THE SENTINEL OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AT NC STATE UNIVERSITY
NUBIAN MESSAGE
RALEIGH, NC n VOL. XIII, ISSUE 13 n THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM n FEBRUARY 6, 2013
Writing The Lion’s Tale Elders of N.C.State’s African American Community Honored with New Art Gallery Exhibit
Adinkrahene greatness, charisma, leadership
DeErricka Green Managing Editor
T
Dr. M. Iyailu Moses enjoys a caricature of Dr. Witherspoon in the “Lion’s Tale” exhibit- Jasmine Jack.
he Peer Mentor Program. The African American Symposium.
On Jan. 31, the African American Cultural Center celebrated those legacies with the debut of “Writing the Lion’s Tale: The Lives and Work of Dr. Augustus
The African American Cultural Center. The first two programs and the center itself represent only part of the legacy that trailblazers Dr. Lawrence M. Clark and Dr. Augustus Witherspoon left for N.C. State students. Credited as “founding fathers” within the African American community on campus, Witherspoon and Clark gladly assumed multiple roles – as community leaders, professors and mentors – that ultimately transformed the campus climate for students of all backgrounds.
Witherspoon and Dr. Lawrence M. Clark,” an exhibit that celebrates the influence these men used to open doors.
students, faculty and staff.
Thanks to Clark, many important
Witherspoon came to North Carolina State University in 1969, pursuing a
Civil Rights figures, including Rosa Parks and C.T. Vivian, came to the University to hold workshops for faculty, staff and
master’s degree in Botany. When he
students of all backgrounds.
graduated two years later, he became the second African American to earn a
“Dr. Clark and Dr. Witherspoon were
doctoral degree from the University. Later,
not only engaged in the African American
he became the University’s first African
community,” Dr. Sheila Smith-McKoy,
videos and interactive pieces painting
American professor and the only African
Director of the Cultural Center, said.
the timeline of each man’s life. A part of
American with a campus building bearing
“They were engaged in a campus-wide
the 125th Anniversary Celebration of the
his name.
endeavor, working on numerous projects
The exhibit features photographs,
University, the exhibit will remain open in the African American Cultural Center Art Gallery until Aug. 1.
to make the University a more inclusive
Clark soon followed, joining the faculty in 1974 as Associate Provost and a professor in the College of Education.
and diverse institution.” The exhibit also highlights the
“The Lion’s Tale” focuses especially
He proved instrumental in breaking down
commitment of Witherspoon and Clark to
on the determination of Witherspoon
racial barriers and pushing the University
education. They believed in knowledge’s
and Clark to broaden the perspectives of
to talk openly about race.
power to change lives and felt a duty to
Lion’s continued page 3
NCSU BAS Calls For Renaissance of “Black Unity” on Campus Kierra Leggett Editor-in-Chief
M
embers of the NCSU Black Alumni
#NCSUBLACKUNITY needs to happen,” and
NCSU’s BLACK STUDENT’S BOARD no
Society are dissatisfied with the current
“AA peer mentors, have you called, texted, FB’d,
longer existed?”
status of black unity on N.C. State’s campus. This dissatisfaction was expressed last Wednesday in a series of rabble-rousing
Sankofa return and get it
or even tweeted your mentee today...this week... this month...THIS SCHOOL YEAR?!” Norman jostled students with hypothetical
When Norman tweeted NCSU alumnus and legendary music producer, Patrick Douthit, also known as 9th Wonder,
tweets sent from the BAS Twitter page by BAS
situations and questions tweeting, “How do
asking him how he would feel to know that
Treasurer, Anthony Norman.
you think Dr. Augustus M. Witherspoon would
“#NCSUBLACKUNITY is truly questionable
feel about the state of #NCSUBLACKUNITY
right now,” Douthit responded, “I don’t have
or Tony Williamson?” and “What if I told you
enough characters on Twitter to explain it. You
Norman tweeted, “ The #RENAISSANCE of
Unity continued page 8