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Monday, September 12, 2011. Vol 36 Iss. 3.
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University of Colorado Colorado Springs Weekly Campus Newspaper
A photo rememberance of 9/11 White Privilege
Conference comes to Colorado Springs Julianne Sedillo jsedillo@uccs.edu
This photo illustration by Alex Gradisher represents the devastation which struck our nation on Sept. 11 2001. It also represents those soldiers, who in the face of a horrific attack on the American people, took to arms and served their country. We will never forget those who were lost the day the towers fell and those lost overseas.
The Flobots: More than a bicycle trick Molly Mrazek mmrazek@uccs.edu
This fall, in keeping with their new tradition of having a concert each semester, the Office of Student Activities is hosting locally based but internationally known band, the Flobots. “If you’re not into rock or not into hip-hop, still come check us out. What we do is a whole new animal,” said Jamie Laurie, also known as Jonny 5. Most of the band members have known each other since elementary school and combined their unique musical talents in 2005 to form the Flobots. Jamie Laurie, Stephen Brackett, Mackenzie
In this issue
Gault, Andy Guerrero, ples. Jesse Walker and Kenny Laurie believes that Ortiz have been together the Flobots’ music has a ever since. strong message of peace. Since their inception, “Our job is to encourthe Flobots have gained age people by our music, worldwide attention for and we are encouraged hits such as “Handlebars,” “If it makes all of us “Rise” and most happy, it will make a lot recently, “White Flag Warrior.” of other people happy.” Laurie said that, while their music is hip-hop and rock, by people in our commuthe Flobots’ music also nity,” said Laurie. addresses political issues. Even before they made Mostly, though, “[our] it big, the Flobots were main focus is just to create motivated to give back. In a really good show.” 2007, they started a nonThe people they meet, profit organization based as well as the stories they in Denver called flobots. tell, inspire the Flobots. org. People who come from Laurie said they comoverseas and are in the bine music and activism military are ideal exam- in two ways: volunteering
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at the Denver Children’s Home and encouraging voter registration. At the Denver Children’s Home, the members of the band teach classes in guitar and keyboard. Since 2007, the organization has expanded quite a bit with musicbased programs in the Denver area. Laurie said they enjoy playing in Colorado because of the support they consistently receive from their home state. Still, they have also enjoyed traveling everywhere; while they experienced rowdier crowds in California and enjoyed Florida, they find it hard
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The White Privilege Conference Symposium (WPC) being held on Saturday, Sept. 24 at Colorado College may sound confusing to some. Not to worry, this is not a conference being held to support white power — in fact, it is just the opposite. Oppression and privilege are facts of life that have existed as long as societies have. Fortunately, people today are more aware of it and willing to openly discuss such matters. The WPC is one way that an awareness regarding these difficult topics is brought to surface. The conference is a one-day symposium which aims to “examine and explore intersecting systems of privilege and oppression and promote equity and inclusion,” according to the event flyer. The WPC is being sponsored by the UCCS Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion, a resource on campus that examines various scopes of humanity such as race, class, gender, ability and sexuality. Dr. Abby Ferber, director of the Matrix Center, said that the WPC will “serve the community because so many members of the community have been oppressed in some way.” The conference acknowledges as a tenant that “everyone experiences some sort of privilege,” said Ferber. The WPC “teaches [people] how to become allies for those who are oppressed.” Daryl Miller, the liaison between UCCS and CC for the conference,
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said that this symposium is “intended for any individual regardless of age, occupation and those interested in social justice work to learn more about privilege and oppression and gain practical tools and strategies for addressing issues like racism, sexism and homophobia.” Thousands of people across the country have attended a white privilege conference over the past few years. Last April, it was held in Minneapolis, where 2,300 people attended. The next conference will be held in Albuquerque, NM on March 28-31, 2012. So far, more than 100 people have registered for this one-day symposium with an expected turnout of 600 people. Educators from colleges across the state are planning to attend. According to Ferber, “half the people will be from the community, but people from businesses, non-profit organizations, college students and a high school youth institute will also be coming.” The UCCS Matrix Center and Colorado College have provided 200 scholarships for UCCS and CC students to attend the conference free of charge. It is important for students to attend this conference because “it’s all about expanding what students get out of the classroom,” said Ferber. Similarly, the conference will help students “gain some more insight into the systems that exist that perpetuate oppression,” according to Miller. People may wonder how they can make a difference in their community, and Miller said that
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