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Farrakhan puts emphasis on education Charles Hawkins II The Southern Digest
Students were inspired by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s speech at the F.G. Clark Activity Center Wednesday. Farrakhan addressed black education, politics, health, and blacks depending on themselves to build their communities. Farrakhan stressed how the current state of most black communities displays the need for more their community to take care of itself. “The real burden on us is to make change that is necessary that will make changes for our people,” Farrakhan said. Farrakhan compared the major difference of the Asian and Indian communities with the black community. “They are building their communities,” Farrakhan said. He mentioned how keeping money within community builds a better and stronger community. One method of building a better community mentioned, by Farrakhan, was agriculture. “Agriculture is the founder of any
nation, and everyone should aspire to own land,” Farrakhan said. He said personal agriculture, as being a method of protection against the radiation is used in many facets of society such as heating of food, processed food, cell phones, cell phone towers, X-rays, and Magnetic Resonation Imaging otherwise known as MRIs. Farrakhan said how the “supposed” equal education in the United States is actually being found to be unequal because of the Western methodology used. “We need a superior education not an equal education,” Farrakhan said. Farrakhan talked about the disparity in Asian and Indian success with Caucasian success because of their commitment to including their culture in their education process. Despite the idea that gaining a degree to be able to be a better prospect for a job, Farrakhan believes it should be used for creation of employment. “Your education should employ us to create employment,” Farrakhan said. He told of the process of gaining a degree for higher financial
photo by arielle burks/DIGEST
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan discussed issues such as education and economic development during his lecture at Southern University Wednesday.
possibilities being a Western ideology and how it is not productive to the world. Farrakhan encouraged students to choose majors that would be more important to society. “Challenge yourself with majors that make a difference,” Farrakhan said. While stressing education, Farrakhan discussed his displeasure with people judging President Barack Obama, not addressing the black people’s needs directly. “Unjust to judge the President on a black agenda because he is President of America not Black America,” Farrakhan said. Marcus Hooper, a senior
sociology major from Mansfield, La., spoke of some things he learned from Farrakhan’s speech. “I actually learned it’s more to education than what we are being taught,” Hooper said. He revealed his reason for attending was to hear a different voice of inspiration other than what he has been hearing. Jerrell Smith, a junior computer science major from Shreveport discussed how he will inform absent students of the missed opportunity. “I would tell them they missed out on insight about their true history,” Smith said. He said he had done some prior research on black history.
Jade Williams, business management grad student from Linden, New Jersey discussed what the speech motivated her to take action in. “It helps me to stay focused to creating my own business,” Williams said. Bre’ona X, a freshman chemistry major from Walker, La., talked the organization of the event. “Sister Deborah Muhammad originally planned it for last semester, but it was moved to the beginning of this semester,” said X. She said for those who missed the event they can purchase the DVD online at www.noi.org.
SU celebrates with artists Norman J. Dotson Jr. The Southern Digest
Through hardships and strife the Visual Arts Gallery kicked off Homecoming Week for the fourth year in the row and this year they helped celebrate the 21st anniversary of the New Orleans chapter of the National Conference of Artist (NCA). “Its always difficult because it costs money and I operate without a budget so every year we’re pulling a rabbit out the hat and this time we were fortunate that SGA stepped up and supported us financially,” Robert Cox, art professor and art gallery director, said. However the lack of funding couldn’t stop the drive of the hungry artists who were featured in this year’s exhibition. This year’s exhibition consisted of artists in primarily from the New Orleans area who are members of the NCA and have some sort of ties to the Southern University System. All but, two artists were either students photo by arielle burks/DIGEST or had spouses that attended Southern Charlie T. Johnson describes details from his artwork “Abundance” at the Art University at New Orleans. Exhibit in Hayden Hall Monday.
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Charlie T. Johnson, NOLA chapter president, opened up the nights festivities with brief history of the organization. “The National Conference of Artists was started in 1959 but there were artists who met before then in Atlanta every year there was a national arts competition there and Margaret Burroughs with some others decided that they needed to bring these people together because they couldn’t get into these larger galleries around the country,” Johnson said. “Using churches and HBCU’s they were able to get their work to travel but Marg Burrough had the vision to get these individuals together.” Burroughs works with linoleum cuts were displayed alongside other members of the NCA. Each artist in attendance got a chance to give a brief description of his or her artwork displayed. The selection that garnered the most attention was the “Injustice Series” by Shelia See Artists Celebrate page 3