MAY 2018 • ISSUE 2

THE

BLACKPRINT

MAY 2018 • ISSUE 2

SOLOMON SELF

BISAH SUH

SHYHEIM SNEAD

A NEW ERA OF BLACK LEADERSHIP

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6 14 26 36 2

AU EXCELLENCE SOLOMON SELF • BISAH SUH • SHYHEIM SNEAD

CULTURE

PLAYLIST • AFRO-LATINX IDENTITY • MEET THE ACABELLAS • FUTURE OF TELEVISION • 4/20

CAMPUS

ME^2 • THE FUTURE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY AT AU • WHAT KIND OF WONK ARE YOU?

OPINION

DON’T ARM OUR TEACHERS • MARCH FOR OUR LIVES • LESS DREAMS, MORE NIGHTMARES

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THE EDITORS

WASHINGTON, D.C., MGC 248 • THEBLACKPRINTAU.COM • THEBLACKPRINTAU@GMAIL.COM

OBJECTIVE: To run shit EDUCATION: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY School of Communication | ‘18 • Public Relations & Strategic Comm.

School of International Service | ‘19 • International Studies & Global Media

SKILLS: • Writing • Deep Conditioning • Making money moves • Arriving (fashionably) late • Making a jar of Eco Style last 3 months

WORK EXPERIENCE: THE BLACKPRINT • Oversees the web and print material produced by The Blackprint, American University’s sole news and culture publication for students of color • Develops pitches and assist 30+ member staff to produce content • Executes strategies to increase readership • Stays #BookedAndBusy BLACK STUDENT AT A PWI • Dodges microaggressions on a daily basis, decline multiple requests to have hair touched • Parties at local HBCU to escape predominately white campus • Skips class for impromptu student-led protests against racism and discrimination • Lives in MGC at the tables across from the Tavern SHADEROOM ENTHUSIAST • Being messy • Boasting an extensive collection of 500+ screenshots • Arguing in the Facebook comment section (and winning) VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE: AMERICAN UNIVERSITY • Educating locals • “Mentoring” freshmen (for meal swipes) • Explaning the difference between Lauren and Jenna (hint: Lauren is taller) 4

REFERENCES: • FBI agents assigned to our computers • Your dad • Wonk cat

LAUREN LUMPKIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

JENNA CALDWELL PRESIDENT

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AU EXCE 6

ELLENCE 7

SOLOMON

SELF

TWENTY-ONE. INTERNATIONAL STUDIES. STUDENT GOVERNMENT VP. NAPA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA. Remember the Blackberry? You know, that business phone reserved for business people who had business to handle? The phone that you desperately wished you had in 2006 because fourth grade was oddly a really busy year. The phone you may or may not have seen Paris Hilton holding on the cover of People Magazine and you oh, so desperately needed to get your hands on.

The Blackberry.

Or lesser known in its human form, Solomon Self. Before me, neatly positioned on the media lounge’s navy blue couch, Self appears sleek, just like his metaphoric counterpart. Not a wrinkle in his shirt, a bag under his eye or a hair out of place. Self is calm, collected and ready to get down to business. He is quick to remind me that he has other meetings to attend, so I open my notebook, grab my pen, turn on my recorder and ask him how his day began.

NEAH GRAY

“The moment I wake up I’m mad as hell because I, once again, did not let myself get enough sleep,” he laughs. “I went to bed at like 3 a.m. knowing damn well I had to get up at 6 [a.m.].”

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Self is vice president of American University Student Government (AUSG), a member of Delta Phi Epsilon fraternity, AU College Democrats and Nourish AU; he’s an AUx2 Peer Leader, a barista at The Bridge, sits on the Black Graduation Committee and interns for the Peace Corps. It’s no wonder Self ’s days begin so early and end so late. “All things are possible when you don’t eat and just drink cold brews,” he assures me.

While Self ’s life may sound like an impressive LinkedIn profile, he goes the extra mile to prove why his titles aren’t just words on paper (or screen), but an active part of his daily life – especially student government.

Self admits being vice president isn’t what he expected, describing the job as “a lot more managerial.”

“You kind of set the agenda and then your job is mostly to maintain it. So if you came in thinking, ‘I want to have more diverse groups, more diverse performances, more diverse programming,’ then it’s your job to kind of make sure that happens,” said Self. And, that he did.

Working alongside Student Union Board (SUB) Director Bisah Suh and Kennedy Political Union (KPU) Director Shyheim Snead, as well AUSG Presidents Taylor Dumpson and Yamillet Payano (notice how this sentence is overflowing in melanin magic), Solomon Self ’s reign saw the likes of A$AP Ferg, Gabrielle Union, Malala Yousafzai, Tarana Burke, Dulcé Sloan, Aminé, and probably most memorable of all, Founder’s Day Ball at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

what they thought was an inappropriate location for a celebration of a predominately white university. “[These were] valid concerns and criticisms, but at the end of the day, I feel like a lot of the things that were talked about before the event was like, this is about slavery. And I disagree entirely,” said Self. “The museum is about recognizing our history and recognizing its importance, but also celebrating the resilience and the culture of African Americans and people of the African Diaspora. I hope that we can have Founder’s in more important and also engaging places. I think that it’s more than just a college turn-up in dresses and suits, I think it can be a lot more. We can both enjoy space and respect it at the same time, the two are not mutually exclusive.”

“Fifty years ago, my grandparents couldn’t imagine this being a museum,” he continued, “let alone me being at a college that’s predominantly white, being in a position that I’m in, being able to go to the museum and having this kind of event there.”

“ALL THINGS ARE

With students of color largely in So, what’s next for Solomon Self?

POSSIBLE WHEN charge of this year’s programming, Perhaps a shot at student governYOU DON’T EAT AND Self explains that “it speaks to the ment presidency? An internship on JUST DRINK COLD The Hill? Continued participation in resilience of Black students. A lot has happened—to Black women in American’s Next Top Wonk?

BREWS.” particular—but for us to continue to be in these positions and try to make “In my own personal opinion, vice the changes that we want to see, I president is more important than the think that says a lot about Black students.” president, but that’s my totally unbiased opinion,” Self said. “I think that they do very separate roles. It would “I think this year was very diverse and I’m proud of be more of a horizontal transfer of power than an upthat,” he continues. “If you look at the KPU staff, the ward one if I were to run for president. I felt like I’ve SUB staff, the Women’s Initiative staff, they’re very brought what I can to the [vice president] role, I think diverse staffs, more so than I think they’ve been in that it’s really time to let someone else takeover.” a while. Gabrielle Union, Tarana Burke, people who don’t look like everyone on this campus...the things Self will be a senior next year. He plans to study abroad that they spoke to, everyone could relate to. One thing in Greece in the fall.

I’ve really tried to emphasize is that just because someone doesn’t look like you, they still speak to experienc- “… it just wouldn’t make much sense to kind of keep es that are universal.” going [in student government] when I think I’ve done what I can and I’m proud of what I’ve done.”

While many students celebrated these campus events and welcomed them with open arms, the location of the Founder’s Day Ball, celebrating 125 years since the founding of American University, left many divided.

BY JENNA CALDWELL Students took to social media, others penned essays, and some simply complained to their friends about 9

“Unfiltered. Stubborn. Bubbly. Driven. Passionate. Badass.” These were some of the words 21-year-old Bisah Suh used to describe herself.

Most people know Suh as Student Union Board (SUB) director, responsible for bringing acts to campus like A$AP Ferg, Dulcé Sloan and, most recently, Aminé.

But, what many don’t know is that the Laurel, Maryland-native is also a show manager at Songbyrd Cafe in Adams Morgan and a college marketing representative for SONY Music.

“I love what I do,” said Suh. “I feel like if I wasn’t working at Songbyrd, I would still be looking for music shit to do. All of my jobs are things that I love, so it doesn’t feel like work sometimes.”

Suh is a junior in the School of Communication, majoring in public relations and strategic communication with a minor in business and entertainment. She’s also an RA on East Campus.

“I wake up and I check my email,” Suh says, laughing. “I watch CNN and eat cereal; I’m like an old person.” Her list of accomplishments goes on. Suh is a singer and songwriter and works with All Our Kids, a D.C-based nonprofit that supports local artists.

“We’re all music lovers at heart, so it’s not really about putting on a flashy show. It’s just about putting on a really good show that people enjoy.”

SUB hosted its annual music festival, Amfest, on Saturday, Apr. 3. The event boasted seven musical performances, free food, and jewelry and henna sales. “Caroline” crooner Aminé was the headliner of the evening.

It’s rare that Black students are in positions of power at AU. Suh, along with student government Vice President Solomon Self and Kennedy Political Union (KPU) Director Shyheim Snead, is in charge of much of the programming on campus.

“We’re working our asses off,” Suh said. “I think AU is changing, and particularly with programming, I think students want “THE RIGHT to see themselves in the people that PEOPLE ARE come here to perform.”

IN THE RIGHT POSITIONS, AND WE’RE STUBBORN”

As busy as she may be, Suh still finds time to be a normal student. For her, that means going to parties and watching Netflix.

“I like work though, which is probably weird to a lot of people,” said Suh. “When I think of a fun time, usually it’s going to a concert. But I also have set things. Every Thursday night I go to family dinner, or I try and have brunch on Sundays and wine nights during the week.”

Suh mentioned the relationships and support systems she has built at AU are very important and, just as her work, is a priority.

“I mean, I work with a lot of my friends which is cool.

I love everyone who is on my SUB staff. And Songbyrd is, like, a lot of my friends.”

Suh describes SUB as a family. “Everyone is like-minded and talented; we also put on really dope shows.”

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Whether hosting a huge production like AmFest or a smaller-scale show like Angie Keilhauer, Sun lives for the moments when she is able to bring artists to campus and give them the space to showcase their talents.

Students are not only stepping up into these positions, they’re pushing other students to do the same.

“The right people are in the right positions, and we’re stubborn,” Suh continued. “We we want to bring who we want, and we don’t stop until it’s done.”

Suh is used to focusing on the business side of music, but now she says she wants to get in touch with herself, especially as an artist. She’s currently working on an EP, and hopes to have a project finished by the end of this year. “Even if no one listens to it, it’s still important for me to get in touch with myself creatively,” she said.

When asked what words of wisdom she would give to the next SUB director, Suh said, “SUB will literally take over your whole life, but your staff is there to help you.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help; that goes for life too.”

BY DANIELLE GERMAIN

BISAH

SUH TWENTY. PUBLIC RELATIONS. STUDENT UNION BOARD. LAUREL, MARYLAND, USA.

NEAH GRAY 11

NEAH GRAY

BY MARIAH ESPADA

SHYHEIM

SNEAD

TWENTY-TWO. POLITICAL SCIENCE. KENNEDY POLITICAL UNION. BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, USA. 12

Among the bustling Dav coffee-enthusiasts sits a poised School of Public Affairs senior, with a partlyconsumed small coffee in one hand and satchel in the other.

Just like every other student at American University, Shyheim Snead has just finished one engagement, only to prepare for the next cycle of meetings, classes and obligations.

However, Snead is no normal Eagle. As director of Kennedy Political Union, he’s worked to bring politically relevant and engaging speakers to campus.

Malala Yousafzai. Gabrielle Union. Rep. John Lewis.

Tarana Burke. These are just a few of the high-profile names that Snead has helped bring to AU this year.

“It’s been a wild ride,” said the Bridgeport, Connecticut- native.

After a successful year of leading a twenty-member staff, it comes to no surprise that this trailblazer is nothing but smiles when he reflects on all the strides he and his team have made.

A typical day for Snead begins at 8 a.m. He works part-time in the Kogod School of Business as a peer consultant for building’s Center of Business Communications.

“I have a full-ride through [the Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars scholarship], but as a low-income student, any disposable income I can get to help my family or save money is key to me.”

When he’s not rushing to an important KPU meeting or catching shifts in Kogod, he’s spending one-on-one time with people—grabbing lunch with friends or mentoring other students.

Snead has used his interests and experiences to earn the coveted role of student trustee on AU’s Board of Trustees his sophomore year. After serving in that position for two years, he knew more work had to be done. And, KPU was the place to do it.

“I think we’ve really been able to elevate and bring different kinds of people into KPU programming,” said Snead. “To start the year with Malala was a huge deal.

We were excited to engage over 2,300 students off the bat, many of them new to the campus. It was really exciting.”

Snead and his team also brought actress and author, Gabrielle Union to All American Weekend. Tarana Burke, founder of the “Me Too” movement, was another notable speaker this year.

These events don’t happen overnight, though. While Snead handles his mile-long to-do list with grace, a lot of hard work goes into making these events happen.

“IT’S BEEN A WILD RIDE.”

Of course, Snead is a full-time student first. He is currently working on his capstone about the Obama Administration’s “Promise Zones.” The 2013 initiative partners leaders in high-poverty neighborhoods with the federal government to improve the community.

The “Promise Zones” program also hopes to improve educational opportunities in these areas—an interest that’s been rooted in Snead’s upbringing.

Snead explains that, while the state of Connecticut is generally very wealthy, pockets of deep poverty have affected places like his hometown of Bridgeport. With a broad range of school experiences, from public to private, Snead has developed a deep passion for learning about education and understnading how to improve it.

“Schools today are more segregated than they’ve ever been.” he said. “Education is so personal.”

“Students see the end result, but they often don’t see the months that really go into it,” he said.

As his year comes to a close, Snead reminds us there is still work to be done. He said he hopes KPU will continue to be inclusive and diverse in its staff and in the speakers it invites to campus after he graduates.

As for the future? When asked about what’s next for him, Snead’s smile brightens, a clear indication of his excitement for the next challenge.

With graduation right around the corner, Snead has some exciting plans. He was named a 2017 Truman Scholar and plans to work in the nonprofit sector before heading to graduate school. His long-term goal is to do what he’s most passionate about—education policy. Snead says he wants to figure out how to better bridge gaps between schools and low-income communities.

An infectious smile and bold, yet calm, presence, there is no doubt this is just the start for Shyheim Snead.

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CULT 14

TURE 15

SPRING ‘18 YOU MAKE ME FEEL (JANELLE MONAE)

(MAJID JORDAN)

SKY WALKER (MIGUEL & TRAVIS SCOTT)

GOD’S PLAN (DRAKE)

LOVE LIES (KHALID & NORMANI)

PINNEAPPLE SKIES (MIGUEL)

USED TO

(SABRINA CLAUDIO)

SONG FOR YOU (RHYE)

HONEY DEW (THE LION BABE)

GUCCI FLIP FLOPS (BHAD BABIE, LIL YACHTY)

WALK IT TALK IT (MIGOS & DRAKE)

AFTER THE STORM (KALI UCHIS & TYLER, THE CREATORE) BEST PART

(DANIEL CAESAR & H.E.R.) 16

NICE FOR WHAT (DRAKE)

8 PLAYLIST HAPPY WITHOUT ME

STICKY

(CHLOE X HALLE & JOEY BADA$$)

(RAVYN LENAE)

EVERY KIND OF WAY WHY DON’T YOU (H.E.R.)

BICKENHEAD (CARDI B)

ALL THE STARS (KENDRICK LAMAR & SZA)

ANNA WINTOUR (AZEALIA BANKS)

(CLEO SOL)

SHE BAD (CARDI B & YG)

BACKWOOD THEORY

CALL OUT MY NAME (THE WEEKND)

GET UP 10 (CARDI B)

(CALEz)

OKRA

(TYLER THE CREATOR)

PINEAPPLE

(TY DOLLA $IGN & GUCCI MANE & QUAVO)

PRAY FOR ME

(KENDRICK LAMAR & THE WEEKEND)

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AFRO-LATINX IDENTITY

ODUNSI OLADIMEJ

ALEXIS ARNOLD

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Amara La Negra, breakout singer from the reality TV show, “Love and Hip-Hop: Miami,” looks like the real-life version of a Black Power Barbie. Amara, however, is not African-American. She identifies as Afro-Latina and is from the Dominican Republic. Her name translates literally as, “Amara the Black,” and her signature Afro underscores that. But recent discussions about the colorism she faces as a dark-skinned Latina have shed new light on an old issue.

Colorism is discrimination based on skin tone. The term, coined by writer and activist Alice Walker in 1982, is not a synonym for racism because race is based on several factors—in addition to skin tone.

Colorism typically occurs within racial groups, such as the infamous “Brown Paper Bag Test” that conferred certain privileges onto Black Americans whose skin tone was lighter than or the same shade as a paper bag.

“Afro-Latinx” refers to Latin-American people who are of the African diaspora, meaning they are Black according to their African ancestry. Much like African-Americans, Afro-Latinxs come in many colors.

Some of them, like Amara La Negra, are visibly Black and have dark skin. Others, like actress and basketball wife LaLa Anthony, have lighter skin and straighter hair, but still recognize their African heritage.

Of the recorded 11.2 million enslaved Africans who survived the trip to the Americas, only about 388,000 to 450,000 came to the United States, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. So where did the other Africans go? The answer is Latin America. Brazil, alone, took more than 40 percent of enslaved Africans to work on sugar cane plantations. Considering this history, it is not surprising that many Latinx people have African ancestry. What is unnerving is the obvious anti-Blackness that still exists within these communities.

This very issue blew up in an episode of “Love and Hip Hop: Miami,” in which music producer Young Hollywood told Amara La Negra she should to change her “look” to further her career. He suggested she straighten her hair, braid it or really do anything other than style it in an afro. Amara La Negra asked if her afro was not elegant, and Young Hollywood reluctantly affirmed. Essentially, he wanted Amara La Negra to whiten her look in order to be palatable to the American market.

La Negra was clearly upset, but Young Hollywood further antagonized her by facetiously throwing up a Black power fist. She rejected his “brainwashed mindset” and left the meeting. Young Hollywood suggested in the episode’s recap that Amara La Negra was upset because he wasn’t hitting on her, like other producers might. However, he failed to acknowledge his blatant request to whitewash her image. The idea that lighter and straighter are better, commonly referred to as “colorism,” is not new for Amara La Negra or others with dark skin.

Latin soap operas, or Telenovelas, are among the worst offenders of colorism in Latin media. They relegate Black Latinxs to supporting roles, often portraying servants. Amara La Negra talked about her experience during an interview with “The Breakfast Club.”

She said interviewers at a telenovela audition told her she had a “special look.”

“If we had any parts for a prostitute or maybe a gangster, or if we do a slave soap opera or something we will definitely have you in mind,” they told her.

Even in the news, there are very few anchors who are Afro-Latinx. Ilia Calderón made history in December when she became the first Afro-Latina to anchor the weekday evening news for a major U.S. network.

“Colorism is definitely present in the Latinx community,” Andres De Arco, a junior in the School of International Service, said. “I grew up with a strong understanding [of] and pride [in] being both Black and Latino. But there remains a divide between popular narratives and what actually goes on in Latin American society.”

De Arco, who is of Colombian descent, also said the the media does not accurately or fairly portray Afro-Latinx people. “You would never know that there are over 140 million people of African descent in Latin America from just watching modern media representations of us,” De Arco said. “I believe we are still a long way from seeing Black people in all of our diversity portrayed fairly in the media.”

Yami Payano, a senior and student government president, had similar sentiments.

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“I love Sofia Vergara,” said Payano, “but she does not represent the Latinx community.” Since she has a hard time identifying with white-passing Latinx people, Payano said that singer, Celia Cruz, was the only person she could look up to while growing up. Payano said representation matters for many reasons, but its most important impact is “to normalize that [Afro-Latinos] belong in these spaces.”

As Payano noted, the misconception that all Latinxs are light-skinned, fair-haired and sexy has been sold to us by the media for years. And, this dangerous narrative has global consequences. Payano said she believes it is the reason her mother tells her marry a white man. Doing so would “mejorar la raza,” or “improve the race.” Her mother wants her grandchildren to meet white beauty standards because that’s who she sees as successful.

“That’s who makes it out in life,” said Payano.

Racism in Latin American countries can be linked to slavery, but the history is not taught the same way it is in the U.S. “You hear about when the slavery stopped,” said Payano “but there has not been an in-depth look at what that has meant for us.” As a result, there hasn’t been much conversation about racism’s effects on things like wealth accumulation, power structures and education in Latin American countries like Payano’s home in the Domican Republic.

In Latin America, people don’t usually talk about identity in the context of race or think of themselves as minorities. “We’re all Latino. We’re one,” said Payano.

But, race-related issues persist. Payano stressed that American Afro-Latinos have the power to bring the conversation home, although it isn’t necessarily fair to solely burden them with that task.

“Don’t feel that you have to change who you are or how you look in order to succeed,” Amara La Negra told “The Breakfast Club.”

Is Amara La Negra the Celia Cruz of a new generation?

Only time will tell, but one thing is for sure: Esta negra tiene tumbao.

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ODUNSI OLADIMEJ

Amara La Negra, Payano, De Arco and others may face colorism, but they continue to be proud of their identities.

MEET THE ACABELLAS

STUDENTS OF COLOR LAUNCH NEW A CAPPELLA GROUP DEVONTAE TORRIENTE After noticing the underrepresentation of artists of color in a cappella groups on campus, sophomores Indira Mohabeer and Chelsea Fosu decided to create The AcaBellas, a collective that features musicians of color.

Initially, The AcaBellas was created for women of color, but after men of color expressed interest, Mohabeer and Fosu expanded the organization to also include “AcaFellas.” Ultimately, they want the opportunity to be open to all people of color who love to sing and want to be part of a community.

In addition to its catchy name, the theme of The AcaBellas is floral in nature. “Each member of our group represents an individual flower that, together, represents the bouquet or ensemble that is The AcaBellas,” according to Mohabeer.

Considering its musical inclinations, The AcaBellas is not exclusive to those who study performing arts.

Co-founder Mohabeer is a justice and law major, while Fosu studies broadcast journalism. Tyler Brooks, a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and founding member of AcaFella, was reluctant to join an a cappella organization at first. However, once Mohabeer approached him about joining, it piqued his interest because of its focus on POC. “I’ve always liked singing and enjoyed listening to a cappella, but I never joined a group because I didn’t really feel like I’d found a place in the groups on campus.”

In addition to centering students of color, Mohabeer believes AcaBellas is unique in its leadership structure.

Emphasizing a focus on horizontal leadership, she says, “We want to make our group a community effort, rather than an oligarchic system where the few in charge are in control of everything.” Mohabeer mentioned that while she, Fosu and whomever is chosen to be the music director will facilitate larger discussions, every member will help make decisions, including song choices.

To that end, the primary musical influences of The AcaBellas include Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Michael Jackson and Earth, Wind & Fire. In addition to classic hits form the King of Pop and FatBellyBella, they will perform more modern R&B hits (maybe some SZA and H.E.R.? One can only hope) and each member will weigh in.

While it’s clear that AU needs a group like The AcaBellas, Mohabeer worries there will be mixed reviews from the student body and the preexisting a cappella organizations. “So far, we have gotten a lot of positive feedback, but I fear that some people on campus may feel that we are purposely excluding certain people,” which she clarified is certainly not the case. “The AcaBellas is here to sing and celebrate hidden talents that may go unseen.”

One of the main things the members are looking forward to is collaborating with the existing a cappella ensembles, Dime A Dozen, On A Sensual Note, Pitches Be Trippin’ and Treble in Paradise. As of now, The AcaBellas are in contact with On A Sensual Note, the all-male a cappella troupe, who Mohabeer says “have been nothing but supportive.” Peter Close, the president of On A Sensual Note, said his organization is, “always happy to encourage better representation and to support the AcaBellas in any way in order to help them grow.”

While every student on campus is invited to audition, students of color are specifically encouraged to join.

The AcaBellas is looking for committed individuals who love to sing and want to contribute their talents to a larger community of artists. As of now, the organization is in the process of being recognized by the university and scheduling meeting times.

Be on the lookout for more updates from the group to find out when and how you can audition to join this force to be reckoned with as it joins an already impressive lineup of a capella talent on campus.

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TIM MOSSHOLDER

ARE WE GOING FORWARD OR BACKWARD IN TELEVSION? ZSHEKINAH COLLIER Television has a long history of stereotyping Black actors. If we could take a time machine back to the 1950s, the only Black characters on TV would be simple-minded, poor and lazy “Mammies” or “Uncle Tom’s.”

As TV gained popularity, the misrepresentation of Black people and their lives continued. Most Black characters were violent, submissive, uneducated, angry and promiscuous. Black actors were often cast as criminals, villains, prostitutes, drug addicts or dealers, servants and gangbanggers.

This narrative changed with the rise of Black shows during the 90’s and early 2000’s. Shows like “Living Single,” “A Different World,” “The Fresh Prince of BelAir,” “Girlfriends,” “My Wife and Kids” and many more enforced positive Black images and started to dismantle the negative perceptions of Black people on TV. This point of empowerment sadly came to an end during the mid- to late 2000’s. During this time there were hardly any Black shows or lead characters on the air.

The recent increase of Black shows, writers and directors, however, have introduced a second wave of positive Black television and characters. “Insecure,” “Atlanta,” “Queen Sugar,” “Black Lighting,” “Grownish” and others are glowing with representation and characters that are far from drug addicts and criminals.

Despite the progression of black characters and shows, there are still networks and shows that promote the negative perception of Black people, especially women. All four versions of “Love & Hip Hop,” as well as “Black Ink Crew,” “Bad Girls Club” and similar reality shows constantly depict cast members arguing, fighting and disrespecting each other.

Many of these shows are guilty pleasures that are easy to indulge in because they can be entertaining. But the problem is, they only allow Black characters to be one-dimensional. The characters reinforce old stereotypes, particularly the angry, confrontational and violent ones that prevalied in the early to mid-20th century. Almost every episode of these reality shows end with a fight, fully equipped with flying drinks.

Although many of these scenes are staged or scripted, society often treats it as real. According to a survey conducted by the American Advertising Federation, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. and professors at the University of Missouri, 53 percent of Black women and 37 percent of the white women describe Black women on reality shows as “argumentative.”

Are reality TV shows reversing the work of positive Black shows? Or is it possible for both genres to exist without any negative effects? To the latter question, my answer is yes. Black reality shows should allow the stars to have a variety of emotions and complex identities. In order for Black people to continue to progress in television, then reality TV needs to reflect what is actually real.

“ARE REALITY TV SHOWS REVERSING THE WORK OF POSITIVE BLACK SHOWS?”

23

ESTEBAN LOPEZ

Do you ever hop on Buzzfeed and see articles that promote marijuana use in a positive light? Sometimes, it’s a new (poorly conducted) study that promotes smoking. Other times, it’s a story about some new business that incorporates weed with daily activities—like a “hip, trendy” new THC Yoga class. In light of efforts to legalize marijuana across the country, the way the drug is looked at has changed drastically over the past decade. As more states begin to embrace the legalization of marijuana for both medical and recreational uses, the culture of marijuana is changing as well, and this should be a good thing.

“Should.”

On the surface, new weed laws have decreased arrest and incarceration rates nationwide. But, when this perceived “improvement” is broken down demographically, the disparities are clear. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported Black people are still 3.73more likely to be arrested over marijuana than white people. In some place, like D.C. and Illinois, Black people are 7.5 to 8.5 times more likely to be arrested for having weed.

These numbers resemble stats published before the legalization effort.

Drug policies were so strict that a lot of people—regardless of race—were catching weed charges. But even then, the majority of these arrests were on Black users. It got to a point where if you were Black, you were about four times more likely to get arrested for having something as small as a joint on you. While the arrest rates of white people were basically consistent, the arrest rates of Black people actually were increasing during this pre-legalization period.

4/20.

THERY SANNON 24

In the years since the start of this nationwide push for legalization and change, many states have taken action.

Washington, D.C. in 2014 passed Initiative 71, making legal the personal use of marijuana for anyone over the age of 21. Arrest rates for marijuana lowered by 80 percent. However, local activist groups, such as the D.C. Cannabis Business Association and a group known as DCMJ, have called attention to the heavy police surveillance and racial profiling that Black marijuana users are subjected to in the District.

An important thing to note is that there is no significant difference in the rates at which Black and white people smoke. It’s not like smoking weed is a “Black Thing” or a “White Thing.” Literally, everyone is doing it, and everyone is doing it at almost the same rate. The question still remains, however, why is the use of marijuana by Black folk still perceived so negatively?

Weed use in the U.S. had roots in the Black Jazz community and Hep-Cat culture before making its way into white society. Marijuana was actually legal during the early 1900s, but thanks to a national fear of immigration and integration, plus the Federal Bureau of Narcotics led by Harry Anslinger, it became a criminal offense to possess weed. Anslinger’s Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 actually made it more difficult for Black people to defend themselves and prevent incarceration because it established a high fine (that was beyond affordable for upper-middle class whites). Those who couldn’t pay the fine were arrested.

The history and development of weed legislation has always been interesting because the same weed culture that started out as Black and “taboo” is getting a new, white reawakening. Nowadays, smoking weed has developed into a socially acceptable practice in a predominantly white community. Many of the states to already legalize weed have larger middle-to-upper class white populations than any other demographic, and in heavily urban areas—particularly across the Southeast U.S.—there has yet to even be a push for medicinal marijuana. While this push for legalization has led to many positive changes in the perceptions of marijuana, Black people are still facing bias through the institutions of the U.S. justice system, leading to disproportionate rates of incarceration for black people.

In many states, marijuana legislation has created opportunities for people to make money through dispensaries and other methods of sale. This economic boom has been dubbed “The Green Rush.”

Of all of the new Marijuana businesses popping up, about one percent of them are actually owned by Black people, Buzzfeed News originally reported. While there are initiatives aimed to get more Black people into this market (like the National Minority Business Council), the weed industry is still very white, with many roadblocks in place that keep a lot of people who cannot afford good legal representation from develop-

ing businesses. Not only are Black people being arrested for possession of this legal (in many cases) drug, but they are being prevented from entering a legal market and profiting in the same way that their white peers are. Just imagine a set of Black-owned cannabis businesses; Soul Food restaurants with “pre-meal indulgences,” old school Jazz Clubs and tea shops, and cheaper dispensaries in neighborhoods that can use the medicinal help the most. All of this could be a reality, if humanity were able to put aside its prejudices.

It feels like there is a barrier around weed. In one vein, white people can pass through this barrier and get the most out of weed, be it through use, treatment or sale.

Meanwhile Black people still find themselves on the other side, where smoking weed is still “taboo” and even criminal in the eyes of the law.

Personally, I believe that the way across this barrier is through exposure. As mentioned previously, this barrier does not cause people of one race to smoke more or smoke less, and for the most part, everyone does the same thing. It is honestly just a matter of realizing that we all do the same thing and should be treated the same way.

Granted, it seems like this narrative can be applied to many other topics of discussion in today’s society. I feel like if we could set aside these perceived “differences” we assume about different groups who smoke, we can put this aside and start using our newfound knowledge to help further the overall “Weed Culture,” as opposed to these “Black” and “White” weed subcultures. This can be achieved in a variety of different ways, including providing more opportunities for people of color to enter the weed economy, continued effort in the national legalization push, and by raising awareness of and understanding of the racial disparities in weed-related arrests.

By exposing people of color to this “new age” of marijuana, we can begin to break down the barriers put in place by those before us, and start benefiting from the use and sale of marijuana together, moving forward and working together for a common purpose.

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CAM 26

MPUS 27

SOPHIA HOLLOWAY

JOSHUA KEROBO

PRESIDENT 28

MEN OF EMPOWERMENT & EXCELLENCE CLUB FEATURE

JENNA CALDWELL Remember those first few days of college? Kissing your parents goodbye, watching them drive off, and then suddenly finding yourself lost in a sea of whiteness. Fortunately, Men of Empowerment & Excellence is one of many campus groups that caters to students of color who may not feel at home at AU. Going beyond being another campus club, ME^2 is a life vest for it’s predominantly Black male members, providing them with fellowship, friendship and family. Below is my conversation with Creative Director Ryan Shepard and President Joshua Kerobo: Jenna Caldwell: What is Men of Empowerment &

JC: What was your favorite event that you held this

Josh Kerobo: Men of Empowerment & Excellence

Ryan Shepard: I guess for me, my favorite events

Excellence?

is an organization on AU’s campus dedicated to building community among men of color.

JC: Who started it and how long have you been

around?

JK: Justin Mcelveen, with other Black students had

started it way back in, I feel like in 2007, 2008. So we’ve been around for ten years. This anniversary is something, we need to get the cookout going, it’s darty season.

JC: Who is welcome to club? Is it a boys only club?

Is it only for Black students or is it for all students of color?

JK: It’s for all students of color, just because we’ve had

a lot of Black men come through the group, it’s mostly Black men who join up, it’s just the way communities work. Everyone is welcome. The focus is on men of color, but it’s not men of color exclusive, that way we hope everybody come through [to] our events and enjoy themselves in their own type of way.

JC: But no women?

JK: Not in particular, I feel like they can come at their

own discretion, but they’re not excluded.

year and why?

are just the general body meetings. This semester we meet every Monday at 6 or 7 [p.m.] and we just get together and just talk, those are my favorite events just because we get to relax. I get to hear how everybody’s day is going, and that’s usually when we get a lot of new people.

JK: I do love the general body meetings, as well,

they’re very chill. You know, we just hope that anybody will come through. We basically ask you ‘What’s been good? What’s been not so good?’ I remember we’ve had so many avid discussions about sports to Black Panther to what’s going on on campus, but just doing our part in those meetings to create an inclusive community is what we try to do. But, also, if I had one signature event it was ‘Cutting Edge Conversations’ a discussion on Black masculinity. It’s so important to hold events like that because it’s something we normally don’t talk about here on AU’s campus, but on top of that, you know, who could?

JC: How do your general body meetings go?

JK: We’re just trying to see how people are doing be-

cause we’re focused on building community, but really knowing how people are doing as individuals on this very white campus. When it comes to our general body meetings, sometimes when things happen on campus or there’s more important discussions to be had...

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we’ll go into a more organized discussion with certain questions that we pose for the group of people that attend on a regular basis, engage them mentally and really talk about things they want to talk about, with people that look like them, for a long time.

JC: When it comes to the Black Lives Matter move-

campus, if you had to pitch your club to me, how would you pitch it?

JK: Hey bruh, what’s up man? Look around. I know,

ment and this heightened awareness about police brutality nationwide, do you feel the need to politicize your group or show up to protests?

there’s a lot of white people here, but if you just come through one time and never come back, at least you’ll be able to hang out with people that look like you. So give us a try, come see what’s up.

JK: I’ll say no. At the end of the day we’re just trying

RS: If you want to play 2K, you want to talk about

to be, to exist. But individually, we make a lot of opportunities known to our members, and we as individuals go out and do certain things that would be in line with protests with all the things that have been going on here in America. But when we do go out as a big a big group, I would say we just focus on fellowship. You know, being with one another, we usually go out to Truck-a-Roo, one of the events of the season, and it’s really just fun because we bring a little money, go out, there’s music, there’s a lot of people. [It] is nice that we get a chance to become closer to each other through those sort of experiences.

RS: For me, what drew me to [ME^2] was that bal-

ance of a place. You could just have fellowship, just have balance, where I don’t have to think of other things that are going on in the world that are stressful.

JC: If there’s one event you cold host, and money nor

AUCC were an issue, what event would you hold and why?

RS: So every year we have a summit and we were

throwing around ideas of who would be our keynote speaker. LaVar Ball was brought up.

JK: Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot of laws with the

man, but with that, nobody rides for his sons like he does. And, even if it’s just for a day, no matter how much we have to pay him, we would like to feel like his sons, have someone in our corner who would say anything for us. I thought it’d be cool, but yeah, there’s a lot of problems with it.

RS: I guess for me, one thing I wish we could’ve done

is, every year Yale has their Black Solidarity Conference. I wish we could have taken a group of five to 10 freshmen.

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JC: Let’s say I’m a young, Black, first-year male on

basketball, you want to learn about law school, you want to learn how to plan after graduation, [Me^2] kind of does all of that and it’s with people that look like you and it’s relaxed, you don’t feel there’s any pressure for you to come if you don’t want to come. If you can come one week that’s cool, if you can come every week that’s great too, but we just want to make sure you feel like you’re welcomed on this campus.

JC: What do you hope for the future of ME^2?

JK: That we have consistency in the way that we can

throw an annual or semester[ly] program. Just the way the group is so transient—that people in multiple stages of their college career can come in and usually leave with very short notice—it’s made our group very up-and-down as of late. I think if we could get a consistent group of people going and a consistent set of programming, the more people would see, and we could advertise ME^2 on an even bigger basis.

RS: Nearing graduation, I’ll say two things, one is

concrete things. We talked about moving our summit from the spring to the fall. It would be cool if we could have it during welcome week while freshmen are coming in. Transitioning into alumni...just being able to have that connection between alumni and undergrad students would be cool.

SOPHIA HOLLOWAY

RYAN SHEPARD CREATIVE DIRECTOR 31

WHAT KIND OF W DID YOU ATTEND THE WOMEN’S MARCH?

YES

DO YOU LIVE OFF CAMPUS?

NO

DO YOU FIND YOURSELF RANTING ON FACEBOOK?

NO

DO YOU THINK AUSG SHOULD BE DISBANDED?

YES YES

YES

NO

YES

WAS AU YOUR SAFETY SCHOOL?

NO

YES

ARE YOU FROM THE WEST COAST?

NO

YES

NO

DO YOU HAVE A FAKE ID?

NO

“WOKE” OF THE YEAR

WONK CAT

Who are you? Where did you come from? How did you get here? Can you even name five frat brothers?

You only show up to class when absolutely necessary.

Please, for the love of Burwell, stop asking us to show you our homework. The answer is no.

You’re probably an econ major that exclusively eats at Subway. Extracurricular activies? Never heard of her. You still tweet #KancelItKerwin because you think he’s still president.

You feel physically sick if you haven’t made it to Ultrabar after more than one week. Your finsta is a cry for help.

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You’re an SIS major (and if not, you’re overly critical of SIS majors because you wish you were one). Your Facebook filter changes every week to support whichever cause is trending. You find yourself tweeting #BlackLivesMatter, but were nowhere to be found at the last protest. (After all, you had to catch up on “Grey’s Anatomy”).

You eat at Guapo’s becasue you want to feel cultured, and you love bringing up that time you spent three weeks in Mexico (you never left the resort). You applied to be an Alternative Break leader to Haiti but you can’t place it on a map.

You ignore your professor’s racist remarks in hopes of getting a reccomendation becasue after all, being an ally can get tiring. You pre-gamed Founder’s.

WONK ARE YOU? YES

HAVE YOU BEEN QUOTED ON OVERHEAD AT AU?

NO

DO YOU DRINK COFFEE?

YES

NO NO

DID YOU ATTEND FOUNDER’S?

YES

YES

HAVE YOU HAD 3+ INTERNSHIPS? YES

NO

NO

ERE START H

DO YOU HAVE MEAL SWIPES?

THE BRIDGE-STER

You can be found in The Bridge, drinking your daily Nutella latte because you only care about health when it’s outside a cup. Your roommate is the floor plug (hooking you up with the five-finger discount).

You’ve been procrastinating for six hours because you were watching a compilation of VICE documentaries (also why you skipped class twice last week). You only eat avocado bagels from Megabytes and befriend freshmen so you can use their meal swipes.

You exclusively shop at Bloomingdales, but complained about the 4 percent tuiton increase. You refuse to get an on-campus job becasue, down with capitalism.

You live in the Avalon.

THE EAGLE

You sleep, eat and breathe AU. You probably invited your parents to All-American Weekend and treated them to TDR. The world’s end is the Tenleytown Metro.

You can be found buying clothes from the AU bookstore during the day and alcohol from the Berks at night. You’re probably on your sixth internship, fueling your depleted sense of self-worth. You’re a career politician in the making, probably ran someone’s campaign for AUSG and haven’t slept in five days. The Dav is your home.

You trash talk GW on the “Overheard At AU” Facebook page because they waitlisted you. That’s funny though because you only hook up with GW kids on the weekend.

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ODUNSI OLADIMEJ

THE FUTURE OF THE BLACK COMMUNITY AT AU MIGUEL WILSON As always, when one thinks of the future, it is essential to frame it with the past in mind. The second I was born—with darker skin and hair with a little more volume—I realized I was different.

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This difference, however, has connected me to people who happen to look like me. Today, I’ve obviously matured enough to recognize that the things that make us

similar (and different) stretch far beyond appearance.

Still, at a place like AU, where the majority of students are white, it’s hard not to see race.

For the longest time, or since I can remember at least, I have always been in the minority; the majority of my

my classmates have always had lighter skin than me. It was simply a product of the area in which I grew up.

I survived the early trauma of being asked by white classmates why I didn’t act or talk “Black.” My white teachers asked if I celebrated Kwanzaa.

Being the minority isn’t so bad, though. “Being Black” has a certain way of bringing people together. From the silent nod of acknowledgment we exchange whilst passing each other on the street, to the foods and television shows we all collectively seemed to experience as children. These things are what bring us together.

Just look at “Black Twitter” and you’ll see this theory in practice; people connecting over shared experiences.

Yes, being Black comes with baggage—way more than Southwest would allow me to fly with free of charge.

The history of having dark skin in America is scary.

This nation was built on years and years of manipulation and subjugation. I look to idols like Maya Angelou and James Baldwin, who were able to put this horror on paper and into words. I would see the pain, and my hands—balled up into fists—would begin to shake.

It just seems so unfair. Even today, at American University, the ignorance of some of my peers is palpable at times.

Nonetheless, I think it’s foolish to ignore the progress that has undoubtedly taken place in America. I’m able to sit at the front of the bus, I share a dorm room with a white person, and I sit in lecture halls with people from all over the globe. The pain and anguish that was suffered for me by my ancestors so that I can be where I am today is not lost on me, but I know it isn’t my weight to bear every single day.

The future of being Black at AU is being present and active. I think it is important to not only be vocal on campus matters, but also acknowledge the issus that plague D.C. As people living in the District, we have to be cognizant of the gaps in our community. And, we have to recognize the role we play in gentrification throughout the city. I’ve decided to put a concerted effort in playing a hand in making D.C. better. This means being a positive role model for youth, donating time and money and taking part in protests and other organizing efforts.

bring negativity into this place of higher learning. Any insolent comments made by my peers are met with an inquisitive response. “Why do you feel this way?”

“Who told you this?” “Thank you for your thoughts, but if neither of us are gaining from our dialogue then I’ll move on and use that energy positively somewhere else.”

There have been plenty of disputes I’ve witnessed, both online and face-to-face, that were fueled by negativity on both sides. Neither party came out on top and I don’t think anyone walked away with a better understanding. Clearly, I’m not preaching world peace, but I think fighting only breeds more problems in the long run.

The future of being Black at AU is inclusive. I make an effort to include those around me whenever I can. I should never have to choose between hanging out with my Black or white friends.

The future of being Black at AU is exactly what you make of it. Though there are so many things that connect us, I cannot idly sit by and project the so-called “Black Experience” on all of my peers. Some of us grew up in classrooms where everyone looked the same.

Others didn’t. Where you come from, who raised you, and your own internal compass are what shape you; not this broad, far-reaching “Black Experience”.

The future of being Black at AU is beautiful. Society would love to pit us against each other. I mean, just look at the way the media makes Nicki Minaj and Cardi B look like enemies. I refuse to drink the Kool Aid. The future of being Black at AU is moldable. Each one of us is capable of playing a hand in the direction of race relations at this institution. Be the change you’d like to see, lift up those around you and smile in the face of ignorance. Now, more than ever, is the time for our community to rally around one another. I’m so proud to be at this school, and I’m even prouder to watch those around me strive for bigger and better things. Needless to say, the future of being Black at AU is bright.

The future of being Black at AU is dignified. I refuse to 35

OPIN 36

NION 37

DON’T ARM OUR TEACHERS KIARRA DELOUIS High school shootings are a growing epidemic in America. This year alone, there have been an average of 1.4 shootings each week that have resulted in a death or injury, CNN reported.

In the wake of the school shooting that left 17 dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in Parkland, Florida, the nation has been debating which steps to take to prevent another one from happening again.

One recommendation has been to arm teachers.

President Donald Trump in February tweeted: “Armed Educators (and trusted people who work within a school) love our students and will protect them. Very smart people. Must be firearms adept & have annual training. Should get yearly bonus. Shootings will not happen again - a big & very inexpensive deterrent. Up to States.”

The White House in March promised to help provide “rigorous firearms training” to teachers, the Washington Post reported.

Would someone please let President Trump know that the amount of money the United States would waste arming teachers is money that could be used to hire more guidance counselors at schools, purchase up-todate supplies for students, provide money to underfunded schools, or actually paying teachers what they deserve.

Here are five reasons why arming teachers is not one of the brighter ideas that President Trump has had.

Arming teachers would be expensive The Tampa Bay Times in February reported the Florida House Appropriations Committee government approved a bill that includes a $67 million program to train teachers to carry guns. If it would cost Florida $67 million to arm their teachers, one can only imagine how much it would cost if the same policy was implemented nationwide. It is not worth it to fund such an initiative and impose new taxes to pay for it. New 38

gun control policies would be a better fix.

Training Hopefully Trump isn’t planning on arming teachers without any proper training. There are about 3.2 million teachers in the United States, how does President Trump plan on training all of them? Gun violence is imbedded into the seams of American culture, and many tend to forget that a gun is a weapon and not a toy. Not every teacher in the United States knows how to operate weapons. This is asking for trouble; Mr. Trump should look up the number of accidental deaths that are caused by people who do not know how to use guns, or by guns that mistakenly go off. There were 6,885 between 2006-2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We do not need such mistakes in our schools.

Some teachers are too problematic I can just see the headline now: Teacher Shoots After Threatened By Student. Or, what if a teacher feels threatened and wants to protect other students from a belligerent student? When we look at American school culture, black boys and girls are deemed more aggressive than their white counterparts. Black students are four-times more likely to be suspended than other students, the U.S. Department of Education reported in 2016. Racism is embedded in how students are disciplined. We also have the tendency of forgetting that teachers are human beings too; they are not perfect creatures. How many times have we seen a stressed teacher come out of character because they have been pushed to the edge? Add a gun into the mix and it becomes a situation that has the potential of to become deadly.

Guns would be easy to access If teachers were to have guns, where would they be stored? And, what happens if a student finds the gun and takes it? Or worse, someone gains access to a

classroom and takes the teacher’s gun. These questions don’t have answers yet, and there’s not point in waiting for a tragedy so that we can find them out.

It’s not a teacher’s job to risk their life for students The biggest issue surrounding this conversation is, is it a teacher’s responsibility to risk their lives for their students? The short answer is no. Teachers are overworked and underpaid enough as it is. Even worse, the United States is suffering from a teacher shortage. Who can blame those who do not want to be teachers? Who wants to go into a field where it is your job to mold the minds of the next generation, but get paid next to nothing. And now the job might become even more complicated because, now with this policy looming, risking your life may become a part of the job description. Teachers are still mothers, fathers, daughters, wives and husbands that have lives outside of school.

Arming teachers is one of the least thought-out ideas I have heard in awhile. Are we going to have teachers run into hallways with guns drawn every time something happens? This seems like a lot of work that for a problem that could be solved with stricter Gun control laws.

HEATHER MOUNT 39

MARCH FOR OUR LIVES AMANDA NYANG’ORO On March 24, 2018, the youth re-claimed their power.

All their organizing, planning and strategizing came into fruition as hundreds of thousands of people, from toddlers to seniors, came together to march against gun violence. As we heard the powerful speeches and performances on Saturday, one thing remained clear — the youth has had enough of hearing empty promises from adults who have blatantly compromised their safety for money, time and time again.

The Parkland kids had a clear vision for their demonstration. It was personal, it was heartbreaking and it was real. What we heard that day were more than just speeches, they were desperate pleas from children that have been affected by everyday gun violence. Children that had experienced the deaths of family members, best friends, schoolmates and teachers, all at the hands of people who were able to access guns a lot easier than they should have.

The organizers knew that if they were to fix America’s gun problem, they needed to hear the voices of all of the communities that are affected by this issue everyday—and not just in schools. You could see that the Parkland kids were determined to share their moment and, most importantly, their spotlight with Black and brown kids from cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Just a few days before the march, Stephon Clark, a 22-year-old Black man was shot eight times in the back and killed by two Sacramento police officers in Clark’s grandmother’s backyard. According to reports, the officers who shot Clark said they believed he was pointing a gun at them. However, no weapon was found at the scene, only a cell phone near his body. Why wasn’t his name mentioned at the march?

The next day, demonstrators closed off an interstate protesting this horrible case of gun violence. But this didn’t quite fit into the gun control agenda that the Parkland kids had worked so hard to present to the world.

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Many took to social media to express that something was missing, an aspect of this issue that is much harder to tackle. The Black Lives Matter movement focuses on gun violence perpetrated by the police, but those stories of gun violence were sadly left off the March For Our Lives agenda. Many will understand that the politics revolving around police brutality are tougher to tackle—given that this aspect could threaten the mainstream support that has strengthened the platform the Parkland kids have won.

But whether we want to believe it or not, these issues are connected.

The Parkland kids saw police come to their aid on that tragic day, but this is not a perspective that many communities across America can relate to. Creating an effective and sustainable youth movement cannot be possible unless they incorporate diverse perspectives.

Although the Parkland kids have done a tremendous job so far in building coalitions beyond their suburban bubble, this is only a start. In order to progress, we need to start seeing and understanding the connections between Black Lives Matter and March for Our Lives.

Both of these movements challenge the systematic violence that has manifested itself in different forms in this country. But in order to help the communities that are affected by everyday gun violence, we need to start in the police academy. Addressing the violence perpetrated by police against people of color will have a significant effect on the interactions between the police and their communities. We need to understand that police shootings are part of the gun violence issue in this country. If we do not include that violence in the gun control narrative, then we will end up failing the people who suffer the most.

AMANDA NYANG’ORO

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ROMAN KRAFT

LESS DREAMS, MORE NIGHTMARES

AMERICA’S BROKEN PROBATION AND PAROLE SYSTEM

ARIANNA DUFORD The calls to release 30-year-old Philadelphia rapper, Meek Mill, from prison have reached a fever pitch in his hometown and beyond. The Philadelphia Eagles celebrated their Super Bowl win by dancing to “Dreams and Nightmares” in their locker room. Even in Pyeongchang, where the 2018 Winter Olympics were held, Slovenian snowboarder Tit Stante scrawled the words “Free Meek Mill” on his snowboard. But aside from the hashtags and rap-alongs, Mill’s sentence is indicative of a larger issue plaguing our so-called “justice system.”

Meek Mill, born Robert Rihmeek Williams, was sentenced in 2017 to up to-four years in prison. The crime? Popping wheelies on his dirt bike. Mill was arrested in August and charged with “reckless endangerment,” reported The Philadelphia Inquirer. Mill is just one of the latest victims of America’s unjust probation and parole system. He was first arrested at 18 yearsold on gun charges, and after a brief stint in prison, he agreed to five years on parole. But a series of arrests for alleged parole violations led to him receiving additional time on probation. So, those five years turned into ten. The cycle tragically ends with Mill now serving time in a Pennsylvania state facility.

Probation and parole, though legally not the same, both work to deprive offenders of their peace of mind.

Courts grant probation to those accused of a crime in lieu of a prison sentences, while parole is defined as the conditional release of a prisoner, usually for good behavior. In Pennsylvania, the state with the second highest amount of people on parole or probation, expecting father Giovanni Guzman-Vegas spent months in prison, without bail, for violating his probation, reported The Atlantic. Probation or parole greatly limit a person’s livelihood. Parole provides the cruel illusion of freedom while still restricting the offender’s liberties. At least while they are caged behind the bars of a penitentiary, offenders know they are not free. They know that in the eyes of the law their lives mean less than those who have not fallen victim to the system.

But probation or parole is fundamentally different.

It follows the offender, patiently waiting for them to

commit even the smallest infraction, like riding dirt bikes, so it can send them to prison or worse: Force them to live each day knowing their every move is under scrutinization and surveillance. Now imagine facing this intense pressure for an entire decade. That’s what Mill had to endure.

In 2015, one third of the offenders on probation or parole were African-American, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Naturally, conversations about our justice system are often marred with references to race. To those that question the correlation, take a step back and ask: If Meek Mill was not an African-American gangsta rapper from south Philly, but rather a white bubble-gum pop singer from Boca Raton, would the actions of his past still haunt him to this day?

Mill’s case has drawn the attention of prominent leaders in the Black community, from hip-hop mogul Jay-Z to the civil rights icon Rev. Al Sharpton.

“The sentence handed down by the judge—imposed against the recommendation of the assistant district attorney prosecuting the case and Mill’s probation officer— is unjust and heavy handed,” Jay-Z wrote on Facebook in November. Jay-Z also authored an op-ed for The New York Times on Mill’s case and how the criminal justice system disadvantages African-Americans. Canadian rapper Drake also commented on Mill’s unusually long sentence. On Lil Wayne’s remix of Jay-Z’s song, “Family Feud,” Drake raps, “We gon’ have to break the billi’ curse / I need my paper long like ‘A Milli” verse / Or too long like a sentence from a Philly judge.”

Mill’s new position as a public figure in the movement to reform the criminal justice system is an opportunity to shine a light on its injustices. Aside of his feud with Drake and the jokes about Mill taking “Ls” on Twitter, it is time we recognize that Mill, and others trapped in the viciousness of the criminal justice system, deserve better. They deserve to be treated as human. They deserve more than this harsh façade of freedom.

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SPECIAL TH EVIE AHMAD LACROIX AWAIS

SAID CHRIS AHMED

YOUNG SEHVRINE SIMRET LEZEAU SEMINE SAM BURRISS PAWEL DEVONTAE JANIEK TORRIENTE

BULKAN 44

EVCIMEN

CAMI TALPONE

& OUR

HANKS TO...

READERS

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