historical MLK landmarks in the city of Atlanta.
A light lunch and door prizes will be provided.
Additionally, a virtual option is available through Zoom.
EVENTS HAPPENING ALL WEEK
Until Feb. 28, the MLK Commemorative Celebration “Stuff the Library” Event will be taking place.
This event works towards flling school libraries with a variety of books on social justice topics and characters representing diverse backgrounds.
Individuals can participate by purchasing a book through their Amazon Wishlist, donating money, or by mailing or dropping off books to the MSU Student Food Bank, which is located at the Olin Health Center, Suite 151.
HOW EASY IS IT TO SUCCESSFULLY APPEAL A
By Hannah Holycross hholycross@statenews.com
Walking out of class to find a parking ticket on your windshield is not a good feeling, especially for people who believe their ticket was unjust. However, drivers can pursue an option to skirt the sometimes costly fines.
Appeals can be submitted online or mailed to MSU Parking Services and are considered before a violation fee is paid.
MSUDPS issued 97,585 parking citations in 2023, bringing in $1.38 million to the university. Since the MSU Board of Trustees raised the price of parking violation fines in 2023, parking tickets are not as trivial a cost, meaning if a student finds a ticket to be unfair, they will likely file an appeal rather than eat the expensive fine.
But drivers have varying levels of success when it comes to getting their tickets thrown out. That decision often seems to depend on who is at fault for a violation or potential error.
According to public records from the MSU Department of Police and Public Safety, there were a total of 8,239 parking violation appeals made in 2023. Of that number, 4,469 were successful and 3,770 were denied, meaning more than half of the appeals made that year were successful.
MSU Department of Police and Public Safety Parking Coordinator
Emily Ryal said an appeal’s success often depends on whether it’s been filed for a valid reason.
One valid reason, she said, is if a violation contains wrong information, such as an incorrect location, vehicle make or license plate number. Another valid argument can occur when a ticket has been issued incorrectly, including there being a payment or permit for the vehicle, or if it was parked in a spot that was not restricted at the time of ticketing.
Ryal said the most common invalid reasons given involve not seeing signage, not knowing the parking requirements for that lot, parking in a disability space without a valid plate or placard, and short term uses of space to load or drop off items.
Parking appeals can be submitted via email or mail, and the process typically takes around 12 business days. During peak ticket times of the school year, such as the end of each semester, Ryal said waiting periods may be longer.
Ryal said that an appeal can be successful if it is succinct and provides relevant details along with supporting documentation. Examples include screenshots or proof of payment on the MSU
SpotOn app or a photo of a receipt from paying at a metered spot. She also said they also take into consideration factors such as ticket history and the location and time of the violation.
Ryal said the “primary focus is to educate and curb incidences from recurring.”
“People typically find success when filing appeals when they have a demonstrable reason to submit an appeal,” Ryal said. “Our staff reviews every single appeal, and we understand that there are situations and circumstances which support withdrawing a violation, but not all appeals meet those criteria.”
WHEN STUDENTS’ APPEALS ARE DENIED
While students often receive violations after choosing not to pay for parking time, some students say they have received tickets even when they have paid for the given amount of time.
Psychology sophomore Madison Riske filed an appeal after receiving a ticket in Lot 62, even though she said she had paid for the ticket via the SpotOn app.
Riske said that she went on the app to pay for her spot before heading into IM West. When she got out, she was shocked to find a ticket on her car. She then went back on
the app to find that her payment failed to go through even though the app had previously told her her payment was successful.
She then filed an appeal, including screenshots of the initial payment she had made for that spot. A few days later, she received an email stating that her appeal had been denied.
“It is the driver’s responsibility to ensure that payment was successful,” the email said.
Riske ended up paying the $20 fine but said she was frustrated that she had to pay for something that was out of her control.
Political science senior Lali Tobin had a similar experience. She parked at Ramp #1 on Shaw Lane one day before class and used pay-by-plate parking for her spot. When she got out of class, she had a $60 parking ticket on her car stating that she had parked in a reserved spot.
Tobin said there was no signage anywhere indicating that the spot was reserved, and that there was also no signage indicating that any of the spots around her were reserved. She took pictures of the spot as well as screenshots of the pay-by-plate payment she made and used them in the appeal she submitted.
She said that her appeal got denied and she had to pay the $60 fee along with the cost she had
already paid for the pay-by-plate.
Human biology sophomore Aubrey Hessbrook filed a more highstakes appeal when she received a $115 violation last winter.
Hessbrook, who lived in Akers Hall at the time, attempted to park in one of the metered spots in front of the dorm so that she could drop things off inside.
She said that at the time, there was lots of snow on the ground and it was hard to see the lines on the different parking spaces. She said that she saw a handicap sign at the front of the different spots and intentionally parked a couple spaces behind to avoid accidentally parking in one of those spots.
Hessbrook’s estimate was wrong, and when she returned to her car, she was shocked to see she received such an expensive ticket.
She then appealed the ticket, explaining the situation with the snow and her consideration to try and not park in a handicap spot. Her appeal was denied.
She said that in the email, they said there wasn’t a sufficient amount of snow that day to block off the blue lines in that spot.
“It’s just so disappointing seeing the university do this to many students, even for something like parking for 15 minutes to pack up to go home,” she said.
MSU parking enforcement checking a Ford outside of Erickson Hall. “The silver car has eight unpaid parking tickets, so we are going to have to tow it,” said the MSU parking enforcement. State News file photo.