The official student newspaper of Alabama State University
The Hornet Tribune “WE NEED A FREE PRESS. WE MUST HAVE IT. IT’S VITAL.” “The New York Times of Alabama State University”
VOLUME 57, ISSUE 1
JULY 10, 2018
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Student Government Association President Jaylon Pickett envisions a student government that truly serves the students. His administration prepared a strategic plan with seven new initiatives.
Pickett releases administration’s strategic plan
SGA president wants to raise the standards of students through eight initiatives and overcoming 10 challenges BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
“SGA (Student Government Association) is about business this year, and that is why we designed a strategic plan,” said Student Government Association President Jaylon Pierre Pickett. “We put the plan in writing to show the student body the vision of what we are trying
to do, so that we can get students to believe in it.” Using the slogan, “Governmental Excellence Without Any Excuses” Pickett, along with his executive officers, went public with the strategic plan last month for the upcoming academic year. The plan presents seven presidential initiatives and 10 challenges that his administration will address. One of those challenges
that he feels his administration must deal with is the issue of the inconsistent Wi-Fi. Given the widespread and increased use of technology on the campus, Pickett has spoken with Alabama State University President Quinton Ross Jr., Ed.D, about how to ensure that Wi-Fi connectivity is more efficient and effective across ASU’s campus. Pickett said that Ross has partnered with Montgomery
Internet Exchange to increase the pipeline from three gigabytes to 10, which should allow more students to connect to WiFi. Known as the “People’s Champ,” Pickett identified students having enough financial aid as a major challenge. He said as more students speak to him about their issues of finding money to remain in school, he connected the lack of financial aid to the
decline in enrollment. However, Pickett says that he has a plan to assist with this problem. “This year Miss Alabama State University and SGA will set up the Second Chance Foundation,” he said. The Second Chance Foundation is designed to help students who have no other financial alternative and they find themselves about to be purged from classes, but want
to remain in school. “I’ve been talking to the ASU Foundation about setting up an account for these students and our strategy is to reach out to our alumni, students and staff to donate to this cause.” The senior marketing major also believes that students often leave the university because they feel frustrated See RELEASES on page 4
Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy will officially retire July 31
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Nefsa’Hyatt Brown, the new interim executive editor of The Hornet Tribune, plans to publish an online digital edition by October.
New interim executive editor talks about new vision and plans for the campus newspaper BY SHARANNA BROWN Contributing Writer Special to the Tribune
Nefsa’Hyatt Brown is infectious. She has an ever present smile and a smirk when she’s being snarky. She is consistent, quick on her feet, a critical thinker and now she is a sophomore international relations major who will serve as the interim executive editor of The Hornet Tribune until she is named as the executive editor for the 2018-19 year.
While she expects challenges, her foremost vision is “to print consistently, increase visibility and connect with the surrounding community.” She hopes that the campus newspaper will “act as a beacon of truth in this age of fake news.” When Brown entered as a freshman in the Fall of 2017, she was “immediately drawn” to The Hornet Tribune, which in past years, garnered several top collegiate journalism awards and
CAMPUS NEWS p.2
competed in numerous campus newspaper competitions. “This air of prestige and seriousness drew me in because I wanted to know if I had what it takes to be a news reporter for “thee” Hornet Tribune.” The Tribune has not entered collegiate competitions in recent years “due to a tremendous lack of funding, which has resulted in inconsistencies in printing and student staffing,” said General Manager Kenneth Dean.
(AP)WASHINGTON — Justice Anthony M. Kennedy announced that he would retire this summer, setting in motion a furious fight over the future of the Supreme Court and giving President Donald Trump the chance to put a conservative stamp on the American legal system for generations. Justice Kennedy, 81, has been a critical swing vote on the sharply polarized court for nearly three decades as he embraced liberal views on gay rights, abortion and the death penalty but helped conservatives trim voting rights, block gun control measures and unleash campaign spending by corporations.
Justice Anthony Kennedy
His replacement by a conservative justice — something Mr. Trump has vowed to his supporters — could imperil a variety of landmark Supreme Court precedents on See RETIRES on page 4
While it has been difficult to draw committed students to The Hornet Tribune, Brown believes she can change that and is already off to a great start. “Currently, I have one staff member, Aliyah Sellars. Although she is not a reporter, she is vital to the staff; she writes the questions for my interviews, sets up times for them, and gets me the contact information I See TALKS on page 6
HORIZONS p.5
VIEWPOINTS p.7
UNIVERSITY NEWS
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July 10, 2018
The Hornet Tribune Alabama State University 915 South Jackson Street Montgomery, Alabama 36104 (334) 229-4273 www.hornettribune.com
EDITORIAL
Interim Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Copy Desk Chief Copy Editor Recruitment Editor Special Assignment Editor General Assignment Editor
Nefsa’Hyatt Brown Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant
University Beat Mgr. Vacant
Campus News Editor Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Vacant Viewpoints Editor Vacant Columnist Vacant Columnist Vacant Hornet Living Editor Vacant Lifestyles Reporter Vacant Lifestyles Reporter Vacant Sports Editor Vacant Sports Reporter Vacant Sports Reporter Vacant Arts and Enter Editor Vacant A & E Reporter Vacant A & E Reporter Vacant
Campus News Reporter Campus News Reporter Campus News Reporter Campus News Reporter Campus News Reporter
VISUAL MEDIA
Visual Media Editor Chief Photographer Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Staff Photographer Staff Photographer
Vacant David Evans Keldrick Johnson Vacant Vacant Vacant
PRESENTATION AND DESIGN
Presentation and Design Editor Vacant Page Designer Vacant Page Designer Vacant
MEDIA ADVERTISING Media Advertising Chief Vacant Sales Representative Vacant Sales Representative Vacant
DIGITAL AND INTERACTIVE COMMUNICATIONS Digital and Interactive Media Director Vacant Social Media Manager Vacant Website Content Manager Vacant
UNIVERSITY General Manager Kenneth Dean, J.D. Staff Adviser Vacant Editorial Consultant Vacant
GENERAL POLICIES
The Hornet Tribune is written, edited and published by members of the student body at Alabama State University. All articles, photographs, and graphics are property of The Hornet Tribune and its contents may not be reproduced or republished without written permission from the general manager. The Hornet Tribune is published once-weekly (Tuesday) with a run count of 5,000 copies per issue during the Alabama State University campus fall, spring semesters. The paper is free to the students, staff, faculty, and the general public every Tuesday morning on the ASU campus. The Hornet Tribune student offices are open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday-Friday. The offices are located on the second floor of the John Garrick Hardy Center. The Hornet Tribune is the official student newspaper of the Alabama State University community located in Montgomery, Ala. Articles, features, opinions, speak out and editorials do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the administration and its policies. Signed articles, feedback, commentaries, and features do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, staff, or student body. The Hornet Tribune is a 12- or 16 page newspaper produced by The Hornet Tribune staff. The entire student body, the primary audience of readers, receives the newspaper free of charge to encourage readership and to ensure the showcasing of our journalistic work. Our secondary audience includes faculty, local community and other collegiate newspaper staffs throughout the country. The newspaper attempts to inform and entertain its audience in a broad, fair and accurate manner on all subjects that affect readers. The medium seeks also to provide a forum for the opinions of the students, the staff of The Hornet Tribune and the faculty to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions on issues of prominence to the readers. While the staff will allow constructive criticism of any part of The Hornet Tribune after publication, final authority for content of The Hornet Tribune rests solely in the hands of the staff, with the chief editor making the final decision.
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Rolundus Rice, Ph.D exchanges thoughts with students who are relaxing in the food court.
Rice named AVP of Student Affairs BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
One of Alabama State University’s native sons, Rolundus Rice, Ph.D, rejoined the Alabama State University family as the assistant vice president of Student Affairs, where he will supervise the Offices of Financial Aid, Judicial Affairs, Academic Advisement, Records and Registration, Academic Center for Educational Success, Academic Labs, and Housing and Residential Life. Rice, who is a history professor by training, began his career as the dean of humanities at Talladega College. After a short stint at Talladega, commuting two hours a day from Atlanta, Rice made his way to Lincoln University as the assistant provost for Academic Affairs and the Graduate School. He returned to his alma mater to serve as the “right
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs Rolundus Rice, PhD, credits the university for his professional accomplishments.
hand man” to Vice President of Student Affairs Davida Haywood, Ph.D. “My story is very unique. I dropped out of high school,” Rice said explaining the hardships he endured before making his way onto the campus of Alabama State University as a graduate student in 2006. While he was a student at ASU, he worked for the Na-
tional Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African American Culture. Those experiences gave him, what he refers to, as the “cultural substance” that he needed to understand and work for his (black) people. After graduating with a graduate degree in history in 2010, Rice went on to Auburn University to become
the second African American to graduate with a Ph.D in history. His mentor, Associate Professor Bertis English, Ph.D, whom he met at ASU, was the first. “I understand any time you have an environment where you are training young black minds to be successful, significant, and competitive, you are always going to have outside forces that try to limit your reach and your scope,” Rice said. “Any environment where you are giving an oppressed people the tools to compete with the majority population, you are always going to have some resistance.” Despite the various universities attended or graduated, Rice always credits his success to Alabama State University. Rice said as a black man, when he arrived at Alabama See NAMED on page 4
Camp 3T and TAPS attract hundreds of students BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
Alabama State University community outreach is highly visible as two of its programs for youth enter their 26th and 27th year with unprecedented numbers. TAPS (Theater Artists Performing School) which is a two-week summer program for ages six through 12 currently has 150 students, while Camp 3T (Teaching through Theater) is for ages 13 through 18 and has 160 students. Unlike TAPS, 3T is a more intensive program as the students are given the true collegiate experience by residing on campus for the two week duration of the program. “I love to see the growth; where they’ve come from; and how they have improved,” said Guenada Lam-
PHOTO BY DAVID CAMPBELL/UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
The participants of TAPS (Theater Artists Performing School) are pictured during their finale which features each of the TAP stars.
bert, the director of Camp 3T. “What they will do to make sure that they get what they need to be great. They don’t mind asking questions. We tell them all the time to come with an empty cup so we can feed into it, so we can nurture you.” Both summer programs were created in 1992 and 1993 under the direction of the College of Visual and
Performing Arts Dean Tommie Stewart, PhD. “We receive a lot of children who are very shy, and for many of those children, this is their first time, but the parents have heard so much about the program and what it has done for other children,” Lambert said, referring to the growth the students who participate in the program. “And just by
hearing the parents say that this experience has motivated them to do better in school; they become student leaders, their test scores go up, their grades go up, they become more active in extracurricular activities because parents use this as an initiative.” Given the longevity of these programs, Lambert praised the staff’s commitment to ensuring that each student receives everything that they need. “They know their craft and they are not afraid to step out of their comfort zones to teach,” Lambert said. Outside of the staff, she credits the success of the program to both the script and the vision of Stewart. As each program is required to conduct a final performance at the end of the two week period each script attempts See ATTRACTS on page 4
CAMPUS NEWS BRIEFS
Senior staffer to speak at NCAA Conference As the associate athletic director for academics at Alabama State University, Ron Brown, Ed.D, has a nationwide reputation for his acumen and expertise in myriad athletic-related topics. It is that reputation which was the
catalyst for his invitation to speak before the venerable National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) Accelerating Academic Success Program (AASP) Conference that is being held in Orlando, Florida on July 24-25.
Brown said it is important to pass on the knowledge that he has obtained over a lifetime in collegiate athletics so that similar programs may do better. “I am always excited to share from the experiences
I have had in higher education,” Brown said. “It is an honor to be recognized by one’s peers as someone with something relevant to contribute to the field and work that we do.”
Hornet Nation is buzzing with excitement in anticipation of the 2018 Labor Day Classic Concert. The concert will be headlined by 90’s Rhythm and Blues group Bell Biv Devoe and includes Guy and Juvenile. Another artist has just been added, hip-hop legends 8 Ball & MJG. The concert will be Aug. 31 in the Dunn-Oliver
Acadome. Showtime is 8 p.m. The concert is one of a series of events that will be held during Labor Day Classic Week, including the celebration of President Quinton T. Ross’s formal installation, as well as the 2018 Labor Day Classic football game that pits the Alabama State University Hornets against the Tuskegee University
Golden Tigers. Tickets are on sale now. Concert prices are $40 (general admission), $65 and $85 (reserved) and $150 (VIP). Other events include the First Family Luncheon, on Sunday, Aug. 26; SGA President’s Inauguration, Monday, Aug. 27; President’s Business and Community Reception, Tuesday, Aug. 28; Interfaith Assembly, HBCU
Symposium and HBCU Experience, Wednesday, Aug. 29; Inauguration of President Quinton Ross Jr. and the Inaugural Balls of both the SGA President and the university President on Thursday, Aug. 30; 50 under 50 Awards Celebration, Bama State Pep Rally, Mighty Marching Hornets Reunion and Paver Installation on Friday, Aug. 31.
Hip Hop legends added to Labor Day Classic Concert
UNIVERSITY NEWS
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July 10, 2018
UPAAB prepares for new academic year BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
The University Programs and Activities Board of Alabama State University, affectionately known by students around campus as “UPAAB,” is the student organization responsible for providing many of the programs, events and activities that students enjoy during the year, and according to Executive President QuaShaun Wright, students can expect to receive “the ultimate student experience.” “UPAAB is one of the most essential parts of campus life,” said Wright, a junior political science major from Cinnaminson, N.J. “We are responsible for executing many of the activities, programs and events that occur on the campus this year and we want them to be professional, while enjoyable.” Wright said that his vision is “to help the student body understand the role UPAAB plays in their student life” by implementing strategies that “not only educate the student body as to the role of UPAAB, but provide numerous opportunities for student input.” Understanding his responsibility for the growth and development of the organization, Wright is planning to build upon the foundation laid by his predecessor, David King, Jr., who served as the first executive president.
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Executive President QuaShaun Wright, a junior political science major, will lead the University Programs and Activities Board.
According to Wright, he will be assisted by an executive board consisting of eight executive vice presidents, an executive assistant and a number of directors and assistant directors that will supervise specific areas of programming and activities. “I expect nothing more from my team, but for them to work to their fullest potential to provide the ultimate student experience for ASU’s student body,” Wright said. “This is something that with-
out a doubt I know that they will do.” Within UPAAB’s strategic plan, Wright announced several of his presidential initiatives that he wants to occur this year along with the regular programming. Some of those initiatives include a Commencement Ball, a Best Man on Campus Competition, The Big Event, a High School Leadership Conference, the Hornet Food Truck Festival and October Awareness Month.
The Commencement Ball, as explained by Wright acts as an opportunity to provide the seniors a time to kick back and reflect on their time at ASU in an elegant environment to celebrate their accomplishments. Noticing the increasing number of pageants for women on the campus, UPAAB’s Best Man on Campus Competition is designed to place a positive light on the men of the campus. The High School Leadership Conference is a way to connect the “best and brightest” high school student leaders with ASU through leadership training and workshops. “In recent years the NFL has strayed away from focusing just on breast cancer and taken a holistic approach in spreading awareness regarding several diseases, and I would like for UPAAB to follow in that same direction,” Wright said. He continued, commenting on why he has taken this position regarding the month of October. “On a personal note, I lost my father to sickle cell anemia in 2009, so this month will be very important to me in regards to affliction awareness on campus,” Wright said. “This initiative was created to acknowledge and educate the student body on the afflictions that commonly plague the black community. See PREPARES on page 5
Westry implements peer mentoring program BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN pus, beginning with its summer session. Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com Beginning with 24 mentors, who are classified as “My Hornets Keeper Peer sophomores and above, and Mentoring Program’s pur- 96 mentees, who have just pose is to help students who graduated high school, Wesare conditionally admitted, try is beginning her efforts meaning that they did not to make mentorship campusmeet the standard academic wide. This summer, students requirement, but they are giv- are taking three courses, two en the opportunity to come to of which are developmental school and prove themselves courses that are meant to prefor the summer semester,” pare them for college level said Ronda Westry Ph.D, di- courses. rector of the Academic CenThe students’ courses and ter for Educational Success. mentees are based off their “They must receive a 2.0 academic challenges exemgrade point average or they plified in their SAT/ACT will not be invited back to en- scores and high school grade roll for the fall semester.” point averages in one of the My Hornets Keeper, a following areas: reading, peer mentoring program math, and English. The mentors are chosen spearheaded by Westry, is making its way across cam- by major, meaning that any
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS.CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Ronda Westry, Ph.D, director of the Academic Center for Educational Success, takes a minute from her many duties to ensure that the My Hornets Keeper Peer Mentoring Program runs well.
mentors majoring in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) or the College of Business Administration (COBA) are paired with students whose academic challenges fall within
the math cohort. Education majors are paired with those who have a deficiency in reading and those in the College of Liberal Arts and SoSee IMPLEMENTS on page 6
FILE PHOTO
Ellis won first-place at a competition that was held in conjunction with the 2018 NATS National Conference, which took place June 22-26. She is the FIRST ASU vocal student to advance to the national level.
Vocal major captures first place in national singing competition BY HAZEL SCOTT Contributing Writer hscott@alasu.edu
What happens in Las Vegas, doesn’t necessarily always stay in Las Vegas especially if it concerns being judged as the best in your field nationwide. If you’re in doubt about this, just ask Alabama State University vocal major Kourtney Ellis, who won first-place at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ellis won first-place at a competition that was held in conjunction with the 2018 NATS National Conference, which took place June 2226. She is a mezzo-soprano, and is the first ASU vocal student to advance to the national level. “I’m blessed to have the opportunity to represent Alabama State in this competition,” Ellis said. “I’m glad the judges were able to see my hard work through music because the competition was tough and extremely talented.” Ellis’ winning solo was titled “Hell No” from the musical “The Color Purple.” Dr. Kristofer Sanchack, director of ASU Choral Ac-
tivities, accompanied her during the competition. Tyrone Hayes, Ellis’s voice instructor, vocal coach and mentor, said Ellis is a ‘pleasure to teach.’ “She works hard and does her best in every endeavor,” Hayes said. “Kourtney represented Alabama State very well in such a tough competition. I am excited for her and her future. We are thankful for the support from the university with travel for this trip. It definitely would not have been possible without it.” Ellis was one of six ASU vocalists advancing to the regional competition in March. At regionals, she competed with other top artists from around the country. Five singers from each regional category advanced to a national online screening round where entrants submitted a video of their performances for adjudication by a panel of national judges. Fourteen singers, from each of the 14 categories, advanced to the semifinal round where three singers from each category were selected to compete in the final round. Ellis’s was awarded a tie of first-place in Category-Nine, Upper Musical Theater Women.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
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July 10, 2018
Hornets express mixed feelings regarding the immigration issue BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
As a matter of policy, the U.S. Government is separating families who seek asylum in the U.S. by crossing the border illegally. Dozens of parents are separated from their children each day — the children labeled “unaccompanied minors” and sent to government custody or foster care, the parents labeled criminals and sent to jail. Between October 1, 2017 and May 31, 2018, at least 2,700 children have been split from their parents. 1,995 of them were separated over
the last six weeks of that window — April 18 to May 31 — indicating that at present, an average of 45 children are being taken from their parents each day. To many critics of the Trump administration, family separation is an unpardonable atrocity. Articles depict children crying themselves to sleep because they don’t know where their parents are; one Honduran man killed himself in a detention cell after his child was taken from him. Alabama State University students weighed in on their feelings regarding the issue. “There’s a reason behind this. Despite the fact
that these people came here illegally, there is no reason to separate them from their children,” said junior marketing major Larry Brown who believes that this detainment of children is being used to distract the population from something else. “It’s not a good reason but it’s a reason. The separation will have a negative impact on these kids for the rest of their lives but the government doesn’t broadcast that.” Due to President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, the parents of these children are being labeled as criminals and sent to jail leaving their children behind. A sophomore account-
ing major Abraham Adesipe from Houston expressed his opinion about the situation. “If you get caught coming across the border illegally, they can do whatever they want because you are not supposed to be here,” Adesipe said. “These people did not use the legal process to come to America. I don’t see the purpose of taking them and separating them from their families, they could just send them back to their countries.” Other students, agreed that the outrage over the separation of families at the border is being used as a distraction. “I feel like they are us-
Brown-Pellum encourages audience to reclaim the history of all HBCUs BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
The University Programs and Activities Board (UPAAB) hosted the first Thomas C. Steward Distinguished Lecture Series for the 2018-19 academic year in Ballroom A of the John Garrick Hardy Center on June 4 at 4 p.m. featuring Kimberly Brown-Pellum, PhD, an assistant professor in the graduate school of Texas Southern University and a former history professor at Alabama State University. As an HBCU (historically black college a university) graduate herself, BrownPellum spoke about the importance of reclaiming the history of HBCUs in the face of white supremacy to which she responded, “don’t use valuable time asking dumb questions.” Brown-Pellum used many examples of how the history of HBCUs has been overshadowed within history books. “The Greensboro sit-ins which should have really been called the North Carolina A&T student sit-ins, the Montgomery Bus Boycott should have been called the Alabama State University
PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Professor of history Kimberly Brown-Pellum, PhD, expresses the ‘why’s and how’s’ of HBCUs and how they survived despite the fact they have been underfunded by state governments for years.
Bus Boycott,” Brown-Pellum said. Known for her distinct style of teaching, it was no surprise that a number of her former students and fans sat in the crowd. Among those audience members, was Rep. John Knight, a local public servant who is most famously known for his role in the Knight v. State of Alabama court case, which BrownPellum referred to as “a case of reparations.” Upon request by Brown-
Pellum, Knight stood and briefly explained the importance of the Knight v. State of Alabama case for the audience. He began by stating that the case lasted for 20 years and was essentially about how the dual system of higher education in Alabama was unfair to HBCUs. The branch campuses of larger predominantly white universities (PWIs), were acting in direct competition with its surrounding HBCUs. As a result of Knight v. State of Ala-
bama, these branches were no longer able to create new programs allowing universities such as Alabama State and Alabama A&M to expand its current offerings. “We were given the opportunity of a lifetime and it’s up to us,” Knight said defining the importance of the lawsuit. “All we are missing is the willpower, from faculty, students, etc. There are people on campus who really See ENCOURAGES on page 6
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caught crossing the border illegally is prosecuted and treated as an criminal for breaking the law, the students were concerned about his lack of compassion for the people seeking refuge. “My biggest concern is him not having a heart,” said Eddie Todd, sophomore mechanical engineering major from Montgomery, Ala. “But, I am not surprised. We knew his views on immigration prior to this election. It is just sad for the most part.” “He doesn’t understand, he comes from money,” said Stanley Saint, senior computer science major from Nigeria. “It does not make sense, like majority of the policies he proposed earlier in his term such as ‘building the wall.’ He thinks it is the time of Jesus. I can’t wait for him to leave office.”
Retire: “Please permit me by this letter to express my profound ...” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Releases: “There is a difference between leading by example and leading ...” due to a lack of organization and poor customer service. He says his administration will focus on those two challenges. “A lot of students leave this university because of customer service and disorganization,” Pickett said. “We want to hold conflict resolution forums, where anyone who has a conflict with the administrative staff can complete a Government Incident Form to get their complaints officially recorded and addressed.” He said that these forums will be conducted in a way that accountability will be shared equally between students and staff. Another area that Pickett said that his administration will address is the Freshman Orientation course. He believes that the course should be changed from one hour to two hours and that more emphasis should be placed on the university’s history and traditions. “I’ve been meeting with the University College dean and various teachers in the Freshman Orientation Division to add an hour to the couse so that more emphasis can be placed on university traditions and history,” Pickett said. “We believe that this is the answer to our lack of school spirit and pride. We want to revamp the course and make it more meaningful to our students.” Pickett also believes that his authenticity will help him to become a better president and serve the students better. “There is a difference between leading by example and leading a group of people
ing these children to set up a little army of sorts. In African countries, they do this same thing, take children from their families, kill their parents and train these children in guerrilla warfare. Overall, it is inhumane. I really feel like it’s a coverup,” said sophomore early education major from Mobile, Emmit Sykes Jr. Agreeing with Sykes, sophomore English education major Joshua Wilkinson said, “He’s [President Trump] is all about improving the military so it wouldn’t surprise me if this was happening. This is Trump, he is unpredictable. White people would not ever be in this situation, if the roles were reversed.” As the separation of children from their parents is apart of the Trump administration’s zero tolerance police, which states that anyone
social issues where Justice Kennedy frequently sided with his liberal colleagues, particularly on abortion. Trump and his Republican allies have hoped for months that Justice Kennedy might retire, clearing a way for a new, more conservative jurist before Democrats had an opportunity to capture the Senate and block future Republican nominees. In contrast to his frequent criticisms of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., a generally reliable conservative, Trump has frequently heaped praise on Justice Kennedy and even has suggested that he might nominate one of his former clerks to the bench — subtle nudges the president hoped would make Justice Kennedy more comfortable with the idea of stepping down. Justice Kennedy’s departure could leave Chief Justice Roberts, who was appointed by George W. Bush, as the decisive vote on a court whose other justices may soon include four committed liberals and four equally committed conservatives. Justice Kennedy handdelivered a short letter of resignation to Trump on
Wednesday afternoon, shortly after a half-hour meeting at the White House, where the president called him a jurist with “tremendous vision and tremendous heart.” “Please permit me by this letter to express my profound gratitude for having had the privilege to seek in each case how best to know, interpret and defend the Constitution and the laws that must always conform to its mandates and promises,” Justice Kennedy wrote to Trump. The president called Justice Kennedy a “special guy” and a “star” during a Wednesday night rally in Fargo, N.D., and said that he would find a replacement with “intellect” who would last for several decades on the bench. Earlier in the day, Trump promised to begin an immediate search for a replacement and to pick from a list of 25 conservative jurists he had previously identified as candidates for the court’s next vacancy. In comments to reporters, Trump said he would nominate “somebody who will be just as outstanding” as Justice Kennedy.
Named: “I want to be everything to these students that someone was ...” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
PHOTO BY DAVID CAMPBELL/UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
The Student Government Association Executive Officers are (L-R) include Blake Dulin, SGA Treasurer, Jaylon Pickett, SGA President, Essynce Henderson, SGA Secretary and Devin Smith, SGA Vice President
for the same cause,” Pickett said, explaining the importance of leading by example without completely changing who you are to do so. “I want the student body to know the ‘real me.’ They knew exactly who I was before I was SGA president and I will remain that same person I was - just in an elevated manner.” Joining Pickett are his four executive officers: SGA Vice President Devin Smith, SGA Treasurer Blake Dulin and SGA Secretary Essynce Henderson. However, Pickett said that he needs more students to help him run an effective government. “We are trying to find actual student leaders to help run SGA efficiently,” Pickett said. “We have a lot of ideas, a lot of plans but it’s hard to do with only 15-20 people. We are still forming our leadership team as we speak, but it is really about getting everything organized.”
Outside of these issues, the Pickett administration wants to focus on the student body’s connection to SGA. “Getting students to believe in the vision of SGA will probably be our most difficult challenge since many students believe that SGA is a joke,” Pickett said. “However, I believe that just following the basic provisions of the SGA Constitution, that haven’t been followed in the past, will build confidence in our administration. Things such as making sure I deliver two State of the Association addresses each semester, implement the president’s cabinet, so it’s not just the four elected officials doing all of the work, and recognizing the power of our Student Senate as the lawmaking body, are just basic things that will help our students believe in SGA again and the power of SGA.” Understanding the stu-
dents he represents, Pickett was clear about wanting to continue to be the person that the student body believes in because they (the students) have seen his improvement from where he started to where he is now. “I ran for SGA president because I saw that the student body needed a different type of leader,” Pickett said. “In the past we have had leaders, but they couldn’t really lead because they were not in the trenches where the students were.” “You have to understand our students. Everyone has a different background,” Pickett said. “I am one of those presidents who will understand their backgrounds and connect with them. If you do not connect with the student body, emotionally, they will not believe in anything you’re doing.”
State University, he was “completely lost … I had no clue about what life was, but I found myself on this campus. We have a lot of students who come here and are lost - ships without rudders. Alabama State was my map, my vehicle and my mother. It gave me all that I needed to be successful.” As his alma mater, he believes in the progression of Alabama State University, despite everything it has been through. He believes that President Quinton Ross, Ed.D, and his administration are creating the nucleus to take Alabama State to the next level.
“I am not as brilliant as people may think I am,” Rice said explaining what he wants to give to the students as the assistant vice president of Student Affairs. “I work hard and I study a lot, but it was my mentors right here on this campus who have helped me to become the man that I am today and that’s what I really want to see. I want to be everything to these students that someone was for me.” Rice said ultimately he wants students to feel at home when they arrive on the campus everyday as he did, and act as a embodiment of the motto “When we Teach Class the World Takes Notes.”
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to incorporate topics that the students can relate too such as bullying. Despite the seriousness of the topics, Lambert emphasized that the purpose was not to scare the students, but to teach them how to handle different situations that come up in their lives. “Dr. Stewart had a vision. Her love is theatre. Her love is children and she wanted to bring something new and fresh to Montgom-
ery, Ala. that had not been brought here before,” Lambert said praising the efforts of Stewart and her efforts over the years. “And we thought what better way to do that than bringing a theatre arts camp here for children to come to every summer where they can come and display their gifts and their talents,” Lambert said. “She is the founder and executor of the camp. We know without her, none of this would have been possible.”
GO HORNETS!!
UNIVERSITY NEWS
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July 10, 2018
Boone explains legal rulings that allowed people of color access BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
PHOTO BY DAVID CAMPBELL/UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
Miss Alabama State University Arianna Thompson, First Attendant Natasha Marshall and Second Attendant Chanelle Bryant take their first official photo as Miss Alabama State University and Attendants. The three leaders will work to serve the student body.
Thompson to focus on education BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
After almost 80 years of existence, the Miss Alabama State University Program will add another personification of beauty, poise and scholarship to its legacy. Arianna Thompson, a senior graphic design major, won the majority votes of the students as well as the hearts of the professional judges to become the 201819 Miss Alabama State University. “I wanted to be Miss Alabama State University since my senior year of high school,” said Thompson, who had visited the university before becoming a student. “I am from Wetumpka, Ala., so I visited Alabama State’s campus several times before attending and I also have a desire to help my fellow students and the surrounding community.” According to program officials, the focus of the Miss Alabama State University Program is scholarship, leadership, campus and community service. “We want Miss Alabama State University to be visible throughout the entire year by making personal appearances on the campus as well as within the community, while performing her talents when invited,” said Kenneth A. Dean, JD, program director. Dean said that each Miss Alabama State University
PHOTO BY DAVID CAMPBELL/UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
Miss Alabama State University poses with Ms. Dianna and the Dancing Dolls during Lifetime’s “Bring It” Live tour in Atlanta.
has a platform that she advocates during the year. “The platform helps her tremendously with her speaking engagements because she has something to advocate when she addresses the diverse audiences that she will be speaking to this year,” he said. Thompson also comments on her platform. “My platform is P.R.I.D.E., which is an acronym for Power Revealed In Dedication to Education,” Thompson said speaking on her plan to ensure that the importance of education is emphasized during the year, to not only the students on campus, but the surrounding community as well. “I come from a family of educators which is why education is the focus of my platform. Education is vital to one’s life. Without education we would not be where we are today.”
Continuing to place the emphasis on education beyond ASU, Thompson plans to implement programs that do just that. A few of these programs include: Big Hornet Little Hornet, which is a mentoring program for incoming freshman and transfer students; and the Hornet Community Connections, a tutoring program provided for our local Montgomery Public School System. Despite her own plans, she is also joining forces with the Student Government Association President Jaylon Pickett to support him and the Second Chance Foundation, which is an initiative his administration plans to accomplish to provide another form of financial support for students at ASU. As a former Alabama State University Cheerleader and Student Orientation Services Leader, she spoke about
how they prepared her for this new role. “I hope to leave a lasting impression at Alabama State University,” Thompson said. “I want students to take PRIDE in Alabama State University and take advantage of their education and all of the opportunities that are offered here.” She will be joined this year by her First and Second Attendants Natasha Marshall, a native of Chicago who is a vocalist and rehabilitation services major and Chanelle Bryant, a native of Atlanta who is a dancer and a dance major at ASU. “We are very proud of all three of the young women because they are all honor students, who are very intelligent, creative and cooperative,” Dean said. “All three possess excellent goals and will add a lot of substance to the crown.” Thompson has already made several appearances as Miss Alabama State University. In fact, she just returned from Atlanta where she and other campus queens represented their respective universities at Lifetime’s “Bring It” Live Tour, which features Miss Dianna and the Dancing Dolls from Jackson, Miss. “The feeling is still surreal, but I am beyond grateful to my supporters who helped me obtain this position,” Thompson said. “It is truly a dream come true.”
“Lawyers against all odds ... oppressed, treated differently, not given the same opportunities were able to fight and break down barriers … kick down barriers to make a difference for people of color; and just so happened, they were of color,” said Attorney LaBarron Boone explaining the importance of legal cases that deleted barriers for the African American community. Boone, known for receiving one of the largest settlements in United States history, $581 million, from the case Merriweather v. Whirlpool, was introduced as the first lecturer for the Lawrence Dunbar Reddick Lecture Series of the 2018-19 academic school year hosted by the University Programs and Activities Board (UPAAB) on Jun 18 at 6:00 p.m. in the John Garrick Hardy Center Theater. Boone, who was the first African American to graduate from Auburn University in industrial engineering, and a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, dedicated his life to living by this motto from his mother, “for you being here, make this world a better place.” Despite his success as an engineer, Boone was sent to law school by his company to act as an in-house counsel. Now, as part of the executive team for the Beasley and Allen Law Firm for over 10 years, Boone spoke about the
LaBarron Boone
various lawyers of color he has met and befriended who were integral parts of what he calls “the most impactful events in this nation.” “I wanted to do more than have a pocket holder and sit at my cubicle and do math calculations,” Boone said speaking about why he made the transition from an engineer to a full time lawyer. “I kept getting involved with clients wanting to be involved with how the projects were doing etc.” However, through his work as a lawyer he has been able to use his engineering skills to his advantage. Throughout his presentation, Boone spoke about the various cases where lawyers of color were able to assist in decisions that protected other people of color. Cases such as Knight v Alabama, Browder v Gayle, and Brown v Board of Education where lawyers were faced against racial adversaries such as all white jurors and judges making their success all the more impactful. Understanding this, Boone praised them in saying that their sacrifices “made him who he was today” and were the reason he was able to try cases that had black jurors and judges.
PHOTO BY DAVID CAMPBELL/UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
Executive Vice Presidents Trentqual Rhone, Tyler Rice and Shalyn Brown look over several applications that have been submitted by students who are interested in working with UPAAB.
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Across the campus many of our students may have loved ones who suffer from diseases or may suffer themselves.” Despite a number of vacancies at the director and assistant director level, UPAAB is moving forward and hiring new students to fill each of those vacancies gradually. “While we want to be fully staffed, we want to ensure that the people that we bring on are truly interested in what we are trying to do and have bought into our vision,” Wright said. He believes that one of the major challenges that they may face is low attendance at many of the educational and informative events. “Low attendance has consistently acted as a challenge for UPAAB.” However, after talking to some students and hearing complaints such as ‘We did not know about the event,’ or ‘The topic was not interesting,’ Wright plans to change the narrative with better marketing, longer advertising and instructional incentives. “We have a great executive vice president for marketing and advertising and I am sure that she will find a way to ensure that students are aware of the events and are encouraged to come to the events,” Wright said. Another idea that has
been considered is asking instructors and professors to incentivize our forums and offer attendance as extra credit opportunities if the topic relates to the course that they are teaching.” Some of Wright’s executive team include Tyler Rice, Shalyn Brown, Trentqual Rhone, Aaron K. Brown, Elyssia Omniessence, and Kristen Brown. UPAAB developed 20 categories under programming and activities in which 20 directors will preside over, to ensure that each activity or program is addressed. As an integral part of campus life, Wright and his team hopes to ensure that they are doing everything they can do make sure students have a say in the activities and overall experience a good time during their time at ASU. “There are a few executive positions open for students to fill such as executive assistant to the president, executive vice president for finance and fundraising, and the executive vice president for digital communications and media,” Wright said. He invites all students to be part of an organization that is revolutionizing activities, programs and events to apply. According to Wright, employment applications are available in the UPAAB office on the second floor of the John Garrick Hardy Center.
UNIVERSITY NEWS
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July 7, 2018
GEAR UP Summer STEM Camp exposes Birmingham’s students to college life BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN Interim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com
“It is our hope that the students who participated in the GEAR-UP STEM Summer Camp initiative at Alabama State University found the program to be enlightening and inspiring. We always endeavor to offer unique experiences that will foster innovative thought and scientific creativity,” said Carl Pettis Phd, Director of GEAR UP Summer STEM Camp and Interim Associate Provost of Academic Affairs. Entering their fifth year of existence, the Birmingham City School (BCS) GEAR UP STEM Program was created to prepare low income students for college and expose them to college life by partnering with various universities across the state. Through their studies before creating this program, they found that students from low income areas look at college as something they cannot achieve due to their circumstances. “99.9999% of our students are African American and because our main focus is college prep we have to tailor our program to them. College prep for someone from the
suburbs vs Birmingham City schools is completely different. Some of their dreams have ceilings and we want to show them that there is no ceiling and if you need an example look around,” said Alice McClain, the program coordinator at ASU. In hopes to help show these students that college is feasible, ASU has spent the past three years partnering with BCS GEAR UP. During the summer, each university they partner with holds two camps that are each two weeks long. Each year, ASU follows one cohort of students beginning with rising seventh and eighth grades up until they go off to col-
lege meaning this year the 120 students participating are rising 10th and 11th graders. The program is fully financed, all the students must do to be eligible is be apart of Birmingham City Schools and choose where they want to go. “Our first year we had 30 students from each grade. This year we were able to take 60 from each grade bringing the total to 120. We are the only HBCU (historically black college/university) and the response was amazing from students! The kids are jumping to be in this program,” McClain said on the exponential growth of the program. “Despite the
fact we started later than the other institutions, we have grown to be one of the premier programs. The younger camp fills within the first four hours and the other fills up within eight.” While at ASU, the students are stay on campus throughout the week to complete their studies and are allowed to go home every weekend using the ASU bus. The three prong effect of ASU’s camp revolves around preparation for their upcoming grade, ACT preparation, and college preparation. As they have class everyday, the program prepares them for college by giving them the same responsibilities as a normal college freshman where no one is waking them up, no one is telling them to go to class they are completely responsible for themselves. “We want them to feel comfortable with the fact that you know mom’s not here, there’s nobody waking you up, no one is telling you what you have to do. That they are totally responsible for what they have to do and if they do not do it there are repercussions. For example, if they do not go to class they must go home because that’s like
NSF-REU attracts students from all over the U.S. BY NEFSA’HYATT BROWN ferent things about cells and bacteria. I didn’t know anyInterim Editor-in-Chief nefsahyatt.brown21@gmail.com thing when I first got here,” said Jamie Masuda a student “Because of this pro- from Hawaii, majoring in gram, ASU has gotten a molecular biosciences and lot of name. The first year I biotechnology. “My favorite had like 50 applications, and part so far was the first time I now I get close to 250 ev- saw my cells with the dye on ery year. But because I only a scaffold. I saw what I was have 10 spots available, 12 doing and it was all coming at maximum it is very com- together. It gave me hope that petitive. Especially because I needed, that it is all going to the students applying to my come together and work out program have high GPAs in the end.” ranging from 3.8-4.0,” said The students selected repKomal Vig PhD, director of resent, Alabama State Unithe National Science Founda- versity, Metropolitan Univertion’s Research Experience sity, Puerto Rico, University Undergraduate (NSF-REU) of Puerto Rico, University of program. This program, Hawaii at Manoa,Oklahoma which began in 2014 is a nine State University, Grand Canweek summer program where yon University, and Bishop 10 undergraduate students State Community College. from across the country work This program provides stualongside mentors to con- dents will a stipend of $550 duct their own research proj- per week, on campus room ects in the STEM (science, and board, all expenses paid technology,engineering, and for travel back and forth from mathematics) field which their homes, as well as varithey will create and presenta ous field trips during the nine poster about their individual week period. research in a public sympo“Most of the students sium on July 26. have never worked in a lab, “I used to work at a ge- so for them everything is netics lab so I’ve been in the new. They get hands-on relab area before, but this is search experience. We design my first time doing my own individual projects so they research project and it’s so work with a mentor. They different. I feel like I’ve learn different techniques learned a lot being here like which includes cell culture, how to manage my time, dif- bacterial studies, 3D printing,
tissue engineering there is a wide range of things,” Vig said explaining the variety of the research the students are conducting. “Besides that we do a lot of professional development. We call speakers, teach them how to write a good resume, manage their stress. We do GRE prep workshops, we do field trips, we took them to the Georgia Tech Research Institute in Huntsville, Ala. Next week we are going to Hyundai factory. We do a lot of social events as well outside of the research and studies.” Given the assistance the students need at the beginning, Vig spoke about the purpose of this program was to ensure that these students grow as scientists where they
learn techniche and are able to work without such assistance. She notes this as the most important thing to her, is that they grow and actually understand what they are doing. “I’ve been doing cell tissue culture on scaffolds which are building block like when you’re starting something new,” said Anthony Miranda, a student from Puerto Rico majoring in biotechnology. “My favorite experience has been working directly with the tissue culture. Back home I’m usually working with plants which is not my favorite field, so here I am exposed to completely tissue culture especially the human cell lines. So I’m enjoying that work.”
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PHOTO BY DAVID EVANS/CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER
Courtney Griffin, PhD, directly assists Andrea Butler to academically navigate her way through university’s curriculum.
study position, where room and board is covered leaving them responsible for only their tuition. As they are given these benefits, Westry has made them responsible for ensuring that both one another and students are engaged. For example, each Tuesday, the mentors form one cohort will create a formal workshop and present it to the mentees on topics that could help these students make the transition from high school to college from the student’s perspective. “Mentees benefit by getting information to be successful. Mentors benefit by
working together, learning how to put together a formal presentation which is something you never know when you’ll be asked to do,” Westry said. Overall, Westry intends for students to learn from one another. Despite the concerns from mentors about their closeness in age, she stresses that their closeness in age is more of an asset than a hindrance. She says that the age helps them relate to one another as a peer, going through the same things; they are the perfect demographic to help these students through freshman year. “Mentors inspire, encour-
age, influence their mentees to be the best that they can be,” said Trentqual Rhone, a sophomore history major. “My mentor, first semester, meant a lot to me and I wanted to be that person for someone else. My mentor gave me opportunities, especially in networking, and I hope to give that to my mentees. Being close in age is so helpful because we can relate to one another. It’s easier to relate to someone your age versus someone who is generations away from you.” “A mentor is someone who is where you want to be in the future and will give you all of the tools that you need to get there,” said sophomore Tyler Rice, a finance major from Mobile, Ala. “It will be a great opportunity to serve my university, it’s my opportunity to make an impact on the lives of other people, teach them what I’ve been taught. I have experienced being a mentee so it gives me their perspective which makes it easy to approach them, as I am one myself. I’m able to tell them what they need to know in a way that they will understand.”
gineering, and forensics was the discipline were the students were able to build video games, process crime scenes, and other hands on activities. “I know they are not going to remember everything, but if they can leave here with one positive thing our job is done,” McClain said commenting on how using this camp is changing the rhetoric of the students. “The first year it was ‘if I go to college’ now it is ‘when I go to college’. I want the camp to do something positive that they remember ... Just the fact that ASU was able to play a part in making a positive influence on a child is so important to me.”
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Implements: “Mentees benefit by getting information to be successful...”
cial Sciences are paired with those who need assistance in English. “Mentors are their source - their go-to person, their role models,” Westry said commenting on being able to see a different side of the student body. “The biggest thing the peer mentor does is serve as the role model. You [the mentor] are to exemplify what a real ASU student looks like. One that’s prideful and does extremely well in school etc. A minimum of 3.0 GPA, is required because I wanted to show students that getting a 3.0 and above at ASU is quite possible. This program and this office is all about raising standards of excellence.” Despite just being hired in July of 2017 for this position, Westry has added what she calls “a more structured process to the program.” In previous years, there were less mentors meaning that each mentor was responsible for up to 12 mentees. This year, mentors were chosen through an application process which require a minimum 3.0 grade point average. Furthermore, the mentors are given a 20-hour work
college, you miss class your GPA drops your attendance is going to drop and them that’s it,” McClain said. Despite starting later than the other institutions, ASU’s camp has become a premier camp partially because of their constantly changing curriculum. The place importance on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) awareness especially as minority interest in it is low due to the fact they believe it is hard. Noticing this, ASU hires different progressors to teach them different STEM disciplines to keep both the students and faculty engaged. For example, this year robotics, en-
care about you!” Continuing the conversation of HBCUs and their importance, Brown-Pellum gave a list of ten discussion questions for the audience members to think about. The first being, “how do we pursue real reparations? How do we recreate this (Knight v. Alabama)?” The second touched on a topic currently surrounding the media about prestigious PWIs admitting to both their role in the slave trade and their use of slave labor. After giving background, Brown-Pellum asked how do we hold them accountable for this? Their way of apologizing for their past, has been to give scholarships to students who can trace their ancestry to the slaves who worked on their various campuses, which
she said was both unlikely and unrealistic. Her suggestion, was that these universities sponsor HBCUs. Furthermore, the discussion questions touched on topics such as focusing on the youth, connecting tradition and innovation, expanding institutional pride outside of athletics, using technology to our advantage, sponsorship for celebrities, and developing a better understanding of institutional power as means of furthering the development of HBCUs. “HBCUS allow black students to be themselves and provide these students with everything they say they need. There is a family atmosphere, strong networks, smaller class size, affordability etc,” she said urging students to take advantage of the place they are at right now.
Talks: “She has what it takes to propel The Hornet Tribune to the Top ...” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
need. She is the reason I am able to balance my course load and this position so well because she does some of the work for me. In the fall, I will have Carly Moore Christine Shelton and about 10 or 11 freshmen who have applied.” Moore made her debut with the Tribune after writing an op-ed piece that focused on feminism. The original piece was written by Shelton. Dean has high hopes for Brown and believes that “she has what it takes to propel The Hornet Tribune to the Top Ten collegiate newspapers, but she will need the right student staff.” He said that “students, today, are not really reading and when you are not reading, you are not writing. In fact, when some students hear the word writing, they turn around immediately!” Brown is a student of the generation referenced by Dean, however, the Mobile native believes that “too many precautions have been taken to keep people uninformed and I plan on ensuring that ASU does not fall victim to that; we are bombarded with so much irrelevant information that distracts us.” She goes on to say that she wants “to ensure that we are keeping up with the times and constantly evolving so that we do not become stagnant.”
In addition to the Tribune going digital, Brown wants students to realize that getting news in the traditional format is vital as “oldies are goodies.” Business Insider reports that while “Students said they preferred and performed better when reading on screens” their actual performance “tended to suffer,” meaning that they did not retain nor comprehend the information read on-screen as much as they did when they read in print. Business Insider called this “speed at a cost.” The good news: Forbes reports that 69% of the U.S. population is reading news and Pew Research Institute claims that 65% of readers are reading print. Brown plans to capitalize on this by creating a sleek and professional website design that compliments the printed newspaper: “a perfect mix between tradition and innovation.” She believes it is time to “solidify our place in the list of prestigious newspapers. “It’s time to reenter the spotlight as the superpower I know we can be.” While she anticipates a slow build, she hopes for a more informed student base. “This is holy ground,” says Brown. “I want The Hornet Tribune to consistently highlight that, so that students who arrive never forget where we come from.”
“We don’t create the news. We just report it.”
Horizons Local News, State News, National News International News
VOLUME 57, ISSUE 1
JULY 10, 2018
The official student newspaper serving the Alabama State University and Metro-Montgomery communities
LA-Bron: James agrees to 4-year contract with Lakers CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James is leaving home for Hollywood and an iconic team. The Los Angeles Lakers have a new superstar — L.A.Bron. The four-time NBA MVP announced Sunday night that he has agreed to a four-year, $154 million contract with the Lakers, joining one of the league’s most storied franchises and switching conferences to try and dethrone the Golden State Warriors and grow his own legacy. For the second time in his career, James is saying goodbye to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who drafted the teenage sensation from Akron in 2003 and have to be satisfied with winning just one title in the 11 years they had him. Unlike his two previous forays in free agency, James did not drag out his decision and made the announcement less than 24 hours after NBA free agency opened. This Summer of LeBron was barely a fling. His management agency,
Klutch Sports Group, announced his agreement with the Lakers with a simple, short release. It was a stark contrast from eight years ago, when a poorly conceived TV special to announce his departure from Cleveland backfired and damaged James’ image. James isn’t planning any more comments and there won’t be a welcoming press conference or celebration in Los Angeles, a person familiar with his plans said Sunday night on the condition of anonymity. James will make his next public comments on July 30 in Akron when he opens a public school started by his family foundation. It was all different this time. The game’s biggest star will now lead a young Lakers team — run by Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson — that has been overmatched in recent years while rebuilding. But the Lakers will instantly rise with James, a three-time champion who after being swept by the Warriors in this
year’s NBA Finals said he is still driven and very much in “championship mode.” James wasn’t planning to have any face-to-face meetings, but Saturday night he met with Johnson, who sold him on his vision for the Lakers, the person told AP. Earlier in the week, Johnson seemed resigned to the possibility he might not get James or Paul George, who ended up re-signing with the Oklahoma City Thunder. But Johnson was confident he could pull something off. “I’m Magic Johnson,” he said. The Lakers’ rich legacy is something that has always appealed to James and it wasn’t long after his announcement that he heard from Kobe Bryant, who won five titles during 20 seasons with Los Angeles. James and Bryant were Olympic teammates and there has been a perceived rivalry between the pair of alpha males. They’re now linked like never before and
if James wants to prepare for his eventual life after basketball, who better to learn from than Johnson, who has made a fortune as a business entrepreneur, or Bryant, an Academy Award winner. The massive Los Angeles market will also provide James with a grander platform for his philanthropy and social activism. He already owns two homes in Southern California and has a film production company. This is the third time in eight years James has changed teams. After bolting from Cleveland in 2010, he returned in an emotional homecoming four years later, determined to make the Cavs champions. The 33-yearold had previously said he wanted to finish his career in Ohio, and although he’s leaving again, Cavs fans are more forgiving after he ended the city’s 52-year sport title drought in 2016. Shortly after the announcement, which came in See AGREES on page 8
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt worked aggressively to roll back environmental regulations that President Donald Trump and his allies viewed as burdensome to businesses. Democrats hailed Pruitt’s departure.
FILE - In this Sunday, March 11, 2018, file photo, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, left, shoots as Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, in Los Angeles. On Sunday, July 1, 2018, James announced he would be joining Ball and the Lakers to try and dethrone the Golden State Warriors and grow his own legacy. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)
Cohen says his loyalty is first to family and country, not Trump Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump’s longtime personal attorney, Michael Cohen, is putting his loyalty to “family and country” before his old boss. “My wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty and always will,” Cohen told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos in an interview published Monday morning. “I put family and country first.” Cohen has famously said he would take a bullet for Trump and he has fashioned himself as Trump’s “fixer,” willing to help handle situations quietly. But the interview raises new questions
about Cohen’s allegiance to Trump amid his legal troubles and subsequent isolation from the President’s inner circle. In his new interview, Cohen refused to follow Trump’s lead to cast the FBI in a negative light over April’s raids on his home, hotel room and office. “I don’t agree with those who demonize or vilify the FBI. I respect the FBI as an institution, as well as their agents,” Cohen said. “When they searched my hotel room and my home, it was obviSee SAYS on page 8
Scott Pruitt out at EPA
WASHINGTON – Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt resigned Thursday, ending a tenure marked by allegations of misconduct that led to repeated calls for his ouster. Pruitt, a former Oklahoma state attorney general, was accused of spending extravagantly on travel and security, asking aides to run personal errands and accepting favorable terms for the rental of a condo owned by the wife of an energy lobbyist. A government watchdog agency concluded this year that the installation of a $43,000 soundproof telephone booth for Pruitt violated congressional appropriations law. Pruitt worked aggressively to roll back environmental regulations that
Trump and newly appointed Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt during his announcement.
President Donald Trump and his allies viewed as burdensome to businesses. That won him praise from the president, who stood by his embattled EPA chief for months. “Within the Agency Scott has done an outstanding job, and I will always be thankful to him for this,” Trump wrote on Twitter as he announced
Pruitt’s resignation. Trump said Pruitt’s deputy, Andrew Wheeler, would replace him. In his resignation letter, Pruitt effusively praised Trump, saying he considered it “a blessing to be serving you in any capacity.” Pruitt said the “unrelenting attacks” took a toll on him and his
to three or two,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. The president, who was traveling to a campaign rally in Montana, has wrapped up the interview process and is moving closer to picking his court nominee amid intense jockeying from various factions seeking to influence the choice.
Trump’s current top contenders are federal appeals court judges Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh and Raymond Kethledge, said a person familiar with Trump’s thinking who was not authorized to speak publicly. With customary fanfare, Trump plans to announce his selection Monday night. The administration is preparing
family. Democrats hailed Pruitt’s departure but expressed concern about environmental stewardship under a Trump administration. “Took you long enough,” Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., tweeted. “Still a very long way to go to fully #DrainTheSwamp.” Rep. Frank Pallone, DN.J., the ranking member on the House Energy Commerce Committee, said Pruitt’s resignation was “long overdue.” “He repeatedly violated the law, abused his position to enrich himself and wasted taxpayer money,” Pallone said. “Pruitt created a culture of corruption at EPA that has never been seen before in a federal agency, and for months, President See OUT on page 8
Trump closes in on Supreme Court pick; 3 judges WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday he has narrowed down — to two or three — the list of contenders he’s considering to fill the vacancy for the Supreme Court seat held by retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy. “I think I have it down to four people. And I think of the four people I have it down
roll-out plans for the leading contenders, and hopes to have a decision on the top one or two names in the next couple of days, so staff can conduct a deep-dive background ahead of the possible prime-time event, according to a senior administration official granted anonymity to See CLOSES on page 8
Call the HORIZONS desk at (334) 229-4419 or email asuhorizons@gmail.com
Sen.Susan Collins speaks with Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch before his confirmation hearings.
Collins says she won’t support a Supreme Court nominee who’s hostile to Roe v. Wade decision Sen. Susan Collins (RME), a key swing vote in the upcoming fight to replace Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court, says she won’t support a nominee who has demonstrated “hostility” to Roe v. Wade, the historic decision legalizing abortion in the United States. But her stance isn’t likely to help pro-abortion rights advocates sleep better at night, either — she suggested she thinks two of the court’s conservative justices wouldn’t vote to overturn the decision, an assertion that’s far from guaranteed. Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), both moderate Republicans who support abortion rights, are considered two of the most important votes in the Senate’s confirmation process for President Donald Trump’s upcoming Supreme Court
pick. Kennedy’s retirement has ignited fears that Roe v. Wade might be in danger from a more conservative court that would chip away at the decision or seek to overturn it altogether. In a pair of interviews on Sunday, Collins explained her approach to President Donald Trump’s nominee, who he plans to announce from a pre-existing shortlist of 25 candidates on July 9. “I would not support a nominee who demonstrated hostility to Roe v. Wade because that would mean to me that their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law,” Collins said in an interview with Jake Tapper on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday. She made a similar asSee HOSTILE on page 8
HORIZONS
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Trump idly stood by and allowed him to do further harm.” Pruitt and his allies, including Sen. Ted Cruz, RTexas, claimed he was the target of a left-wing conspiracy because of his efforts to dismantle Obama-era rules. The president has lost his most ardent and effective deregulator. In a follow-up tweet after Pruitt resigned, Trump said his new environmental administrator, Wheeler, “will continue on with our great and lasting EPA agenda.” Later, while traveling to Montana, Trump said there was “no final straw” for Pruitt, and the resignation was “very much up to him.” “I think Scott felt that
he was a distraction,” Trump said. The president’s endorsement didn’t stop some Republicans in Congress from joining the Pruitt-must-go chorus of about 170 Democrats. He faces more than a dozen federal investigations examining his conduct and ethics. Pruitt’s departure sets up a potentially bruising confirmation battle in the Senate with whomever Trump nominates as the next EPA administrator. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is unhappy with Pruitt’s moves to reduce ethanol consumption that is economically important to Midwestern states, said the EPA administrator was “as swampy as you can get.”
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sertion in a subsequent interview with Martha Raddatz on ABC’s This Week. “I told [Trump] that I was looking for a nominee that would demonstrate a respect for precedent, a longstanding [and] vital tenet of our judicial system,” she said. Collins also said she had suggested Trump “broaden” his list of 25 potential nominees in a meeting with her
president about her views on Kennedy’s replacement. Collins thinks Gorsuch and Roberts won’t vote to overturn Roe What Collins is saying is that judges who believe in judicial precedent — essentially, that a decision’s been made and that’s that — shouldn’t be looking to overturn Roe. The decision came down in 1973 has already been made and reaffirmed many times since.
Says: “Simply accepting the denial of Mr. Putin is unsustainable. It ...”
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ously upsetting to me and my family. Nonetheless, the agents were respectful, courteous and professional. I thanked them for their service and as they left, we shook hands.” Cohen also pushed back at the President’s recent tweet repeating Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election, as well. “Simply accepting the denial of Mr. Putin is unsustainable,” he said. CNN has reached out to the White House for comment on the interview. The President’s legal team declined to comment. Discussing the ABC interview on CNN’s “New Day,” CNN Chief Legal Analyst Jeffrey Toobin said Cohen’s interview “clearly implies that he will make a
deal with the government if there are charges against him and testify, cooperate, rather than sort of hold the line for Donald Trump. “It leaves, of course, many questions unanswered. Will charges be filed? It certainly looks that way given the context of how this unfolded,” Toobin said. Toobin added that if Cohen cooperates with authorities, that could affect the Russia investigation as well, which is separate from the federal probe into his business dealings. “If you are a cooperating witness with the federal government, you cooperate with all of the federal government,” Toobin said. “There is no way he could cut a deal with the Southern District that would not involve also cooperating with Mueller. Law enforcement doesn’t work that way.”
Agrees: “Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible four seasons. This ...” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
a surprising manner, James posted a three-photo tribute to Cleveland fans on his Instagram account. “Thank you Northeast Ohio for an incredible four seasons,” James wrote. “This will always be home.” But there will always be a portion of Cleveland fans disappointed that James left again and that he wouldn’t give the Cavs a longer commitment. His deal with the Lakers is his longest since he signed for six years with Miami in 2010. And unlike eight years ago when he ripped James for leaving, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert thanked him. Gilbert opened his comments by referring to Cleveland’s 2016 title as “a championship that united generations of Clevelanders, both living and passed.” “LeBron, you came home and delivered the ultimate goal,” Gilbert said in a statement . “Nothing but appreciation and gratitude for
everything you put into every moment you spent in a Cavaliers uniform. We look forward to the retirement of the famous #23 Cavs jersey one day down the line...” On Friday, James informed the Cavs that he was not exercising his $35.6 million option and becoming a free agent. While in Los Angeles following a family vacation, he spoke to Cavs general manager Koby Altman moments after free agency opened on Sunday, and it appears that was more a courtesy than a chance for Cleveland to make one last pitch. Cleveland’s roster was exposed during this year’s finals, and James may not have seen a way for it to improve enough to win a fourth title. James gave Cleveland something to remember in his final season. He played in all 82 regular-season games and then somehow carried a team that underwent several transformations to a fourth straight conference title and matchup against the Warriors.
UPAAB is accepting applications for positions of directors and assistant directors. If interested, please see Trentqual Rhone in Room A2.20 on the second floor of the John Garrick Hardy Center.
July 10, 2018
After talks, North Korea accuses U.S. of ‘gangster-like’ demands TOKYO (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has delivered a dose of harsh reality to Donald Trump, bashing hopes for a quick denuclearization deal in a pointed rebuke to the president’s top envoy while accusing the U.S. of making “gangster-like” demands. After the historic U.S.North Korea summit in Singapore, Trump declared the North was no longer a threat and would hand over the remains of Americans killed during the Korean War. Now, three weeks later,
the two sides were still at odds on all issues, including exactly what denuclearization means and how it might be verified, after a third visit to Pyongyang by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And, the promised remains have yet to be delivered. However, in the days following the June 12 summit with Kim Jong Un in Singapore, Trump had already announced the return of the remains and the destruction of the missile facility had been completed or were in progress.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, right, and Kim Yong Chol, left, a North Korean senior ruling party official and former intelligence chief, return to discussions after a break at Park Hwa Guest House in Pyongyang, North Korea,
Closed: ““I think I have it down to four people. And I think of the four ... ” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
discuss the plans. But as the president builds suspense for his second court pick in two years — a nominee who could tip the balance toward conservatives and revisit landmark rulings on abortion access, gay marriage and other issues — momentum is also growing among GOP supporters and detractors of the top contenders. Conservatives and some libertarian-leaning Republicans, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, have raised concerns about Kavanaugh, warning he could disappoint Republicans if his past decisions are a guide. Paul and another Republican, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, are supporting fellow Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who is not said to be under serious consideration by the White House but is the only lawmaker Trump has considered for the position. To counter that, Kavanaugh’s allies have begun pushing back, reaching out to influential Republicans to ward off potential criticisms, according to one conservative who was the recipient of such outreach and spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday to discuss the situation. The senior administra-
tion official, though, said the administration is feeling less heat than earlier in this week over the choices, particularly Kavanaugh, and believes the jockeying in general has calmed somewhat. With the Senate narrowly divided, 51-49, in favor of Republicans, Trump’s announcement will launch a contentious confirmation process as Republicans seek to shift the court to the right and Democrats strive to block the effort. Any GOP defections could begin to doom a nominee. Tapping into Trump’s understanding of the importance of the choice, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told the president this week that nominating someone hostile to abortion access, or the 2010 health care law, would tarnish his legacy. Schumer told Trump that such a choice would be “cataclysmic” and create more division than the country has seen in years, according to a person familiar with the conversation who said Trump called Schumer on Tuesday. The senator also told the president he could unify the country by nominating Merrick Garland, President Barack Obama’s choice for the Supreme Court who was blocked by Republicans in 2016. Senate Majority Leader
Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said Thursday at an event in Louisville that he, too, has been talking to the president about the search and believes “the president will make a very high-quality appointment.” McConnell acknowledged that his fellow Kentuckian, Judge Amul Thapar, is a finalist, but noted, “The competition at this level is pretty intense.” Working closely with a White House team and consulting with lawmakers and outside advisers, Trump has spent the week deliberating on the choice. He conducted interviews Monday and Tuesday. He could still consider others in the mix. He’s still taking input, making calls to Capitol Hill, the official said. Vice President Mike Pence also met with some of Trump’s contenders in recent days, according to a person familiar with the search process. The person did not specify which candidates Pence met with and spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday to describe the private search process. Trump is choosing his nominee from a list of 25 candidates vetted by conservative groups. Earlier in the week, he spoke with seven of them. The president also spoke by phone with Lee, the senator from Utah, on Monday.
The White House did not characterize that call as an interview, and Lee is not viewed as a top prospect. But Lee has consistent support among conservative and libertarian activists, including some Republicans who worry about a nominee not upholding their principles and who say the Utah senator could bring more certainty. More than two dozen conservatives, including Paul, wealthy GOP donor Rebekah Mercer and several tea party leaders, signed a letter backing Lee as having a “proven record.” Cruz advocated for Lee on Thursday in a Fox News op-ed warning Trump not to repeat “mistakes” of past Republican presidents by picking a Supreme Court nominee who turns out to be insufficiently conservative. Cruz said President George H.W. Bush’s selection of liberal David Souter was “one of the most consequential errors of his presidency.” He also pointed to former justices William Brennan, John Paul Stevens and Harry Blackmun, the latter of whom wrote the Roe v. Wade decision that established a woman’s right to abortion. All three were nominated by Republican presidents. Lee, he said, would be a “sure thing.”
“We don’t create the news. We just report it.”
Viewpoints Editorials, Columns, Letters to the Editor, Editorial Cartoons and Hornet Expressions
VOLUME 57, ISSUE 1
JULY 10, 2018
The official student newspaper serving the Alabama State University and Metro-Montgomery communities
Why is it important for freshman to get involved? With over 4000 students, an ever-present Greek Life and more than 50 clubs and organizations, it is easy to lose yourself in the wave of students, when you first arrive on the campus. Whether you are a firstyear or a transfer student, being unexpectedly bombarded with random events by organizations you had no idea existed or the eerie silence of a Friday night on the yard, you must find ways to get involved on campus or suffer through crippling loneliness and boredom. The anxiety that comes with entering a new place where everyone seems to have their lives together does not go amiss to any student on a college campus. We have all been the new kid who didn’t know what to get involved in or who to talk to. Many people believe that once they meet people in class, the effects of boredom will escape them.
Unfortunately, all they are doing is opening the door for them to be bored with people, which in turn usually leads to bad decision making as a group. By getting involved on campus, the worries that new students have about meeting people, resume building, and making the most of their college experience is instantly dispelled because they open the door for new possibilities, where all of those things are tangible in one place. “Hi my name is..” No, correction: “Hey y’all my name is..” Introducing yourself goes exactly how any Hollywood teenage movie assumes: practicing in the mirror, only to forget everything you thought you would say. Joining clubs works the same way unfortunately. You go to the interest meeting, where all the seasoned members look uninterested to listen to a speil they have heard for the past year, the newer kids sit in the back wearing head-
Nef Brown, Interim Editor-in-Chief phones to avoid the whispers of “who’s that” and then there is the one person who’s always super eager to introduce themselves, making everything awkward. First days are just that awkward because you do not know anyone and nobody knows you, giving you a fresh start to be exactly who you want to be in that moment. In that first meeting, you are the new kid with a sea of new ideas, a new group of
people you may call friends, and a world of new opportunities waiting for you to go and get them. Getting involved on campus not only gives you the opportunity to make the lifelong friends you hear your parents talk about, but it also gives you a tangible support system. The people you meet through your involvement becomes the perfect way to build a solid foundation
with teachers, other students, and supervisors who you can call on, in your time of need. They become the ones who will help you with your schedule, tell you what professors to select, and where buildings are. Outside of the relationship building, involvement builds resumes. Every student at a college campus believes that the major they came in with is the one they are going to graduate with, when everyone knows that is not the case. All it takes is one conference, one class, one club to quickly change the minds of students. One may come in as a chemistry major, join a club based on chemistry, and quickly decide the passion they thought they had for the subject was only short lived. On the other hand a person may go through those steps and decide that their love for the subject exceeds what they initially thought thus, building their resume with
conferences and leadership positions within their organizations. Going to college is not just to gain a degree; one should attend college for the experience. By being involved on campus, students are given the freedom and opportunity to make the most of being here. They allow themselves to live the college experience instead of watching everyone have fun on Snapchat. As much as people love to tweet about how fun being to yourself is, too much of a good thing is bad. Involvement at ASU goes beyond joining clubs; to be involved is to take time to find what your school offers and place yourself within the mix of it. No one wants to look back and feel as if they watched the best years of their lives pass them by because they did not get involved at their university.
Employees at the Waffle House continue to call the police on black customers knowing what happen as a result. Last month, a young man, in a full tuxedo was brutally assaulted and choked by police.
Why I’ll never go to Waffle House again
BY SHAUN KING Guest Columnist
I have several different important stories about injustice in America to share so I am going to jump right in. Let’s start with Waffle House. As you may know, Black folk make Waffle House. We don’t have them here in New York, but when I lived in Atlanta, as unhealthy as it was, my family and I loved going. We had one close to our home and went several times a year. I’m never going back there again. Ever. I’m not negotiating. I’m not boycotting with an expected outcome. I’ll never go back. They could come out tomorrow with some brilliant plan – it’s too little, too late. Earlier this year, as you may have seen, a young woman was assaulted and arrested by police there. Last month, a young man, in a full tuxedo on prom night, was brutally assaulted and choked by police there. And it’s just happened again. Employees at the Waffle House continue to call the police on black customers knowing good and well what’s going
to happen as a result. This weekend, a black couple placed a to-go order at The Waffle House in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. When they got the receipt, they noticed that the orange juice was $2.50 instead of a $1.00 – as it is listed on the menu. When they disputed the charge, which is just a $1.50 difference, and asked to call customer service about it, the store manager called the police. When the police got there, they arrested the couple for theft and trespassing. Here’s what’s wild – the black couple never even received the food. They didn’t eat the food and refuse to pay – they never received it in the first place. And their money for the meal was actually on the counter, they just didn’t want to be overcharged for the orange juice. After arresting and assaulting the couple, police later dropped the charges once they accepted that no actual crime had even been committed. Listen to me. Don’t you dare go back to Waffle House. Either make your own damn breakfast or find a black owned establishment to go to, but do not pa-
People protested on Sunday outside a Waffle House in Saraland, Ala., after a video showed three white police officers throwing a black woman on the floor during an arrest.
tronize this company again. They don’t value us. They don’t value our business. And when they call the police on people over a $1.50 mischarge for orange juice, they know good and well that those police are going to arrest and brutalize those black customers. Some of my friends are having a protest at Waffle House headquarters in Georgia on Friday, and I support that, but whether you protest or not, just don’t go back. We have to use our buying power in smarter ways moving forward. I want to switch gears for a moment talk about some-
thing truly despicable going on in this country. The tendency is for us to believe that immigration issues in this country have nothing to do with us, but I want to quickly correct that and unpack why we need to be vocal and outraged about the widespread mistreatment of immigrants and refugees in this country. First off, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Whether immigrants are black or not is beside the point. What Trump is doing right now, separating immigrant children from their parents, sometimes sending the children thousands of miles away to
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prison like detention centers, is despicable. It’s grossly inhumane. And they are only doing it because they want to ruin the lives of immigrants and make it so hard for them to enter the country that other immigrant families get word and never try to enter the country again. But I want to make three quick points. First – this whole system is driven by white supremacy and bigotry and is truly just an expansion of the systems of mass incarceration. This is all about locking up and criminalizing more people of color. Donald Trump doesn’t have a problem with immigrants. His grandparents were immigrants. He’s married to an immigrant. His first wife was an immigrant. His problem isn’t with immigrants – it’s with immigrants of color. Secondly, many of the immigrant families being separated are actually Black. A huge percentage of American immigrants are from Africa and the Caribbean. This shouldn’t be the only reason we care, but don’t think this isn’t about us. Lastly, and I’ll close with this – we have plenty of in-
justices of our own to fight against, but at the end of their lives, Dr. King, Malcolm X, and Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party – all three of them came to understand that it was not just smart, but right, for us to form alliances with other oppressed people groups. And let me tell you who else understood how powerful such alliances could be – the federal government – which did everything they could to break up such partnerships. Even if all you’re doing right now is reading, researching, and sharing articles about your concerns about this issue on social media, do that, be outraged, and let’s figure out some smart ways to help. Shaun King is an American writer and civil rights activist. King attended Morehouse College, a private, historically black men’s college in Atlanta, Georgia, where he majored in history. He is noted for his use of social media to promote religious, charitable, and social causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement. He is a columnist for the Intercept.
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VIEWPOINTS
editorial cartoons
editorial board Nefsa’hyatt Brown INTERIM EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Vacant
MANAGING EDITOR
Vacant
David Evans
GEN. ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
VISUAL MEDIA EDITOR
Vacant
Kenneth A. Dean
STAFF ADVISER
GENERAL MANAGER
The Hornet Tribune is a weekly newspaper written and edited by the students with the advisement of the staff adviser. Editorials and letters to the editor represent the views of the writer(s). Views expressed within do not necessarily represent the opinions of the faculty, staff, administration or ASU Board of Trustees. The editors determine the time of the publication and the ethical qualities of all articles. Articles and other materials in The Hornet Tribune cannot be republished without the expressed written permission of the editor, adviser, coordinator and Student Media Board. Letters to the Editor are welcome. Editors reserve the right to print or reject for publication any letters received. Letters must include the author’s name, address, email address and telephone number. All letters are subject to editing for both space and libel considerations. Materials must be submitted by Thursday at 5 p.m. for publication that next week.
the opportunity to speak ...
sometimes the truth hurts, but necessary to move forward ...
We have just enough rope to hang ourselves
African Americans have struggled in this country since 1619, as the first traces and evidence of slaves from the slave trade began arriving in North America. Because of that suffering at the hands of white men, African Americans have become conditioned to a system which was built on the fact that we would perpetually destroy ourselves as a race. Borrowing from the fictional Willie Lynch Letter and the old saying “They’ll give you just enough rope to hang yourself,” The Hornet Tribune staff questioned the validity of this statement and if this is the case, would we actually hang ourselves after being taught to degrade, destroy and demean ourselves? While Willie Lynch may not have existed, point by point in that letter held true. African Americans were “freed” from slavery in 1863; however, for many of our ancestors the struggle for freedom, equality and being seen as simply human continued. But in their fight for the things and values in which they so believed and desired to be true, too many African American lost sight of the bigger picture. Even Alabama State University, a historically black university, an institution that once had to lose its accreditation because its students believed in the cause of the Civil Rights Movement and the Bus Boycott, struggles to realize the bigger picture. The institution once stood as the breeding ground for the
David King, Guest Columnist change that would usher in a new age in the country and possibly the world, but now, financial difficulties, politics and poor decision making leave us lost as a university with a beautiful past and bleak future. When Lynch speaks about pitting African Americans against each other, based on their skin color, breaking apart families with psychological tortures and techniques, and making the black slaves love white slave owners, you clearly see the effects of this kind of system being harshly enforced. Even Lynch noted that pushing this system for a year without letting up would make it possible for the slaves to perpetuate the system themselves. So then again, we ask have they given us just enough rope to hang ourselves? They allow us to lead our schools, give us the money and power, and while having control over your own system is good, what happens when
See AFRAID on page 12
See AFFECTS on page 12
What is important is that when we take power, we don’t neglect the communities’ needs, but that at every juncture, we take the opportunity to make the most of that power to build stronger people. What is important is that black people pay attention to their surroundings, become diversely educated and not be distracted by parties, entertainment, gossip, or things that will not help build the community. The problem is this: black people have to realize we are not over slavery; we are just living in the after effects. We are living in a society where we were taught to hate ourselves, and the system that was built was meant to thrive off our backs. We are living in a time where, instead of the physical lash of the whip marking our backs and body, or the literal horse-hide rope tightening around our necks, we feel the lash from the whip of inequality and the rope of self-hatred tightening around our necks as we dangle from the tree of a system that, from the beginning, never considered our existence as human beings. We must understand that the system we live in must be broken, because when we break the system of white men coming into the black community, selling hopes of rap careers, NBA legend dreams, and NFL superstardom, and begin building black sustainability financially, socially, and emotionally, See HANG on page 12
take a minute and listen ...
What is happening at the border affects all of us
My best friend, Kelli Gibson, is one of the most thoughtful and generous human beings to ever step foot in my life. She is constantly putting others above herself and rarely asks for anything in return. She puts so much time and effort into making other people happy that she often forgets about herself in the process. This is where Kelli went wrong. Shannon Mulligan, blogger for The Huffington Post, shares her definition of the word ‘selfish’: “I like being selfish. I’m not sure when it came to be a bad word, but to me, it’s always spoken of the power of self-confidence, of knowing what you want, what makes you happy, and making that happen for yourself.” Selfishness has always come with a negative connotation, but what if it doesn’t always mean something bad? We all need to be a little selfish sometimes. We can’t live up to our full potential if we are constantly putting other people above ourselves. We have one life to live. We shouldn’t waste time trying to please others because it’s not about them. It’s about you. It’s about me. Sometimes, a healthy dose of selfishness is allowed. We’re HBCU college students. This is the best time to be selfish because we’re discovering and focusing on who we are and what it is we want to do with the rest of our lives. Honestly, these four (or however many) years should be the most selfish of your life, if you spend them right. We should all be exploring the campus, creating our own HBCU experience, and exposing ourselves to different people and different activities because one thing is certain: we won’t get any of this time back once it’s gone. Therefore, we must cherish it. With us being on our own, without our parents’ influence, we have to make decisions based off what’s best for us, not anyone else. If we don’t take this time to do the things we truly want to do, we will regret it and no one wants to live a life full of regret. This is our time; this is your time. Mara Fiorentini, writer for The Odyssey, points out the red flags behind giving too much to someone: “The second it makes me feel like I am losing myself is the very second I start to have a problem. Giving and giving until you have nothing left, just to please someone else, is not healthy.” It’s easy to get caught up in other people and forget who you are. I’ve done it numerous times unconsciously, both before and since I’ve been here at Alabama State. I didn’t realize I was losing myself until I finally said it out loud. I had to remember who I am and what it is that I came to this school to do. That’s the moment when it dawned on me that I didn’t come here for anyone else but me, so why should I let anyone else but me influence how I acquire my HBCU experience? We find ourselves more worried about someone else’s well-being than our own. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we shouldn’t all be like Kelli and check on the people in our lives from time to time. However, we cannot let how
Don’t be afraid to put yourself first
an individual who has never owned, managed, or led is given power and resources? It becomes a tragic path to downfall. When we fail, because we lack the knowledge and years of leadership experience, they are right there to take them back. When we refer to power, we think about the school boards that have been politically driven instead of focusing on the mission of educating the students or the HBCU that has not progressed because the only consistency is the continuance of unstable leadership based on political ties. When we refer to resources, they will provide us money on the front end, just to prove we are incapable of effective management and budgeting, thus, justifying why they should not continue to support our university. They give us the rope, and sit back and let the selflynching process commence. We must understand that we can build economic strength in our community.
staff editorial
What’s happening right now, this very moment, on America’s border between the United States and Mexico is genuinely one of the most despicable human rights violations in modern American history. The head of the United Nations Human Rights Commission yesterday ordered the United States to stop the practice – saying it is not only violating the human rights of children and families by forcefully separating and detaining them, but that it is currently in violation of international treaties on the torture of children. And let’s be clear – what’s going on right now is absolutely child abuse and torture. Let me explain for our listeners exactly what is happening because in our genuine emotion and frustration about it all, it seems like we might lack some clarity about what’s going on here. At the border between the United States and Mexico, at several different legal entry points, immigrants from other nations that are seeking asylum, that is legal protection because of harm they are experiencing in their birth country, the United States is doing something illegal. They are arresting and detaining men, women, and children that are seeking asylum. Let me clear – these are not Mexicans. These are families from thousands of miles away, from deep in Central and South America, from El Salvador or Honduras, that have traveled for weeks and even months to get to the United States to file a legal claim for asylum. And in the Obama administration, when a single person or a family came to the border and claimed asylum, they would be allowed to enter the country while they processed their claim, and eventually went before a judge or review board that would make a decision. As they always do, Donald Trump and his administration are now lying and saying that when they arrest these families and separate the parents from children, that they are simply following an Obama policy. This is not true. This policy was completely and totally designed by the Trump administration. Even the few honest Republicans that remain are admitting this. It is wicked, foul, gross, and inhumane to the worst degree. Doctors and medical experts say forcefully separating children from their parents and into detention centers is causing irreparable harm to the children. Last week it was reported that after border patrol agents physically fought a father from Honduras as they took his children away and sent him to jail, he committed suicide in the local jail they sent him to. His name was Marco Antonio Munoz. Yesterday a secret recording was released, the first of its kind, from inside one of the detention centers for children, we heard the cries and sobs and wails of young children, as young as 4 years old, screaming for their mothers and fathers, begging the guards to let them call their families – as guards literally mocked them. It’s unthinkable. I said this on this past Thursday, but I must say it again – when Dr. King said “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” I believe he had situations just like this in mind. This is a grave, gross, horrible injustice. And I want you to understand that four different factors that affect us every single day are the same factors causing this human rights nightmare. At the root of what we’re seeing right now is white bigotry and white supremacy. White immigrants aren’t treated like this. Donald Trump’s mother was an immigrant. His first and third wives were immigrants. His
Christine Shelton, Staff Columnist
July 10, 2018
Alexis Butler, Guest Columnist
Wake up black people… smell the need for a major revolution
The Hornet Tribune Editorial Board
It is 2018, and if you don’t see the need for a revolution, then I’m afraid that you’ve been brainwashed and quite frankly, you’ll never see it. If you are not aware, a revolution is defined as “sudden, complete, or marked change in something,” according to dictionary.com.When you hear the word revolution, it is very likely that your mind takes you to the Revolutionary War. However, contrary to popular belief, revolution starts from within, and doesn’t always consist of physical conflict. America has failed African Americans time and time again. Just because slavery was abolished in 1865, times have not truly changed. African Americans still deal with high rates of poverty, a lack of education, health disparities, and fall below the charts when it comes to wealth. Yes, it is true that African Americans have to work ten times as hard as their white counterparts in order to be considered, but that’s the key word. You have to work to be just as good. This world was not set up to just hand out opportunities. If you want it, you have to go get it. The time is now. We have to take charge and take a stand. Let’s take Colin Kaepernick, for example. He jeopardized his position in the NFL to stand up for what he believed in and to ultimately, start a revolution. If you are not familiar with Kaepernick and his story, here’s a small glimpse. Kaepernick was a star and leading player for the NFL team, the 49ers. Because he decided to kneel instead of standing up for the national anthem, he was attacked by the the public, which resulted in him losing his contract and he has not been signed to another team due to public relation fears of being criticized by the public. NFL teams would much rather miss out on a valuable player than to be criticized for having a black man on their team who stands up for his community. Kaepernick’s message is much larger than refusing to stand. He kneels for all of the inequalities that black people still face today, such as police brutality. Kaepernick’s point of starting this protest has ultimately been proven. He still stands without a job and is criticized for standing up for what he believes in. When you look at this, you must look at the larger picture. Kaepernick is opening the eyes of many and giving voices to those who cannot be heard. He used his platform to make a statement and to shake the nation. Let’s be honest, America can’t handle a black man or woman who stands firm. There is no longer time for you to wait. You must go for everything that you deserve right now, at this moment, and continue the legacy for generations to come. Start with investments. You can put your money in a mutual fund and move forward from there. There are mutual funds like Dreyfus, Transamerica, and T.Rowe Price, just to name a select few. You can start a business, buy property, and so many See SMELL on page 12
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July 10, 2018
VIEWPOINTS
HORNET EXPRESSIONS
“Given the fact that there have been 23 school shootings already this year, how do you feel about gun control in the U.S. and are gun laws too strict?”
Martin Luther King Jr. Junior Communications Tuskegee, Alabama
Khalil Watts Junior Business Management Stone Mountain, Ga
Kevin Williams Junior Business Management Pompano, Florida
Mackenzie Barnes Freshman Kinesiology Indianapolis, Indiana
Darryal Haygood Junior Communications Birmingham, Alabama
Aliyah Muhammad Sophomore Theater Birmingham, Alabama
“Yes, I am against gun “Yes, gun violence and “No, I am a firm believer “Yes, only law enforce“No, not even law en“No, there should be school shootings are on the in the Second Amendment.” control.” ment should have access to forcement should have guns, restrictions on who can get rise. guns and even they shouldn’t members of the criminal jus- access as well as the age reuse real bullets.” tice system are citizens just quirement.” like us.”
White House lies are more than just everyday lies BY JOHN FUNICELLO
Guest Columnist blackcommentator@gmail.com
The lies spilling out of the White House on the week after Father’s Day have become a deluge because of the Trump Administration’s policy of tearing children from their mothers and fathers at the southern frontier because Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions decided to see refugees and asylum seekers as criminals not worthy of seeking safety in the U.S. As far as the approximately 2,000 children ripped from their parents and sent to caged holding warehouses, there is only one word to describe Trump’s behavior: Terrorism. The children, some as young as nursing babies and the rest older are, indeed, terrorized. The few people who have been allowed entrance to the facilities that some in Trump’s cabinet have described as “summer camps” for the youngsters likely have not subjected themselves to the screams and wails of the boys and girls who are incarcerated, as they cry for their mothers and fathers. It was a fitting sight to describe the attitude of Trump and his crew toward the people of the south who are seeking asylum or relief from the dangers of their home countries. In a way, it makes the president and his apologists and supporters terrorists in their own right. Although a few of them profess to be parents and many of them profess belief in some religions, it is clear that they cannot put themselves in the place of the parents whose children have
been taken from them. They cannot empathize. Because of Trump’s twisted personality, he could not act in any other way, but his personality and his orders as president have forced even those who oppose separating families of the immigrants willing accomplices to his terroristic policy. That makes, each one, men and women, not only accomplices, but guilty of the same terrorism as Trump. All of them have tried to make light of their crime and, if it isn’t written down as a crime somewhere, it is a gross violation of human rights that has been executed on the perverted whim of someone who wishes to have absolute power, President Donald J. Trump. As soon as he saw the incredible response of the people and some in his own party, he blamed the Democrats. It is just another one of his blatant lies that he tells every day, but this time, he has traumatized a couple thousand children, perhaps for life. It doesn’t bother him at all. And, it makes one wonder what kind of relationship he has had with his own children, for no one who has picked up a child on coming home from work, when the child comes running with open arms in greeting, could not think of that memory when sentencing others’ children to a nightmare and not for any good reason. It is on a whim that Trump has done this, because he wants the children for use as pawns in his attempt to build a useless, wasteful and destructive wall between Mexico and the U.S. He wants the Democrats to approve and fund that wall
and he is using the children and broken families for his ransom demand so he can build his wall. In the first 17 months of his presidency, Trump has been shown to epitomize what the U.S. has become. It is becoming an island nation that is in the process of cutting itself off from the rest of the world, economically and politically. It is thumping its chest, bragging how powerful it is militarily and it is not afraid to use its awesome power to support the corporations that pretty much control what happens in the Congress and the state legislatures. It is a bully nation in the way that Trump is the schoolyard bully that only will stop when confronted in a major way. In a schoolyard, a punch in the nose is often what stops a bully, but in Trump’s case, he has the world’s only superpower to back up his erratic actions and policies. That makes him one of the most dangerous individuals on the planet. Just recall his threat not so long ago that his nuclear button was bigger than Kin Jong Un’s button, as if any sane person would ever joke about something that could set off the destruction of the world as we know it. Or, maybe he wasn’t joking. One can speculate from his behavior in this instance of incarcerating children and babies that he did not have much to do with the raising and nurturing of his own children. Or, maybe he just has never been interested in young children, but only those who have grown to adulthood and can be used in his businesses or when they become “hot,” his description
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White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders addresses the media about immigration.
of Ivanka. How else to explain his treatment of Central and South American children as so much livestock? No children deserve to be thrown into pens in a warehouse-type building with people they don’t know, either falling into depression or wailing for their mothers and fathers. Various press reports have noted that Stephen Miller, one of Trump’s closest advisers, talked him into separating families at the U.S.Mexico frontier and taking the children away, as their parents were taken off to be charged criminally for entering the country illegally. This was done without a thought for those seeking relief from danger or oppression, as so many millions have done before and who are now productive citizens in the third or fourth generation. Condemnation of Trump and his immigration policy has been heard from around the world and even his own party has a few critics which,
in this time, since Republicans are in such lock step, is a rarity. The president’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, ever the one to immediately support anything Trump says or does, has cited the Bible to justify separating children from their families and has brought opposition in a letter signed by hundreds of ministers of his own religion, the United Methodist Church. And Trump, ever thinking that he is dealing with just another real estate transaction, believes that he can force Democrats and the public to fund the insanity of his border wall by holding children hostage. He continues to insist that the Democrats in Congress can solve the problem of asylum-seekers and other immigrants by passing a law. Ever the pathological liar, he has insisted, hour by hour in the past few days, that it is the Democrats’ fault for family separations. It has been pointed out by numerous people that it is not the
Democrats’ fault and what he is doing is not a law passed by a previous Democratic administration and Congress. Trump can stop this ongoing human rights violation with a phone call, as was pointed out by Senator Lindsey Graham, a fellow Republican and by many Democrats and human rights advocates. What the president has done in this case, as he has done throughout his administration, is effectively make a liar out of just about everyone who works for him and must speak for him. Unfortunately, he speaks for the people of the United States of America. Is it any wonder that there is little trust among the nations of the world in anything the U.S. says or promises? BlackCommentator.com Columnist, John Funiciello, is a long-time former newspaper reporter and labor organizer, who lives in the Mohawk Valley of New York State.
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Page 12
July 10, 2018
VIEWPOINTS
HORNET EXPRESSIONS
Do you think that Alabama State University is equipped to handle a school shooting? Do you think our campus safety is up to par?
Shaikeria Murphy Freshman Psychology Montgomery, Alabama
Brittany Anderson Junior Theater Tampa, Florida
Desmond Pittman Senior Criminal Justice Dothan, Alabama
“No, no one is really “No we are not ready. Of“No, I do not feel safe on prepared enough.” ficers on this campus are fo- the campus of ASU. It’s too cused on the wrong things.” open, especially in areas with a high concentration of students. I’ve come by the check point and security would be sleeping in their cars.”
Kamryn Foster Sophomore Biology Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
“No. Absolutely not. “No, they can barely be Officers don’t show up for at the check point. Alabama work, our campus is open State has to do better.” and the people on the dummy wall don’t even attend the university.
Step by step, U.S. is becoming more isolated BY JOHN FUNICELLO
Guest Columnist blackcommentator@gmail.com
It is not as if the founders and a long line of presidents and congressional leaders wanted it to be, but the U.S. is becoming more and more isolated and much of the credit, or blame, lies with the current occupant of the White House. The United States of America used to be the “leader of the free world,” but Donald Trump, as president, has withdrawn the country from so many multilateral agreements and conventions that it is unrecognizable as a leader of anything. And, he’s done it in less than two years, a remarkable feat, considering that it has taken decades for the powers that be to make the nation a vital part of the world community and one to which many countries looked up to for guidance and, often, to settle differences. The list of his “accomplishments” is long, but it includes withdrawal from the Paris Accord on climate change, collapse of the U.S. role in the G-7 (the rich nations), moving U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem without even giving a nod to allies or to the adding of fuel to the fire of the PalestineIsrael condition, leaving the Iran de-nuclearization deal without consulting with other nations party to the agreement, and taking credit for dozens of things that would have happened if the White House were unoccupied. This is such a short list, but it is well to consider one of the primary goals of this administration and the Republican-controlled Congress: Slashing social programs to make up in the federal budget for the widely-panned tax “reform” that, in the end, benefits the rich (himself and his family) and the corporations; along with boosting the military and
defense budget by some $100 billion, which brings that budget to about $700 billion. The money has to come from somewhere, so, guess what?, it comes from programs that benefit the average wageworker and the poor (most of whom work). Trump also is comfortable with the war on workers that has been waged with his comrades among the 1 percent. Remember, during the presidential campaign, he said wages in America were too high and that meant that the country was not competitive in the world economy. His supporters did not understand what he was saying (and these folks came mostly from the working class and the middle class), because his policies, if you can call them that, have hurt them and their families first. He has made his bones with them by feeding the raw meat of racism and white supremacy and has, in effect, brought the country back to the era of Reconstruction in the South, a time when the only thing that distinguished poor whites from the freed slaves was their racism. He is okay with that, perhaps because it is what is in the deepest part of his being. It isn’t a question of “Trump hate,” as those on the right proclaim every day, but it is a question of understanding the depth of his twisted need for adulation and minute-byminute support and praise. That’s what the nation must deal with, making long-range plans to thwart someone in his condition from doing the damage that his “accomplishments” so far have done. Among his supporters are dairy farmers and cheese makers in the upper Midwest, particularly Wisconsin, who complained just this week that they are going to be devastated by the trade war that Trump started singlehandedly, again without any apparent consultation with his advisers or for that matter with the farmers. They still think he’s great, but suffer they will. Blue collar workers and
factory workers will be devastated by his trade war with China and with allied countries with which the U.S. has had a close relationship, both trade, cultural, and political. All by himself, Trump has managed to damage or destroy those relationships. Wage workers who put their faith in Trump’s campaign promises are finding that he cares nothing for them, any more than he cares for those who work for him, at the lowest wages, of course. His strutting about over the official low unemployment rate is because he’s taking credit for policies that were put in place long before he took office. It’s that way with Trump: Tell the nation and the world that he is the greatest and that he can do what no one else could do. Such braggadocio will become old very soon, if it hasn’t already among large groups of voters, including workers at every level of pay. Most Americans don’t act that way and Trump has made himself the ultimate reality TV star and all that the lowbrow style of entertainment is. He has taken lowbrow down to another level. His abominable policies on human rights has been exemplified by his treatment of refugees and asylum seekers and his separation of children and babies from their parents, who have been sent to “detention centers” and the children kept in cages. His homeland security secretary has said that keeping the children in those conditions is not a human rights violation, because they are fed, housed, and allowed outside for a short time each day. Others, human rights advocates, charge that this is a continuing human rights violation. There is little regard for human rights in the Trump White House. This month, Trump’s UN representative, Nikki Haley, announced that the U.S. is quitting the United Nations Human Rights Council,
mainly because that body has regularly criticized Israel for its treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and in Israel, itself. The claim by Washington is that other members of the council commit ongoing human rights violations themselves and are not cited regularly as they do Israel. Not much has been said about the support and money the U.S. gives to so many of the most egregious human rights violators. In most regards, Haley is like a mini-me of Trump, denying that there is anything wrong with anything the administration does. She strikes back, just as Trump does, at any criticism of the U.S. or what is perceived as a criticism. For example, she lashed out at the UN once again, when that body released a report that focused on poverty in the world, including the U.S. She wrote on the day after the report, by a UN reporteur, an American, and Huffpost quoted her: “It is patently ridiculous for the United Nations to examine poverty in America.” Ever the expert in deflecting focus on the flaws of the U.S., she suggested that the UN spend its resources on known human rights abusers like Congo and Burundi. The reason for such an outraged response? Nothing will be done to solve U.S. poverty (40 millions live in poverty) by the Trump Administration, no matter how effective the renewed Poor Peoples Campaign becomes. For Trump and Haley, pointing it out becomes an affront to the person of president and the perfect nation he rules. While Trump reigns, it can go in no other direction but down. Yet, as has been noted here before, Trump did not cause what is happening in America, but he is a vile symptom of the longterm decay of the ideals of America.
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we can challenge the larger system that was not meant for us. They give us enough rope to hang ourselves: The government will traffic drugs into the community to create drug addicts, then wage a war on them. The government will place politicians and political leaders in schools to watch them run to ruins with political poisons, then take them over. The government will use outlets to shape the images of our people, strike fear, concern, and outrage in the hearts of others, just so they can have an excuse
and agenda to control communities. But it takes choices. Will we allow drugs in our communities? Will we stand for outside businesses determining our economic value as opposed to us investing and building our own economy and financial stability? Will we allow politics or what’s best for the student to run our schools? What happens when we wake up, stop living in the taught self-hatred and take that rope to get where we, as a people, need to go? The famous 1983 film “Trading Places,” starring Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, when the successful brokers, the
Duke brothers (Mortimer and Randolph) depict this idea very well. In the film, the Duke brothers frame Aykroyd’s character, Winthorpe for a crime he did not commit, with a plan based on a bet that they could take a homeless, poor black man, Valentine, played by Murphy, and turn him into a successful business man and leader of their thriving business. In order to do so the Duke ousted Winthorpe, froze his assets, and replaced him with Valentine, to prove they could make Winthorpe poor and useless and Valentine rich and viable. Upon learning of the plan, Valentine and Winthor-
Janae Harrington Junior Dance Miami, Florida
pe teamed up to take on the Dukes hitting them where it hurts (in their pockets) and then becoming rich themselves. This left the Dukes in a terrible position as their assets were frozen, their riches and property were worthless to them, and they lost everything, all because the Dukes wanted to give Valentine a rope. They did not realize that just because you give someone a rope to hang themselves, doesn’t mean they will do it. In fact, how does the old saying go, “If you’re digging a hole for me, might as well dig a hole for two.”
Joshua Wilkinson English Education Sophomore Riverside, California “There has been a shooting here and when it happened people didn’t know what to do. Administration should implement the proper procedures for students in case it happens again.”
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others live their lives dictate how we live ours. We won’t ever be truly happy if we constantly seek the approval of others. Jessica Bennett, another writer for The Odyssey, explains that we only have the capacity to live the life given to us: “Try as they might, no one can live your life for you. So do what you want that makes you happy, and
live the life YOU want to live.” Y.O.L.O: You Only Live Once. As cliché as it may seem, it’s accurate. Live for yourself because nobody else will. Opportunity is here, but only if we utilize it. Don’t waste the opportunity that you came here for on other people. Take it and run with it because you only get one chance to do it right. So do it right.
Affects: “The third thing we are witnessing is mass incarceration. What ...” CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
children are children of immigrants. What we’re seeing at the border right now has everything to do with racism and bigotry. The second thing we are witnessing is the complete dehumanization of the victims. Before these children were ever sent to detention centers, Trump, for years, had been dehumanizing their parents as animals, as rapists, as murderers. This is a centuries old tactic. They do it with us daily. And it’s what allows them to oppress people without feeling bad about it. The third thing we are witnessing is mass incarceration. What we are seeing at the border right now is just another iteration of the mass incarceration crisis in this country. We lead the world in mass incarceration. No nation locks up more people than we do. In fact, no nation in the history of the world has locked up more people than we do – nearly 10 million people per year. The fourth thing we are witnessing is the profiteering and privatization of mass
incarceration. It’s a multi-billion dollar industry and what we see right now is scores of private companies and contractors using this crisis to make more money. It’s an abomination. But we saw this during slavery. We saw this during the Holocaust. People in power are always willing to profit off of the misery and oppression of others. In the days ahead I’ll be sharing some action items for us that we can all take. All I know is that we can’t be silent in the face of such horrors. Jeffery Shaun King (born September 17, 1979) is an American writer and civil rights activist. He is noted for his use of social media to promote religious, charitable, and social causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement. He is a columnist for the Intercept . Jeffery Shaun King is an American writer and civil rights activist. He is noted for his use of social media to promote religious, charitable, and social causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement. He is a columnist for the Intercept .
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other things that will benefit you in the long run. When it comes to health, the African American community has to do better as a collective. African Americans have a higher risk for several diseases like breast cancer, cardiovascular disease, STD’s, etc. Although, genetics may play a role in these diseases, our culture does as well and the culture is something that we can alter, starting with eating habits. African Americans are known for soul food, which can be extremely unhealthy. African Americans also have a low rate when it comes
to exercising and receiving health screening when the time is appropriate. That must change if the community wants to see a revolution. Being black is undeniably an amazing thing. But, it doesn’t start here. In the words of Maxine Waters,“Reclaim your time.” Demand what has always been yours and stand firm in what you believe in. Do not wait for a handout. Staying the same can no longer be in the game plan, but as a community, African Americans must evolve and show the world who they are. Wake up black people; it’s time for a revolution.
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