“[People of color] in Amerikkka have received half of what is good and double of what is bad.�
fall 2010
unwrapped
Fahari-Libertad THE FAMILY President Saki Rizwana Editor-in-Chief Shatera Gurganious Vice-President Faisal Awadallah Layout Editor Saki Rizwana Outside Cover Design Saki Rizwana Inside Cover Design Matthew Ortiz Saki Rizwana Staff Writers Honey Brown Janea Thompson Roger Whitson Euclyn Williams Guest Writers/Contributors Dey Armbrister Lanee B. Jiffy Baulk Haley Bloom Jennifer Estvanik Shana Krisiloff Mocha Napps Jada Young Alumni Contributors Novlette Lee Professor Arturo (Arthur Pfister) Regina "Reggie" Rivers
October 2010 Next Issue Deadline
November 3rd, 2010
Fa–ha–ri: (noun)
Dignity, respect, a good reputation, derived from the language of KiSwahili.
Li–ber–tad: (noun) Spanish for FREEDOM! The Fahari–Libertad is committed to printing the political, social, and economic views and concerns regarding people of color here at SUNY New Paltz. It is published in the spirit of cultural unity as well as bringing about the spiritual unification of all people. The main goal of the Fahari-Libertad is to enrich and educate all with knowledge and enlightenment. We accept anyone who is truly committed to these goals to work with us.
Mission To seek knowledge, truth and unity with pride.
Contact Us The Fahari–Libertad
SUNY New Paltz Student Union Building, Rm. 323 New Paltz, NY 12561 Email: faharilibertad@gmail.com Facebook: Fahari Libertad Magazine Blog: faharilibertad.blogspot.com Copies of The Fahari-Libertad can be found in the SUB, the MLK Center, the Black Studies Department, the Lecture Center and in The Fahari Office (SUB 323), along with various residence halls. The Fahari-Libertad is sponsored by The Student Association of SUNY New Paltz. All authors and artists are responsible for their own submissions.
The Fahari-Libertad is currently seeking staff writers, copy editors, layout editors and photo editors. A major/minor in Journalism/English is NOT a requirement. Please inquire via email at faharilibertad@gmail.com
Fall 2010 Meetings Wednesdays @ 8.30pm MLK Center (Shango Hall) Special thanks to the Department of Black Studies and all of our brothers & sisters who submitted articles, toons and poetry for showing the support needed to publish this magazine.
UNWRAPPED Inside this Issue 04
From the President's Desk
05
From the Editor-in-Chief's Desk
06
From the Vice-President's Desk
08
Heterosexual vs Homosexual — Hatred, Suicide and the Demand for Respect and Equality
10
Black, Gay and Twentysomething: The Antoine Dodson Conundrum
12
Sex Sells
13
Whose Game Is It?
14
Intimacy vs Just Sex
15
I don't know what he's about but he fine... Imma wife him up...
16
Keep Your Lips to Yourself Please
17
High Sex
17
HIV/AIDS, People of Color and Women
18
You've Got Chlamydia!
19
What does a virgin look like?
20
A Virgin in the Land of S-E-X
21
Promiscuity: Educated Women vs. Hood Girls
22
Pornography 101: Why College Kids Need Porn Literacy Training
24
Spray-On Condoms: Still a Hard Sell
25
To you...I hope it concerns you...
26
The Most Visible Mulattoes: Drake and Obama Match Hip-Hop and Politics
28
Artist's Spotlight — Matthew James Ortiz
36
Help Haiti
38
Young Boys
39
The Poetry Corner featuring:
40
What's Not To Love About You?
42
My Dirty Little Secret.
43
10.35 PM
From the President’s Desk Sex. We’re all talking about it. We’re always talking about having it (or the not having it). And why wouldn’t we be talking about sex? Even though sex might be somewhat of a taboo in this country, as well as many others, we certainly throw around an immense amount of sexual imagery. It’s the “beautiful” people in the TV shows and magazines, the cheerleaders at the Lakers game, the Playboy and Playgirl models. It’s the way our society idolizes those who meet a very narrow standard of beauty and then continue to commodify that “beauty” by hypersexualizing it. So is it any wonder that we are all sex-crazed? Is it possible then to reject these ideals and images? Or should we simply fall in line and accept that every other ad on TV is about a different sexual enhancement drug? Should we even try to fight these images? My answer would be, to put it simply, hell yes! We should be creating our own definitions and ideals. With all the talking we do involving sex, we might as well aim for more than just physical pleasure. Now, what exactly would this look like, you might ask? How about we stop with the double standards — the more women men sleep with, the more their manhood is reaffirmed and if women sleep with more than one man, they’re automatically whores. How about we just stop sleeping around so much? Sex with multiple partners greatly increases the chance of contracting various sexually transmitted diseases! Let’s stop letting sex define who we are, both as people as well as a society. We should stop buying into sexualized images of what men and women should be (or at least buy into it less, for starters). So let’s start talking about sex and what it really entails — let’s talk about the good, the bad and the ugly! Khoda Hafez (Bengali) — Goodbye. Phir Milenge (Hindi) — We will meet again. Ma’as Salaam (Arabic) — I leave you in peace. Adiós (Spanish) — Bye. Ciao (Italian) — Bye. Kwa Herini (Kiswahili) — Goodbye. Goodbye (English) — Goodbye. Saki Rizwana President, Fahari-Libertad
Fahari 4
From the Editor-in-Chief’s Desk I hope everyone had a fun and productive summer and the beginning of this semester has been well. I’m so glad to get back in the swing of things, especially with my Fahari family. With that said, let’s jump right into this issue. Being a college student, it is difficult to avoid the topic of sex. It seems that as soon as a group of young people come together for an extended period of time, touching the topic of sex is inevitable. There is no shame in sex. It is natural, normal and a regular part of life. Some people see it as a taboo matter that they don’t even want to discuss in private. I feel that this is where most of our problems stem from. When there is a lack of healthy conversation about sex and it is treated in a hush-hush manner, people become misinformed and this can lead to unhealthy behavior. The bottom line is that education is key and what you do is your business, just be safe. Remaining informed and keeping safe practices is all that really matters. Keeping a positive attitude about sex, let’s try to keep an open dialogue. We’ve started with this issue, let’s continue and not let it end with the words on these pages…
Peace and Blessings, Shatera Gurganious Editor-in-Chief, Fahari-Libertad
5 Libertad
From the Vice-President’s Desk Deat readers, I hope you all are having tons of sex this semester! If not that’s alright; you’ll get there. If you picked up this issue then you probably have noticed our theme is of one of the most relevant things affecting us daily. Whether it’s trying to have sex, unable to have sex, can’t stop having sex or are just interested, those are all reasons someone could pick up this zine. My sex life has extended to so many people recently that it has helped me learn more about myself because every time I’m with a female, they give me some of their energy as I do for them. Sexual energy can fill not only sexual desires but also physical and spiritual desires. I know this issue will be popular, not only because there are sexy pictures of me and my beautiful friend Krystal, but also because we have talented young writers in the organization who “love what they do and do what they love.” If you love to write, come to our meetings or email us, we are always down for new people to write!
Faisal Awadallah Vice-President, Fahari Libertad
Fahari 6
Unwrapped
7 Libertad
heterosexual vs homosexual
Hatred, Suicide and the Demand for Respect and Equality By Dey Armbrister, Guest Writer
Tyler Clementi, age 18, Justin Aaberg, age 13, Billy Lucas, age 15, Asher Brown, age 13, and Seth Walsh, age 13 all have one thing in common — they are no longer alive.1 How did they leave this earth? They did it by taking their own lives, either by hanging themselves, shooting themselves, or even jumping off of bridges. Their reason for leaving this earth — they could not take the pain and torment from their heterosexual bullies. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m sick and tired of seeing or hearing news about how homosexual youth are being physically and/or emotionally brutalized to the point where they feel they have to commit suicide. I am tired of heterosexuals thinking that being straight is the “norm” and they can treat homosexuals in any way that they please. I am saying this out of the utmost anger and I will share an experience with you that recently happened to me, which also sparked me to write this article. I was minding my business in my room with a friend one day, and someone felt the need to open my door in the hopes of scaring me. I turned back to look through the mirror and saw a bunch of guys walking in the hallway, and the last guy in the group — once again — felt the need to slam my door closed. Can you say disrespectful?
that we are just as equal? Wait, scratch that, because WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING TO PROVE THAT WE ARE EQUAL TO THE NEXT PERSON. I emphasize this because we need to get the message out there stronger than ever, one voice at a time. As I said before countless times on countless platforms, it is a new millennium; get with the program! Gays do not bleed differently from straight people, just as African Americans do not sneeze differently from Caucasians. Hatred is slowly killing our human race and it is up to us, whether gay or straight, to slowly kill hatred and oppression. To my heterosexual readers of this article, if you have someone in your circle that just came out to you or you know someone who is a part of the LGBT community, take time to judge them not based on their label, but based on their character. You will be surprised. Understanding an individual can help save a life and prevent a life from being taken away. Soure: http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-another-gayteen-commits-suicide-after-being-outed/?eref=RSS 1
First of all, who do you think you are? Second of all, I don’t care if you like the opposite sex and I like the same sex; show me some respect because I am a human being just like you. I eat, I breathe and I sleep just like any other man and woman on this planet, and people fail to realize that. I would be blind to say that I have never experienced homophobia, and honestly this incident, along with recent news of gay teen suicides, is a wake up call for me — homophobia still exists. What more does the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community need to do in order to prove Fahari 8
Tyler Clementi Photo Courtesy of CBSNews.com
save our children
put an end to homophobic bullying suicide should never be the only option
Justin Aaberg Photo Courtesy of TheColu.mn
Billy Lucas Photo Courtesy of Unfinished Lives Blog
Seth Walsh Photo Courtesy of KidGlue 9 Libertad
Black, Gay and Twentysomething: The
Antoine Dodson Conundrum
By Rob Smith Referred by Euclyn Williams, Public Relations
Black, Gay and Twentysomething is a biweekly column dealing with dating, race, media, and politics and anything else that comes to my queer negro mind.
I have a confession to make — the Antoine Dodson business of the past few weeks has made me retch in a way that few “internet sensations” have this year or any other year. In case you somehow missed the story, Dodson is the Huntsville, Alabama man who saved his sister from being raped when a man broke into her bedroom during the middle of the night.
Antoine Dodson Photo Courtesy of AfterElton.com
But it wasn’t Dodson’s bravery that has made him a sensation. It was an interview he gave to a local news station showing an emotional Dodson recounting what nearly happened to his sister.
Call me solemn, but I simply couldn’t muster up enough smugness to laugh at a poor, black, widely assumed to be gay man being interviewed outside of a housing project; a man who was filled with genuine anger over the fact his sister was attacked in her own home, but who ends up turned into an object of mockery because of his “stereotypical” mannerisms by pretty much every group under the sun if for different reasons. White and black middle-class straight folks could mock how “ghetto” he is, gay folks could mock how “queeny” he is and we could all have a good laugh and feel a bit superior while we forwarded the email with the YouTube video or posted a comment on one of the many blogs laughing at him. When I saw the video, I didn’t laugh. I cringed. As a black gay man, there was something about it that made me deeply uncomfortable. Fahari 10
I hate that Antoine Dodson is the most prominent black gay image to hit our mainstream media culture in quite some time. A man featured in a two-minute local news story is now more high profile than any recent black gay character in a movie, a TV show or pretty much anywhere else. And that makes me sad. While white gays have the luxury of being portrayed as professors, doctors and lawyers in addition to drag queens and circuit boys, us po’ black folk are stuck in the same ghetto of sassy-talking spitfire. And what was already passé a few years back is getting downright tired now. I won’t even bother with scripted programming on broadcast television where there hasn’t been any really decent representation since … Carter Heywood on Spin City, which ended back in 2002. And barely there gay characters cooking for white folks on the thankfully short-lived Privileged do not count.
Michael Boatman (Spin City) and Joanna Garcia and Allan Louis (Privileged) Photo Courtesy of AfterElton.com
Of course I could never omit True Blood’s sexy, androgynous, ass-kicking, one-of-a-kind Lafayette, but even he is not too far from the kind of stereotyping I speak of. While the outrageous clothing and sistagirl posturing is balanced by a tough as nails attitude and hints of depths below the surface, his is a character that can easily fall into this cliché and be dismissed by viewers
and other characters alike. Did anyone catch Eric’s recent played-for-laughs reference to Lafayette as “RuPaul” a few episodes back? Exactly. It’s no surprise that the best opportunities for visibility of gay people, and especially gay people of color, in our media come from reality television where producers at least have to draw on a pool of actual people. Yet even here we’re falling short in diversifying the imagery. The Real Housewives of Atlanta sideline gays Lawrence and Derek J wear heels, makeup and carry purses, while the franchises newest black gay sidekick on The Real Housewives of D.C. is Paul Wharton, a (surprise, surprise) tall, flamboyant stylist with blown out hair and a penchant for gossip.
Before I start getting pegged as some effemiphobe or, even more damaging, a RuPaul hater (I can imagine Miss Bebe Zahara Benet loudly and dramatically renouncing having ever given me lessons in how to “give face“), I must say that I live for RuPaul’s Drag Race, think Lafayette is one of the most interesting characters ever put on television and I feel my fists clench right along with the rest of you when I watch Preston have to deal with yet another homophobic remark from his dimwitted housemates. And any semi-masculine gay guy who isn’t aware that every drag queen or effeminate gay man walking loudly and proudly down the street makes it easier for all of us to exist, simply isn’t paying attention.
RuPaul and Will Truman Photo Courtesy of AfterElton.com Derek J and Paul Wharton Photo Courtesy of AfterElton.com
Though Real World: New Orleans resident gay Preston is a cutie, he recently cried because he couldn’t ... use power tools. Nor are the countless black gay men who’ve sashayed through RuPaul’s Drag Race over the past few seasons, including the diva herself, exactly something different. While Logo’s upcoming reality series The A-List is certainly one of the most buzzed-about gay offerings of the year, its cast didn’t include a single black gay man. I wasn’t entirely sure whether to be offended at the implication via omission that there is no black man currently qualified to be a part of The A-List or bemused at this bizarro reality world version of said A-List that’s populated with models, struggling actors and reality TV veterans. When I read the announcement and looked through the pictures of the oh-so-pretty, tanned, and white cast (excepting the two pretty and tanned Latinos who represent a bit of a step in the right direction), I had mixed emotions. The voyeur in me really did want to see some black gay people, but the sensible gay in me was secretly glad that none were involved in what is sure to be the most roundly mocked reality series this side of Jersey Shore. Maybe all of the A-List black guys were too smart to sign up? Dare to dream.
I just wish that there was more variety in the images America sees. I don’t know any Antoine Dodsons but I do know quite a few gay black men who would give Will Truman from Will & Grace a run for his money in both wealth and career achievement and I would certainly love to see a few of those types as a gay character in a drama or sitcom or a real-life type in a reality show. While I have no issue with Antoine Dodson, I hate that his over the top, neck-swinging sassiness, as real as it is for him, represents the current status quo for almost all black gay images in the media. And I hate what this means for future gay black visibility in American culture. That the next executive or writer who deigns to create a gay black character for a mainstream audience will likely be looking for another RuPaul, a Lafayette or, yes, an Antoine Dodson. So while the white guys will continue to have their diverse images of A-List muscle guys, Flipping Out business owners, talented Glee teens and even the oddly charming and kinda cute Andy Cohen hosting his own Bravo show, black gays are stuck at the back of the proverbial bus with images and characters that overwhelmingly represent the same tired niche that white gays have long ago diversified out of. It’s time for a change. Someone, please run and tell that. 11 Libertad
Sex $ells We live in a society where sex sells. Sex is used to sell everything, from sneakers (Reebok Easy Tones) to music videos (name any Maroon 5 or Nikki Minaj video) to Halloween costumes (you can be a sexy butterfly or a sexy ladybug). Why is it that we allow this to happen? Everyday, we are inundated with sexual images. You go to buy coffee in the morning
Maroon 5's Adam Levine from "This Love" Photo Courtesy of YouTube
and what’s on the magazine stands other than scantily clad women? You turn on the TV and what’s playing but videos of throngs of women, dancing half naked on screen. If you’re at the mall, you will no doubt be bombarded with images of tight-muscled, well-toned men and women and, sometimes, you will even come upon real live people whose jobs it is to stand around shirtless to entice people into their store. What’s worse is that we, as a society, condone all of this. We buy these magazines that tell us the latest trends are to bare breasts and shorten hems. We watch the videos that demean women; not only do we watch, we move our bodies to their rhythms and hum their tune. We buy the clothes. WE BUY INTO THIS! For example, Halloween is on its way and how many of you ladies are thinking of wearing a revealing, skimpy, little outfit that shows off your cleavage and your legs and thighs? The people who make these outrageously sexual costumes would stop making them if there was no market for it. However, there is a HUGE market for it. And we continue its existence with our consumption.
$$
By Saki Rizwana, President
For those of us who are really into music, let’s look at how sex is used in the music industry. Women are highly sexualized in all genres of music. For those that think rap and hip-hop are the only kinds of music that use sex as a selling point, think again. Maroon 5, one of the most popular alternative rock bands of the moment, rely on lead singer Adam Levine’s sex appeal, combined with various women (most of whom are naked at some point or another). If you go back farther, we can look at Britney Spears. She might have made it onto the music scene because of her sweet voice and innocent looks but that certainly wasn’t what furthered her career. With every year, she became more and more sexualized. At one point, she even stopped singing on stage, took up lip syncing but still maintained her sex appeal. Madonna, before her, practically masturbated in her videos. It’s not just the throngs of bikini-clad video vixens in rap videos that add to this overly sexualized system, it is maintained by the average Joe (or Jane) on a regular basis. This all leads to great problems in our society. Precisely because we are so inundated with sexual imagery, we devalue sex. This leads to having sex with multiple partners, usually in unsafe situations, and can lead to more sexually transmitted Britney Spears Before and After diseases and infections. This system Photo Courtesy also places more emphasis on the of LAist body, defining what is beautiful and sexy based solely on physical appearances. Now, all of this is simply a long way of saying that we need to focus on our inner selves. Let’s stop buying into all of the sexual imagery — don’t buy that sexy nurse outfit for Halloween and stop supporting music that’s sold solely on the basis of sex; don’t go into Abercrombie next time just because a well-toned, gym-a-holic is standing in front of it, shirtless. Think before you buy into all the sex. As Dead Prez says, “Before we make love, let’s have a good conversation.”* *Dead Prez “Mind Sex”
Fahari 12
$
Whose Game Is It? By Janea Thompson, Staff Writer
I’m lost in this so-called game that men and women play on a daily basis. Emotions are contraband for women but being emotionless should be illegal in this game. There is no medium for the emotionless and the emotional, hence casual sex becomes the alternative. Casual sex is the ammunition behind the game. Women and men can both have the ammunition, but they cannot have it at the same time. When women lack ammunition, the momentum of the game swings over to men. The lack of ammunition is because of emotions. The game is based on your scale of pleasure. Being pleasured is always the intent, but the incapability of alleviating emotions from the sex leaves women vulnerable. Females, who have not conquered this, prefer monogamy. Deep down, every woman desires a monogamous relationship. It seems that this era is not compatible with this desire. Since this equilibrium has not occurred, some women have adapted to extracting feelings from intercourse and oral sex. However it is still difficult to not develop
some sort of feelings, whether it is admiration, respect, love or lust. In this game, women are more prone to love and men are more prone to lust. Women are capable of pretending to love because of lusting after the experience. Men could also engage in casual sex lustfully, and then end up loving. Men usually are ahead of the game because they have mastered the art of hiding true emotions. Unfortunately, women symbolize the points in the game of casual sex. It seems that the chase is more enticing than settling down with one person. On the other hand there is no perfect female, so one could argue that multiple girls are better because one may be lacking a characteristic that another female illuminates. Also, too much of one thing can get redundant and cause boredom. I appreciate the game, but I hate the fact that some play dirty at times. Participation in this game can cause pain and pleasure. If you play the game smart, the game will have more pleasure than pain. Whose game is this?
Support FAHARI-LIBERTAD! 13 Libertad
intimacy vs jus
t sex
At my age, I’m probably not supposed to know that there is a difference between sex and intimacy or that there are 3 levels for intercourse (in most cases). What can I say; I’m a little seasoned and have seen (and experienced) all three. So we’ll start slow. Casual sex is common on college campuses. There, I said it. Fucking happens. But if I wanted more, that would be a problem, right? I’m newly single and I’m a bit worried. I don’t just want to fuck, I want the emotional connection too. Still don’t know the difference? Sex is just me trying to catch a nut. It’s me trying to get a release that I need whether it is on a regular basis or as a one-night stand. Matter of fact, it’s like masturbation… with someone else. I probably got a couple of noses turned up at the page right now. I’m not judging anyone nor am I trying to call anyone out. But why should we try to fake the funk for something that is just sex?
By Mocha Napps, Guest Writer
little freak in you decides to unleash into a no holdsbarred free for all — any time, any place, regardless of what we are doing and where we are going, fast and hard — you are now fucking. When the candles are lit, the sexy comes out and you are looking at your lover like “you are the smartest, sexiest, (list other characteristics in your partner) in the world and I want you…nice and slow;” you take your time to explore their body and you make sure that your partner (and you) are fully satisfied you, my dear, are making love. Of course, my word is not law, it never has been. But is it possible that college students (in the New Paltz campus in particular) can experience all of the emotions involved in sex? Can one-night stands or casual sex be intimate without the emotional connection by at least one of the parties? Think about it and be truthful.
Intimacy, on the other hand, requires much more work. That is the kissing, the cuddling, the petting and…damn it, just hold me. Gaze into my eyes and tell me how you feel about me while some Jill Scott plays softly in the background. I don’t know if I could ever kiss a guy who I’m just having casual sex with. That is too intimate and too much of an emotional connection. Just me? No? I’m a lover so I want a little more than just an orgasm. Excite me mentally and emotionally, not just physically. In my experience (not that I’ve had a lot), having the intimacy involved will make the sex that much better. That’s when you have another connection other than physical; it’s mental and emotional as well. Maybe casual sex can become intimate if I gain a nonphysical connection with someone… Then there is the difference between sex, fucking and making love. Even if you are in a relationship you can experience all three. Don’t think so? Well, let’s see. If I just want a nut-connection then I can have sex with him (“Hey, let me borrow your penis for a little”). If the Fahari 14
Photo Courtesy of ArtisanArtsOnline.com
I don’t know what he’s about but he fine…
Imma wife him up…
By Novlette Lee, Alumna Writer
She goes out to the club. She looks quite fetching. Nice outfit and nice makeup. She does not go out to dance a lot so she wears high heels. She goes and has a good time. When she reaches the club with her friends, a young man dances with her a little, buys her a drink and they exchange numbers. She thinks he looks cute so she gives him her real number. The next day, he sends her a picture of himself via picture message. He then requests a picture of her and she sends it. He then sends another picture and this time of his penis. He then requests another picture of her as well…”special picture.” She takes the picture and sends it to him. They meet up. They have lunch. They hang out again another day and go out to dinner. He takes her back to his place and they have sex.
Photo Courtesy of Nvolette Lee
This is how many relationships begin these days and it is a big put off for me. Previously Fahari-Libertad hosted a “Death Of Dating” Program and it sparked a lot of different but very true testimonies. For one, many women spoke about how men would approach them and how they would approach men. I was not surprised but I must say that in regard to my generation overall — I do believe that courting is dead. More than two
thirds of heterosexual couples break up within a year and more than half of the marriages in America end in divorce. So I posed the question “How did these people even get married in the first place?” Then I realized that I already knew the answer to that — “People marry for sex, money and status… not love.” Now do not get me wrong; people have always married for those things. The big change is that American culture allows us to mold into a society where we do not have to stay married if we do not want to. In previous generations, people usually got married so that they could be stable and thus they had to get married to live a decent life. Those dynamics have changed in recent years as our culture dictates the laws of independence and selfishness. The basic values have changed to accommodate men as well as women being able to live on their own; thus, giving us free will that was not available to us before. Yes, people may recite the same trite sayings but their lifestyle choices say otherwise. Besides the fact that Americans are the highest consumers in the world, Americans are also one of the more oversexed countries as well. Sex is everywhere. Not just in pornography but also in advertisements, in television shows, children’s shows, billboards, books, etc. It is socially acceptable to use sex to convey messages. Wilma and Fred Flintstone were the first couple to be seen on national television in their beds as a couple. I believe that we have come a long way since then. This is not to say that everyone should be conservative. I think conservatism is one of the roots of all evil (my opinion only), but I feel that us, as a society, should take a step back and realize that our need for sex (visually and physically) has affected how we live, including our relationships. It has come to 15 Libertad
a point that a good number of us do not even wish to marry or have a steady relationship. Now we have the birth of “just wanting to chill” or “be buddies” or “just kicking it” and have lovers and not actual relationshipwise partners, which is basically sex without the commitment of a relationship. We must at one point realize that sex will always be there and to focus on the things that really matter. I cannot tell you what should matter to you because that is something you must decide for yourself. Do not go to that bar because you think you’ll find an easy woman who you think you can mold into a lady-like woman, and then end up getting a straight whore and nothing else. We have become so impersonal that we forget to communicate properly. We start off relationships with minimal communication and go straight for physical satisfaction. When there is nothing left to do physically, then we can start to learn about who exactly we are dating and realize that this is not what you want in a partner. Most people come to realize this on average three years into a marriage; three years or less is the average time for a relationship to reach its make-it-orbreak-it point. No matter what I say, people will get caught up in whatever it is they fancy; but do take the time to read and understand this truth. Sex does not make a relationship. And do not make sex take your voice away. Because quite truthfully those who are great at sex are also are poor at speech.
Past issues of Fahari and FAHARI LIBERTAD are available by contacting us at faharilibertad@gmail.com
Fahari 16
Keep Your Lips to Yourself Please By Shatera Gurganious, Editor-in-Chief
Ever kiss someone that was completely ignorant of the art of kissing? They were so anxious to get you to bed that they forgot to take their time and took all the pleasure out of kissing? Kissing can be a beautiful thing, if done right. Our lips are one of the most sensitive parts of our bodies and, when they are used correctly, a wonderful, erotic experience can ensue. Perhaps I care too much but I am careful about where I put my lips. Kissing is very intimate and I can’t just put my mouth anywhere. This sentiment was also brought on by an unpleasant experience. Which is why I refuse to share my lips with just anyone. It can turn ugly! Kissing should make you want more and make you want to smile, not run as far away as possible. So I’ve compiled a short list of things that work for me and may just work for you. Here are some simple rules: -Fresh breath is a must. -Soft and slow is the way to go. -Tongue rape is not cool. It’s ok to take your time, no need to rush. -If it feels like you’re kissing a puppy, there’s a problem. Sloppy and overly wet kisses just aren’t sexy — ever! -Closed mouth kisses are sweet and sometimes necessary — you don’t have to tongue wrestle. -No one wants to feel like they’re kissing an oak tree. Dry lips don’t feel good. Moisturize please! -There is a rhythm to kissing. Build momentum. If after one peck on the lips your tongue is in my mouth, that is NOT cool. These few simple rules can make the difference between a great kiss and a very forgettable experience. So go find a willing partner and enjoy.
High Sex
HIV/AIDS, People of Color and Women
By Faisal Awadallah, Vice-President
By About.com Senior Health Staff Referred by Saki Rizwana, President
If you’re a regular smoker of the herb, then you’ve probably had sex while high a few times in your life. If you haven’t had sex while high yet, then I highly recommend doing it with someone you trust.
Of all the people age 50 and over with AIDS, more than half (52%) are African American and Hispanic. Of all men age 50 and over with AIDS, 49% are African American and Hispanic. Of all women age 50 and over with AIDS, 70% are African American and Hispanic. The number of HIV/AIDS cases continues to rise in communities of color. Educators, health care workers, and community leaders need to inform and warn people about HIV - the dangers of having sex without a condom, the dangers of injecting drugs and using infected needles, and the importance of getting tested.
The topic of marijuana and sex has been popular in our e-board meetings. I’m not exactly sure how the idea of “high sex” surfaced at our meetings, but it is now a continuing topic of discussion with my fellow Fahari kin. The song “Pussy” by Brazilian Girls, an electronic dance group, was referred to me. I was surprised that the song was fairly well done and enjoyable to listen to (especially while high). Brazilian Girls is not a band full of girls from Brazil as one would think. The group is actually only made up of one girl (who is not Brazillian) and a band of guys. My personal experiences with Marijuana and sex have been good, weird and great. Sex while high is interesting, to say the least. It can be the best sex ever if both people have smoked together. Sharing smoke with another is an act that connects people and brings them to the same level, mentally and spiritually. Here are some tips on having intercourse while blazed: -Make direct eye contact with the person you’re with. This will help establish the connection both of you recognize, therefore creating a familiarity between you both. -Do not be afraid to say something that is on your mind because you’re high and you think it doesn’t make sense. It is 99.9% likely that the person you are with is thinking the SAME thing. -Do not get lost in your mind. Often, when people are high, they think too much and overanalyze. This will hinder the connection with the person you’re with. Sometimes, I’ll find myself thinking about so many things while in the process of having sex. When this happens I simply remind myself what I am doing and focus solely on gratifying the person I’m with. If both individuals are working to please each other, the most amazing sex can happen.
The number of older women with HIV/AIDS, regardless of race, is also on the rise. Over a recent 5- year period, the number of new AIDS cases in women age 50 and older increased by 40%. Two thirds of the women got the virus because they had sex with infected partners. Nearly one third of the women got HIV because they shared needles. There may be a connection between HIV/AIDS and women in menopause. For example, women who are no longer worried about getting pregnant may be less likely to use a condom and practice safe sex. Some menopausal women have vaginal dryness and thinning. This means they are more likely to have small tears and abrasions during sex. This can put women at greater risk for HIV. Because women may live longer than men and because of the rising rate of divorce, there are a large number of widowed, divorced, or separated women starting to date. Because many of these women do not understand how HIV/AIDS is spread, they may be at risk.
Support Our Clubs and Organizations 17 Libertad
You’ve Got Chlamydia! By Honey Brown, Staff Writer “Honey, I’ve got bad news. You’ve got Chlamydia!” And so started the worst day of my summer vacation. You see, I’m trying to get over this toxic relationship I’ve been in for several years and this summer was probably the best attempt I’ve made at it so far. I hadn’t spoken to the boy in question for several months at the time. I hadn’t seen nor heard from him. We were both trying to move past the messy affair. Of course, life is never as simple as you want it to be. You see, this boy has put me through an unbelievable amount of heartache. From lying to cheating to breaking my heart time and time again, you name it, he did it. And I kept getting sucked back in. Now, imagine my surprise when I find out that his parting gift to me was a sexually transmitted disease! I’ve never before had an STD and always practice safe sex. I’m good with condoms because I know how fast things can spread. And for all my carefulness, I contracted Chlamydia?! I mean, I didn’t actually remember how to spell it until that phone call and I had to look it up online to find out everything I could about it. The worst part of it was that I had had it for months without knowing that I had it. And the boy who gave me this lovely parting present didn’t know he had it either. According to Google Health statistics, 1 in 4 men who have Chlamydia show no symptoms of it. These symptoms include a burning sensation during urination, discharge from the penis or rectum, testicular tenderness or pain and rectal discharge or pain. For women, the symptoms include a burning sensation during urination, painful sexual intercourse, rectal pain or discharge, symptoms of PID, salpingitis, liver inflammation and vaginal discharge. Only 3 out of 10 women with Chlamydia feel these symptoms.* For me, it was this constant pressure on my bladder that I thought was just a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) or just a bladder infection. I was trying to flush it out of my system with cranberry juice (which works if you’ve got a mild case of a UTI or a bladder infection) but clearly that did no good. I just happened to go for a checkup and my gynecologist happened to do this test and caught it. If she hadn’t, it would’ve meant serious trouble for me later down the line. Just because most women don’t feel the symptoms of Chlamydia doesn’t mean its impact is not deadly. Untreated, Chlamydia can lead to Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), which can cause scarring in the fallopian tubes, resulting in infertility. Since I didn’t even know that I had this for several months, I could have kept on going with this small little thing that would have rendered me unable to have children in the future! Fahari 18
So, the moral of the story here folks, is that you should get tested on a regular basis! I don’t care if you’re having sex with only one person at all times and you’re “sure” they’re not having sex with anyone but you. At the end of the day, it’s all about making sure everyone’s healthy; and even if you’re not, regular checkups can increase your chances of catching the disease earlier and starting the treatment process that much sooner. There are various labs that will do these types of tests and several are listed here within Manhattan, the Bronx and Brooklyn. If you are a college student that has the college’s health insurance or one of your own, you can get tested at the school health center. You can also find a Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood.org) nearby and they will also do these tests for you. Please, please, PLEASE practice safe sex and get tested on the regular. When it comes to your body and your health, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. *Statistics provided by Google Health (https://health.google.com/health/ref/ Chlamydia)
List Provided by NYC Social Services Organizations (http:// www.newmedialab.cuny.edu/nyc/services/std-clinics/)
Manhattan Central Harlem: 2238 Fifth Avenue (137th Street) New York, NY 10037 phone: 212-690-1760 East Harlem: 158 East 115th Street (off Lexington Avenue) New York, NY 10029 phone: 212-360-5962 Chelsea: 303 Ninth Avenue (28th Street) New York, NY 10001 phone: 212-239-1718/0843 Riverside: 160 West 100th Street (between Columbus/ Amsterdam) New York, NY 10025 phone: 212-8657757
Brooklyn Crown Heights: 1218 Prospect Place, 2nd Flr. (Troy Ave.) Brooklyn, NY 11213 phone: 718-7350580 Fort Greene: 295 Flatbush Ave. Ext. 5th Flr. Brooklyn, NY 11201 Telephone: 718643-4133 Bedford-Stuyvesant: 485 Throop Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11221 Telephone: 718574-2462 Jamaica: 90-37 Parsons Blvd. 1st Flr. (off Jamacia Ave.) Jamaica, NY 11432 Telephone: 718 262-5572
Bronx Morrisania: 1309 Fulton Avenue (E 169th Street off 3rd Ave) Bronx, NY 10456 Telephone: 718579-7714
Staten Island Richmond 51 Stuyvesant Place (Wall Street) St. George, NY Telephone: 718-420-4994/4995
Hey, We’re In College Now. So Let’s Get Naked! By Shatera Gurganious, Editor-in-Chief
What does a virgin look like? By Shatera Gurganious, Editor-in-Chief
The most common stereotype about college is that the four (maybe five) years that we spend here are filled with parties, alcohol, drugs, sex and oh yeah, maybe classes every once in a while. As a third year student, I’ve come to realize a certain pattern that happens after a new group of freshmen enter the school. Newfound freedom and excitement about what they can do here that they couldn’t at home create an interesting situation. Many freshmen girls become prey for the older upperclassman guys. They think that these girls are naïve and easy to get to bed. And from my observations, many are. I’m not trying to call anybody out; I just see a lot of freshmen girls rushing into beds without considering the repercussions. There is nothing wrong with deciding to have sex, I would just advise people to take their time. Rushing into physical relationships before you have even secured your place on campus seems a bit irresponsible. When we get here they tell us right away that we are now adults, which gives us great responsibility. With this freedom people often get lost in the idea that they are away from home and can do what they want. While that’s all great, I feel that this leads to risky behavior. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. Of course having sex is a personal choice, but unfortunately on a small campus, it doesn’t always turn out that way. You can mess with someone on Thursday thinking that it is between the two of you. But come Friday morning, everyone is talking about it. There is also a double standard that affects women everywhere. The thing that bothers me most about this is that when a girl decides that she wants to become intimate with someone (which is very well her choice) she gets judged more harshly than the guy. We’re supposed to be adults and if we choose to have sex, why should that matter? A guy can get away with having sex with multiple people but once a girl does she’s looked at funny and has a reputation that follows her everywhere. While I do feel like this is unfair, it gives even more of a reason for people to reconsider the choices they make with their bodies. So my message to the freshmen is to take it slow. At the end of the day, it’s your body and you can do with it what you please. Just be smart with who you choose to trust and most importantly, be safe.
Freshman year, someone told me that I looked like a virgin. I didn’t know how to take it. Was it supposed to be a compliment or a negative thing? And what the hell does that mean anyway? Unless a girl walks around with the word VIRGIN stamped on her forehead, how could you possibly know? And why is that even important? That conversation was odd to me because it was the first time someone had ever told me I “looked like a virgin.” Prior to that moment, I had always heard the opposite. I vividly remember a conversation that I had with this one guy when I was 14. I barely knew him and yet he swore up and down that I was not a virgin. At the time, I hadn’t so much as kissed a boy, so I was quite offended. As a proud virgin I argued with him, but it was no use. His argument was that with a body like mine, there was no way that I could not be having sex. Yes I developed pretty early, but I don’t see how that correlated to my sexual activity. Plus, how can you tell me what I have or have not done based solely on my physical appearance? I was quiet, shy, didn’t hang around boys, wasn’t flirtatious and dressed pretty modestly. I thought that it was obvious that I hadn’t become intimate with anyone. But I’ve come to understand that thinking like that is a waste of time. People will form opinions about you based off of how you look. Period. It’s unfortunate but true. I thought that I used to “look” pretty virginal, but what does that mean about other girls? If you dress/talk/act a certain way that automatically means you’re sexually active? NO! And so what if you are? Who cares if you’re a virgin or not? It doesn’t change your character, who you are, your capabilities or your virtue. Yes, we’re taught that virginity is something to hold on to like a prized possession. But the reality is that we are meant to have sex. It is a part of life, a part of who we are and how we grow and mature. College is supposed to be the period of life where we are learning about ourselves and becoming adults. Adults have sex so why can’t we? Just be responsible, smart and safe and there shouldn’t be a problem. 19 Libertad
A Virgin in the Land of S-E-X
By Jada Young, Guest Writer
Sex is a very taboo concept. So much so, that even the word “sex” has become a taboo word. Say it in any open space and you’re bound to hear snickers, giggles, or see the shocked expressions of intrigue and embarrassment. Sex is so taboo that many people have stopped using the word all together; some regress to pre-teen days and prefer to say things like “they were doing…you know…it.” But what really strikes me as odd is the fact that we are an overly sexualized society yet, we feel slightly uncomfortable to even discuss the subject freely and openly. That’s the case with me at least. I haven’t had “the talk” with my parents. It’s just so awkward. But I guarantee you one thing, find me on any given chilled-out day and I’ll be having wild conversations about oral sex, marital sex, pre-marital sex or any other form of sex with my close Photo Courtesy of Ben Goossens friends (operative via PelFusion.com word: close) with little reservation. But the thing about it is, I haven’t even experienced sex. That might seem like something that’s odd to most — 19, in college and still a virgin. But, that’s me. I’m one of the few virgins left on college campuses across America and am I proud of it? Uh... sometimes…I guess! I mean, I feel an odd sense of wholeness because of the fact that I’m literally whole (as whole as I was when I was a baby!). But then when I hear friends and people talk around me about how the sex they had last week was “sooo great” I can’t help myself from thinking, “Damn... I wish I had great sex to think Fahari 20
about!” Even better are the conversations I hear where people are literally in competition about who is the most sex-deprived! There was one that I found particularly amusing where one guy somberly exclaimed, “I haven’t had sex in four months.” A girl who was also in this conversation rebutted, “I haven’t had sex in a week!” And there I was, sitting and thinking, “Well, I haven’t had sex in 19 years. I win!” Or lose, depending on how you take it. But in all seriousness, I really do think that sex is a special and beautiful display of human emotion. I saw this quote once that said, “Sex is emotion in motion” and I think that really sums up my feelings on the matter. So the deeper, wiser, thoughtful Jada is proud of the fact that I maintained my virginity for so long — why not wait to have sex when I feel like sex is the only way to express the depth of my feelings for a man? And the beauty of that is I’m not limiting those feelings to the criteria of having to be “absolute, deep, head-over-heels, I’m-so-in-love-with-you” type feelings. If I’m extremely sexually attracted and lusting after someone, why not express that in the most carnal, personal way, right? I feel that, that is how most people should view the act of sex. Having sex doesn’t have to be preserved until marriage, if that’s not what you really want. I think that you should at least wait until it is okay for you to take that step, not because Roommate A did it last night while you were “asleep” or because Friend X lost his virginity freshman year of college. At the end of the day, your body is your own; it’s your temple and you shouldn’t let anyone in it (literally and figuratively) until you feel like it’s what you want (or need). So to all you fellow virgins out there, no matter how few of us there are, please just wait until you feel like it’s something you need to do and don’t do it because you think that everyone else is!
Promiscuity: Educated Women vs. Hood Girls By Arielle Loren Referred by Shatera Gurganious, Editor-in-Chief
Sexual promiscuity is sexual promiscuity. It’s not bad or good, negative or positive, and certainly not rated by socioeconomic class. It simply is what it is — a sexual behavior. While promiscuous sex has perks, it can definitely roll out consequences. Staying protected is essential, and remaining emotionally guarded is a must, unless you’re naturally polyamorous. Primarily, I encourage all women to be sexually empowered, whether it is with one partner or many. However, I find that there are some double standards when it comes to women of different socioeconomic statuses sexing it up. I have a question: Why is it that women of less economic means, aka hood girls, are given the side-eye for sexing men (and sometimes women) by educated, more economically empowered women who exhibit the same type of behavior and “get theirs” just as often? *cricket* *cricket* Most individuals with vaginas are likely to need some on the regular — toy, man or woman. Sexual urges don’t discriminate by the bank account or college degree. In fact, I’d argue that the urges of all women manifest in similar ways. During my college years I stayed in Brooklyn (Bed-stuy stand up!). Often, I’d attend typical basement parties on various blocks or hit a local club only to observe some of the deepest woman-on-woman judgment I’ve ever seen in my life. Brooklyn crowds are mixed in terms of socioeconomic class. You have your young professional groups and not-so-professional groups, yet everyone is there to drink, flirt and have a good time. There is always that one hood girl — Baby Phat, skirt riding her donk, curled up in some baller-looking-man’s arms, getting just about all the attention in the room. All of a sudden, there’s this horrible sound of educated women’s faces cracking and contorting. Eyeballs start
to roll, teeth suck and then comments start to fly off the tongue. “She’s doing too much.” “That’s so inappropriate.” “I wish they’d get a room.” “No class, no class.” On the other hand, let me party in Manhattan where some of the more “elite” tend to congregate. I’ve observed many educated women who run businesses and organizations during the day and, at the party, practice the same type of behavior as the “hood” girl and no one drops a comment. The attitude seems to be “do you” and I’m going to mind my business while having a good time. Yes, truly it is none of your business and her sexcapade should not be the focus of your attention. As an educated woman, I’ve frequented both crowds — hood and elite. I’ve gone to parties, flirted very sexually and, on special occasions, taken some lucky men home with me. Most of the women I know, primarily being educated, have done the same. Yet, let us be in a Brooklynstyle setting and see a hood girl about to get hers and it seems like there is a free fall of judgment. I am the girlfriend who calls people out in my bourgeois circle. Let one smart-ass comment fly about that hood girl boo-loving in the corner and I’m the first to recount the commenter’s random booty call last week. I don’t tolerate women putting down women because of their sexual practices. It’s inappropriate and a detriment to the full empowerment of women across the board. Promiscuity comes in all shapes, sizes and classes. College degrees do not give you permission to be a hypocrite and cast judgment. I say even to the committed, monogamous women — hold your tongue. Most women need sexual satisfaction and everyone handles that need differently. No one way is better than the other. In whatever way you “get yours,” let the next girl “do her” without your vocal and visual lashes. 21 Libertad
Pornography 101: Why College Kids Need Porn Literacy Training By Shira Tarrant Referred by Euclyn Williams, Public Relations
I am a professor. As I return to the classroom this fall, my thoughts turn to porn. More specifically, to the fact that in apartments, dorms — and from the back of some WiFied classrooms — college students are cruising the Internet with the left-handed mouse. This should come as no surprise. We live in a world filled with sexual imagery — there’s Miley Cyrus’ advancedbeginner pole dance at the Kids’ Choice Awards last year; a breathless homoerotic shower scene in the HBO vampire series “True Blood” and commercial advertising (like this [Wash Your Balls! Commercial] from Axe) that takes double entendre to a new level. Pornography itself is a ubiquitous and easily accessed part of our media landscape. And with many schools lacking comprehensive sex education, many young adults are now getting information about sex from sites like youporn and redtube. The use of Internet porn hardly represents the first time people learned about sex from pictures. Playboy launched its first issue in 1953 and Penthouse has been around since 1969. The Joy of Sex became a best-selling book when it first hit the shelves in 1972, in no small measure for its how-to illustrations. But access to high-speed, live-action visuals ups the ante. With laptops overtaking sales of desktop computers and the proliferation of smart phones, sexual gratification and research is available to many of my students anywhere, anytime. “Sex” is the number-one search term used around the globe. Every second, people spend $3,000 on Internet porn. There are an estimate 370 million Internet porn sites, and industry revenues surpass earnings by Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined. But along with its popularity, there is also cause for deep concern about the effects of mainstream pornography on our culture. Whether we like porn or not — and based on the figures, many people like it — we would be smart to figure out strategies for dealing constructively with the impact of this media genre instead of trying to silence it, Fahari 22
shut it down or uncritically support it. Pornography both shapes and reflects assumptions about straight masculinity, female sexuality, expectations of beauty and how women are treated — particularly women of color. Porn has the potential to affect the sexual pleasure and safety of all. Like all forms of pop culture entertainment, mainstream porn often reenacts bias about gender, race and power. In this sense, porn is no different than Disney films or “Jersey Shore,” “CSI: Miami” and the sports section of your local paper. But because porn is explicitly focused on sex instead of simply infused with sex-power innuendo, porn can blur the line of consent by making non-consensual domination seem sexy. Don’t get me wrong. I am not suggesting that vanilla is the only flavor of the day. Unlike some, such as Pornland author Gail Dines (who worries that men watching gonzo porn is increasing pressure on women to accept heterosexual anal penetration, or bondage and domination), I trust adults to make their own best decisions about their sexual choices. Whether spanking, teasing, topping or switching — or even nuzzling, fondling, spooning or kissing — it’s not clear that porn is an evil culprit. Certainly there’s nothing wrong with human proclivity for both cuddle and kink. But what matters in every moment is consent. Better information about the politics of media creates in young people — and all of us — stronger abilities to distinguish between fantasy and reality, yes and no, coercion and consent — lines that can be fuzzy in porn. The more we understand how to “decode” porn media, the better situated we are to know the difference. The more willing we are to teach age-appropriate media literacy to children and young adults, the better able they are to navigate the sexually mediated world we live in. The answer is not to eradicate porn: “Just say no” just doesn’t work. This slogan did not erase drug addiction, it is ineffective in terms of sexual abstinence and it does
not work for pornography, either. The American Academy of Pediatrics explains that abstinence-only education is a waste of time especially “when the media have become such an important source of information” about sexual activity. Since pornography is one aspect of media, it holds that promoting porn abstinence is also an unwise strategy. Yet groups such as Stop Porn Culture would like to obliterate porn. With Reefer Madness-style hysteria, these total-ban arguments lack nuance and stomp on free will. The anti-porn pledge available for signing at the Stop Porn Culture web site echoes virginity-until-marriage
productive solutions to sexual harm. When I speak at universities across the country, students enthusiastically contribute their questions and concerns. They want to talk about the impact of porn on our most intimate lives, our most casual hook-ups and our most long-term desires. For instance, a PowerPoint I show during these discussions, culled from decades of porn stills, suggests that we live in a world of increasingly vanishing pubic hair. While a full Brazilian is neither good nor bad, teaching how porn fashion can become bedroom style goes far toward expanding beauty expectations for ourselves and for our partners. Open conversation about the personal politics of porn happens best when the room is judgment-free. Based on what young adults share about their pleasures and their fears, I know there is a real need for porn education and for providing new language to articulate our preferences and our non-negotiables. Public conversation about drugs helps promote better solutions to addiction. The HIV and the AIDS epidemic transformed “condom” from a word uttered in private hushed tones to a common vocabulary term on billboards and public service announcements. Effective solutions to social problems require brave conversations that are our cultural realities. Digital technology is increasingly shaping our analog relationships. Pop culture infuses our everyday lives. We must put media literacy at the top of our cultural to-do list because this provides the critical skills that enable adults (young or otherwise) to identify sexism, misogyny and racism in all forms of pop culture, including porn. As a generation of porn-watchers comes of age, it is to society’s benefit that they are taught a kind of “porn literacy” that encourages an understanding of what constitutes mutually consensual sex in real life.
Photo Courtesy of theage.com.au
vows promoted by the Christian Right. Neither pledge works and both create a dangerous conundrum. “Just say no” does not provide skills for knowing how to make choices when we “just say yes” one time and discover that it feels good. This is the case whether inhaling that first hit of weed or taking a first look at an XXX-rated clickthrough.
The ubiquity of porn requires a willingness to start talking out loud about the sex-tech nexus. Talking won’t solve all our problems overnight. But shifting our cultural conversation matters — particularly when these are difficult dialogues. Americans understand that censorship violates our most fundamental principles of free speech. Instead, what is necessary is greater conversation to confront crucial issues of equality, safety and consent while promoting agency, autonomy and free will.
Rather than fostering silence and further taboo, it is crucial to provide critical media literacy, increased access to sexual information, and greater conversation about gender, race, consent, and power. This promotes sexual pleasure and 23 Libertad
Spray-On Condoms: Still a Hard Sell By Callie Lefevre Referred by Honey Brown, Staff Writer
Edison had his lightbulb, Ford had his Model T and Jan Vinzenz Krause has his spray-on condom. Inspired by the mechanics of a drive-through car wash, the German sexualhealth educator designed a custom-fitting male contraceptive using liquid latex and some materials from a hardware store. “I felt a little like MacGyver,” he says of building the contraption. U.S. condom sales have been increasing steadily over the years, according to Packaged Facts, a division of Market Research Group, and they are expected to top $444 million annually by 2010. But usage among teens appears to have Photo Courtesy of TIME leveled off, with 61.5% of sexually active high-schoolers surveyed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007 reporting that they had used a condom during their most recent intercourse, down from 62.8% in 2005 and 63% in 2003. Access to condoms is one issue; inclination to use them is another. Which helps explain why companies are constantly looking for ways to improve the standard product — vibrating, warming, climaxdelaying, even glow-in-the-dark condoms are all available on drugstore shelves. Offering a wide variety of condom options is not only a smart business move, it’s good for public health. When used properly, condoms don’t just act as contraceptives; they also prevent the spread of most sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. That means sexual-health educators, public health officials and condom brand CEOs alike are interested in finding ways to make condoms more appealing, especially to young people. As a teenager, Krause, now 30, had trouble finding the right size condom, which set him on a quest to aid other similarly befuddled young men. In 2001 he developed an online condom adviser, which provides printable measuring tapes and instructions to help men determine which condom, out of all the brands available in Germany, will fit the best. According to Krause, more than 300,000 people have used the free service. The site’s popularity put Krause in touch with students and sex-ed teachers across Germany, who expressed a common Fahari 24
frustration. “They told me, ‘Mr. Krause, I don’t understand why the industry doesn’t develop a condom which fits you perfectly,’ “ he says. Hence his idea for a spray-on condom. The prototype, which began testing last year, consists of a hard plastic tube with nozzles that spray liquid latex from all directions, much like the water jets in the tunnel of a car wash. According to Krause, there are numerous advantages to his spray-on condom. “The condom fits 100% perfectly, so the safety is much higher than a standard condom’s, and it feels more natural.” But there are some stumbling blocks. The men who tested the spray-on condom had a few hesitations, Krause says. Some were “a little bit afraid to use the tube” and would only try it on their fingers. Others worried that the mechanism, which hisses as it sprays, might ruin the mood. But the most serious problem with the design — which is what has kept the product off the market thus far — is that the latex takes too long to dry. Liquid latex currently takes two to three minutes to vulcanize, making it impractical. “For people to buy it,” Krause says, “it needs to be ready in five to 10 seconds.” That has kept the spray-on condom on hold indefinitely until faster-drying latex comes along. Meanwhile, Krause is tackling the size problem by preparing to launch a line of condoms in six sizes, instead of the usual one or two. They should be available in Europe starting in September and in the U.S. possibly as early as 2010. “Having condoms in different sizes we think is a good and smart idea,” says David Johnson, group product manager of Trojan Brand Condoms. Trojan’s parent company, Church and Dwight, makes nearly 8 out of 10 condoms sold in the U.S. But different-size condoms introduce their own problems: namely, men aren’t very eager to buy a small size. Trojan’s Magnum line, whose condoms are 15% bigger than regular ones, accounts for 13% of the U.S. market. But when the company introduced a smaller condom several years ago, it had to discontinue it. Krause says men are reluctant to go to a drugstore cashier with a box of small-size condoms — for obvious reasons. His solution: he plans to sell his new line of different-size condoms online. “Men on the web,” he says, “they are very honest.”
25 Libertad
The Most Visible Mulattoes: Drake and Obama Match Hip-Hop and Politics By Jared Ball, Black Agenda Report Referred by Faisal Awadallah, Vice-President
Mulattoes are all the rage in some circles, for obvious presidential reasons. Deep political and social meaning is invested in the proliferation of luminaries of the ‘two-worlds” kind - although little in the way of insight seems to emanate from the mixed parentage arena. The opposite is true. The rapper Drake’s case, in particular, “is used to deny, deflect, omit or obscure underlying tensions and exploitation more than as a way to explore, challenge or correct them. Lorraine Hansberry once cautioned against an artist seeking to ignore the specific nature of their racial categorization, history and experience. Her point was that to dismiss that particularity with the narrow, anecdotal tale of one’s own success was to damage the potential to interpret the reality of a broader community. To separate the conditions of Black people broadly speaking from the individual success story of this or that individual is a grave mistake. She said that, “To destroy the abstraction for the sake of the specific is in this case in error.” It continues in 2010 to happen regularly, where the individual experience is used to obscure the conditions of the rest and why I avoid public self-reference as much as possible. But recently I must admit this has become more and more difficult. Knowing a bit about me and my politics over the last couple of years I have received more questions from family, friends, colleagues, students and even strangers in the street about being a Black man whose mother is white or a Jew and it is all because of two popular abstractions, or as one author has recently called Barack Obama and the enormously popular rapper Drake, “two of the most visible mulattoes living and working today.” My short answer is always the same and is always a series of questions regarding how, if at all, these people advance political discussions or the conditions of the communities they are said to represent. I now think my set of questions must expand and become more hostile. Drake is the Canadian-born, former child actor and nephew of legendary funk bassist Larry Graham. He is also now a rap superstar whose mother is a Jew and father a Black man, who of course, is described as absent with no context, or serious exploration. He is just gone as are, apparently and pathologically, all Black fathers. Drake, who proudly proclaims his Judaism and openly hopes to portray Obama in film one day has also been anointed by establishment media as “Hip-Hop’s New Religion,” “The New Face of HipHop,” “The Bill Clinton of Rap,” and even “Jew of the Year.” But much like Obama’s popularity and that of religion, imposed identity and even Bill Clinton, Drake’s is similarly used to deny, deflect, omit or obscure underlying tensions and exploitation more than as a way to explore, challenge or correct them. Fahari 26
Instead much of the focus on Drake’s Blackness or overall identity has been limited to his physical look, his mannerisms and his lyricism (or lack thereof). None is directed at his politics. Too many in Black America and hip-hop have lost this as the key variable in determining someone’s overall identity. Just as the mistake was made with Obama, a mistake for which we continue to suffer, Drake’s popularity leads us no further towards interpreting our political world and, more importantly, seizing control over it. Obama, Drake and myself are not, as many like to say of us, “parts of two worlds.” No. We are at the nucleus of violently competing, antagonistic and woefully unequal political, racial and ethnic communities. We who should be best able to shed important and radical light on these issues are often forced to deny them. So I now add a few more questions in response to those asking my opinion of Drake based on my own similar (yet quite different) background: “Does Drake’s being a Jew further connect that community to its own radical traditions? Do discussions of Drake’s Judaism lead to increased socialist formation or criticism of Zionism as the Western European imperial project that Herzl himself claimed or the blunt instrument against the Jewish tendency toward Bolshevism as Winston Churchill said it was? Drake says he is going to Israel soon, does this mean he is breaking the anti-apartheid boycott of performances there that many have accepted in alliance with Palestinian liberation? Is that hip-hop? What happened to Sun City? Does his Blackness mean an adherence to the longstanding Black radical position which holds that the cause of the Palestinians is ours? Will his being a Jew and Black help advance the relationship of those two communities? Do discussions of Drake’s Blackness help us better understand the dynamics of the latest publications from the Nation of Islam or why Michael Eric Dyson felt compelled to follow his interview with Farrakhan by ones with critics Abraham Foxman and Stanley Crouch?” This is what I understand Hansberry to have meant. This is not about the particulars of Drake or Obama but the abstractions their examples seek to obscure. This is about the political astuteness of a Black and/or hip-hop community and its spokespeople. Not because we expect a young man with apparently no political experience to offer sound problem-solving solutions but because we are a community whose political acumen requires a price for our fandom. Nowhere in the articles reviewed for this commentary, those in praise or in critique, those that focused on his Blackness or his Judaism, were these issues raised. And this speaks volumes about where we are and why these issues persist as major problems for us today.
What the #@$%?! insert four letter expletive of your choice
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Artist’s Spotlight
Matthew James Ortiz
Having always been interested in art and visual expression, photography emerged as an outlet for me to connect to a world from which I often felt isolated. My work deals with themes of identity in some form, whether it is personal, gender, sexual, cultural or secretive. I use imagery to personify and illustrate the identity of myself and the identity of others. I work both digitally and in the darkroom as well as with more hands-on techniques to alter and transcend the image into another reality. The media applied is dependant upon the nature of the project at hand. The work created is a reaction to my own experiences as well as a reaction to modern society, the lives of strangers and the issues we are all faced with today.
Touch Self-Portrait
Visit Matt's flickr site at flickr.com/photos/ furtherandfartheraway/
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Top to bottom: Dysmorphia III Self-Conscious XI From top to bottom: Self-Conscious I Dysmorphia XI Dysmorphia III
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Black Student union mondayS 9.00pm SuB 407
Black Solidarity day monday nov 01 2010 find uS on faceBook — Black Student union (BSu)
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Help Haiti Whenever donating, please specifiy where you would like your donation to go to ensure it is given to the particular cause you wish to help. By Phone: Action Against Hunger 877-777-1420 Agape Flights 941-5848078 Airline Ambassadors International 866-2643586 American Red Cross 800-733-2767 American Refugee Committee 800-8757060 American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee 212-687-6200 American Jewish World Service 212-792-2900 AmeriCares 800-4864357 Beyond Borders 866424-8403 B'nai B'rith International 202-857-6600 CARE 800-521-2273 Catholic Relief Services 800-736-3467 Childcare Worldwide Fahari 36
800-553-2328 Church World Services 800-297-1516 Clinton Foundation 501-748-0471 Concern Worldwide 212-557-8000 Convoy of Hope 417823-8998 Cross International 800-391-8545 CRUDEM Foundation 413-642-0450 CRWRC 800-55-CRWRC Direct Relief International 805-964-4767 Doctors Without Borders 888-392-0392 Episcopal Relief and Development 800-3347626 Feed My Starving Children 763-504-2919 Food for the Poor 800427-9104 Friends of WFP 866929-1694 Friends of the Orphans 312-386-7499 Habitat for Humanity 1-800-422-4828 Haiti Children 877-4248454 Haiti Marycare 203-
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675-4770 Haitian Health Foundation 860-886-4357 Healing Hands for Haiti 651-769-5846 Hope for Haiti 239434-7183 International Child Care 800-722-4453 International Medical Corps 800-481-4462 International Rescue Committee 877-7338433 International Relief Teams 619-284-7979 Islamic Relief USA 888479-4968 Lions Club International Foundation 630-2033836 Lutheran World Relief 800-597-5972 Medical Benevolence Foundation 800-5477627 Medical Teams International 800-959-4325 Meds and Food for Kids 314-420-1634 Mennonite Central Committee 888-5634676 Mercy Corps 888-2561900
Mission of Hope Haiti 816-246-7774 Nazarene Compassionate Ministries 800-3069950 New Life for Haiti 815436-7633 Operation Blessing 800-730-2537 Operation USA 800678-7255 Oxfam 800-776-9326 Partners in Health 617432-5298 RHEMA International 248-652-9894
Rural Haiti Project 347405-5552 The Salvation Army 800-725-2769 Samaritan's Purse 828262-1980 Save the Children 800728-3843 UNICEF 800-367-5437 United Methodist Committee on Relief 800554-8583 World Concern 800755-5022 World Hope International 888-466-4673
World Relief 800-5355433 World Vision 888-5116548 Yele Haiti 212-352-0552 On the Web: CarmaFoundation Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Haiti Foundation Against Poverty ShelterBox UN Central Emergency Response Fund
The Fahari-Libertad Magazine is not responsible for any complications that may arise with your donation to any of these agencies.
Photo Courtesy of the American Red Cross 37 Libertad
Young Boys The sound of Aretha’s “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” seeped throughout the State University’s residence hall cubicle....Room B-5 (Bouton Hall) was rollin’ -rollin’-rolli-i-i- i-innn.... “--Yeah honey! I feel like a drunk jinny woman in a C.C. camp! This is the ree-ee-ee-eel deal,” said Brenda, standing half-naked (half clothed?) before an imitation woodframed wall mirror. “Sugar still sweet,” she said, caressing two healthy goo-gobs of chestflesh. Her cups runneth over. She knew SHE was the Queen of Soul.... “Honey still hot!” silly-grinned her roommate Virgie, as she sat on a paisleyprinted spread on her side of the pocketsized dorm room. She knew SHE was Lady Day.... An Earth Science textbook sat ticklishly atop a large late-model brass-plated “retro” alarm clock on a makeshift desktop coffee table next to an unopened jar of Queen Helene Styling Gel. A poster of Bette Midler in full floozy chic git-up smiled at them from one wall while a stonefaced David Ruffin poster stared silently at the two nowscholarly matrons as they continued their quicksilver jaunt into womantalk. Family portraits adorned one of the dorm room desks. Books were jockeying for position on short, crowded shelves near the window. Guy de Maupassant’s Collected Works smiled in the dancing shafts of sunlight as they filtered in through the half-open (half-closed?) soapwhite venetian blinds. Besides the women, a six-inch tall marigold plant was the only discernible living thing in the room. A cheap, brass plate-framed dimestore portrait of an immaculately dressed child stood amidst yards and shards of satiny, silky underthings silently solemn, on the other desk. Chicken-scratched on the child’s picture was “Just like my daddy” That’s how the room looked.... “Honey-- comin’ back to school at the big FO’-FIVE was the bestest thing ever happened to me,” offered Brenda as she sat on the bed on her side of the room. “Gir-ir-ir-irllll -- I kno-no-no-no-noows what you mean,” said Virgie. “If I died right this minute and St. Gabe his self come blowin’ in here and find me -- I just couldn’t ask the GOOD LAWD for mo’!” They chuckled, sillygiggled, thought awhile, poured each other a healthy round of Southern Comfort from a Waterford decanter, and proposed a toast. “To young boys -- “ started Brenda, bending back onto the bed dramatically, tilting her glass lipward. “--Wherever they may be! – and however they may come!” “That’s the right agenda, Brenda!” idled Virgie. “Honey --” began Brenda, leaning forward while tilting her glass lipward, “I Fahari 38
By Professor Arturo (Arthur Pfister), Alumnus Writer had one a coupla’ nights ago -- and all that young boy knew how to do was bite me (SWALLOW). Talkin’ ‘bout he wan’ save his self for his future bride.” “Uh.” “I said ‘FUTURE!!! Come here to momma now, baby!’ Then the boy just bit me -- Talkin’ ‘bout how he like to bite his lil’ girlfriend on her neck...I says ‘Okay Sugar -Bite me, baby...Bite momma, baby...Bite momma all nite, all right , baby....’” “OO-ooh....” “Honey, that young boy bit me on my toes.” “Whu-uttttt?!?!?!?!?” “Then he bit me on my ankles!” “Ankles?” “Then he bit me on my knees!” “The knees!” “Then he bit me on my thighs!” “Higher! Higher!” urged Virgie, mouth agape at the progression...eyes awide in fantasized high. “Then-the-boy-started- talkin’-’bout hismomma-so-much-I-had-to-start-bitin’-him!” Brenda quicklipped. Not to be outdone by another exotic and esoterically erotic tale from The Book of Brenda, Virgie began one of her taller tales “I had one so fine one time he looked like my daddy in ‘69,” she coughed. “The boy was fine! The Son of Mr. Muscles! Mr. Muscles Jr.!... Uh! The boy had hair like Elvis Presley, a chest like Tar-zann, legs like Charlton Heston, a voice 7like Johnny Mathis, eyes like Rock Hudson -- and he was built like Steve Reeves and could ride like Bronco Billy! The boy was so pretty -- my wig -- that big red bouffant wig I wored to the club last week -- was flyin’ all over my head all the other night -- Jumpin’ up and down like a .fast fat frog on a hot skillet! OO-oo-oo-oohhhh-WOO!!! I just knew I was a Vandella! Talkin’ ‘bout how he ain’t never done it but two times with his lil’ girlfriend....Since momma done come ‘round, it done been ‘bout two hundred times! The boy ain’t got nuthin’ left for that lil’ heffa!” “Yeah ya-right,” said Brenda. “That’s the only problem with young boys -- “ “--Young girls,” they chorused. “Uh-huh,” Brenda offered. “All they know ‘bout marriage is the party, the dress and the ring. They goes out dancin’ at JOE’S and drinkin’ at Pee and Gee’s in “they lil’ tennis shoes and trainin’ bras...ain’t no real woman...ain’t never paid no real dues... Barely know how to pay they own water bill...But them sweet young boys and they sweet young j0toys...” “--Ain’t nuthin’ like my ‘Ex’...No-o-oo-o-o-thing!...with his nasty ass...He was a nasty-assed man... a no-good nasty-assed man...a nasty talkin’, no-good, nasty-assed
man,” spat Virgie as she reached for an overworked legal pad she kept under the bed, while deftly pouring two more drinks. “My gems,” she announced, handing the legal pad to Brenda, who began reading the .”black scribbling on the yellow, green-lined paper aloud. She read in mock mantalk: September 6, 1976 “The only reason I made the baby was because you spread your syphilitic legs.” “Girl -- that man was so mean he wouldn’t give a crippled crab a toothpick for a crutch if he owned the who-o-o-o-o-ole lumberyard!” said Virgie. “--Sho’ ya-right!” agreed Brenda. August 16, 1977 “The only reason I jumped on toppa you was because you looked like you had a ‘FOR RENT’ sign on yo’ behind -- right next to the one that said ‘SPERM BANK!’” “Dramatic, isn’t he?” asked Brenda. “Quite reasonable and rational, wasn’t he!?!?!!!” Virgie corrected. October 23, 1977 “The only time you have a smile on yo’ face is when you layin’ on yo’ back!” “It wasn’t a smile. I was laughing, dahah-ahling,” Virgie Zah-zahd. July 5, 1978 “You lower than a slut who wipe her behind with the Flag on the Fourth of July!” “--Won’t nunna them young boys’ll tell you that,” Brenda reflected, placing the legal pad on the table next to the bed, then pursing her lips for a strategic application of CHARLIE.” “Yeah, honey,” said Virgie. “My favorite t.v. show yoosta be ‘How To Marry A Millionaire’. Now it’s ‘How To Encounter... Entice...Entrap...and Enjoy...’--a young girl’s dream and a old girl’s joy!” “Some girlies just knows how ta use they hoe-cabulary,” instigated Brenda, movie-starrin’ in the mirror (like she CHER or Marilyn Monroe or somebody). “--I know that’s right!” chimed Virgie. “That’s what out they there for,” sighed Brenda, applying her lipstick and a teenantsy bit of Elizabeth Taylor’s Passion, as her words echoed in the room’s plastiwood-framed wall mirror. “Goin’ galavantin’? Goin’ make that creep, huh?” quizzed Virgie. “Uh-huh...You know how it go -- “ beamed Brenda “ Gray old men are faded papers with folded, wrinkled tucks Young boys are like sweet lollipops and all-night -- “ -- A knock at the door interrupted her...”I got it,” Brenda smiled, donning a robe. Virgie slid 4under the bedcovers. Brenda stepped to the door. She opened it and saw a man...and a boy...a well-dressed young boy, well-mannered and well-spoken...a carboncopy Lilliputian image of the man...The boy looked up at her and smiled, opening his arms to her. “Mommy,” he said.
The Poetry Spot
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What’s not to love about you? Hips swervin’, ass, up down up down when you move through. Skin silk smooth too. Panties pink, just lace. Two big eyes glitterin’ on your pretty face. Ooo damn girl, slow dooown that pace. Now you know it really don’t matter what race, all welcome at my place, my space. Few colored strands fallin’ on your smile. You give me energy. The sight of you makes my thoughts scandalous: “What would she let me do?” Gangsta: fuck a slut toppin’ your whole crew, rather look down, then up at my eyes with a tilted head… it’s only me in my two person bed. You must know what I like, ‘cause you’re doin’ it… switchin’ it, hittin’ it. But what’s your mind like? Pussy always second best to your mind’s psych. Once I get a sweet taste I want it twice…three times, four times.
By Jennifer Estvanik, Guest Writer
What’s Not To Love About You?
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`Your long hair smells nice, like fruit, flowers, or beautiful seriousness. Are you the finest thing I’ve ever seen? Straight forward is not what I want to seem, but why not? Thinkin’ my lips touchin’ yours slow might be hot...real hot. Now you already know I already know about that feminine spot, ‘cause I got what you got: a miracle-makin’, open, warm, wet slot. You ever been with a girl before? It’s intensely sexy, sensually different than any other man you’ve scored. In life you wanna open doors, Back to you never bein’ with a girl before, just relax, let your hands explore, take your clothes off slow and let ‘em fall to the floor. Now close your eyes… inhale, exhale, and open your thighs. Loosen those heterosexual ties. You’ll remember me forever.
Have you ever made love while the rain is pouring? Eliminated the room But the sounds you’re not ignoring. Played games to only have him enter your place And groove in your space While staring you in the face Trying to manipulate, but not contemplate How your body moves with your legs wrapped around his waist Motions…you got him tasting your potions As you get lost in time And your palms are engraved on his behind Stare him in the eyes even though you despise How much he got you feeling on the inside Mouth watering, heart racing and thumping To your stomach tightening Leading to your G Spot vibrating And your legs weakening All listening to the rain pouring Painting your body with droplets Your fingers are mechanical As your nails write the perfect Ode on his back repeatedly Creating vibrations And rejuvenation given off by his sweaty body He begins his composition As he sets up to take down his prey By Lanee B., Guest Writer And thrust away Enjoying the pleasure and pain of your good hole Which will one day be made into a fantasy story of This is how he hurt me!! Listen to the rain pouring He trickles his fingers down your spine While you’re still intertwined And you have many thoughts on your mind Preparation can’t be made for the show down Only signals and feelings left for you and him to know Your bodies are boiling Boiling at temperatures that you can’t control Your bodies are stuck together And you can’t listen to what is being told The rain pouring Drowning away the sounds Not ignoring The rain pouring
Sound of Rain
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SPEAK By Honey Brown, Staff Writer Speak. Speak to me of the sun and the moon. Their heat and their cool. Speak. Speak to me of the earth and the sea. Their potency and their flow. Speak. Speak to me of the stars and the sky. Their fire and their openness. Speak. Speak to me of man and woman, of man and man, of woman and woman. Speak into being their heat and their cool, their potency and their flow. Speak into being their fire. Speak into being the sky’s ability to hold all the stars in her arms. Speak to me of such things so I can be as fiery as the stars and hold all of you in my embrace. Speak, my love. Speak our love into being. Speak so I can see the sound of your laughter floating in the air. Speak so I can feel your voice against my skin. Speak so I can love the words you’ve spoken. Speak, my love, and let your voice be the tongue that caresses my skin. Let your words vibrate within me till you leave ME speechless. Leave me craving for the warmth of your breath, the smoothness of your skin, the taste of your tongue. Speak, my love… Only to render me speechless. Fahari 42
My Dirty Little Secret. By Haley Bloom, Guest Writer
Your touch riding your hand along my thigh too far past the knee high dress I wore to that party you said it was too short, too high upon my leg letting everyone see in into what you only have what boys before you, loves before you, had a chance to be in but you are different I can feel it in your touch the shivers in my spine I get each and every-time I swear to god this is it so you move me deeper into the moment my dress length no longer matters the touch of your skin makes my body ache as my back starts to arch is this getting too dirty? I like it rough the way you grab and lick there is no time for tenderness I’m gonna ride out this wave of orgasmic flow As your lower lip starts to disappear I can see what is happening here you’re feeling it too you start calling me baby every thrust is pulled down harder as your glistening skin runs smooth against my bare chest you grab two hands full of my body moments later the ride ends I get off as you kiss me on my head wipe the scene clean no one will ever know how good you give it to me.
Face Reality By Shatera Gurganious, Editor-in-Chief press your lips against mine all I want is a touch, a caress can I have a piece of you? in exchange for a bit of me? just for now, all I want is a taste for I know I can’t really have you but this shall suffice this temporary love tomorrow you’ll be hers, and I’ll be his this feeling will be gone all I take with me is the memory, your lingering scent wait, this never happened... or did it?
Drown Me By Shatera Gurganious, Editor-in-Chief I could drown in you soak up every bit of you how is it that you can touch every inch of my being? my entire body responds to you like an old lover I want it all you’ve always known exactly how to affect me in this way greedily, I drink you give me more, I can never have too much I’m speechless, lost in you with nothing to say, all I can do is close my eyes... I feel you...completely my very existence was created to co-exist with you we were destined to be together I don’t know if I could survive without you I take you in the sustenance to my being I need you
10:35pm By Shana Krisiloff, Guest Writer
Color me. In between the lines. Stroke by stroke fill me with electric anticipation. Cradle me in the triangle of your Heat. It rises. Indigo rises. Curl around my Self. Fleshy pads shiver, brushing round. Little hairs lifting to spiced summer mist; wet. A rosy-colored dawn stretches, brighter, brighter. I soar above — my core pinned against your salt. Falling. Down the rabbit hole. Sigh again. 43 Libertad
Hurt
By Euclyn Williams, Public Relations
I’m feelin a kinda way Like the cloud I was floating on just vanished I’m being hurled down to earth. Maybe I called it too early Maybe I counted too high I keep getting mixed messages Maybe it’s my fault Maybe I’m too strong I wear my heart on my sleeve. I wanna be invincible I put so much emphasis in that My tears don’t fall fast A fragile heart doesn’t need to be put on the line. Sweet nothings are exactly what they are… Sweet nothings Maybe I should just close my eyes Not see what I’m looking for because obviously its not there I gotta play imagine with myself This roller-coaster is too much for me Hearts are like expensive china Handle with care Maybe I should lock mine away Keep it away from everyone Everyone
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What’s Said And Done By Euclyn Williams, Public Relations
What happened, happened. All is forgiven. It’s obvious I didn’t mean much to you in the first place. Broken hearted but it doesn’t matter. That’s just the same heart I gave to you on a platter. No shame in your game. You play dudes. It’s crazy, It’s insane. How I fell for you still remains. It’s aiight tho. I gotta keep on movin. It’s a sad process I’m pursuing. I’m standing tall and not looking back No chimps on my shoulder, Just scars on my back Wounds will eventually heal, they’ll make me that much stronger But where will you be, I will think no longer What has happened. Yes it happened. Just believe it’s not going to happen again.
I Give My Word (Only U) By Euclyn Williams, Public Relations
Your eyes are like soft pillows for me to wrap my mind into Your voice soothes me and keeps me alert I just wanna immerse myself in you Only U I’ve sung the many songs of lonely nights and I’ve wept the tears of despair of separation All I’m longing for now are the soft gentle kisses, the sweet embraces Only U I’ve given my heart to Being unfaithful is not an option A wholehearted decision to be yours My word may not be a lot But it’s a promise I plan to keep Because I see how you have changed my world I visualize where the two of us can be
Just. Patience. By Euclyn Williams, Public Relations I’m not asking for sympathy I’m asking for patience. I want to know that you’ll take the time to try and figure out how I feel My words may not be good enough, but my actions are still there. It’s been a long time coming, but we’re finally here. I’m finally learning what it means… I’m finally learning where to go; Where do I fit in, in all of this? All of this…monstrosity, adversity, strife. I’m learning that I don’t have fit into all of this Standing out is half the fun. That’s why I need your patience, It’s taken me years to figure out, what y’all learned in a day. I’m trying to be the best me that I can But I need your help… I need your guidance, I need your love I need your patience I need you to show me, mold my mind and keep me stayed on the truth. Patience, for all the distractions that will turn my eye away from you The Truth. I’m hardheaded. I know I’m fast-tongued. I know I’m disorganized. I know But if you look past all of that. I know that you’ll see the truth I’m bashful. I know I’m playful. I know I’m trying, oh so hard And I know that if your patient you’ll see this too (Dedicated to an old, but new friend)
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Casual Sex By Janea Thompson, Staff Writer
I wish I was a virgin maybe I wouldn’t be so addicted Conflicted my prowl animalistic twisted add bottles just to mix it Got condoms but don’t used them aids why risk it? Eating Trix “areforkids” babies being born to kids Or drinking coconut water younger than me Hard Rock Café waste our money on latte’s Expresso shots of ecstasy I gave you my all take over the rest of me Fahari 46
Canto Written While Listening to Van Morrison’s ‘Into The Mystic’ By Roger Whitson, Staff Writer ...And there I was talking down the street and there she was and I was tired and wired my head feeling like a helium balloon from too much valium and too little sleep and I said to she come hence to me and her eyes were blue or green and her cheeks were Indian high like Queen Latifah lovely and her movements were graceful. She came over clover field and the autumn sunlight spilled like glass of water through the mystic mist on her on me on the street on the stone wall where we sat and listened to the lyrical waterfall. And a cop on a gray stallion passed spreading a little sneer our way. The waterfall was clear as a crystal ball and the pool deep blue where we saw many tiny silver fishes swimming in a school. And the hills were olive and alive but starting to turn brown with the softness of down which is what happens in the fall. Her name was Amber as I recall, or maybe not, was it September, I just don’t remember for time plays tricks with memories and because of me Scottish blood I’m generous with others but penurious with meself so that things that I knew , or thought I knew, I›m not so sure of anymore. But I'm sure thatYellow maple leaves were falling into the water and floating like lanterns of Saturn away maybe all the way to China as we walked to the dinah and had lunch or brunch and she found a lucky penny.
Chance is opportunity. By Jiffy Baulk, Guest Writer She was looking for distraction But her world was made up Of five square blocks. Where packs of wild dogs roamed the streets, And rusted stoves jutted out of broken windows Gunshots were regularly heard in the streets The only uplifting sounds came from the gospel choir Of a nearby storefront church. Her mother was the spirit And anchor of her household Supported a family of five with a minimum wage job Her mother wanted much about her life to change… And remained hopeful But she knew she wasn’t going anywhere. Ebullient Woman With a taste for excitement, Grasping for hope, But their world was circumscribed by Five square blocks.
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Haikus for Peace of Mind By Regina "Reggie" Rivers, Alumna Writer Breaking the habit Killing every resentment For my survival Please just let me know When you decide to shut up I’m not doing this. You know exactly What I mean when I say this. The rush is over. Just a suggestion, Correct whatever it is Hurting your spirit. The energy you Use for all the slandering, Can break your habit. Consisting of hate, Of painful delusions & Misinformed judgments. Spiritual Peace I truly hope you will gain We all need this now.
Ode for Nina By Roger Whitson, Staff Writer
I dove deep into sorrow Waves were grave Mermaid brave I dove into Sorrow Sea Fahari 48
I dove deep I thought I'd die Still I could hear Mermaid cry.
Change will come... with Revolution or Evolution, which one are you waiting for?