Vol. 4 • 2016
The Brown Lady
2016
Published by:
Honors College Student Association Creative Writing Club Printed by the Wm. A. Krueger School of Graphic Communications
Welcome Welcome to the 4th edition of The Brown Lady, an academic and creative magazine that proudly displays some of the best work created by Chowan University students! I invite you to explore and savor the wide variety of remarkable work in this issue. You’ll first encounter three compelling academic essays adapted from the capstone projects of recent Chowan graduates. Denesha Boykin offers an important examination of ways to improve the lives of individuals diagnosed with Autism or Down’s syndrome. Antavis Chavis delivers the story of the man behind the famous March on Washington in 1963. And Shannon Lassiter probes the troubling and persistent issue of sex trafficking in our country. After that, you’ll discover a stunning array of visual art. First, you’ll encounter three similar and yet very different human faces: the unusual and memorable face of Nfon Asuquo’s “CREWL,” the haunting eyes of a young girl in Jessica Pyle’s “Unforgettable Soul,” and the vibrant yet melancholy face of Des’monay Barnes’s “Black Roses.” Robert Powell presents the beauty of Italy in three photographs, “Tuscany, Italy” (also featured on this year’s cover), “Certaldo, Italy,” and “Venice, Italy.” He also shares his painting talents in “Serenity,” his fourth work in this year’s edition. Issa Farhoud contrasts night and day, light and dark, in his work “To Be Continued.” And Wendy Wilson, last year’s cover artist, shares two arresting images: elemental fire in her painting “Volatile/Oppressive” and the stark beauty of a farm in her photograph “Chamblee Barn.” In the second half of this year’s issue, you’ll see something different: a large section of creative works that blends a number of genres together. This is to emphasize and celebrate the diverse ways that creativity is expressed by our students. Contributing two different but equally powerful songs, Austin Munden gives us the quiet thoughtfulness of “Alone, Painting” and the ethereal sounds of his instrumental “Planets”. Poems by a number of authors explore the highs and lows of human experience. Terez Heckstall offers words of inspiration in “Rising,” Kellie Durham creates a simple but beautiful poem from the image of a “Waterfall,” and Danielle Young ponders the movement of the seasons in “Eventide Prayer.” Conversely, Breon Jones and Haley Haggard poignantly explore aspects of personal pain in “Black Pain” and “Things My Father Taught Me.” Stephanie Peede presents a story of an apocalyptic future and those who bravely face it in “Beyond the Lines” while cleverly continuing the story of a famous song about fiddling in the dramatic scene “Of Fiddles and Devils.” I’m also excited about two new genres we’re featuring this year, creative nonfiction and children’s literature. Stephanie Peede shares the importance of her small hometown in “My Trap,” and Melissa Hernandez tells an inspiring tale of how music helped her with a personal struggle in “B Major 7.” Finally, Victor Chilaka presents a short story created for children but enjoyable to all in “Rothua and the One Tale.” On behalf of this year’s editorial board, I invite you to explore these outstanding works at your leisure. I hope you are as proud of the work of Chowan University’s students as we are. Enjoy…and be sure to congratulate this year’s contributors! Dr. Tim Hayes Editor-in-Chief
Editorial Board Timothy Hayes Assistant Professor of English Editor-in-Chief
R. Lauren Rodil Assistant Director of Printing Production Jessica Vallejos Creative Writing Club English
David Ballew Associate Professor of History Jennifer Raha Newhouse Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Danny B. Moore Professor of History Rachel R. Phillips Assistant Professor of Psychology Jennifer K. Groves Assistant Professor of Graphic Communications
Melissa M. Hernandez Honors College Student Association History Danielle N. Young Honors College Student Association Elementary Education Jessica L. Staley Honors College Student Association Social Studies Education
Angelique’ G. Jackson Creative Writing Club English
Table of Contents Academic Essays The Importance of Developing Social and Interaction Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults by Denesha Boykin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bayard Rustin’s Organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom by Antavis Chavis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery by Shannon Lassiter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Visual Art CREWL by Nfon Asuquo. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Unforgettable Soul by Jessica Pyle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Black Roses by Des’monay Barnes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Tuscany, Italy [featured on cover] by Robert Powell. . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 To Be Continued by Issa Farhoud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Venice, Italy by Robert Powell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Certaldo, Italy by Robert Powell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Volatile/Oppressive by Wendy Wilson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Serenity by Robert Powell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Chamblee Barn by Wendy Wilson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
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Table of Contents Creative Works Rising by Terez Heckstall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Waterfall by Kellie Durham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Alone, Painting by Austin Munden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 My Trap by Stephanie Peede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Black Pain by Breon Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 B Major 7 by Melissa Hernandez. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Eventide Prayer by Danielle Young. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Planets by Austin Munden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Beyond the Lines by Stephanie Peede . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Things My Father Taught Me by Haley Haggard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Rothua and the One Tale by Victor Chilaka. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 Of Fiddles and Devils by Stephanie Peede. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
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Academic Essays The Importance of Developing Social and Interaction Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin.........................................................................................................8 Bayard Rustin’s Organization of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Antavis Chavis..........................................................................................................16 Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery Shannon Lassiter......................................................................................................24
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The Importance of Developing Social and Interaction Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
Abstract The quality of life for individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability has improved, according to the information gained from research, experimental studies, and technological advances. This paper is based on data from primary and secondary sources in regards to sibling interactions, recreational involvement, and school-implemented programs in support of my hypothesis. This study confirmed that early intervention programs have been essential if utilized throughout the early formative years of the individual’s life. When attempting to promote interactive play, activities having skill components similar to known ritualistic behaviors proved to be most effective. The studies also suggested that one’s family demonstrates the greatest impact of social development. Improving the development of social and interaction skills in the life of an individual with an intellectual or developmental disability lies in the continued education of parents and caregivers.
Introduction Psychological research has suggested that social interactions are essential for all people in order for them to sustain their quality of life (Akranavicute, 2007). Society has long overlooked the value of these vital interactions in the social development of individuals with an intellectual and/or developmental disability. The lack of conversational interactions and activities could therefore limit the overall development of an individual with a disability. Social development is gained through interactions between two or more people over a course of time. These interactions are enhanced through day-to-day conversations, activities, and even mimicked behaviors. Social development satisfies the psychological quality of life model, which is used for comparing an individual’s actual life dimensions at a point in time to their ideal life (Akranavicute, 2007). Social interactions and relationships build upon one’s social development directly in accordance to the quality of life (QOL) model. These relationships are commonly developed between family, peers, society and support. For example, from birth, an interaction between the mother and infant is often the first social interaction to which an infant becomes exposed. From the intimate kiss on the forehead a mother shares with her child to the gentle touch of her fingers against the infant’s bottom, the infant begins to establish a long-lasting relationship with his or her mother. Typically, from then on, the child will begin building relationships with close relatives such as the father, siblings, and grandparents (Baker & Koegel, 1999). Without this initial relational development, all future interactions may be limited. Individuals with an intellectual disability possess a deficit which may hinder their desire to engage in meaningful interactions and build relationships among their peers, thus impeding the enhancement of their overall social development throughout life (Baker & Koegel, 1999). Intellectual disability, once referred to as “mental retardation” is characterized as having an intelligence less than 90 (Brain Metrix, 2014) and a mental ability lacking in skills necessary for daily living (WebMD, 2014). Intellectual disabilities pose limitations in one’s overall intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviors. These limitations are characterized by groupings often used across school systems to encompass intellectual delays in one’s basic academic skills, including reading, writing, mathematics, language, and auditory and visual processing 8
The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
(WebMD, 2014). Many of these limitations are related to individuals who have been diagnosed within the spectrum of autism or Down’s syndrome. An intellectual disability is often coupled in the diagnosis of a developmental disability wherein the two share similarities with one another. A developmental disability, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2013), is a group of conditions impairing one’s physical, learning, language, and behavioral interactions, Just as with an intellectual disability, a developmental disability can be diagnosed at any point between the beginning of the developmental stage of an infant and the end of the individual’s lifetime. A developmental disability also poses milestones for the individual in the early years of life. For example, the milestones may be a delay in learning to walk, speak, play with others, or exhibit appropriate behaviors in appropriate settings (CDC, 2013). Throughout life, the individual must work at overcoming the deficits in these developmental milestones (2013). Knowing that there are differences and similarities between the two types of disabilities, one can better understand the importance of developing social skills to enhance their lives. Both disabilities present some dimension of delay in the individual’s social interactions, learning, language skills, and adaptive behaviors. Understanding the differences between an intellectual and a developmental disability is vital in the care for the individual. The difference is vital in understanding the desire to establish social relationships. Persons with Down’s are more likely to want to establish interactions, whereas an individual with autism is more closed to interactions. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a disorder characterized by widespread abnormalities in social interactions, communications, restrictions of interest, and repetitive behaviors (Ataman et al., 2014). Autism generally presents itself in the early stages of an infant to toddler’s life. Because Autism is a neurological disorder, the effect on the brain’s functioning creates a delayed development in the child’s communication and social interaction skills (Ataman et al., 2014). Unfortunately, the exact cause of ASD is one that physicians are still researching. However, it can be agreed among physicians that the complexity of the disorder and the spectrum in which it is measured are linked to rare mutations with gene effects or rare multi-gene interactions (Baker & Koegel, 1999). Autism is measured and diagnosed based on a trajectory model in which the parent, pediatric physician, and, in some cases, the child psychiatrist compare the infant’s developmental skills over a course of time to that of an infant without autism. For example, the age at which an infant should begin the desire to crawl or walk may be delayed compared to an infant without autism (Lord & Richler, 2006). This paper examines the importance of enhancing social and interaction skills in individuals with an intellectual and/or developmental disability, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder or Down’s syndrome, through activities and peer involvement. Three questions will be addressed. First, do family members, specifically siblings, have an effect on the social skills in an individual with autism? Second, are recreational activities/programs effective for individuals with autism in the development of social skills? And third, are school-implemented programs for intellectually/developmentally disabled individuals effective in increasing social and interaction skills?
Method Supporting literature presented throughout this paper was gathered from primary and secondary sources through the use of educational databases such as Hawk Hunt, Google, Google Scholar, Research 9
The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
Starters, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and JAMA Psychiatry. The following search terms were used: sociability, social development, autism, down syndrome, social interaction in autism, social interaction in Down’s syndrome, what is an intellectual disability, what is Down’s syndrome, intellectual disability, developmental disability, quality of life, measuring intelligence, autism facts and statistics, enhancing social skills in the autistic, enhancing social skills in people with Down’s, enhancing social development in the mentally retarded, social skill development in people with autism, community activities for people with Down’s, interactive play, DSM-IV, and autism in males.
Results Over the course of approximately three months, data was collected from primary and secondary sources that directly supported the hypothesis upon which this paper is based. Out of 10 studies and experiments which were reviewed, four positively supported the notion that social and interaction skill development is of much importance for individuals diagnosed with an intellectual and/or developmental disability. Transforming Children with Autism’s Ritualistic Behaviors via Positive Play Interactions with Siblings As noted earlier, the formation of relationships between an infant with his/her family and the environment is vital in developing social skills needed for future interactive development. This paper examines the early stages of social development in autistic children through the use of sibling interaction. Children with an autistic sibling(s) will readily notice the lack of interaction between them. As mentioned, this lack of interaction is due to a decrease in ability and desire of an autistic individual to establish social interactions outside of self-play. The authors of this study hoped to establish an intervention protocol for growth in social development through positive play interaction between an autistic child and his/her siblings (Baker & Koegel, 1999). For the design of this experimental intervention, three children who were diagnosed as low functioning within the spectrum of Autism according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) criteria were considered. Multiple baselines were used across this experiment to evaluate the most appropriate intervention deemed necessary for the child. Baselines were designed to evaluate the likelihood of increased play with a sibling if the play game included actions similar to the autistic child’s ritualistic behaviors. Evaluators established an appropriate play game that would increase the time and quality of play time with their siblings, as well as measuring how frequently the ritualistic behaviors took place during a set play time with the child’s sibling. The children were instructed to play with their siblings for 30-40 minutes in an environment with a variety of toys and games to initiate interaction. It was concluded that suggesting games and directions targeted around the child’s ritualistic behaviors presented an increase in the desire for the child to want to initiate positive play interactions with his/her siblings. It was also concluded that, over time, those behaviors that were once considered problematic began to fade due to the child learning and mimicking behaviors of his/her siblings. This social interaction that was developed with siblings in the home was also seen in some cases to produce positive results in the child’s interaction with classmates in school (Baker & Koegel, 1999). Peer Relationships and Social and Recreational Activities among Adolescents and Adults with Autism This paper analyzed an experiment which not only dissected peer relationships among individuals, 10
The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
who were all autistic, but also relationships among autistic individuals who were placed in settings where they would engage with individuals who had no diagnosed disability. For the design of this experiment, 407 adolescents and adults, who were diagnosed within the spectrum of autism according to the Autism Diagnostic Review (ADI-R) and lived at home with at least one parent who was their mother, were considered for the experiment. At the start of the procedure, data was collected from interview responses from the child’s mother regarding their daily routines and social and recreational activities on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. Environmental factors that could potentially affect daily routines and social and recreational activities were taken into account, such as the mother’s participation in social and recreational activities, the number of special services the child received from the government, and whether or not the child was placed in a non-disabled classroom in school. Nine activities were sectioned into domains, being examined and rated by the mother of the children, which were included in the sample, such as social skills with school or work friends, social skills with friends or neighbors, social skills with relatives, participation in recreational activities, attendance at religious services, engaging in hobbies, exercising, and taking overnight trips or traveling (Krauss et al., 2004). The authors of the experiment investigated and concluded that both individual and environmental factors were significant in determining the number of activities performed each week, month and year by the child. The mothers of the children demonstrated the biggest influence on the child’s social and recreational life. For example, the more social and involved the mother was, the more likely the child was to desire socializing and participating in recreational activities. It was implied that mothers were not putting forth efforts in engaging their son or daughter in social or cultural activities to develop interactions. It was also concluded that the amount of social and recreational activity was a reflection of how independent the child was at performing typical ADL tasks. The ADL task measurements were taken into account during the initial interview in which the mothers and interviewers analyzed individual factors, such as age, gender, independence in ADL’s, internalizing behaviors, social behaviors, externalizing behaviors, impairments in language skills, and impairments in social interaction skills. Age group and gender showed no significant effect on the child’s social and recreational activities. Other conclusions as it relates to the collected data showed no comparison in the amount of government assistance for the child; however, those students who were included in a classroom with other disabled students were more likely to interact with peers similar to themselves versus those individuals included in a classroom with individuals who did not share an alike or similar disability (Krauss et al., 2004). As expected by the authors of this experiment, mothers had the greatest impact on the social and recreational life of their child as well as the child’s level of independence in ADL’s Teaching Social Skills to Students with Autism to Increase Peer Interactions in an Integrated First-grade Classroom. Specifically, the authors of this paper analyzed the integration of autistic students into a classroom with non-autistic children. The author’s investigations targeted the use of social skill groups that were developed within the classroom to facilitate social interactions between high-functioning autistic students with their non-autistic peers. For the design of this study, three high-functioning autistic males participated. These males were classified as high-functioning based on their intellectual capabilities, language skills, and academic performance. However, all three males demonstrated a deficiency in social skills and interactions with peers within their age range. 11
The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
For the experiment, observations were made during a play group session which measured the frequency of behavior, time engaged in the behavior/activity, and how long the social interactions between the target males and their peers lasted. The authors concluded that social skills training is a necessary and viable resource for increasing the frequency of interactive behaviors, increasing engagement time in the interactive behaviors, and the length of social interaction between the autistic students and their peers. Results suggest: the use of the social skills training as a classroom-wide training rather than specifically targeting the students and social skill groups that were directed in teaching fewer behaviors at a time. This experiment supports previous research conducted by the authors in support of the effectiveness of social skills training being implemented into integrated classrooms (Delquadri et al., 1992). Practical and social skills of 16-19-year-olds with Down’s syndrome: Independence still far away As mentioned previously when distinguishing the similarities between an intellectual and a developmental disability, it is noted that two disorders, Autism and Down’s syndrome, are examples of disorders that are alike in the intellectual and developmental deficits. The authors of this study tasked themselves with collecting data to support the importance of teaching practical skills needed for daily living to individuals with Down’s syndrome. For individuals with Down’s, maturing into self-independency does not come easy, due to a delay in their cognitive and motor development. Overall care for adolescents and adults with Down’s has improved over the years because of the growing knowledge of the disorder. However, specific skills needed to transition from adolescence into adulthood in individuals with Down’s syndrome have not improved (Buitendijk et al., 2013). The design of this study measured the practical and social skills of an individual with Down’s syndrome. Practical skills were measured in accordance to the Dutch Social competence rating scale (SRZ), which specifically measured the practical skills of an intellectually disabled individual. As hoped, the data collected was in marked support of the author’s idea that the importance of practical and social skills development in individuals with Down’s syndrome had not improved tremendously. However, the authors noticed effectiveness in early intervention programs in which some of the individuals were exposed to these skills during the early years of their lives. The effectiveness of the intervention programs was determined by the level of skill improvement in language use and task orientations (Launonen, 2014). Intervention programs specifically for Down’s syndrome individuals are often used in reducing factors that contribute to the severity of the developmental and intellectual delays of the adolescent or adult (Launonen, 1996).
Discussion The findings indicated throughout the reviewed research support the hypothesis that sibling interactions, as well as recreational and school-implemented programs, can all play a vital role in increasing the social skills and interactions in intellectually and developmentally disabled adolescents and adults with autism or Down’s syndrome. Perhaps the single most important factor contributing to improving one’s overall social skills development is recreational activities/programs. These programs offer opportunities for individuals diagnosed with ASD and Down’s syndrome to engage with each other. This is an opportunity that can only be gained outside of the home. The findings add to current research of the development of social skills and interactions in not only 12
The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
individuals diagnosed with ASD, but individuals diagnosed with Down’s syndrome as well. One is able to make comparisons of both an intellectual and developmental disability as it pertains specifically to two common disorders affecting many children and adults to this day. As a result of the similarities in social functioning found between individuals diagnosed with ASD and Down’s syndrome, future research may suggest implications for further advancement of interventions directed at enhancing social skills and interactions of this population. First, the research conducted by Baker and Koegel (1999) reinforces the notion that sibling interactions can be beneficial in an individual diagnosed with autism. Instead of focusing on the role of parents in the overall development of a child with autism, the authors of the study decided to experiment with how siblings contributed to the social skills and interactions in a child with autism through play interactions (Baker & Koegel, 1999). The authors concluded the use of play intervention groups including the child with autism and his or her sibling to be beneficial in the development of social skills and the desire for social interaction. The authors were also able to conclude that creating games and activities that were designed with components to imitate specific ritualistic behaviors increased the likelihood of the child participating in the game or activity with his/her sibling (Baker & Koegel, 1999). Secondly, the work of Krauss et al. (2004) demonstrated the importance of social and recreational programs for the enhancement of social functioning of an individual diagnosed with ASD. It was specifically concluded that the mothers of the individuals had the greatest impact on the involvement of their child (Krauss et al., 2004). The child was less likely to be engaged if the mother was not engaged in a social or recreational program. Although many individuals of this study showed a greater interest in social and recreational activities that allowed them to keep to themselves more so than interact with others, the authors of this study still stressed the importance of getting the individuals involved in social and recreational activities, such as community social events and overnight travel for the child (Krauss et al., 2004). The findings of Delquadri et al. (1992) suggested that school-implemented programs, such as social skills groups used in a first grade classroom, were effective at increasing social skills and interactions. Through 20-minute play groups that involved the student diagnosed with ASD and two or more classmates, the students essentially grew to overlook the developmentally disabled child’s disability, which in turn caused the child to feel “welcomed” by his or her peers (Delquadri, et al., 1992). The play groups also prompted the student diagnosed with ASD to use interactions and behaviors that were taught during the social skills training period. During the social skills training, specific skills and behaviors were suggested by the teacher in the classroom to the students to be demonstrated during the first ten minutes of play (1992). After the experiment, follow-up data showed the skills and behaviors learned during the play groups were still being demonstrated by the student diagnosed with ASD, suggesting an improvement in their overall social skills over time (Delquadri et al., 1992). Although not specific to autism, the information presented in regards to Down’s syndrome confirms shared symptoms and characteristics of the two disorders. Being able to improve the practical and social skills in a child with Down’s syndrome may in turn create the same growth in an adolescent or adult diagnosed with ASD. The authors of this study implied that a lack of importance has been placed on the development of practical and social skills for transitioning adolescence (Buitendijk et al., 2013). Through emerging technology, information is being attained constantly about Down’s syndrome for optimal medical care. Parents and physicians may have lost sight of the importance of basic practical skills, such as grooming 13
The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
and toileting, which are deemed as important mastery skills for adulthood. The authors of the study suggest more emphasis should be placed on early intervention for learning and developing these practical and social skills (Buitendijk et al., 2013). In conclusion, although individuals with an intellectually and/or developmentally disabling condition may not ever be fully able to master learned social skills and interactions due to the nature of their disability, there will always be room for improvement, whether big or small. Through continued interactions with family, social and recreational activities, and school implemented programs, there will be a continued increase in the overall development and quality of life for a child or adult affected by an intellectual or developmental disability. From birth, the parent or caretaker should involve an individual with a disability in activities that will enhance their social development. It is important to focus on their abilities and not the disability. The information obtained through my research supports the conclusion that developmentally disabled individuals can live a full and meaningful life. Skills for community interaction can be taught through engaging the individual in social activities. Families play a vital role and are essential in training these needed social skills. School implemented programs have also shown a positive effect across many school systems in regards to the relationships that are developed among disabled students and their peers. Sibling interaction, social and recreational activities, and school implemented programs are all important in improving the quality of life in developing social and interaction skills for individuals with an intellectual and/or developmental disability.
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The Importance of Developing Social and Interactive Skills in Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled Children and Adults Denesha Boykin
Literature Cited Akranavicute, Dalia. 2007. Quality of life and components measurement. Engineering Economics, 2 (2007): 43-48. Ashwin, Emma, Bonnie Auyeung, Bhismadev Chakrabarti, Simon Baron-Cohen, Rebecca Knickmeyer, Michael V. Lambardo. 2011. Why are autism spectrum conditions more prevalent in males? PLOS Biology, 9 (6): e1001081. Ataman, Ahmet D, Suat Bicer, Emine E. Vatanoglu-lutz. 2014. Medicine in stamps: History of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) through philately. Journal of Neurological Sciences [Turkish], 31 (2): 426-434. Baker, Mary J, Robert L. Koegel. 1999. Transforming Children with Autism’s Ritualistic Behaviors into Positive Play Interactions with Siblings. Brain Matrix. IQ Definition. Brain Matrix. Retrieved October 2, 2014 from www.brainmatrix.com/ iq-defintion Buitendijk, Simone E, Minnie Fekkes, Anne M. Oudesluys- Murphy, Helma B.M. Van GamerenOosterom, Sijmen A. Reijnevald, Paul H. Verkerk, Jacobus P. Van Wouwe. 2013. CDC. Developmental Disabilities. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved October 2, 2014 from www.cdc.gov/ncbdd/developmentaldisabilities/facts.html Chiu, Wai T, Olga Demler, Ronald C. Kessler, Ellen E. Walters. 2005. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity survey replication. JAMA Psychiatry, 62 (6): 617-627. Delquadri, Joseph C, Erin P. Dugan, Louise Folk, Beth Gershon, Debra M. Kamps, Betsy R. Leonard, Sue Vernon, Linda Wade. 1992. Teaching social skills to students with autism to increase peer interactions in an integrated first grade-grade classroom. Journal of applied behavior analysis, 2 (25): 281-288. Krauss, Marty W, Gael I. Orsmond, Marsha M. Seltzer. 2004. Peer Relationships and Social and Recreational activities among adolescents and adults with Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34 (3): 245-255. Kuehn, Bridget M. 2011. Scientist Probe Oxytocin Therapy for Social Deficits in Autism, Schizophrenia. Journal of the American Medical Association, 305 (1): 659-661. Launonen, Kaisa. 2014. Enhancing Communication Skills of Children with Down syndrome: Early use of Manual Signs. In: Jensen, Mogens H., Steven V. Tetzchner, editors. Augmentative and Alternative Communication: European Perspectives. Whurr. pp. 213-31. Lord, Catherine, Jennifer Richler. 2006. Social and Communication Development in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mahwah: The Guilford Press. 38 p. NICHD. Autism Spectrum Disorder. NICHD. Retrieved September 30, 2014 from www.nichd.nih. gov/health/topics/autism/conditioninfo/pages/at-risk.aspx Practical and social skills of 16-19-year-olds with Down syndrome: Independence still far away. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 34 (2013): 4599-4607. WebMD. Intellectual Disability (mental retardation). WebMD. Retreived October 2, 2014 from www.webmd.com/children/intellectual-disability-mental-retardation. 15
Bayard Rustin’s Organization of The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Antavis Chavis On August 28, 1963, close to three hundred thousand people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” Today, fifty years later, the march only seems to be remembered as the day that the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. No one gives credit to the person who gave King the platform: Bayard Rustin. Rustin is a key figure who has been lost in history. His efforts sparked a mass movement that changed the face of the Civil Rights Movement and gave a crystallization of a vision made clear for many people of color. Rustin was born on March 17, 1912, to a young mother, so his maternal grandparents took him in.1 Rustin lived a good, stable life in Westchester, Pennsylvania, where his grandparents steeped him in the Quaker religion. He also encountered civil rights early, as his grandmother Julia was a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and Rustin had the opportunity to meet W.E.B. DuBois as a young child in his grandmother’s home.2 Rustin thrived in high school and graduated with honors in 1932. After graduating high school, Rustin attended Wilberforce University and Cheyney State Teachers College before moving to New York City in 1937. While there, Rustin’s passion for pacifism began to grow. The vision of standing up against violence and providing a more peaceful means of promoting equality became an ambition for him.3 Rustin’s brand of pacifism was different from the typical definition. His focus on pacifism was much more than just the rejection of violence; it was a call for social justice. In the mid 1930’s, Rustin joined the Young Communist League, which was the youth wing to the Communist Party of the United States (CPUSA). However, he eventually had to cut ties with the organization to focus his energy on the Civil Rights Movement. He played an active role in the “Don’t Buy Where You Can’t Work” boycott, which was organized by Adam Clayton Powell. He was also involved in the March on Washington Movement (MOWM) of 1941 as a youth organizer. A. Philip Randolph, a leader in labor rights, organized the March on Washington Movement. Randolph was a well-established African-American Civil Rights activist who made an impact on society in the 1920s and ’30s. Rustin and Randolph became acquaintances over time, and eventually their ties led to a friendship that would last until Randolph’s death in 1979. Rustin continued his contact with Randolph in the years after the MOWM. In that time their trust began to grow deeper. In December 1962, in a conversation with Randolph, Rustin suggested another attempt at a mass mobilization in Washington, D.C. Rustin brought to the attention of his mentor that the centennial of the Emancipation Proclamation was approaching. Rustin realized the promise of equality during the Reconstruction era was never fulfilled. Due to the realization of this issue, Rustin was prepared to devote his all to the new effort. Rustin states in a letter written to Randolph after the march, “I was deeply involved emotionally.”4 With the support of Randolph, Rustin was fully committed to the new effort of planning another mobilization. This mobilization would become the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Rustin began organizing the march once he returned from a trip to England with A.J. Muste, who was a leader in both the pacifist and labor movement. Rustin gathered Tom Kahn and Norman Hill to help draft 1 2 3 4 16
Jerald Podair, Bayard Rustin: American Dreamer (New York: Rowan & Littlefield Publishers, INC., 2009), 8. Ibid., 10. John D’Emilio, Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2003), 24. Bayard, Rustin, I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters, ed. Long, Michael G. (San Francisco: City Lights Publishers, 2012), 20.
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a proposal.5 Kahn was a student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and Hill was a national staff member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), an organization that believed in a nonviolent approach in the fight for equality. Rustin’s original plan for the march was to put economics as the main issue. Rustin wanted to make a statement that African Americans had not experienced any fundamental government action to get rid of the economic subordination of the African American.6 Unemployment was the issue; racism would last as long as economic inequality remained. Rustin determined that the platform of the march would be for the creation of more jobs for all Americans. He wanted this to be a massive effort for all Americans, but he put the African American community at the center of the action. He wanted African Americans to show a form of agency on a national scale. He knew the only way this would occur was if he took the lead role in organizing the march. He originally proposed two days of activities for the march. The first day would be a mass descent on Washington, D.C., so that protesters could distract congressman from conducting business.7 The next day would consist of a massive rally in which the main focus was to state that the promise of the Emancipation Proclamation had not been upheld. The rally would hold congressmen and the president responsible for the failure to uphold the promise. Randolph approved of Rustin’s two-day format; he believed it was the best way to approach the event. Despite Randolph’s approval, there was one question that needed to be answered: what agency would sponsor the event?8 Rustin was in search of an agency that would sponsor the march. Randolph was the founder of the Negro American Labor Council (NALC).9 The purpose of this organization was “to press against discriminatory practices of the labor movement.”10 Rustin asked Randolph if he could convince the NALC board to sponsor the event along with other civil rights groups, especially the NAACP. As Randolph was working on getting agencies to sponsor the event, Rustin took a mini-vacation to Africa. Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago John D’Emilio stated, “Trips to Africa nourished him.”11 While Rustin was on vacation, Randolph suggested the march be held in mid-June. When Rustin returned to the states, he was well rested and ready to push forward with the proposed March. Rustin traveled to Georgia, where he met with Muste and Rev. Glenn Smiley, who, like Rustin, was a civil rights activist. There he would give a speech on nonviolence for approximately fifty leaders in the CORE, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).12 The reason for this trip was to gain support for the mobilization in the nation’s capital that was being planned. He convinced a few members of each group to endorse the event.13 By the end of the trip, Rustin had support from many agencies. Rustin even received a letter from Julian Bond, who was the communications director of SNCC that stated that the March had their full support.14 Jim Farmer, who was a close friend with Rustin, stated that CORE would help with funds for the effort. There was no word from the SCLC; however, Rustin was confident the organization would come on board. After many failed attempts to contact them, Rustin asked Randolph for his assistance. Randolph reported that the SCLC was not interested. More sponsorship was needed, so Randolph went to Whitney 5 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 327. 6 Ibid., 328. 7 Anderson, Troubles I’ve Seen, 242. 8 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 328. 9 Ibid., 329. 10 Ibid. 11 Ibid. 12 Ibid. 13 Ibid. 14 Ibid. 17
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Young, who was the new director of the National Urban League and Wilkins of the NAACP.15 Young and Randolph had many conversations. Young stressed his concern about the mobilization. He believed that having a mobilization in the nation’s capital was not the way to get policy passed in favor of the African American community. Due to his belief, Young stated that the National Urban League would decline the offer to become a sponsor for the movement.16 Rustin believed the light was starting to fade. Knowing that the NAACP and the Urban League were not supporting the march did not sit well with him. He knew these two organizations had the resources to make the mobilization a success.17 Rustin was feeling discouraged because powerful organizations were declining to support the march. Organizations such as SNCC, NAACP, and CORE were being pulled in many directions. At the time these influential organizations were involved with massive protests in Birmingham, Alabama, and voter registration in Mississippi. Rustin started to question whether having a massive movement was worth the hassle and the headache. In a letter written to Randolph, Rustin stated, “there seems to be no urgency.”18 The events that occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, would change Rustin’s mind and prove that continued planning for the mobilization was necessary. Consequentially, Rustin decided to take a trip to Birmingham to see the events firsthand. While in Birmingham, he was able to experience the struggle that was occurring in the city. Rustin could feel the anger and believed, “Birmingham signaled a seismic shift in the racial landscape.”19 Rustin stated, “The events in Birmingham were more important for organizing the March on Washington than me or anything else.” He came to believe the events there had caused the Civil Rights Movement to reach a new stage.20 For the first time in American history, the black community in the South intended to change the white power structure in America. The black community was finally fighting for freedom, and, as Rustin stated in a letter to President Kennedy, “The Negro masses are no longer prepared to wait for anybody. They are going to move. Nothing can stop them.”21 Rustin believed the march had to happen in the approaching summer. Rustin felt it time to stage a mass movement on the nation’s capital, while the images of children being attacked by police dogs and fire hoses were still fresh in the minds of many. Once Rustin arrived back in his office from the trip to Alabama, he was more determined than ever to the plan the march. Rustin believed that a mass nonviolent movement was the best weapon for the fight for equality, but he made revisions to the original proposal for the march. The new goal would focus on two issues, jobs and freedom. He also reduced the length of the event from two days to one day. However, he would still include a demonstration at the White House, the Capitol building, and a mass march to the Lincoln Memorial.22 The dream and the vision were there. Rustin knew in order for the march to be successful there was much work ahead of him. There was much work to be done in very little time. Rustin knew this would be a task that he could not do on his own. Help was needed, so he decided to organize a board for the march. Rustin appointed Randolph, director of the NAACP; Roy Wilkins, Executive Director of the National Urban League; Whitney Young, the founder of CORE; James Farmer; The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; and John Lewis, who 15 Ibid., 330. 16 Ibid. 17 Ibid. 18 Rustin, Life in Letters., 144. 19 Ibid., 335. 20 Ibid. 21 Rustin, Life in Letters., 275. 22 Ibid., 337. 18
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was the chairman of SNCC.23 These six men would be named the “Big Six,” but the daily operations of the march were placed in the hands of the director, which was a role Rustin wanted. The Big Six would serve as the administrative body for the movement and would supervise the director.24 While preparations for the march were taking place, rumors in Washington, D.C., started to surface that the mobilization was becoming a reality. Charles Diggs, who was a black U.S. representative from Michigan, expressed his concerns with King. In a letter written to King, Diggs suggested the idea of having a massive mobilization in the nation’s capital was a disaster waiting to happen.25 Diggs predicted chaos would occur in Washington D.C., like what occurred in Birmingham. Diggs was not the only one to oppose it. On June 22, President Kennedy met with the Big Six in the White House. His objective of this meeting was to stop the mobilization.26 Kennedy believed that a march on the nation’s capital would be dangerous for protesters. He also believed there was no way the march could be successful. Kennedy believed there would be chaos if the mobilization occurred, and he was certain legislation would not be passed if disorder erupted during the march. Randolph and Rustin, who were in attendance in the meeting, believed a mobilization needed to happen. Despite Kennedy’s concerns about the movement, Randolph and Rustin told the president that the mobilization would occur.27 Rustin displayed the qualities of a leader by standing up to Kennedy. After the meeting with the president, members of the Big Six, along with Rustin, held a meeting. The topic of discussion was who would be director. Wilkins believed that Rustin could not be the director, because he had too many political scars. Wilkins pointed out all of Rustin’s political handicaps, including his arrest for refusing to fight in World War II, his involvement with the communist party and his homosexuality. Wilkins believed the march was too important and Rustin’s past too deep for him to lead. Rustin received support from both Randolph and Farmer, who believed Rustin could lead and do a great job. King shared the same opinion as Wilkins. Randolph eventually accepted the role of director, but he picked Rustin as his assistant. Though Rustin’s title was assistant director, it was Rustin who handled the day-to-day operations and control of the organization of the march. Rustin had to stay out of the public eye in the weeks leading up to the march because he did not want “the liabilities he carried out to undermine his work.”28 The march was becoming a reality. No one had ever witnessed a mass mobilization on the nation’s capital. The leadership of the march was anticipating leading 100,000 protesters to the nation’s capital. At a meeting held on July 2, Rustin stated the march would take place on August 28. This date gave him less than two months to plan.29 Randolph had full confidence in Rustin. He knew that he possessed the necessary leadership qualities that would lead to a successful march. Rustin and his staff left nothing to chance, as every little detail was important. Rustin stated, “We planned out precisely the number of toilets that would be needed for a quarter million people.”30 Rustin and his staff planned out how many blankets would be needed for people coming early and how many doctors would be needed, along with the number of first aid stations. He also had suggestions for what people should bring for their lunches.31 Rustin had planned to have protesters arrive the night before the march and leave by 23 Ibid. 24 Ibid., 337-338. 25 Ibid., 338. 26 Ibid. 27 Ibid. 28 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 339. 29 Ibid., 340. 30 Ibid., 341. 31 Ibid. 19
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sunset on the day of the march. Rustin stated, “We had to have fantastic planning of all the parking lots for the thousands of buses and automobiles.”32 Rustin and Horowitz made calls to officials of the New Jersey Turnpike to arrange stop points to make sure maps to D.C. were available at rest stops. No detail was too small for Rustin and his staff.33 His close attention to detail in the planning of the march gave Rustin the nickname of “Master Planner.”34 Rustin pictured the march as an epidemic. He and Randolph had also seen the movement as an opportunity to “raise demands for economic justice.”35 As a result of these changes, the Big Six expanded to the “Big Ten.”36 The board believed the admission of the four new members provided strength. The four people who were added were Walter Reuther, the leader of the United Auto Workers, and Matthew Ahmann, Eugene Carson Blake, and Joachim Prinz, who were all religious leaders.37 Rustin printed a second manual to help guide organizers. This was a revision of the first guide that was printed about a month earlier. This guide stated there would be no plans for lobbying and no demonstrations other than the mass march and rally, and only members of the Big Ten would meet with members of Congress and the President.38 Violence was a key issue to Rustin, as he believed there was no place for it in society. Part of his plan was to make sure that Washington, D.C., policemen were not patrolling the march. Instead, he recruited his own police force which consisted of out-of-uniform black officers from up and down the east coast.39 In the summer, Rustin organized sessions on nonviolence for hundreds of people who volunteered. In a meeting he had with D.C. police, an officer told Rustin that “there would be a lot of policeman around so that your people don’t violate the law.”40 Rustin did not back down in the conversation; he told the deputy of his plan of recruiting his own police force. Rustin’s fearlessness to stand up against opposition proved that he was a leader. As the date started to come closer, groups started to make their travel plans official. Marchers from Los Angeles, Chicago, and even Minneapolis scheduled planes.41 “Marchers in Florida, and Georgia reserved their space of railroads and buses.”42 Horowitz, the coordinator of transportation, reported to Rustin that at least 89,000 people were coming.43 This was based on the information she received from airlines, bus companies, and train stations. Rustin was excited, and he reported the news to the Big Ten. The Big Ten were relieved to hear the information. As the date approached, the press predicted huge numbers. According to the Amsterdam News, they expected 250,000 participants. According to the Herald Tribune, they speculated 200,000 participants would attend.44 On the day before the march, Rustin, his staff and members of the Big Ten made their way to Washington, D.C., Rustin continued paying close attention to every detail. He began to work as soon as he arrived in 32 Ibid. 33 Ibid. 34 Rustin, Life in Letters, 119. 35 Ibid. 36 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 343. 37 Ibid. 38 Ibid. 39 Ibid., 345. 40 Ibid. 41 Ibid., 351. 42 Ibid. 43 Ibid. 44 Rustin, Life in Letters, 315. 20
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the nation’s capital. He met with local organizers and the district police to make sure all was intact; he even took a tour of the National Mall where the rally would be held. On the morning of the march, Rustin, along with members of his staff, woke up early. Rustin was extremely nervous. In an effort to relieve his butterflies, Rustin and his staff walked the National Mall. As he was walking, he saw that groups had started to arrive. Rustin stated, “The first arrivals, a group of teenagers from Albany, Georgia, and a busload from Des Moines, were hanging about, outnumbering security personnel and journalists.”45 Reporters who were on the Mall approached Rustin as he was enjoying the walk with his staff. Hill, who was walking with Rustin, recalled the confidence Rustin displayed on that day. A reporter asked Rustin about his feeling on the event. Hill recalls in a letter, Rustin “looked at his watch and looked at the piece of paper, and then turned to the reporters. He took on a scholarly British accent, and said ‘everything is right on schedule’.”46 After the conversation with the reporter, Rustin left to meet with members of the Big Ten, as they were scheduled to meet with congressmen and Kennedy. During the meeting with politicians, more people started to arrive. D’Emilio states, “By 9:30 it had reached 40,000. By 11:00 police had estimated the numbers at 90,000, and still folks continued to pour into the area from every direction until the final count reached a quarter-million.”47 At this moment, Rustin knew that his hard work and ambition had paid off. Rustin was ready to get things started and follow the agenda he had set for the march. The original plan was to have people file into two lines at the Washington Monument and walk towards the Lincoln Memorial, where the event would occur.48 Rustin stated in a letter written to the editor of the New York Times, “The sun now high in the sky and the day warming up, some just poured into the street and headed to the rally site.”49 Rustin had planned out carefully who would speak and in what order. Members of the Big Ten would speak at the event. He had scheduled Randolph to speak first and King to speak last. This decision was an easy one, because members of the Big Ten made it clear that they did not want to go before Randolph or after King. Rustin planned out the amount of time each speaker had, which was four minutes. However, all ten went over the limit. After King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech, Rustin went on stage. Here it was, a man who had to live in the shadows, a person who worked so hard to put together this mass mobilization, finally standing in the spotlight. Rustin stated to the marchers: “I affirm my complete personal commitment for the struggle for jobs and freedom. I pledge that I will not relax until victory is won. I pledge to carry the message of the March to my friends and neighbors back home and to an equal commitment. I pledge my heart and my mind and my body unequivocally and without regard to personal sacrifice, to the achievement of social peace through social justice.”50
After the march, there was much praise given to Rustin for his leadership of the first mass mobilization on the nation’s capital. Rustin received praise from Randolph, childhood friends, historians, and the media. The march was a success, and it was because of the leadership of Rustin. Rustin and Randolph were placed on the cover of Life magazine on September 6, 1963.51 The cover read “The leaders Randolph and Rustin.”52 The fact that Rustin was able to grace the cover of Life magazine proves that his leadership and organization 45 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 354. 46 Rustin, I Must Resist, 369. 47 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 355. 48 Ibid. 49 Rustin, Life in Letters, 403. 50 Ibid., 356-357. 51 “Life Magazine” volume 55, September 6, 1963. 52 Ibid. 21
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of the march were essential to its success. Rustin also received admiration from his idol A. Philip Randolph. Randolph stated in a letter written to Rustin, “your hard work and dedication to this effort proved to be vital to the March’s outcome.”53 Randolph believed without Rustin’s leadership, the march would not have been a success. This proves that Rustin’s management of the march was vital to its outcome. William Hefner, who was a close friend to Rustin since his days with Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), wrote Rustin a letter expressing his gratitude for his organizing an event of that magnitude. Hefner states, “I was especially thankful to you for your conception, planning and brilliant execution of the most successful demonstration of democratic participation our country has ever seen.”54 This letter supports in detail that Rustin was the leader of the March. Sadly, because of his political scars, his work was not admired by the media and historians until after his death in 1987. Upon his death, many started to credit Rustin for being a leader. Eric Pace of The New York Times stated, “Bayard Rustin, the pacifist civil rights activist who was the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington and the 1964 New York School boycott, died yesterday at Lenox Hill Hospital.”55 It was evident Rustin’s leadership was one of a kind. J.Y. Smith, staff writer for The Washington Post, stated, “Bayard Rustin, 75, one of the great theorists and practitioners of the civil rights movement and a principle organizer of the great 1963 March on Washington, in which the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, declared, ‘I Have a Dream,’ died yesterday at Lenox Hill Hospital.”56 The article by Smith made it clear that Rustin was the leader of the march and that he provided the platform for King. It was evident before his death that his leadership was unappreciated. His relevance was brought to life by an article in The New York Times on August 26, 1987. The article stated, “It is difficult for Americans today to appreciate how delicate an undertaking was the massive 1963 March on Washington. The capital was still a southern city; many feared a riot. That the March came off as a historic, peaceful demonstration was due largely to the organizational brilliance of Bayard Rustin, who died Monday at 75.”57 Historians also believed that Rustin’s leadership was of much importance. Historians Jerald Podair and John D’Emilio both agree that Rustin was a leader. As Podair states, “Bayard Rustin was one of the most important civil rights leaders and one of the most important radical leaders of twentieth century American history.”58 Rustin’s leadership was admired by many. D’Emilio states, “He deserves a place in our national memory as one of the key figures of his time.”59 D’Emilio also states, “He resurrected mass peaceful protest from the graveyard in which cold war anticommunism had buried it and made it once again a vibrant expression of citizen’s right in a free society.”60 Bayard Rustin was the leader of the march. It was because of his effort and countless hours of preparation that mass mobilization was one of the greatest events in American history.
53 Rustin, Life in Letters, 266. 54 Ibid., 270. 55 Eric Pace, “Bayard Rustin is dead at 75; Pacifist and Activist.” New York Times, August 25, 1987. Accessed December 1, 2014. http://search.proquest.com/docview/110748778/27BCB8DC7974DB2PQ/1?ACCOUNTID=10098 56 J. Y. Smith “Bayard Rustin Dies; Civil Rights Theorist, Activist was 75.” The Washington Post, August 25, 1987. Accessed, December 1, 2014. http://search.proquest.com/ docview/139130356/27BCB8DC7974DB2PQ/2?accountid=10098 57 “How Bayard Rustin Led.” New York Times (1923-Current File), August 26, 1987. 1, http://search.proquest.com/ docuview/110729358?accountid=10098. 58 Podair, American Dreamer, ix. 59 D’Emilio, Lost Prophet, 1. 60 Ibid. 22
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Bibliography Anderson, Jervis. Bayard Rustin: Troubles I’ve Seen. New York: Harper Collins Publishers , 1997. Anderson, Terry H. The Movement and The Sixties. New York : Oxford University Press , 1995. —. The Sixties. Boston : Pearson, 2011. D’Emilio, John. Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin. Chicago : The University of Chicago Press , 2004. “How Bayard Rustin Led.” New York Times (1923-Current File), Aug 26, 1987. 1, http://search. proquest.com/docview/110729358?accountid=10098. “Life Magazine” volume 55, September 6, 1963. Pace, Eric. “Bayard Rustin is dead at 75; Pacifist and Activist.” New York Times, August 25, 1987. Accessed, December 1, 2014. http://search.proquest.com/docview/110748778/27BCB8DC7974DB2PQ/1?accountid=10098 Podair, Jerald. Bayard Rustin: American Dreamer. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2009. “RIGHTS LEADER ASKS U.S. WORKS PROGRAM.” New York Times, December 15, 1963. Accessed, December 1, 2014. http://search.proquest.com/docview/116490756?accountid=10098. Rustin, Bayard. I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters, ed. Long, Micheal G. San Francisco: City Lights Publishers, 2012. Smith, J.Y. “Bayard Rustin Dies; Civil Rights Theorist, Activist was 75.” The Washington Post, August 25, 1987. Accessed, December 1, 2014. http://search.proquest.com/docview/139130356/27BCB8DC7974DB2PQ/2?accountid=10098
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Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery Shannon Lassiter The United States Department of Homeland Security defines human trafficking as modern-day slavery, which involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act; or, commercial sex involving a person under eighteen years of age.1 According to the FBI, human trafficking is the fastest growing business in organized crime and the third largest criminal activity in the world.2 This issue is vital because this modern-day form of slavery is a prevalent matter in the United States. Understanding the causes and effects of human slavery will reveal its impact on humanity, how the lack of public attention and knowledge has contributed to its flourishing, and what America can do to prevent it. Many associate slavery with the bondage of African Americans dating back to the 1600s. Although the “United States abolished legalized slavery nearly 140 years ago,” it is still very much a part of our society today.3 In its modern form, it is known as human trafficking. Human trafficking is a global concern and is a critical issue that the United States faces. According to Christopher H. Smith, “an estimated 700,000 to 4 million victims of human trafficking are bought, sold, transported and held against their will in slave-like conditions each year.”4 There are three major forms of human trafficking: bonded labor, forced labor, and sex trafficking. In Slavery Today, Beth Herzfeld explains, “bonded labor, one of the most common forms of slavery today, refers to labor that is performed in repayment of a debt.”5 Forced labor can be described as any type of work in which people are forced to labor against their will under the threat of some form of punishment. One of the most predominant forms of human slavery is sex trafficking. The “sex trafficking industry involves the systemic rape, torture, enslavement, and murder of millions of women and children, whether directly through homicide or indirectly through sexually transmitted diseases and drugs.”6 There are many factors that have contributed to the thriving of human slavery, including “lack of employment, poverty, economic imbalance among regions of the world, corruption, decline of border control, gender and ethnic discrimination, and political instability and conflict.”7 Since the mid-1980s, there has been an astonishing growth in human trafficking.8 In 2014, 5,167 cases of human trafficking were reported to the United States National Human Trafficking Resources Center (NHTRC). According to researchers, “in the United States alone, 50,000 women and children are trafficked every year.”9 These are astounding numbers, and the reality is that human slavery is here in our neighborhoods, our schools, 1 “Human Trafficking,” Homeland Security, last modified January 15, 2015, accessed March 29, 2015, http://www.dhs.gov/topic/human-trafficking. 2 Amanda Walker-Rodriquez and Rodney Hill, “Human Sex Trafficking,” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, March 2011, accessed March 30, 2015, http://leb.fbi.gov/2011/march/human-sex-trafficking. 3 Christopher H. Smith, “The United States Must Work to Abolish Slavery,” in Slavery Today, ed. Auriana Ojeda (Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004), 33. 4 Ibid. 5 Beth Herzfeld, “Bonded Labor Enslaves the Poor,” in Slavery Today, ed. Auriana Ojeda (Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004), 19. 6 Siddharth Kara, Sex Trafficking: Inside Business of Modern Slavery (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009), 15. 7 Ibid. 8 Louise Shelley, Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), 37. 9 Emma Dorothy Reinhardt, “Slavery in the United States Is a Serious Problem,” Slavery Today, ed. Auriana Ojeda (Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004), 11. 24
Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery
Shannon Lassiter
our communities, our streets, and in our country. Human trafficking is a rapidly growing industry in the United States. An astounding eighty-six percent of the victims associated with sex trafficking cases have been identified as U.S. citizens. Ninety-four percent of those numbers are women, with twenty-six percent of those women being white; forty percent are black, leaving the race of the remaining twenty percent unknown.10 These numbers are astonishing, drawing attention to this growing epidemic. The progression of this epidemic leads to one of the most common misconceptions of prostitutes. Prostitution is generally presumed to be an occupation women choose. In all actuality, a woman could be forced to be there by someone who has threatened her life and the lives of her loved ones. The fact that we assume this is the life she chose causes the opportunity to get her help to be wasted. Unfortunately, this is a common scenario for many women and children who are forced into a life of slavery. Human trafficking is not only a problem in the United States; it is problematic worldwide. The FBI indicates that human trafficking generates billions of dollars each year.11 This illustration explains how money is attained from slavery: It is widely-known and well-documented that pimps establish nightly monetary quotas that the women and girls under their control must make in order to end each night of commercial sex. These quotas typically fall in the range of $500-$1,000 each night. Through whatever means necessary (including forced theft), the woman or girl must reach these quotas each night to be allowed to eat or sleep. If she does not make enough money, the woman or girl will be forced back out into her venue of commercial sex until she reaches her quota. Quotas are strictly enforced, and the punishment for failing to meet a quota is severe physical retaliation from the pimp or other torture methods. It is also essential to note that in pimp controlled situations, the women and girls keep zero of this money and turn over 100 percent of the profits to the pimp. Polaris Project, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit working with victims of human trafficking recently conducted an informal analysis of a pimp’s wage, based on direct client accounts. One teenage girl was forced to meet quotas of $500/night, 7 days a week and gave the money to her trafficker each night. This particular pimp also controlled three other women. Based on these numbers, Polaris Project estimates that the pimp made $632,000 in one year from four young women and girls.12
The sex slave industry has an astonishing profit margin. According to Siddharth Kara, the author of Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery, there are two elements of the sex trafficking chain. The first is the sale of the sex slave to pimps, which generated revenues of $1 billion in 2007, or an international average sale price of $1,895 per slave. These sales generated approximately $600 million in profit. The second factor is the commercial exploitation of sex slaves, which generated $51.3 billion in profits in 2007, the result of millions of men buying sex every day. When looking at “after cost, the slaves’ exploiter cleared $35.7 billion in profit, or a global average of $29,210 per slave.”13 Researching the financial aspect of human slavery, the total revenue produced in 2007 was a surprising $152.3 billion, with 10 “Most Suspected Incidents of Human Trafficking Involved Allegations of Prostitution of an Adult or Child,” Bureau of Justice Statistics, April 28, 2011, accessed March 30, 2015, http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/press/cshti0810pr.cfm 11 “Stories,” The FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation, January 2012, accessed March 30, 2015, http://www.fbi.gove/news/stories/2012/january/trafficking_012012/trafficking_012012. 12 Polaris Project, Domestic Sex Trafficking: The Criminal Operation of the American Pimp, accessed April 7, 2015, file:///C:Users/TNM/Downloads/Domestic%20Sex%20Trafficking.pdf, 4. 13 Siddharth, 19. 25
Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery Shannon Lassiter
profits of $91.2 billion. This information demonstrates the repercussions that human trafficking has on the economy. The money generated by human trafficking is money that is not taxed, which is a large amount of tax revenue that is not supporting the economy. With billions supporting this industry, this means that there are billions less spent on programs that have a positive impact on society. In an effort to fight human trafficking, there need to be financial consequences enforced so that the legal ramifications traffickers face outweigh the potential profits. Although the economics are important, it is just as important to understand the two major factors that influence the progression of human trafficking, and they are the high profit and the low risk of the operation.14 In Kara’s book, he argues that the reasons the traffickers face so few risks include “confusion over the definition of trafficking, which results in more focus on movement than exploitation, feeble enforcement of the law and minimal prosecution of sex traffickers, insufficient protections for victims, whose testimony is required to convict sex traffickers, and ineffective laws that have little economic effect on sex traffickers.”15 In the United States, “140 traffickers were convicted in 91 human trafficking cases from 2001-2005.”16 Kara breaks down the numbers involved in those convictions so readers can understand the significance of this issue. He explains, “if one assumed a sizable twenty victims per trafficker, which would imply that 3,750 to 5,000 individuals committed trafficking crimes from 2001 to 2005, of which 140 were convicted, or roughly 3 to 4 percent.”17 This proves that the possibility of being caught does not offset the profit made from trafficking. With the probability of the conviction being so low and the profit being so high, there is no wonder that an increasing number of criminals are willing to take the risk in trafficking humans. As a result of the large number of human trafficking cases, there are often major consequences that affect society. Many communities do not acknowledge trafficking as an issue that affects their neighborhoods. Because of this lack of awareness, the organization of trafficking has flourished. Erin Weaver explains that the longer the misconception that trafficking does not occur in our country continues, the less that can be done to address the severity of the issue. As part of her argument, Weaver quoted Nita Belles, the author of the upcoming book In Our Backyard, in which she explains that trafficking is one of the largest and fastest growing crime industries in the world, and its success is due to the lack of awareness. Weaver continues to give evidence of how human traffickers follow money, so, with America being the richest nation in the world, it is more prone for trafficking to escalate here. She explains that “financially human trafficking is a burden on the economy.”18 Due to the lack of employment, there is a higher risk for human trafficking among the poor. This results in more money funding organized crime and less money funding the economy; as a result it creates a loss in human capital. Given these points, the key element to ending this movement is awareness. It is important for all Americans to be able to identify a victim of human trafficking. This can be done by learning the signs and actions of the victim. Common identifications include victims who fear making eye contact, displays 14 “Human Trafficking,” Polaris Freedom Happens Now, accessed March 29, 2015, http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overniew. 15 Siddharth, 38. 16 Ibid., 40. 17 Ibid. 18 Erin Weaver, “Human trafficking has wide-reaching social impact,” Montgomery Media, January 21, 2014, accessed March 29, 2015, http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2014/01/21/souderton_independent/news/ doc52d735fdbe3eb165162138.txt?viewmode=fullhistory 26
Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery
Shannon Lassiter
of shame, false identification, the presence of an overly protective “boyfriend” or “family member,” the appearance of being denied food, water, or sleep, distrust in law enforcement, scripted answers or inconsistent stories, lack of control of their own personal identification documents, unusual anxiety, and misinformation about medical history.19 All of these signs should be known by the public, making it harder for the criminal to continue trafficking humans. The indication of a person being trafficked extends into physical abuse: bruising, scarring, burns, and mutilation. The signs of chronic abuse are unattended back injury, hearing problems from a loud work environment, respiratory difficulty from working in a dangerous environment, signs of inadequate or delayed medical care, multiple sexually transmitted infections, poor immunization status, malnourishment, vaginal bleeding or urinary difficulties, pelvic pain or rectal trauma, poorly formed or rotated teeth, drug or alcohol abuse, and unusual tattoos or branding. There are also psychiatric signs such as disorientation, phobias, confusion, and panic attacks.20 It is important to appreciate the reality of the crime. Here is the story of Barbara Amaya: My name is Barbara Amaya and I am a survivor of trafficking. I spent the first 12 years of my life in Northern Virginia. When I was only 10 years old, family members abused me. Before the abuse I was a pretty normal little girl: I loved to read, collect stamps, draw and I was a member of the Barbie fan club. Unfortunately, after I was abused, I became a different little girl. No one helped me or validated the abuse I had suffered, so part of me went into hiding and I became depressed. I didn’t want to be around anyone, no longer went to school, and eventually ran away when I was 12.When I ran away, I was a walking target for traffickers and predators that look for damaged children: I had been abused; I was depressed and was in desperate need of help. It didn’t take long for traffickers to find me. Surprisingly it was a couple – a man and a woman – who found me on the streets of Washington D.C. They took me off of the streets where I was hungry and alone and brought me into their home where they fed me and seemed to care for me. That is, until they initiated me into the world of trafficking. They used me for a few months until they no longer needed me and then sold me to another trafficker. Right in our nation’s capital, I was sold into trafficking to a man named Moses. Soon after buying me, Moses took me to New York City where he trafficked me for 8 years. During my time on the streets of New York I was abused, shot, stabbed, raped, kidnapped, trafficked, beaten, addicted to drugs, jailed, and more, all before I was 18 years old. To ease my pain, I became addicted to drugs. This habit became very expensive and I was no longer a valuable commodity to my trafficker, so he released me into New York. It was terrible; I was addicted and alone in the city. Thankfully, at a methadone clinic where I had sought treatment, I met a woman named Anita who helped me to find my sister who had apparently been living in the nearby city of Philadelphia and that Christmas, she helped me reunite with my family. After a very difficult time detoxing off of methadone I started to slowly get my life back. I lived in Washington State, Mississippi and eventually came back to Virginia where I got married and tried to have a baby. Soon after I starting trying to have a baby, I found out that because of all the trauma I had endured on the streets, I was infertile. Somehow, I think it was a miracle; I was able to have treatments and can happily say that I was able to have a daughter. In all of that moving around and having my daughter, I kept my past a secret. No one knew about the years I had been trafficked or abused but me. Then one night, when my daughter was 15, she decided to run away. My past came 19 “How to Identify a Victim of Human Trafficking,” Hope for Justice, August 2014, accessed March 30, 2015, http:// cdn.hopeforjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/PRO_How-to-Identify-a-Victim-of-Human-Trafficking.pdf. 20 “How to Identify a Victim of Human Trafficking,” Hope for Justice. 27
Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery Shannon Lassiter
rushing back to me and I was so afraid that the same things that happened to me would happen to my daughter. I couldn’t just sit around, so I spent the whole night making phone calls and looking for her. Thankfully, I found her the next morning and, shortly after, told her about my story. After that, she never ran away again and she is doing well today. I have a wonderful grandson and I live a content and quiet life. I believe I am alive today because God watched over me all those nights on the streets. He kept a part of me untouched inside – despite all the men and all of the trauma I endured – a part of me remained clean and whole. I call that part of me my soul. I choose to believe that I went through all that I did, so that today I can help others. If I can educate one person or give hope to one victim of trafficking, then I am doing my job and everything I went through was worth it. I choose to be a victor not a victim – not just to survive, but to thrive. Today I tell my story whenever I can so that I can help others.21
This story is just one of many survivor stories available, and it is these stories that indicate the desperate need to spread the knowledge to make others aware of this problem so that it may be addressed before this crime gains any more strength in America.22 Acknowledgment and public attention are essential in fighting the war on human trafficking. There are several organizations that have been created for the purpose of ending modern day slavery. Hope for Justice is an organization that rescues victims, advocates on their behalf, provides healing care which reconstructs lives, and trains frontline authorities to stop slavery. They have four areas that help them in the fight against slavery: training, rescuing, advocacy, and restoration.23 These four elements provide the foundation needed to end modern day slavery. Polaris is a prominent global organization that fights to eliminate human trafficking. The Polaris Project received its name from the North Star that guided the slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad. According to the 2013 National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline, which is operated by Polaris, the organization received multiple reports of human trafficking cases in all fifty states and Washington, D.C.24 The coalition organization End It is a world leading program to fight for freedom. According to End It, there are 27 million people trapped in slavery around the world and an estimated 60,100 people in the United States. Americans must do more to raise awareness and understanding of this serious crime that is corrupting our nation. Freedom is an important part of our lives. The mere thought of losing that freedom and being forced into a life of slavery is terrifying, yet so many are in that exact situation due to human trafficking. We as Americans must acknowledge the heartbreaking reality that human trafficking is very much a part of our society. The lack of knowledge impairs our ability to recognize the signs of someone being enslaved and permits another person to be lost to the world of trafficking. This is a critical issue the nation must face in order to save these women and children from a life of brutality. Education and awareness are the keys to ending this horrific crime in order to save the nation from this hidden slavery. 21 Barbara Amaya, “Survival Stories,” RJI Richmond Justice Initiative, 2012, accessed March 30, 2015, http://richmondjusticeinitiative.com/human-trafficking/survival-stories/. 22 http:www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/client-services/survivor-stories 23 “What We Do: A Practical Approach to Ending Slavery,” Hope for Justice, accessed March 30, 2015, http://hopeforjustice.org/what-we-do/ 24 “What We Do,” Polaris, 2015, accessed March 30, 2015, http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do. 28
Americans Trafficking Americans: The Impact of Modern-Day Slavery
Shannon Lassiter
Bibliography Amaya, Barbara. “Survival Stories.” RJI Richmond Justice Initiative. Last modified 2012. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://richmondjusticeinitiative.com/human-trafficking/survival-stories/. Bales, Kevin. “Slavery is Big Business,” in Slavery Today, 23-26. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004. End It: Shine a Light on Slavery. Accessed March 30, 2015. https://secure.enditmovement.com/learn. Herzfeld, Beth. “Bonded Labor Enslaves the Poor,” in Slavery Today, edited by Auriana Ojeda, 19-22. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Homeland Security. “Human Trafficking.” Last modified January 15, 2010.Accessed March 29, 2015. http://www.dhs.gov/topic/human-trafficking. Hope for Justice. “How to Identify a Victim of Human Trafficking.” Last modified August 2014. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://cdn.hopeforjustice.org/wpcontent/uploads/2014/09/PRO_Howto-Identify-a-Victim-of-Human-Trafficking.pdf. Hope for Justice. “What We Do: A Practical Approach to Ending Slavery.” Accessed March 30, 2015. http://hopeforjustice.org/what-we-do/. Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia University Press, 2009. Polaris Project. Domestic Sex Trafficking: The Criminal Operation of the American Pimp. Accessed April 7, 2015. file:///C:/Users/TNM/Downloads/Domestic%20Sex%20Trafficking.pdf, 4. Polaris Freedom Happens Now. “Human Trafficking.” Accessed March 29, 2015. http://www.polarisproject.org/human-trafficking/overview. Polaris. “What We Do.” Last modified 2015. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do. Rodriguez-Walker, Amanda and Rodney Hill. “Human Sex Trafficking.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Last modified March 2011. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://leb.fbi.gov/2011/march/human-sex-trafficking. Shelley, Louise. Human Trafficking: A Global Perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010. Smith, Christopher H. “The United States Must Work to Abolish Slavery,” in Slavery Today, edited by Auriana Ojeda, 33-35. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2004. Smith, Holly Austin. “Survival Stories.” RJI Richmond Justice Initiative. Last modified 2012. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://richmondjusticeinitiative.com/human-trafficking/survival-stories/. The FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation. “Stories.” Last modified January 2012. Accessed March 30, 2015. http://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2012/january/trafficking_012012/trafficking_012012. Weaver, Erin. “Human Trafficking has Wide-Reaching Social Impact.” Montgomery Media. Last modified January 21, 2014. Accessed March 29, 2015. http://www.montgomerynews.com/articles/2014/01/21/souderton_independent/news/doc 52d735fdbe3eb165162138.txt?viewmode=fullstory. 29
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Visual Art CREWL Nfon Asuquo...........................................................................................................32 Unforgettable Soul Jessica Pyle...............................................................................................................33 Black Roses Des’monay Barnes....................................................................................................34 Tuscany, Italy Robert Powell...........................................................................................................35 To Be Continued Issa Farhoud.............................................................................................................36 Venice, Italy Robert Powell...........................................................................................................37 Certaldo, Italy Robert Powell...........................................................................................................38 Volatile/Oppressive Wendy Wilson.........................................................................................................39 Serenity Robert Powell...........................................................................................................40 Chamblee Barn Wendy Wilson.........................................................................................................41
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CREWL Nfon Asuquo Print • 2015
32
Unforgettable Soul Jessica Pyle Photography • 2015
33
Black Roses Des’monay Barnes Digital Print • 2015
34
Tuscany, Italy Robert Powell Photography • 2015 Featured on the cover
35
To Be Continued Issa Farhoud Mixed Media • 2015
36
Venice, Italy Robert Powell Photography • 2015
37
Certaldo, Italy Robert Powell
Photography • 2015
38
Volatile/Oppressive Wendy Wilson Painting • 2015
39
Serenity Robert Powell Painting • 2015
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Chamblee Barn Wendy Wilson Photography • 2015
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Creative Works Rising Terez Heckstall.........................................................................................................45 Waterfall Kellie Durham.........................................................................................................46 Alone, Painting Austin Munden........................................................................................................47 My Trap Stephanie Peede........................................................................................................48 Black Pain Breon Jones..............................................................................................................51 B Major 7 Melissa Hernandez...................................................................................................52 Eventide Prayer Danielle Young.........................................................................................................55 Planets Austin Munden........................................................................................................56 Beyond the Lines Stephanie Peede........................................................................................................57 Things My Father Taught Me Haley Haggard.........................................................................................................65 Rothua and the One Tale Victor Chilaka..........................................................................................................66 Of Fiddles and Devils Stephanie Peede........................................................................................................70 43
44
Rising
Terez Heckstall
Never allow your hunger for success to be satisfied with complacency. And, when the whispers of doubt begin to drown out the voice of motivation, continue to rise. Don’t be broken by words or fall victim to the deception of perception when it seems that your goals are unattainable. Don’t be afraid to be an individual revolution when there is no other resolution-crusade for positive change, but don’t forget to practice what you preach and examine yourself before judging others. Remain accountable even when it’s uncomfortable, and acknowledge that learning is a lifelong experience. Don’t fear growth-whenever you rise, the view broadens, and old ideas are seen through a new perspective. Stand firm in your God-given identity and perfect your gifts. Challenge yourself to show love even to those that hurt you, because hatred is a poison that assassinates your dreams while your enemies remain unaware. Nothing that flies is weighed down by the pressures of its environment. Instead, it lifts itself up and learns to soar through trial and error. When it feels like you’re falling, defy the forces that pull you down and fight to ascend. When the road to achievement leads to isolation, learn to be your own best friend. And, even when your entire being groans and cries, stretch one more time and promise yourself to always rise. 45
Waterfall Kellie Durham
Water falling fast While fish jump from place to place And mist sprays my face
46
Alone, Painting Austin Munden
There is a fairy in the woods, afraid to sing like a fairy should. Not a phrase, no not a sound is to fall from her pretty mouth. There was a girl who was all Alone, Painting pictures, locked at home. Her windows were mirrors late at night, but in the distance, Coming Light. There was a boy out in the dark, hunting fairies to feed his heart. He’d been out there for weeks before, the hunger growing more and more. His lantern dimmed in the encroaching night, but in the distance, Reflected Light. “Do you remember what I said at the end?” “My light can shine again.” “And you can sing if you pretend.”
Listen to Austin Munden’s composition: www.chowan.edu/BrownLady/Music/AlonePainting.mp3 47
My Trap Stephanie Peede
Trap isn’t listed on any map. You can pick any map you like, unfold it, go over the entire state of North Carolina with a fine-tooth comb and you still won’t find it. It’s one of the world’s best-kept secrets—right up there with what sunk Atlantis. Trap hides itself better than the monks hide ShangriLa. It isn’t that we keep it a secret. No, we’ll brag to anyone who will listen about how great our hometown is. But the people we brag to, they never seem to remember. They just forget all about Trap. Even the ones who know where it is, the ones who frequently pass through, they forget its importance. Trap becomes nothing more than a crossroad for them. But for those of us who live here, it’s so much more. People who live in Trap are used to the baffled looks they get when they answer the inevitable question of “Where are you from?” Most of the time, we have to repeat ourselves because the person that asked is swearing to themselves that they’ve misheard or that our accents have ruined a perfectly average town name. We usually have to repeat ourselves a third time and spell it besides. A lot of people also ask “What kind of name is that?” or “How did it get that name?” No one is really all that sure, or all that concerned about it. Years ago, when I was doing research for a paper, I scoured the internet looking for the origin of Trap’s name. My search turned up one website—yes, one—with a tiny blurb claiming that “in ye olden days,” there was a tavern smack in the center of the no-name place that would become Trap. Now, the tavern didn’t have a name either, but its unnamed status didn’t make it any less popular with the men in the area. It was so popular, in fact, that the women would say that this tavern had “trapped” their husbands (Williams). The tavern might not have survived time, but the moniker stuck and Trap got its name. True story or not, we all got a good laugh out of it. Trap is one of those places where time just seems to stand still while the rest of the world keeps on moving around it. Things move slower here. Because of that, we can stop and appreciate what we’ve found in this place. The only gray in this landscape is the faded asphalt of the highway and the shining metal of tin roofs. Colors are brighter here; the sky bluer, the grass greener, and sunsets are vivid oranges, reds, and pinks. There will never be a painter that can accurately capture the absolute beauty that is Trap because Trap is more than picturesque scenery; it’s a feeling. Some days, I think Trap might be sentient. It would have to be to burrow so deep into your soul that you’ll never be able to pry it loose. It’s a place you can never really leave. A few try, but they always seem to eventually find their way back. Maybe Trap calls out to them, uses that soul-deep connection to draw them home. Or maybe it’s that living in Trap for any amount of time ruins you for anywhere else. It’s probably a little of both. What I do know is that once Trap claims you as its own, nowhere else can ever be considered home. On one side of the Trap crossroads sits an old whitewashed store. For the longest time, I was unaware that it had a name. It was always referred to as “the store.” “It’s pop time. Let’s go to the store,” or “Run to the store for me and pick up a loaf of bread.” As it was the only store in Trap, there was never any confusion. It wasn’t until I was old enough to read fairly well and be somewhat mindful of my surroundings that I noticed that the red, white, and blue Pepsi-Cola sign stretching across the 48
My Trap
Stephanie Peede storefront was more than decoration. In bold lettering, it clearly read “R.D. Harrell and Sons,” the name of the store. For as long as I can remember, that store has been one of Trap’s major landmarks. The store sits on a triangular lot covered in small gray rocks so ground down that they’re practically dirt again. Directly in front of the store, in the tip of the triangle, sits a lone gas pump—easily visible from the cash register inside. The red paint on the door is faded and peeling, but it matches the two wooden benches on either side of the narrow cement steps. The threshold is so worn that it’s nothing but a slick groove that everyone takes a long step over to avoid. The inside of the store is never brightly lit. Even though all the lights are on, the unpainted walls seems to absorb whatever brightness is given off by them. There’s a line of Pepsi-Cola brand refrigeration units along the back wall. The sliding glass tops stick sometimes, but patience usually wins out. Those glass-bottled sodas are worth the wait. By the register, there’s a shelf holding plastic tubs of nickel, dime, and quarter candy with full-sized candy bars stacked above them. In the middle of the store are shelves full of cookies, cakes, chips, and nabs. There’s a display of premade sandwich halves next to a few magazine and newspaper titles. Behind the register are a few shelves of odds and ends—screws, nails, a few other bits of hardware. In the summertime, one of the coolers is always stocked with popsicles and ice cream. Like all small-town stores, it’s Trap’s central hub. It’s where all the gossip is collected and then distributed. If you want to know how someone is doing, you go to the store and ask. Somebody there will know. They’ll even give you details you didn’t ask for. After all, you can’t bake the appropriate casserole—or dessert—if you don’t know what’s going on. Another of Trap’s landmarks, located just a quarter mile from the store, is Mars Hill Baptist Church. If you live in Trap, or the surrounding outskirts, this is the church you attend every Sunday morning. Mars Hill Baptist Church recently celebrated its 160th birthday. It’s been destroyed twice, once by fire and once by storm, and rebuilt both times. Currently, Mars Hill is a red-brick building with a small cemetery on the right and a cracked and overgrown tennis court on the left. There’s an old oak tree out front that shades the terra cotta steps, so big around that it takes a few children to encircle it. Out back, there’s a shelter where the men of the church fry fish for our summer picnics. Behind that is the community building, a green one-story house where a number of celebrations used to be held. There’s a huge lot to the left of it that used to host church baseball games. To an outsider, it might look like this place is slowly fading away. But I assure you, the pulse of Mars Hill is still strong. Generations of our families were raised in this church. We were raised in this church. And one day, our children will be raised in this very same church. No, our spiritual home is far from failing. For my family, the heart of Trap isn’t the store or even the church, though both have their own significance. The heart of our Trap lies with the house on the hill in the curve. It’s a plain, white twostory house with a black roof and shutters, sprawling drive, and fields surrounded by woods. Wooden shelters with tin roofs fan out around it, covering farm equipment and vehicles. A tin-faced shop towers to one side, the door recently given a new coat of paint—International red, of course. Behind these buildings lay five ponds filled with, for the most part, catfish. There used to be three tobacco barns tucked behind one of the shelters. In the summertime, the sweetest scent you’ll ever encounter in this world emanated from that drying tobacco. But none of these things are what makes the house on the hill in the curve important. What makes this place important is that it’s where Granny and Grandaddy live. It’s where our family came from and where we continue to gather. It’s home. I won’t 49
My Trap
Stephanie Peede claim that it’s the biggest. And I won’t claim that it’s the fanciest. But I will claim that it’s the warmest, and that fact alone makes it the greatest. There’s nowhere on this earth that my soul feels more at peace, more at one with the world, than at the house on the hill in the curve. I think John Mellencamp said it best, “Well, I was born in a small town/ And I can breathe in a small town/ Gonna die in this small town/ And that’s prob’ly where they’ll bury me” (Mellencamp). His song “Small Town” closely relates to the feelings I have about my own hometown.
Works Cited Mellencamp, John. “Small Town.” Scarecrow. Bloomington, 1985. Compact Disc. Williams, Claudia. The Towns and Communities of Original Bertie County. 26 September 2009. 2 December 2014.
50
Black Pain Breon Jones
Just because I can vote, I’m supposed to get motivated. Four-hundred plus years, me and my people are totally hated— Broke down to nothing. The word “Nigger” was always the topic of discussion. We overlooked justice; All we ever wanted was peace And for you to treat him just like you treat me. That “statement,” that “thought,” is so far-fetched. Brain-washed in public for the content of my complex. Flaming crosses and bomb threats, Silhouettes hanging in trees. It’s eerie when the sun sets. No remorse for what they did. Just give me a rain check; Give that forty acres to the kids.
51
B Major 7 Melissa Hernandez
Prologue One strum, that’s all it took for me to realize I didn’t always have to accept life for what it was or what it would be. Each string in perfect harmony with one another, I played each individual note: E, A, D, G, B, and E. Every string’s pitch was in such perfect tune that an unfamiliar ringing began to resonate from the body of the guitar. The unfamiliarity was unsettling but not unwelcomed. How could such a simple sound be this beautiful? How can a sound send adrenaline through my body? I knew not the answer, but I did know this, I wanted to know more about this glorious instrument. I did learn more. I loved my instruments, voice and guitar; however there were struggles along the way. Like relationships with people have their seasons, or highs and lows, my relationship with music had the same. The fire I started with for music turned into a spark, but somewhere amongst all the confusion and chaos in my life, I found hope in that spark, and it began burning again. I don’t remember the first time I cut. The only thing I do know is that it gives me a temporary relief. My parents think I just want attention, but if that’s the case then why would I work so hard to hide it? They never care about anything, not even my good grades. Now, I matter. They caught me because I was being careless; that won’t happen again. I’m just glad it’s Saturday, and I can go to band practice again. As I walk into the building, I hear the music and my heart starts to bang against my chest. I walk up to Mr. Harris and hug him, hug Mr. Q, and then run to guitar class. I’ve been playing guitar for four years, now. I’m now an assistant instructor for Mr. Wayne’s beginner and intermediate classes. I honestly don’t want to be here. I hate having to sit through the same notation lecture I’ve been hearing for years. “Good Morning, class. My name is Mr. Wayne, and this young lady is Melissa. She’ll be here for anyone who needs any extra help in class. We’re going to start with notation…” I always zone out at this point. I’m tired of notation. I literally see quarter notes and 8th notes in my dreams because we go over it so much. I usually take a nap at this point, but Mr. Wayne is talking to me. “Melissa, will you take Ralphy to the back and work with him.” Until now, I didn’t realize we had a new student. He looks about 13, just two years younger than me. As I’m taking Ralphy to the back of the classroom he’s smiling like a child and looks more excited than any of our other students. As I begin explaining the notes on the board and all the beats, he just nods, but I can tell he’s confused. I ask him to try to clap out the beats, and he’s completely off. I try explaining the notes again, but he still doesn’t understand. I start getting frustrated when Mr. Wayne walks over. “Melissa, will you come outside with me for a second?” I follow Mr. Wayne out and then he begins explaining the situation. 52
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Melissa Hernandez “Ralphy has autism. I didn’t want to just shout that out in class. He’s going to need extra help, but I have to teach the entire class. I’ll try to manage the rest of the class on my own, but I need you to help Ralphy and try to keep him caught up with everyone else.” I just nod my head to show that I understand. I’ve never taught someone with autism. Actually, I’ve never even met someone with autism. How am I supposed to teach this kid? I sit beside Ralphy and try to think back to my first time in a classroom. I remember how hard it was to focus and sit still. I had one teacher that would actually sit with me for hours explaining things over and over, until I started to understand. She even started inventing new, fun ways to teach me, so, she could get and keep my attention. That’s when it hit me. I tell Ralphy to follow me, and we walk over to the percussion room next door. There’s a class going on. So, I sneak over, take a bongo, and walk out. I find a nice, quiet corner in a hallway and tell Ralphy to sit with me. I begin explaining the notes again and show him examples of each note on the bongo. He loves it. He starts banging within the rhythms I give him. Some of the beats are off, but he’s making a lot of progress. I actually start having fun with him. We have so much fun that I completely forget what time it is. I don’t even realize class is over until Mr. Wayne and Ralphy’s parents came looking for us. Ralphy jumps up and runs over to his mom. “Mommy, I love her. Miss Missa is so much fun. Can I come every day? Please Please Please Please Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee!” I introduce myself to his parents and promise him I’ll be there the next week. Once it’s time for band practice, I run over to the big room to see everyone. Mr. Q is the only one in there at first. I get on stage and start walking around when Mr. Q calls me over. “Melissa, what’s that on your arm?” “It’s nothing…” “Pull up your sleeves then, and show me.” Of course, I hesitate, but I lift up my sleeves. Mr. Q remains very quiet for a long time, and then he motions for me to follow him. We wait for Mr. Harris to finish talking to his workers, and then he joins us in the drum room. I start preparing myself for a scolding. They’re probably going to tell me I’m stupid or just want attention like my parents did. Mr. Harris starts speaking first. “So, let me see your arms.” I lift my sleeves and show him the marks. “Why?” Up until now, I would’ve answered him like I would have anyone else. I’d give some excuse about it giving me a temporary relief or temporary escape. Instead, I just shake my head. Mr. Q starts talking to me this time. “We have all these drums in here that you can bang on whenever you’re upset. You don’t need to hurt yourself.” I love Mr. Q. He was my first guitar teacher, and he always tells funny stories and jokes around with me. Until today, I’ve only really spoken to Mr. Harris in classes or in the hallway when he sees me playing guitar. I really like him. He’s an amazing teacher, but why does he even care about this
53
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Melissa Hernandez situation? As I’m asking my silent question, he begins speaking again. “You don’t need to do this to feel better, or to get anyone to notice you. If you ever have something you need to get off your chest, or if you’re dealing with anything, just come to Q or me. We’ll listen, we’ll help, and we’ll care,” He lifts up my arm. “But I never want to see this again.” For some reason, this makes me love Mr. Harris. I don’t even know why, but I want to talk to him. I want to run to him for help. I want a dad I can talk to. They both start to make jokes to make me laugh. I giggle, and we all act as if nothing has happened. I follow Mr. Harris to band practice, and we have a normal, amazing practice. As the weeks progress, I continue with my regular schedule. As much as I love band practice on Saturday’s, I start looking forward to guitar class, instead, because it means I can see Ralphy again. Every week he gets better and better. I almost start to feel like he’s my little brother, and I have to guide him through the adventures of guitar playing. Like Saturdays, I use to look forward to recitals because of the band, but instead, I’m excited to see Ralphy play for someone other than me for the first time. When it’s the guitar class’s turn on stage, Ralphy almost jumps out of his seat. He starts playing “Mary Had a Little Lamb” just as I taught him. There isn’t a single note out of place. I start crying, almost immediately. I knew he could do it. After the recital, I never see Ralphy again. Every Saturday, is always bitter-sweet, now. I’m happy because there’s band practice, but I’m depressed that Ralphy isn’t back. I spend weeks trying to figure out why I miss Ralphy so much. I can’t put my finger on it. By the next recital, I’m completely depressed. On the Sunday after the recital, I pick up my little razor blade for the first time in months. I start to put the blade to my skin when I remember what Mr. Q and Mr. Harris told me, but I don’t play drums. How is that going to help me out of these feelings if I can’t even play it? I don’t even have a drum. Minutes pass by and I start to pick up the blade again, but for some reason Ralphy comes across my mind. I remember his happy, smiling face on stage as he played for everyone for the first time. I put down my blade and walk over to my 12-string guitar. I start playing a B Major 7 chord. I keep playing it over and over and just let the chord ring out. I don’t know why, but it’s relaxing every part of my body. I change it into a minor 7th. Eventually, I start playing other chords. Before I know it, I feel completely better. It’s not a drum; it’s better. There’s a peace I’ve come to know through the vibrations of the guitar. The music I can make with my fingers is far better than the marks I can make with my blade. I may never see Ralphy again, but if I could, I’d thank him. He’ll never know it, but teaching him guitar meant more to me than anything I’ve ever done. I almost feel like I cheated him because I took more out of our student-teacher relationship than he did. I don’t play for myself anymore. I play for Ralphy. Let the B Major 7 chord ring out.
54
Eventide Prayer Danielle Young
Night falls upon us until day comes to saves us. Winter takes hold and won’t let go. Its wind bellows and pushes us. The cold renders us helpless. Night falls upon us, and we await the day to come. Spring pushes and pulls against winter. Daisies sing a song of cheer as rain weighs them down. Night falls upon us, but we are sleepless at dawn. Summer wraps us in waiting arms. Newborn babies begin to cry. Mothers whisper of peace. Night falls upon us until day comes to save us.
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Planets Austin Munden
This composition was largely written and recorded during one night in November of 2014. It was the first of four songs I composed during a small creative boom I had after Halloween. The name “Planets” comes from how my girlfriend Carolyn described the song after a lot of the initial recording was done. She had a dream in which she and her friends were all riding bikes down a road at night and were silhouetted by a sky filled with dark, looming, and beautiful planets and stars. Giving that imagery to the song led to the creation of more subtle sounds underneath the main riffs and the ebow’d guitar. A lot of these sounds either happened by accident (the second half of the song was entirely improvised) or were quick ideas I tried out as I mastered and remastered the final track. No idea, though, was ever cut away, giving a multitude of layers to the song. My goal with “Planets” was to have the listeners hear new things every time they listen rather than think too much about the meaning.
Listen to Austin Munden’s composition: www.chowan.edu/BrownLady/Music/Planets.mp3 56
Beyond the Lines Stephanie Peede
***** Trivit pushed open the door to the war room with one hand, the other keeping a small object hidden behind his back. Maps of all kinds were tacked on the walls, but most of them showed Sector 1 and the surrounding borderlands. The largest map, a comprehensive view of the area, was spread out on a long table in the center of the room. It was the most used due to its accuracy—something the general of Sector 1 took great pains to keep current, often sending out patrols to keep the map as upto-date as possible. It was rumored that the map had been painstakingly created by the few who had founded the compound. Ross was leaning over the table when he entered, intently studying the map. Occasionally, she would move colored blocks around, trying to puzzle out a solution to a problem he’d yet to hear about. “Ross.” She didn’t look up from her task. “How’d you know where to find me?” “I hate to break it to you, Ross, but you’re really not that hard to find,” he said, as he moved closer to the table. “And yet, out of everyone in this camp, you’re the only one that ever manages it.” He shrugged one shoulder, dismissing the remark. “They don’t know you like I do.” “They don’t want to,” she pointed out. “Oh, I don’t want to know you, either,” he told her. “It’s just that knowing you is part of the job.” Ross picked up a green block and studied it as though it held the answers she was looking for. “You say the sweetest things.” “Well, they tell me I’m a charmer.” “Then the standards have dropped considerably,” she said, as she looked from the map to the block and back again. “You’re just jealous of my good looks,” he teased. “You know what? Some days I am.” “I was kidding.” “I know. Just…” She sighed. “This whole thing would be easier if I looked like you.” “Do I need to beat someone with a sack of hammers?” he offered. “You probably shouldn’t. It’s considered bad form.” She set the block down with more care than usual. “I never wanted to be a general, you know.” “What did you want?” 57
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Ross hummed as she frowned at the map. “Once upon a time, I just wanted to settle down: a husband, a few kids, a house with a yard…normal things. I wanted a nice, simple life. Now, I’m on the front lines of a war. Running it, even. And most days I’m fairly certain I shouldn’t be.” She pulled a chair closer to the table and sat, propping her chin in her hand as she glared darkly at the map on the table. Trivit studied her, knowing that the subject had been closed. “That’s not a happy face.” “There’s not much to be happy about today,” she told him, as she moved a red block across the table. “Sure about that?” he asked. She looked up from the map. “Pretty damn.” “Really?” Trivit grinned at her. “Because I heard from a little birdie that a certain general had a birthday coming up.” “Yesterday, actually.” His face fell. “Alright. Well, that little birdie and I are going to have a conversation about timesensitive information the next time I see him. In the meantime, however…” He brought his hand around from behind his back, revealing a tiny cupcake that he set on the table in front of her. She looked at him in amazement. “Where did you even get this?” “Don’t ask. I’m serious,” he insisted, when it looked like she might do just that. “You don’t want to know the kind of favors I owe for this. Just accept the cupcake and the fact that you’re better off not knowing all the details.” “But you’ve got me curious now.” She cradled the cupcake in her hand. “Is this chocolate? Real chocolate?” He nodded. She eyed the cupcake. “Keep your secrets.” “Wait, I almost forgot,” he interrupted her. Trivit searched through his pockets until he found a book of matches. Quickly striking one, he leaned over the table and stuck it in the top of the cake. “Okay.” Ross closed her eyes briefly before opening them and blowing out the match. “I think I almost saw a smile. And here I thought you’d forgotten how,” he teased. “You and me both,” she agreed. “What’d you wish for?” “If I tell you, it won’t come true,” she replied, carefully pulling the cupcake apart. “Enjoy your cupcake, Ross,” he protested. “You don’t have to share it with me.” “Who else am I going to celebrate with?” she asked, reaching across the table to give him half. He pushed her hand away. “I got this for you.” 58
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“Birthdays are meant to be shared with family.” She stubbornly held out the cupcake. “You’re family, Trivit.” Trivit grudgingly accepted his half of the cupcake. “We might be a lot of things, but family isn’t one of them,” he pointed out. “And we’re never going to be family, because I’ve never seen you as a sister, and I’m sure as hell not about to start now.” Ross shrugged easily. “I have enough brothers.” He visibly startled and turned a stern look on her. “One day, we’re going to make time for this conversation. Until then, however,” he informed her as he dropped his stubborn expression, “What do you need me to do, General?” “I need you to help me figure a way around a blockade.” He pulled a chair around and sat down across from her. “That I can do.” ***** Trivit hitched the duffle bag higher on his shoulder as he strode determinedly toward the war room, knowing Ross would be inside. He dropped his bag by the door and took the chair across from her. “Did you sleep at all last night? Of course, you didn’t,” he sighed, as he answered his own question. “You can’t keep living like this, Ross.” She was slumped over the table, head in her hands as she stared at the map. Her voice was slightly muffled when she spoke. “I have to.” “You’ll work yourself into an early grave if you keep this up.” Ross appeared to be paying more attention to the map than the conversation. “Better me than anyone else.” “I feel just as strongly about them as you do, you know that. But I didn’t give up a piece of myself when I joined this camp; I gained one.” Ross looked up at that. “You already had pieces that were suited to this life, that could survive it. None of mine were made for this.” His tone softened. “That’s not true. You’re a born leader.” “I’m really not.” She laughed ruefully. “Ross, you command this compound and the sector surrounding it. Why else would—” His emphatic defense was cut off as she stood abruptly, her chair scraping harshly against the floorboards. “Because no one else would step up! And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why they took orders from some kid they didn’t half know!” Trivit raised an eyebrow. “You’re hardly a kid.” “I was then.” Ross sighed as she righted her chair and sat back down. “I was fifteen when I joined this compound. Within two years, I was the general of Sector 1.” She shook her head. “They gave a kid five stars, Trivit. Who does that? What sane person gives a kid that much authority? That much 59
Beyond the Lines Stephanie Peede
responsibility? Why would they entrust the lives of an entire sector to someone who was barely old enough to take care of themselves?” “No, that’s not—they wouldn’t…I knew you were younger, but—how old were you when we met? I had thought twenty-five, give or take.” “Nineteen.” “You were a kid.” He scrubbed a hand down his face as he tried to gather his thoughts. “I feel like a dirty old man.” She snorted, not trying to hide her newfound amusement. “It’s not funny,” he told her, before finally meeting her eyes again. “You were really only nineteen?” “Just turned, actually.” “So you were practically eighteen?” Trivit groaned and dropped his face back into his hand. “I take it back. Now I feel like a dirty old man.” “Stop being so dramatic. There’s barely a decade between us, if that.” “Still, I... You’ve been giving people orders since you were fifteen?” Her soft smile twisted into something decidedly harder. “Why? Starting to regret taking those orders?” “Never.” Trivit met her eyes with a steady gaze. “I’d follow you through the deepest pits of hell, Ross. All you have to do is ask.” Her expression immediately turned apologetic. “Trivit, I—” They both looked up as a garbled voice sounded over the PA systems. Trivit stood from his chair. “That’s me.” “I’m sick of these other sectors stealing my men,” she muttered, then turned to him. “Why are we going along with this, again?” “Sector 4 specifically asked for one of ours,” he reminded her patiently. “What’s wrong with sending one of theirs? They have twice the manpower we do.” “Because, it needs to be done right. And if you want something done right,” he grinned, “you send me.” “I know. That’s why I stole you from Sector 4,” Ross told him, as she tilted her chin up. “It’s really very petty of them to try and steal you back.” Trivit’s grin widened. “Petty?” “I stole you fair and square,” she answered. “I still have the paperwork. Do you know how many forms I’ll have to fill out if I don’t get you back?” “Everything’s going to be fine, Ross. I’ll only be gone a few days.” He took her hand in his and squeezed gently. “We’ll continue where we left off when I get back.” 60
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She squeezed back. “Stay safe.” Their hands lingered together until he stepped out of reach. Trivit picked up the bag he’d dropped by the door and left without a backward glance. ***** General Marshburne was wondering exactly who had given the go-ahead for this compound’s layout. It wasn’t set up like all the others; the camp was supposed to be centered around the general’s lodgings, not the mess hall. But nothing about Sector 1 had been what he’d expected, least of all the commanding officer. He had circled the camp twice before giving in and asking where he could find Ross’s quarters. As he stared up at the cabin, he realized that he never would have found it on his own. It more closely resembled a storehouse than the home of a general. The door was open, and any passerby would have had a clear view of Ross very quickly packing a worn duffle bag. Marshburne stepped inside the cabin and closed the door behind him. “What are you doing?” “Making my life simpler.” “It looks to me like you intend to leave camp.” “I do.” “You wouldn’t be going after the lieutenant?” If Ross heard his question, she was ignoring it. “Don’t be stupid, girl. You’re a general. You can’t leave your camp high and dry just because your lieutenant’s been captured.” “Trivit’s the heart of this camp.” “There are other lieutenants.” “But there’s only one Trivit,” she admitted quietly. “I’m sorry, I hadn’t realized.” Marshburne closed his eyes against the revelation, struggling to keep with formality. “Even so, you can’t go haring off on a suicide mission and leave your sector without a general.” “Luckily, my sector currently has two generals in residence. I’m officially turning the running of my compound over to you. Sector 1 and its militia are now under your command.” She met his stare with one of her own. “Treat them well.” “You can’t do that,” he insisted. “And why not?” “You can’t just give the command of your compound over to someone else.” “I’ll fill out the paperwork when I get back. Or you can do it. You’re the general now.” She flashed him a quick grin. “Be sure to file it in triplicate.” “That’s not how it works.” 61
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Ross dropped the shirt she was folding onto the bed. “It works however I want it to work.” She turned her back to him and pulled down the collar of her shirt to reveal the vertical line of stars tattooed on the back of her neck. “You see these stars? They mean that I can do whatever the hell I want while I’m in command.” “Within reason, yes. This is most definitely not within reason.” “No,” she stated, as she zipped the duffle bag closed. “It’s just not within your reason.” Marshburne studied the younger general. “You would really go to such lengths for him?” She slung the bag over her shoulder as she turned to face him. “Between us generals, he’s the only reason I haven’t said to hell with all of this and run off to live in the borderlands.” For a brief moment, neither spoke. “I’ll have to turn you in once your people notice you missing,” he finally said. “I estimate that you have until dawn before someone makes a fuss.” “Thank you.” She clicked her heels together smartly and gave a crisp salute in his direction. Marshburne returned the gesture and watched as she disappeared into the night. “Good luck, General.” ***** An explosion shook the ground, silencing the night but for the sound of two people crashing through the underbrush. The need for stealth had disappeared with the blast. Instead, Ross and Trivit were currently taking advantage of the chaos Ross had caused to create as much distance as they could between themselves and the realization that one of the reformatory’s prisoners was missing. They were deep into the borderlands before they stopped to catch their breath. Trivit turned to Ross with an incredulous look. “I can’t believe you blew it up.” “You’ve seen me blow things up before. I don’t know why you’re surprised this time.” “But you just blew up a prison.” Ross grimaced as she brought one of her feet up to massage an ankle. “I wouldn’t call that a prison.” “Whatever you want to call it, why’d you blow it up?” “I thought it should be rearranged. The feng shui was all off.” “You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” She shrugged. “A little bit, yeah.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Ross, what’s our contingency plan for this particular situation?” “Five-man team,” she replied confidently. “In, out, and no one’s the wiser.” “The explosion?” She shrugged. “It was quicker than sneaking in.” 62
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Trivit squeezed his eyes shut, not at all liking where this line of questioning seemed to be heading. “And where are the other four men of your five-man team?” “Asleep, I would assume.” “Tell me you didn’t go AWOL,” he begged, head hanging low. “I didn’t go AWOL,” she immediately parroted. He stared at her for a long moment. “Your lying needs some work.” “In my defense, I’m not trying very hard.” “What the hell were you thinking?” he exploded, hands violently cutting through the air. “Were you even thinking at all? Damn it, Ross, how could you be so stupid?” “I know what I did was stupid, Trivit. I’m not arguing that,” she stated. “But just because it was stupid doesn’t mean it was wrong.” “Ross?” “Yeah?” “Why would you blow up a prison just to free me? I’m not worth much in the grand scheme of things. The war’s not going to miss one lieutenant.” She looked at him, really looked at him then. “You told me that you’d walk the deepest pit of hell for me if I only asked it of you. You don’t have to ask, Trivit.” “But you’ve gone AWOL! At the very least, you’ll be stripped of your title—” “That I never wanted,” Ross cut in. He continued as if she hadn’t said anything. “—and at worst you’ll be tried for treason. Treason, Ross! It carries a death sentence!” “Only because they don’t draw and quarter people anymore. Hell, I’ll get a blindfold and a cigarette.” “This is serious!” “I know. Cigarettes are damned hard to come by these days.” “Damn it, Ross! For once in your life—!” Trivit broke off and took a calming breath. “For once in your life, can’t you just talk to me without the stars?” he pleaded. The silence stretched until Trivit was sure she wasn’t going to answer him, startling a bit when she finally did. “I knew.” His hurt expression quickly turned confused. “Knew what, exactly?” She was serious when she answered him. “I knew what coming after you meant. I knew what it would mean for you, and I knew what it would mean for me. I knew, Trivit. I knew exactly what I was doing. I knew you’d rot in that prison if I didn’t break you out. I knew that it’s against regulation to rescue political prisoners. I knew they’d let you die there and not lift a finger to stop it. I knew that 63
Beyond the Lines Stephanie Peede
you’d die alone in a cold cell, knowing that no one was coming for you. I knew that, no matter how much I begged, a rescue mission wouldn’t be sanctioned. I knew that, whatever I did, I’d be acting alone. I knew that my career would be over. I knew that I would likely be brought to trial. I knew they’d want to sentence me to death, to make some kind of example of me. I knew they’d think that I weighed all the pros and cons before I acted. I knew they’d grudgingly admit that it was honorable to never leave a man behind.” She paused for a moment. “But I knew it wouldn’t be any of that—that it was never something I’d have to think about, that I’d never weigh my life against yours because I knew which of us was worth more. I’ve always known which of our lives I’d choose.” “But why? Why would you throw your life away like that?” “I didn’t throw my life away, Trivit. I finally made it worth something. I found my reason to stay, to fight. For the first time in a long while, my priorities are in order.” Her eyes lifted to meet his, pinning him in place with an intense stare. “The world can burn.” *****
64
Things My Father Taught Me Haley Haggard
Ever since I was a child, I have been afraid of the dark. It’s impossible to get away from the monsters when they’re in your head; As soon as my eyes close, I’m left alone with them. I suppose that’s why I’ve never really liked sleeping. You see, my mother is a warrior and has never given up on me. Despite her efforts to deny it, my father’s blood races through my veins. Sometimes I try to run so far away that my feet only find water. And when the ocean creates a mirror, the only face staring back is his. My definition of love has always looked more like deception, And I question what drives people to invest in other people. Some things are temporary, no matter how tightly you cling to them. I was six the first time I asked what I had done to make him leave. Having “Daddy Issues” predisposes you to a need of being needed, But, when boys whisper promises between my bed sheets, I do not believe them. It is built into human nature to recognize patterns. His quickness to run away is engraved into the DNA we share. The fear of loss is only profound when you have something to lose. Maybe that’s why recklessness is one of my most prominent attributes; I learned at a young age that I would never be worth sticking around for. I can add that to the list of things my father taught me.
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Rothua and the One Tale Victor Chilaka
There was a time when there were no stories. Not a single tale for the father to pass down to his son. No bedtime stories for the mother to tell her daughter. The people of the land did have paper, but, at that time, they did not use it to convey messages of deeper meaning and certainly not to share creativity. Thus, there were no books that told of adventures and wonderlands, or myths and legends. Can you imagine it? No books about gallant knights fighting monsters or athletic feats. There were no magic secrets recorded, so, when a magician would perform his tricks, only the onlookers would remember it. Worst of all, there were no books about cooking or the variety of foods across the world. Grandma would have had no cookbooks, with no family recipes to share. So, on one of the 366 days in that year (because it was a leap year) came Rothua riding on a magic carpet, no, on a scroll! A north wind’s breeze carried this scroll through the air, and, when the lively sprite jumped off this scroll, with a twist of the wrist it became small enough to fit into its hand. Rothua was neither boy or girl, child or adult, animal or human like the rest of us, but someone from a place beyond the stars perhaps. Rothua had one tale, and it was written on the scroll that Rothua rode on. Rothua shared this one story with all the people of the world, and everyone praised it. “This tale has everything!” they said. The tale was adventurous, and travelers from all around loved that it detailed many journeys made by brave women and men who climbed the highest mountains and crossed the longest canyons. Teachers were fond of it, because the characters ate apples (and teachers love apples), and the tale included good subjects like math and science which made youth smart. When Rothua presented it to the kingdoms, the kings and queens were thrilled with how it glorified heroes and knights. Jesters from all over joined each other in loud laughter, because this tale had so many jokes, and when it got around to the chefs, they were inspired to make scrumptious recipes (because the tale described how it would taste, too) that they could cook for specific seasons. For four years the people of the land were satisfied with this one tale, but there came a time when they became bored of the tale. It was, after all, just one story which included everything…almost. So, when Rothua came back on the 366th day, five very intelligent animals (whom Rothua called Critters) read the tale and decided to help Rothua make the story more exciting so everyone would like it again. The first was Soaror, a courageous bird who had traveled the entire world. She knew every secret place, the location of all the treasures in the world, and how to get to every possible wonderland-even the ones that children dreamed about. “Your tale does not have enough adventures in it,” she informed Rothua, pruning her feathers while they conversed. “It has too many jokes to be taken seriously, too many battles which make it frightening, too many historical details that make it long, and too much about food which-yuckmakes people seem gluttonous.” Rothua listened to her advice but could not come up with a way to re-imagine the tale. “Give me a duplicate of the tale, and I will take it to new heights!” Soaror advised Rothua. Rothua was a little hesitant of this at first, considering that the tale would no longer be one of a kind, but what 66
Rothua and the One Tale
Victor Chilaka
good was it if no one wanted to read it anymore? So, with a click of a finger, Rothua made a duplicate of the tale and gave it to Soaror. The second was Elephistorian, a wise old elephant who had knowledge about all events that ever occurred in history. “Your tale lacks accuracy,” she explained, pulling down her librarian-like glasses with her trunk to get a better look at Rothua. “The riddles are not factual and are only meant to make people laugh. The battles are exaggerated, the resources required to make the recipes are impossible to acquire, and all this nonsense about searching for fantasy lands distracts people from the real problems of the world.” Rothua listened to her advice but was confused and could not come up with a way to include all these facts. How would Rothua be able to go and gather all the evidence in the first place? “Give me a duplicate of the tale, and I will document all the historical accounts of the world so people can know the truth and how to solve future problems,” Elephistorian ordered. Rothua was quite uneasy about everyone knowing the mistakes of all other people in the world, but truth leaves no room for secrecy, and secrets can be dangerous! The next adviser was Knhorse, a powerful stallion with dark brindle who had won many races and battles. He wore no rein, and all who came in his presence found themselves wanting to stand with great royal posture. “Your tale needs to focus on inspiring people to compete and achieve goals,” Knhorse observed, blowing air hard out of his nose. “The travelers in the text are greedy and naïve, the philosophers are arrogant, the jokes would only appeal to a fool, and this uncouth talk of food and resting conveys slothfulness.” Rothua felt ashamed of Knhorse’s insight but understood that the stallion meant well. “Do not feel faint-hearted, my good friend, for I mean not to tread upon your work! Nay, give me a copy of this text, and I will make it invigorating by describing the glory of being victorious,” Knhorse encouraged. Rothua did not think twice about giving the stallion a duplicate of the tale. The fourth went by the name Hype and was a Hyena by species. Hype was full of energy, and his great bold laughter could be heard for miles. “Your tale is too serious, which makes it boring,” Hype noted, his jolly expression turning into a frown before quickly returning to a big grin again. “All this talk of brave souls competing for glory is bland. The travelers, while the treasures they find are ridiculous-and that’s a good thing-it’s not relatable to real life. History? Who cares about talking about ancestors when you can poke fun at old people and their habits! What else? Oh yeah, the cooking, that’s too much work…but, if you were to add some more riddles…oh-hohoho! Now, that would make it so much better, because nothing does the spirit better than laughter-Hyau-hahaha!” Rothua could not disagree with the hyena. Humor can be like medicine without the bitter taste, and even the grumpiest person can cheer up from a good joke. “Allow me to make another version of your story by giving me a copy of it. Oh-ho-ho! I will be more than happy to make it entertaining,” Hype promised. Rothua found it hard to take the hyena seriously but nevertheless decided to give a copy to the beast. 67
Rothua and the One Tale Victor Chilaka
The final was a pig named Gipun. Slathered in mud after a good wallowing, the animal smelt of soil and other odors. “Your tale is a little on the stressful side,” Gipun explained, squinting his eyes and snorting a little. “Hmm-yup. It challenges people to be better than others, to study strenuously, to laugh in the midst of bad times, and to do all this traveling which, just from reading it, makes me feel tired.” Rothua never thought of that as a problem. People should want to go out and explore the world or set goals, not just sit around. Then again, it is a bad idea to rush through life and never take a break, Rothua pondered, and even worse not to take the time to enjoy a treat. “Please give me your story, and, when I get around to it, I’ll make it better.” Rothua appreciated Gipun’s offer to help and decided to give the pig a copy as well. So, Rothua left and came back four years later (on the same day of a leap year, too) on a powerful machine that rode through space and left a smoky stream in the air behind it. Rothua was eager to see what the five animals were able to do with the one tale. Certainly, with all of the advice they had to offer, the Critters should have collectively made the story more thrilling than before. Sure enough the five animals had made it better…kind of. Because they re-envisioned the story according to their respective preferences, the tale was hardly the same anymore. There were now five versions of the first tale, and many argued if it could even be considered original anymore. While still featuring the same characters, the story had too many different interpretations now. Like the heroes in the tale, they were comedians in one instance, but chefs, too, school teachers by day and mountain climbers by night, and even portrayed to be rivals (sometimes even enemies) to their closest friends. Rothua was disappointed and found it impossible to bring the animals to one agreement, for each one felt that his or her recreation of the story was better than the next. So Rothua retreated to a far place, embarrassed that the tale was not the same anymore and that no one would remember what the story was originally about. Four years passed again, but this time Rothua came on a boat with a scroll that served as a sail. Just as before, Rothua twisted its wrists and waved its hands to alter the size of the scroll, but this time to make it larger! So large was the scroll that it covered the skies, and one can only wonder that it was made of paper not of this world, because the rain, air, snow, and sunlight could still pass through it without hindrance. Best of all, written on this scroll was the original tale. The story read differently this time, though, in the sense that, in order for you to read the story, you would have to look to the sky and continue doing so until you finished it. Because the tale started at one place, you would have to travel around the whole world in order to read all of it. When you finished the story, it was the greatest feat ever and unlike any other experience, because not only did you return to the beginning of the story, you returned to the same exact place where you began the journey to read it and were joined by others who were starting it for the first time. Thus, you would encourage this younger generation (because, by the time you finished it, you were quite old), to read the story all the way to the end. Of course, you took breaks along the way while reading it, sometimes stopping in the middle of deserts, other times in huge cities where you’d end up talking to fellow travelers about how great the story was and how far along you had gotten in it. Even so, this tale was so good that you never gave up and kept on the journey until you finished the story. You shared this journey of perseverance with everyone. 68
Rothua and the One Tale
Victor Chilaka
Over time, all the people of the land made this journey to read what became known as the One Tale. Since no one person ever ventured the same exact path as the next, everyone had different experiences when reading it, even though it was the same tale. The journeys made by these travelers soon became the basis of inspiration for new tales, and knowledge was shared amidst cultures, leading to diverse lifestyles and creativity. Rothua and its tale came to be remembered as something more than just a story but instead a way to perceive life. All people are born to live on the same Earth and to breathe the same air. So, even though every soul is destined to experience life differently from the next, it will be fulfilled in the same space and under the same sun. The goal is to live life to the fullest and always see it through, just as the courageous story-travelers who journeyed the distance of the world to finish the One Tale did, because it is worth it to see the story through to The End.
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Of Fiddles and Devils Stephanie Peede
(Lights up on the DEVIL: age hard to determine, crisp black suit and tie, black shoes polished, two red horns sprouting from the top of his head) DEVIL Surprised to see me? Most of you shouldn’t be. Oh, don’t look so scared. You’ll be seeing my face for the rest of eternity when you die; you might as well get used to my roguishly handsome looks now. (slight pause as he gives the audience his profile—both sides) There you are. And we’re moving on. I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m here tonight. Settle down, I’m not here for any of you. (turns to focus on someone in the audience) Except you. We need to talk after this. Anyway, I’m here to set a few things straight. Things that a certain Mr. Daniels didn’t get quite right in his recollection. Now, it’s true that I went up to Georgia to find a soul, but it wasn’t because I was having trouble meeting my quota. No, I came up here to show the newbies how it was done. Why Georgia, you ask? Because there’s no better way to spit in Heaven’s eye than to take a soul straight from the Bible Belt. There’s nothing better than that. Well, maybe a few things, but it’s definitely top five. It takes skill to steal one of those, you know. You can’t just walk up to one of those people and sweet-talk their soul out of them. No. They guard their souls from things like me. Hide them behind collections for the less fortunate and casseroles for the bereaved. It takes a certain kind of finesse to land one of these souls. A fact that Mr. Daniels doesn’t seem to appreciate. (waves it off) As I was saying, finesse. A bit of creativity. And a good command of the language. Johnny was an easy mark—almost too easy. I took one look at him and knew exactly what it would take to win his soul. All I had to do was imply that I was the better fiddler and top it off with a shiny bauble. And the next thing you know, he’s bet his soul against the devil. I didn’t even have to trick him into it. He’s good with a fiddle, I’ll give him that, but he’s not the sharpest point on a trident. I know, I know. You’re wondering if I’m so smart, how did Johnny wind up with a golden fiddle? I’m the devil, kiddies. I’m the best at whatever I do. You weren’t there, but the winner was clear—no need for a rematch. And he took up that golden fiddle before the last notes had faded... But the devil is in the details. Johnny’s been so busy polishing his new fiddle that he hasn’t even noticed that something’s missing. (beat) The fiddle was merely a condolence. (Lights down) 70
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Contributors Nfon Asuquo is a 2015 graduate. He majored in Studio Art with a concentration in Printmaking. He is a designer with his own clothing line called Black Cruelty™ and does mural art all over the east coast for commissioned clients. His is an unorthodox style artist with an amazing work ethic. Des’monay Barnes is a senior Psychology major with a Graphic Design passion. She is a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and a member of the Honors College. She is a member of various clubs/ organizations, including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Sapphire Cheerleaders. She plans to be an art therapist. Denesha Boykin is a 2015 graduate. She majored in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. Currently, she is studying to become a physician’s assistant. She has a passion for helping people. Antavis Chavis graduated with a degree in History in May 2015. He is a member of the Rho Delta Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He plans to attend law school. Victor Chilaka graduated with a degree in English in May 2015. He recently accepted a teaching position in the Northampton County (NC) Public Schools. Kellie Durham is a senior Elementary Education major. She is the recipient of the Friends of Education Scholarship and the Federal TEACH Grant. She is a music fanatic and a student-centered teacher. Issa Farhoud is a senior Graphic Design major. He is a Presidential Ambassador. From Bethlehem, he is an artist who loves to create art using natural elements. Haley Haggard is a senior Mathematics major. She serves as president of the Honors College Student Association, Rotaract Club, and Mathematics Club. She will be attending graduate school at the University of Mississippi in Fall 2016. Terez Heckstall graduated with a degree in Psychology in May 2015. Melissa Hernandez is a junior History major. A member of the Honors College Student Associations, she will serve as its President in 2016-2017. Breon Jones is a senior Interdisciplinary Studies major with a concentration in Sport Studies. He is a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and Endowment Scholarship. He is a U. S. Navy veteran, and will return to active service upon graduation. Shannon Lassiter is a senior Social Sciences major with minors in History and Psychology. She is the recipient of the Pi Gamma Mu Social Science award, is a M. Elizabeth Harris International Travel Study Scholar, and President of the North Carolina Phi Chapter of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. She enjoys time with loved ones and takes pleasure in traveling. Austin Munden is a junior History major. Stephanie Peede completed degree requirements in English in December 2015. Robert Powell is a senior Studio Art major. Jessica Pyle is a sophomore Graphic Communications major. Wendy Wilson graduated with a degree in Studio Art in May 2015. Danielle Young is a junior Elementary Education major. 72
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Cover Photo “Tuscany, Italy” Robert Powell