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Issue 21, Volume 83
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Courting Texas’ highest office
An adjunct communications professor and openly gay judge represents ‘groups of people who have been marginalized.’ Now he is running for Texas Supreme Court Justice. | PG. 2
SPORTS
OPINION
Bench talent helps Cougars to NCAA
World must repay debt to black women
The Cougar’s sideline players have stepped up since last year, and thanks to them the team has been able to stand as competition in this year’s conference. | PG. 9
As Black History Month comes to a close, assistant opinion editor Bether Biru discusses the important figures that were erased from history. | PG. 12
2 | Wednesday, February 28, 2018
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Dana C. Jones & Drew Jones, EDITORS
FACULTY
Communications lecturer running for Texas Supreme Court
Steven Kirkland's love of the law and desire for balance were both factors in his decision to run for the Texas Supreme Court. | Drew Jones/The Cougar
DREW JONES
CAMPUS EDITOR @DRWSZN
For 27 years, Steven Kirkland has been preparing for this moment — the opportunity to put his skills and expertise to work as a Texas Supreme Court Justice. A Democrat has not won a statewide election in Texas in 24 years. But Kirkland, a communications lecturer at UH, hopes to ride what many predict will be a Democratic wave heading into the 2018 midterm elections. “It’s both daunting and liberating,” Kirkland said. “Daunting because it’s a big state and you have to figure out how to get known in so many areas. Liberating because the Republican priorities are so out of whack, so I can just run against a party.” Kirkland said his identities as a native Texan, openly gay man, lawyer and judge, recovering alcoholic and UH professor have all led him here. The Abilene native said that coming of age in the ‘70s and ‘80s, there were no gay role models for him to look up to. He hid his identity by pouring himself into his studies and books, and in those books he discovered the law. Kirkland said he’s always loved and been intrigued by the law
and the ways it functions in the real world. From early on, he envisioned it as a puzzle to be put together and has continued to admire how it has evolved through time. “The law at its best is a really liberating tool and expression,” Kirkland said. “You can look at law as an art form and use it as a tool of articulating a vision for the world we live in, and you can also look at it as a science because there are objective things that happen that require objective responses.” Teaching was something that started relatively recently in his career after he was asked to be a fill-in for a professor at the University who had been diagnosed with cancer in 2012. Kirkland started out in law as a paralegal for Texaco in the '90s. After leaving the company, he was a legal advocate for residents of East Houston who fought policies that contributed to air pollution. In 2001, he began his judicial career starting as Municipal Judge for the City of Houston for seven years until 2008, when he was elected to the 215th District Court, and served in that position until 2012. After some difficult experiences starting out, he was able to settle in. Kirkland enjoys the challenge and said that the best way to get good at something you have
experience in is to teach it to others. College students are especially adept at keeping him on his toes, he said. When he was in college, Kirkland shielded his identity through alcohol. He said he was an alcoholic by the time he finished at Rice University. Part of his coming out was being honest with himself, which he said wasn’t possible with alcohol in his life, so 35 years ago he went into recovery and came out to the world as his true self. Back in October, Kirkland said he decided to run for the Supreme Court because he saw purely political rulings coming from the bench, but he was hesitant to jump in the race. He knew that his past – DUI arrests and a criminal record – would be dug up again and used against him in the campaign, but he was concerned with fairness and balance. “I don’t think politics belongs in the courthouse, period,” Kirkland said. “I strive to make sure my decisions aren’t politically motivated, and I also make a concerted effort to make sure they don’t appear to be political.” Temple Northup, associate professor and director of the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, said Kirkland is an inventive and creative educator who finds interesting and engaging ways to teach his course. Northup said Kirkland is widely regarded among students and colleagues for his generosity, and he is a valuable member of the Valenti School because of his expertise and passion for teaching. “He’s engaging,” Northup said. “When I read his reviews, I see that his students really think he’s captivating in the classroom.” Public relations senior Colleen Sexton took Kirkland’s Communication Law and Ethics course in fall 2015. She expressed feeling intimidated at first being a non-law student, but as the course went on she began to feel engaged and said she never skipped a class. “I have to say that he’s one of the best professors I’ve had at UH,” Sexton said. “Because he’s definitely a no-nonsense kind of guy.” Her favorite part of the course was the stories that Kirkland would share about his time as a lawyer and a judge. Sexton said the wisdom that Kirkland imparted on his students was
straightforward. Kirkland’s ability to teach nonlawyers aspects of the law and make it interesting for their lives is something she will never forget, she said. Sexton said that Kirkland's identity will be a strength on the state Supreme Court because he’s presenting himself as a full, honest portrait. She doesn’t fault him for the mistakes he’s made in his past because everyone has made mistakes, and he doesn’t attempt to provide a veneer for his actions, she said. “(His stance) is this who I am, this is how I am,” Sexton said. “Take it or leave it; not (his) problem.” Kirkland is a vocal advocate in the fight for LGBT rights, an active proponent of non-discrimination and environmental policies and he is dedicated to fighting partisan gerrymandering in Texas. He said he wants to break up what he sees as an echo chamber on the Supreme Court, which developed after years of the same dominant voices, and add his with other Democrats to provide powerful dissents. He believes in the “one person, one vote” philosophy of representation and said no matter what happens, elections matter. Kirkland plans on continuing as a professor at the University, but said he’ll work out the logistics when the time draws nearer. In his free time, he enjoys riding bikes, hiking, being a foodie and visiting Texas' state parks with his partner. Northup said that it’s already a testament to the University that it seeks out experts like Kirkland, who is currently a sitting judge in the 334th Civil District Court of Harris County, to teach a course with which he’s especially familiar. He said Kirkland’s willingness to speak about what he believes in is emblematic of his leadership, and he is a courageous and outspoken leader who is demonstrating his bravery by running for office, especially in the state of Texas. “He represents a group of people, and he speaks for groups of people who have been marginalized,” Northup said. “There are a lot of people who are social activists who are very interested in his campaign and getting behind him.” features@thedailycougar.com
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NEWS
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BLACK HISTORY
Fifty years ago,UH crowned its first black Homecoming Queen MARIALUISA RINCON
WEB EDITOR
@LUCYRINCONB
10-11208_Cougar News February 2__PRINT.pdf
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Lynn Eusan was crowned as the first black homecoming queen in 1968. | Courtesy of UH Special Collections
Half a century ago this fall, 20-yearold Lynn Eusan was crowned under the bright lights of the Astrodome as the first African-American Homecoming queen in the history of the University of Houston. But even before her big night, Eusan had stood out as a student leader on campus, helping found the school’s chapter of the AfroAmericans for Black Liberation and, the year after her coronation, having a hand in the creation of the African-American Studies program at a university founded on excluding people who looked like her. “She was an incredible leader on this campus,” said kinesiology senior Kayla Williams, president of the Black Student Union. “For lack of a better word, she was a trailblazer.” With her high, polished afro, the San Antonio native stood out in the group of the other, mostly white candidates for the crown on that
humid, typically-Houston night in November 1968. Eusan’s candidacy for the crown and eventual victory were unusual beside the obvious reasons — she was the first Homecoming queen to win without support from any of the white Greek organizations on campus. Despite being in the minority, Eusan was not the only person of color in the running, with advertisements for students to “Go Latin!” appearing in The Cougar before the race. “This was the first time black students on the campus have banded together and really been effective against overwhelming odds,” Eusan told the Houston Chronicle in December 1968. Her coronation marked a turning point in race relations and AfricanAmerican culture at the University, African American Studies Director James Conyers said. “At the same time in American history and culture, she provided
BLACK QUEEN
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Dana C. Jones & Drew Jones, EDITORS
ADMINISTRATION
Advocates say UH sexual harassment training should center survivors One out of 50 slides in Equal Opportunity Services training for male athletes addressed toll on victims
Equal Opportunity Services Office slides gained backlash for focusing on athlete harm and not victims. This is one slide in the presentation, which was used until 2016. | Screenshot taken from DocumentCloud
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CAMPUS EDITOR @DRWSZN
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Recent reporting from the Houston Chronicle shows that between 2013-2016 the University used a presentation for male athletes about sexual harassment and misconduct that emphasized the financial costs and the cost to their characters, rather than centering the experiences of survivors. Some of the the images in the 51 page slideshow depicted women in a provocative manner and showed numerous dollar signs related to the fiscal cost of harassment. A series of question and answer slides featured a man dressed in a suit with a target practice bull's-eye over his face. "(Presentations) certainly encompass the tragic event and the emotional toll that it takes on victims," UH spokesperson Mike Rosen said in an email to the Chronicle. "But there are other issues that we also have a responsibility to address." The University has abandoned the slideshow in favor of a more conversational approach with the program Coogs Get Consent. The program, introduced in 2012, is mandatory for all new students and discusses "healthy relationships, the idea of consent and, if something does happen, where they can go to get help," according to Title IX coordinator Richard Baker said. Victim advocates like Christopher Kaiser, director
of public policy for the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, said that seeing the images on the slides gave him pause. "For someone who's experienced a victimization in a context like that, that can come off as a heavy hit," he said to the Chronicle. Carly Mee, a staff attorney at SurvJustice Inc., told the Chronicle "the focus should be on the harm that it does to survivors." The University was under a probe investigating Title IX violations by the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights from 20152017, which is why the slides were turned over then obtained by the Chronicle of Higher Education. President Renu Khator's office will require faculty and staff to attend a new face-to-face sexual misconduct prevention training that will start in May. The training will feature 45 minute conversations with groups of 50-100 people and will combine with what Khator said is already a "robust" system of online sexual harassment training. "We have aggressively addressed this issue over the years by hiring new personnel, refining our policies and regularly delivering prevention and awareness training within our communities," Khator said in an email to the Chronicle. "But we can, and should, do more." You can read the University's sexual misconduct policy online . news@thedailycougar.com
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BLACK QUEEN
Continued from page 3 an Afrocentric awareness of ethos,” Conyers said in an email. Facing minstrel shows from white fraternities in the weeks leading up to the election, Eusan was supported by the AABL and focused her campaign on uniting students of color, her escort and friend Omawale Luthuli-Allen told the Chronicle. Three months after being crowned, Eusan and 100 other
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black student activists presented then-President Phillip Guthrie Hoffman with 10 demands, including the formation of an African-American studies program and the hiring of more black faculty and teachers. “Lynn Eusan’s legacy marks academic and civic excellence,” Conyers said. “She provided impact on campus as a student and in the greater Houston community, in the way of social activism.” For all the work Eusan put
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into expanding programs and organizations that catered to advancing the presence of AfricanAmerican students on campus, she didn’t live to see UH become the second most diverse university in the nation. On Sept. 10, 1971, Eusan was seen waiting in the rain for a bus just off campus. One month shy of her 23rd birthday, her body was found in the backseat of a car after the 26-year-old driver collided with a police cruiser. The driver was
NEWS
Dana C. Jones & Drew Jones, EDITORS
arrested and charged with her murder. He was acquitted in 1972 and the case remains unsolved. The circumstances surrounding her death, a little more than a year after she graduated with a journalism degree, remain murky. “What happened?” Williams said. “We still don’t know what happened to her and the secrecy behind it.” Despite her premature death, Eusan’s legacy lives on at the University, both physically, as the
namesake of the biggest park on campus, and in the spirit of the organizations and programs she helped found. “Eusan’s impact provided a base of human possibility for African American students on campus, the recruitment of students in the following years to come, and the mark of academic excellence, exhibited unapologetically registered from a Black perspective,” Conyers said. features@thedailycougar.com
Lynn Eusan Park was established on campus in her honor near Cougar Village I. Now, many University and student events are held here throughout the year. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar
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Peter Scamardo, EDITOR
Even after hitting the 20 win mark for the 12th time in school history, a ticket to the NCAA Tournament is still far from a guarantee for the women's basketball team. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Cougars face toughest competition yet at tourney TRENTON WHITING
SENIOR STAFF WRITER @TRENTONWHITING
The women’s basketball team picked up its first 20-win year since the 2010-11 season, going 20-10. However, after losing four of their last five games, the Cougars have gone from being a potential third seed to getting stuck in the fifth seed following their 57-61 loss to the Cincinnati Bearcats Tuesday night. Being the fifth seed means the Cougars are going to be in an uphill battle throughout the American Athletic Conference
Tournament. Had they placed in the top four, they would have received a first round bye into the quarterfinals. Now, they will have to play an extra game and spend more energy to get to the title game. With many strong teams ahead of the Cougars, they have to prepare themselves for the difficulties they will face. “We’re delighted to have the opportunity,” said head coach Ronald Hughey. “Whoever we play, that’s the cards we were dealt, so we’ll be ready to play.” The Cougars will open their
Junior guard Seritha Hawkins scored a team high 26 points in the only matchup against Tulsa this season on Feb. 10. | Kathryn Lenihan/The Cougar
tournament play against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane on Saturday. Tulsa comes in as the No. 12 seed after finishing with a 3-13 conference record, 9-20 overall, but the Cougars cannot underestimate their opponent. Tulsa beat the Cougars in their only matchup this season, a 77-83 loss for the Cougars on Feb. 10 at Tulsa. In that game, the Tulsa guards accounted for 57 points as the Cougars fell behind early and failed to finish a comeback attempt. Sophomore guard Shug Dickson is Tulsa’s leading scorer for the season, with nearly 14 points per game. She put up 29 points against the Cougars. Their second leading scorer, senior guard Erika Wakefield, picked up 20 points against the Cougars. Defending those two should be a key priority for the Cougars, as should getting better production from its cast of players. Sophomore guards Jasmyne Harris and Angela Harris have been the heart of this year’s team, leading the team in points per game
(19.9) and total assists (110), respectively. However, in their lone matchup versus Tulsa, both failed to produce. Angela Harris finished with 26 points and only turned the ball over once, but Tulsa was able to hold Jasmyne Harris to 15 points and only two assists. The Cougars received help from junior guard Serithia Hawkins, who finished with a 14-point, 13 rebound double-double, but it was not enough to complete their comeback attempt. If the Cougars are able to beat Tulsa in the first round, they will go on to play the fourth seed Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. Cincinnati beat the Cougars in their two matchups this season, and in both games, three or more Cincinnati players scored in double digits. The Cougars will have to address this if they meet Cincinnati for a third time this year. The No. 20 ranked USF Bulls and UCF Knights, both 20-win teams, will start the tournament with the second and third seeds, respectively. Because of where the Cougars are seeded, they will not face either team unless
they reach the conference title game. For that to become a reality, the Cougars will have to get past both of the previously mentioned teams and the No. 1 ranked UConn Huskies. At 29-0, UConn has been the No. 1 team all season and has thoroughly handled all the other teams in the AAC, going undefeated for a third straight regular season. They are the favorites to win the tournament and have already defeated the Cougars once in a 35-95 blowout victory on Jan. 13. The Cougars have not beaten any of the teams seeded above them this season and will need to play their best basketball of the season to make an attempt at the American Athletic Conference Championship on Tuesday. The Cougars play the first round against Tulsa Saturday, March 3, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The game will be aired on ESPN3, and tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. sports@thedailycougar.com
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SPORTS
sports@thedailycougar.com
Peter Scamardo, EDITOR
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Analysis: Bench's deep talent pool elevated UH to conference contender ANDRES CHIO
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR @ CHIOANDRES
The men's basketball team is in the midst of its best season in a decade and is contending for the conference title. A big contributor to that success is the depth of talent on the team's bench, which has helped the team through tough games this season and will be even more necessary in Houston's final games and the conference tournament. Players on the bench have taken more responsibility and delivered more point this season.
Time equals money points Last season, the Cougars' starting five played more than 150 minutes combined in nine games and over 125 minutes in another 17 games. Few bench players were used to ease the
burden on those five. This season, the Cougars' starters have gotten more breathers, which has left them more reliable on the court and less prone to injury. The Cougars are 11-2 in games after three or less days of rest this season, while last season they were 7-6 in that situation. Most of those 150-plus minute games resulted in losses, and the team was 3-5 in the following game. The ninth 150-plus minute game was their last game of the season. The bench is making the most of its increased time, scoring 25.8 points a game compared to last year's 17.3 average, while the starters have only scored four less points per game than last season. Their overall playing time has risen by about 9.5 percent per game, about 15 minutes more
than last year, and the points scored has risen similarly by 7.7 percent a game. Players off the bench have led the team in points or rebounds in 13 of Houston's 28 games. The unit as a whole is doing well, but there are specific players that have excelled this season.
Stepping up There are clear differences between top bench producers last year and this season. Looking at a direct comparison, sophomore guard Armoni Brooks' numbers have gone up while senior Wes VanBeck's have gone down, but that doesn't tell the complete story. VanBeck is no longer the first option off the bench at
BASKETBALL BENCH
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Sophomore guard Armoni Brooks has only started three games in two years but has always been a threat from deep. | Richard Fletcher Jr./The Cougar
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Peter Scamardo, EDITOR
SOFTBALL
Triumvirate of pitchers to lead team back to postseason CHRISTOPHER MCGEHEE
STAFF WRITER
@ UHCOOGCHRIS
After a roller coaster of emotions last season, from the highs of exceeding preseason expectations to the lows of falling just short in the conference championship, the softball team returns three pitchers who are ready to go to battle arm-in-arm with each other. Juniors Savannah Heebner and Presley Bell combine with sophomore Trystan Melancon to give the Cougars a powerful triumvirate on the mound. The pitchers were essential in getting the Cougars to the conference title game last season, combining to win 30 games. That experience will be key to going even further this season. In addition to helping their peers develop, they also understand that head coach Kristin Vesely has played a major role in their progress. “She’s helped us calm down,” Bell said. “She’s made us realize that we are going to make mistakes but that it’s not the end of the world, so she’s helped us bounce back from that and learn how to be more resilient on the field.” Coach Ves, as she is affectionately known by the team, is doing everything she can to help her pitchers, as they are using a shorter staff than in years past. After using a fivewoman rotation last year, the Cougars are down to only three this season. Vesely has stated that her goal this season is to get the offense going early in games in order to provide her
BASKETBALL BENCH
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the guard position and has not played as many minutes as last season. Brooks has won the first spot on the bench with his 45 percent three-point shooting — third best in the AAC — and overall level of play. He is a spark for this offense when one of the starting guards is having a rough day. On the road against SMU, Brooks led the team with 23 points off the bench, and he sparked Houston's gamewinning scoring run with a big
pitchers with some relief. For their part, the pitchers have expressed their belief that if they give everything that they have on the mound every night, the fielders will recognize that and in turn give everything they have to help the pitchers out. “I think just focusing on the job that we can control, just giving our team a chance to win every time we’re in the circle,” Bell said. “We can’t really control what goes on behind us, but if we’re giving them a fighting chance we know they’ll step up, so when we play with confidence and they know we’re playing for them, they in turn play for us.” Part of the success of this iteration this season has been the experience they gained from last year. All three pitchers, who threw at least 50 innings last season, saw action in at least 22 games. Heebner led the team in wins, innings pitches and strikeouts last season, and she also led the team in both runs and walks allowed. When asked to articulate the biggest difference from last season to this one, Heebner provided a simple and straightforward response. “I feel like last year we were more of a growing team and still getting used to all the new players because we were still a young team,” Heebner said, “but this year it’s a lot more sophomore, junior, senior oriented, so we’re a little more grown up and we know how we work together as a team.”
Building off past success After authoring resounding
three in the final minutes of the Cincinnati game. Meanwhile, the forward pair of freshman Fabian White Jr. and senior Nura Zanna have been major forces off the bench. White Jr.'s offense is more than double his predecessor, and he has led the team in rebounds in five different games this season and had more than 10 rebounds three times. He has won AAC Rookie of the Week twice this year and will likely be one of the candidates for AAC Rookie of the Year. Zanna has had mixed performances this season, fouling out six times thus
Sophomore starting pitcher Trystan Melancon was thrown into the fire as a freshman, but in her 22 starts she won 12 games, throwing nine completes and two shutouts while recording 93 strikeouts. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar
victories this season against foes Texas Tech and Ole Miss, respectively, Heebner and Melancon have expressed confidence in their abilities to dominate on the mound. Bell, for her part, has improved her ERA in each season she has played. The pitchers have played well this season, with each of them improving their ERA category as compared to last season. While she is still searching for her first recorded win of the season, Bell has already started half as many games as she did last season. As a freshman last season, Melancon was essentially thrown into the fire, pitching the second most innings on the team: 113.1.
She managed to compile 12 wins and almost reached triple digits in strikeouts, all while recording nine complete games. “It gave me a lot more confidence by showing me what level of teams I can compete against,” Melancon said, “and it also showed me that I can pitch that many innings and be consistent.”
A combined effort Often, a team can have multiple players who are all talented but seem to care more about personal statistics than team success. That is not the case for the softball team. For the two who are not pitching on any given night, they say that their voices are the
loudest ones emanating from the dugout, proudly cheering their friend and teammate on. When asked what their personal goals are for this season, the shared interest in team success shined through. These girls do not talk about recording a certain number of strikes. They do not discuss ERA goals. There is no talk of any personal stats. “We want to win conference and make it to [Super Regionals],” Bell said, while her partners on the mound echoed the same sentiment. “We don’t look at who is striking out the most batters. We don’t look at who’s pitching the most innings. We just look at the final score.” sports@thedailycougar.com
far, but has led the team in rebounding twice this season and was key in Houston's win against Cincinnati. Zanna, White Jr. and junior starting forward Breaon Brady have shown that the Houston defense and stay strong with any one of them can be in the game. The Cougars' depth will need to play well with the conference tournament in a little over a week. Houston could end up playing three games in three days, putting the bench's depth to the test once again. sports@thedailycougar.com
Wes VanBeck, second from left, is just one of many from the bench who have helped save the team more than once this year. | Thomas Dwyer/The Cougar
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OPINION
opinion@thedailycougar.com
Anthony Torres, EDITOR
CARTOON
ADMINISTRATION
'What you want to do'
The Rat Race: SGA 2018 Presidential debate
Sexual misconduct training normalized assault, downplayed burden on survivors A slideshow warning of the dangers and repercussions of sexual assault that UH's Equal Opportunity Services office showed to athletes from 20132016 surfaced this week in a report by the Houston Chronicle. Unfortunately, the presentation emphasized and prioritized legal ANUSHEH issues and SIDDIQUE OPINION EDITOR reputation of would-be assailants above the pain inflicted on victims when male athletes do what they "want to do." Slide after slide impresses that the fiscal consequences and damage to character were among the worst repercussions for someone who engages in sexual misconduct. This slideshow left EOS's stance on sexual assault unclear due to the vague wording and distorted prioritization of repercussions. The perturbing usage of the phrase "what you want to do" throughout the PowerPoint suggests that thoughts of sexual assault are normal, but they must be suppressed. This normalization abets the toxic mentality that sexual assault and rape can be chalked up to "boys being boys." Slides from the controversial sexual assault training slideshow by the EOC. The lack of focus on victims of sexual assault epitomizes the hesitancy of survivors to come forward with their stories. The concerns of being kicked off the team, losing scholarships and disappointing your teammates advertised in the PowerPoint, and its lack of sensitivity toward victims, emphasizes that for EOS, the most pressing consequences may be the impact on one's reputation. According to the Chronicle, EOS stopped using PowerPoints altogether in 2016 and started using a more conversational approach to sexual misconduct trainings. Opting for a different strategy is indicative of a shift in mentality, but we still need to have a conversation about this contro-
versial PowerPoint. It was defended by Mike Rosen, a UH spokesperson, and Richard Baker, UH's Title IX coordinator, for attending to the fiscal responsibilities the University has to taxpayers, and for serving as a scare tactic against sexual assault, the Chronicle reported. The reality of rape should be enough to prevent anyone from the act. There should be no need for additional scare tactics. Unfortunately, this is not our reality, but concern and sensitivity to survivors should come far before the fiscal cost of harassment. This absurdity was embodied by 50 slides decorated in dollar signs and legal repercussions and only one centering on the trauma and emotional toll on the victim. This controversial training opens the door to a conversation that needs to be had honestly and vulnerably if we plan to make any progress as a University and a society. People don't need to be discouraged from doing "what they want." Rather, athletes and all students at the University should be pushed to wonder why they would ever want to violate the rights and dignity of another person.
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Opinion Editor Anusheh Siddique is a finance freshman and can be reached at opinion@ thedailycougar.com.
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Michael Slaten, Andres Chio, Bethel Biru, Richard Fletcher Jr., Erin Davis, Maya Dandashi, Brianna Myers
The essence of blackness rests on Black women's shoulders
E
ven if their stories weren't told or transcribed into history books, black women have always been at the front line in the fight for equality. As key elements and essential to our very existence, many of the benefits we reap today were given to us because of the struggles BETHEL BIRU of black ASSISTANT OPINION EDITOR women, known and often unknown. To be a black girl is to be the backbone of humanity, gracefully embracing our obligations to serve as society’s mother, continuously giving birth to life itself in hope of creating better generations for our people. History has taught us that black women are the most neglected but the most needed. From leading the civil rights movement like Coretta Scott King to valiantly fighting to end segregation in schools like Daisy Bates, black women have been keeping the nation alive
by involuntarily bearing its as black people in America is weight on their backs, yet no one rich. The food we eat and the seemed to properly honor them. dances and music we create From a young age, it’s continues to build and shape ingrained into our heads that society. It’s safe to say there we have to be twice as good to would be no America without get half of what everyone else the major contributions of has got. We’re taught to give our black people. all but not to expect anything The very reason the essence in return, and we are constantly of blackness hasn’t ceased reminded to hold our tongues to exist is because of the and become more passive in sacrifices of black women. order to avoid being the angry Our story consists of greatness black girl. woven by the golden touch of Growing up as one of the only our ancestors: the warriors, Eartha Kitt addressed issues facing poor black girls in my school wasn't the queens, the aunties, the children. | Courtesy of Warren K. Leffler, grandmothers. Knocking as bad as it could have been. They just couldn’t seem to grasp Wikimedia Commons down barriers and breaking the culture difference between glass ceilings, black women Africans and black Americans. Johnson to call an impromptu continue to propel us into a Of course there were times when press conference in an attempt future greater than any known I was challenged about my race, to divert attention from her before. being asked "Why don't you act testimony; women like Miriam God bless black women, black?" A couple minutes into Makeba, whose South African and may they continue to conversation and the infamous passport was revoked for thrive. May this world begin and common “you’re not black, denouncing apartheid on the repaying the massive debt black” saying gets thrown in world stage and campaigning it owes to black women by there, often accompanied by overseas for the end of the giving them the recognition a proud smile as if it were the oppressive policy. they deserve. indicative of some untapped Their words set the world Opinion assistant Bethel Biru potential I had. ablaze as they demanded for is a broadcast journalist senior My Ethiopian heritage may their voices to be heard, proving and can be reached at opinion@ have been different from the that just because a black woman thedailycougar.com African American one, but I has strong opinions and is vocal still faced the same racism and about her thoughts doesn’t microaggressions make her angry. It makes her as black Americans. human. I still checked the I’m inspired by women same box — black. like Marsha P. Johnson, who God bless the bravely spoke out against women who refused the harassment of LGBTQ to bend under people in New York and Ruby pressure and broke Bridges, who was just six free from the chains and set America aflame by of obligation. God being the first black child to bless women like racially integrate an all-white Fannie Lou Hamer, elementary school in the South. whose passionate I’m inspired by all black depiction of her mothers, who nurture and own suffering due raise children in a world that to racism was so shoots them down for wearing a Corette Scott King spoke on racial issues at the moving it brought hoodie or sitting alone in a park | Democratic National Convention. Courtesy of Ruby Bridges escorted out of school. | President Lyndon holding a toy gun.Our history Warren K. Leffler, Wikimedia Commons Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
STAFF EDITORIAL The Staff Editorial reflects the opinions of The Cougar Editorial Board. All other opinions, commentaries and cartoons reflect only the opinion of the writer. Opinions expressed in The Cougar do not necessarily reflect those of the University of Houston or its students as a whole.
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