January 26th, 2011

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WEDNESDAY | JANUARY 26 | 2011

January 26, 2011

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NUBIAN MESSAGE

ISSUE 12

SENTINEL OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AT NC STATE SINCE 1992

WWW.NCSU.EDU/NUBIAN

Diversity’s Role in the Wake County School Board Kierra Leggett

amount of time students spend being bused back and In November of 1960, four years forth from school to their after the United States Supreme homes, and also costly bus Court ruling in Brown vs. the routes, the Wake County Board of Education which made School board voted in Octoracial segregation in public ber of 2009 to cease busing schools unconstitutional, six year in order to increase diversity. old Ruby Nell Bridges became Many Wake County citizens the first African American stuwere incensed by the outcome dent to attend William Frantz of this vote, and since then Elementary School in New Orhave been making their outleans, Louisiana. Following the rage known. In July of 2010, Brown vs. the Board of Educathe NAACP organized a tion march in which 1000 people ruling, and Bridges’ integraparticipated in protest of the http://thelightnc.com/local-2/toneal/community-assignment-zones-next-on-wake-county-board-of-ed-agenda/ tion into an all white elementary move to end diversity busschool, other schools around the ing. Those individuals that are nation began to follow suit. In 1976, in order to combat the racial separa- against the move to end diversity busing, feel that it will ultimately reestion taking place throughout schools in Raleigh, NC and the surrounding tablish segregated schools which in turn will result in severe inequalities. area, the predominantly black, Raleigh City Schools merged with the preAn alumnus of the neighboring Guilford County School System, I side dominantly white, Wake County schools, thus forming what is presently with those Wake County citizens who feel ending diversity busing is a step known as Wake County Schools. in the wrong direction. Once before American schools attempted to funcIn an effort to scale back on the tion on the doctrine of separate but equal, in which schools could be legal-

In this edition

Golden Opportunity for the Man with the Golden Voice Pg. 2 Question of the Week: Whats the First Word that Comes to Mind When You Hear “Black History Month” Pg.4 Contact Us at

NCSU.NUBIAN@GMAIL.COM

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Colbert Delivers Pie in The Face to Wake County Schools

CJ Guion

This past Tuesday, Steven Colbert spoke out against the recent policy of Wake County Schools to disintegrate public schools around the county. In 2009, the newly elected conservative board made the decision to dismantle the diversity policy, which was set in place ten years ago in favor of neighborhood schools. Since this decision was made, Wake County Public Schools have been at the epicenter of controversy from many who believe that this choice would re-segregate schools.

The diversity policy which was put in place ten years ago ensured that no school in Wake County would have more than 40% of its students on free or reduced lunch. This plan made sure that schools had students who came from many diverse economic backgrounds.

In the video Colbert mentioned a poll conducted by The News and Observer, which stated that 94.5 percent of the Wake County residents were satisfied with the way that things were, and wanted the http://www.wcpss.net/Board/maps.html Wake County Board of Education to reconsider this option. The main concern of the board was the amount of money being spent on busing to transport students to and from schools spread across the county as well as the time in which students were spending on the buses.

Wake County schools were the segway into Colbert’s word of night which was disintegration. A prime target

Continued Pg. 7>>>

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January 26, 2011

Golden Opportunity for the Man with the Golden Voice KierraLeggett|OpinionsWriter

order to get his addiction problems under control. Williams agreed.

Already, the media and blog sites have responded to Williams’ reTed Williams, more famously known as “The Man with the Golden habilitation negatively, with many people upset that he was ever given Voice” has been given the chance of a lifetime undergoing a true rag the opportunity to start over. How often have American socialites and to riches story. For weeks now, the American public has watched the celebrities gone in and out of drug rehab centers, prison, or just made transformation of this man with a “God-given gift of voice” go from dumb mistakes and within two to three months time re-launched being homeless standing on the side of the road in Columbus, Ohio to their career? Paris Hilton, Lil Wayne, Britney Spears, Mischa Barton, being afforded every opWhitney Huston, and T.I. portunity possible includare just a few of the repeat ing being reunited with offenders that have pulled his children and mother, some of the craziest sheto also being offered emnanigans, yet still have not ployment as the official managed to completely voice of Kraft foods’ new tarnish their images. Had television campaign, and Ted Williams been a rapthe Cleveland Cavaliers. per, singer, or launched his While one would assume career through the release that Williams would be of a sex tape, the hoopla fully embracing this life and controversy surroundchanging experience and ing his story would not be doing everything within as great. America prides his power not to jeoparitself on being the land of dize his new found fame opportunity, so how could and success, Mr. Williams’ anyone possibly fault COURTESY OF | http://www.sugarslam.com/ted-williams-homeless-man-with-golden-voice/ life is still not quite on the Williams for jumping at right track. the opportunity to better New to the limelight, a recovering drug addict and alcoholic, Ted himself and re-establish a career.

Williams recently succumbed to his old habits using marijuana and I applaud Williams and those helping him get back on his feet. abusing alcohol. Leave it to none other than Oprah’s prodigy turned Hopefully, he will be able to get a hold of his addictions (and soon!) in talk show royalty, Dr. Phil to intervene. Dr. Phil aired a special in which order to reach his full potential and take advantage of all the greatness he confronted Williams about his alcohol and drug abuse problems. that has been brought his way.

He counseled Williams, suggesting that he seek professional help in

inspirational quote of the week

I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.

-MICHAEL JORDAN

Locations Avent Ferry Complex Brooks Hall Caldwell Hall Harrelson Hall Talley Student Center Witherspoon Student Center Wolf Village Apartments

MATE MASIE “what I hear, I keep”

A symbol of the wisdom, knowledge, and prudence. The implied meaning of the phrase “mate masie” is “I understand”. Understanding means wisdom and knowledge, but it also represents the prudence of taking into consideration what another person has said. http://www.adinkra.org/htmls/adinkra/mate.htm

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Sentinel of the African-American Community at North Carolina State University Mario R Terry | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Madavia Johnson OPINIONS EDITOR

Jasmine Harris | COPY EDITOR Shekiah Jones MIND, BODY, & SOUL EDITOR

372 Witherspoon Student Center Box 7138 NC State University Raleigh, NC 27695-371 PHONE NUMBER: 919.515.1468 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: ncsu.nubian@gmail.com TWITTER: @NUBIANMESSAGE Only with the permission of our elders do we proudly produce each edition of the Nubian Message.

Dr. Yosef ben-Yochannan: Dr. John Henrik Clark: Dr. Leonard Jeffries: The Black Panther Party: Mumia A. Jamal: Geronimo Pratt: Tony Williamson: Dr. Lawrence Clark: Dr. Augustus McIver Witherspoon: Dr. Wandra P. Hill: Mr. Kyran Anderson: Dr. Lathan Turner: Dr. M. Iyailu Moses: Dokta Toni Thorpe and all those who accompany us as we are STILL on the journey to true consciousness.

COPYRIGHT 2009 BY NORTH CAROLINA STATE STUDENT MEDIA, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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January 26, 2011

Going Natural A Guys Perspective

Robert Marshall My girlfriend recently decided to “go natural,” which is a phrase used to describe hair that has never been or is no longer chemically altered.

With this choice came a new view of life and importance, a new view of what it means to have natural hair versus having a perm, and what is appearing to be a growing case of the aptly named “do as I do” syndrome. My mother and sister introduced me to this idea after I bought my first Macbook. They told me about how most every person that they knew who used a Mac became highfalutin and just didn’t understand why anyone would use anything except a Mac. “They are so much faster and more efficient than any other computer,” is a commonly used quote that they used to make fun of the comments about my computer. From my observations, this same idea has become prevalent within the natural community as well. I hear claims that natural women are somehow accepting their roots and their culture where as relaxed hair is an attempt to hide or fit within predominately straight-

haired Caucasian Americans. It’s just funny to me that these same women, when they had their accursed relaxed, hair didn’t visualize themselves as selling out. It was just a simple way of doing your hair. Of course it has its flaws. Whenever you alter your body’s natural functions there are chances of some adverse side-effects, but I don’t necessarily agree with many of the comments I hear from the natural population.

Now some may say that this is a biased opinion and to those people I say simply this, I have absolutely nothing against natural hair. Just as my sister and mother have nothing against Apple computers, just the effects they have on their users. I love my girlfriends curls and I respect the decision that every female who decides to go natural has made. I just have to disagree with the misplaced feelings of self-hatred that I have heard from some of those females. It’s a lifestyle choice and just as those who use PC’s are no less than those who use Mac’s those who are natural are no better than those who are relaxed, but that’s just my point of view.

This Week In Black History January 24th 1962 Jackie Robinson inducted into the baseball hall of fame January 25th 1851 Sojourner Truth adressed the first Black Women’s rights convention in Akron, Ohio 1972 Congress women Shirley Chisholm began her campaign for US President January 26th 1863 The 54th regiment, a black infantry unit was formed in Massachusetts January 27th

An Infinite Cleansing Elle W. I keep washing my body, keep washing my body covered in the dust of past loves adding up, Keep washing my body cause the dirt was soon to come.

Cleansing my body of the dirt of past loves, residue I never got ride of, and now the filfth from you has become too much.

I keep washing body, the mud is soon to come.

This a sinister mix complete with evil and pain, deceptive tricks, enough for the devil’s fix.

Mud covering this body of mine, I keep washing my body for fear of grime.

Grimmy.

A term used to describe people low down, no good, and triflin to the core, and I refuse to have this invading my pores.

So, I keep washing my body in hopes that you would be no more.

1951 Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man, wins National Book Award 1961 Leontyne Price, world renowed opera siger makes her debute at the Metropolitan Opera House January 28st 1938 Crystal Byrd Fauset, first black women elected to a state legislature, was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives 1944 Mathew Henson receives a joint medal from congress for being a codiscoverer of the North Pole

For more facts visit www. blackfacts.com

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January 26, 2011

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Question of the Week Brandon Pettway

What ’s the 1st

word that comes to mind when you hear “Black History Month?

Nehemiah Willingham Chemical Engineering Freshman “The word that comes to mind is pioneering, because of all the great leaders before us who have paved the way for African Americans to now be able to attend four year universities.”

Matthew Cobb Aerospace Engineering Freshman “MLK, because of his impact on the Civil Rights Movement.”

Brooke Johnson Math Education Sophomore “I would say MLK, because it’s one of the most highlighted things for the month.”

Chelsea Hayes Nutrition Science Freshman “Ancestors, because if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t be where I am right now.”

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January 26, 2011

Strategic Planning Initiative on the Table for Chancellor’s Forum CJ Guion On Thursday January 27, there will be a Chancellor’s Forum held in Talley Student Center in which the strategic planning initiative launched by Chancellor Randy Woodson will be discussed. The new initiative is a vision and action plan, which will be put in place to guide the university for the next five to ten years. Attendees of the forum will have the opportunity to review a draft that has been made of the plan and have the chance to provide feedback for possible changes that they would like to see.

On this past Friday, white task force papers were posted to the University’s planning website, which will give students and faculty a chance to look over the potential plans before the meeting. In examining options of dealing with the upcoming budget cuts, the Chancellor promises to make decisions based on five principles: (1) to protect to the extent possible instruction and student support (2) maintaining and enhancing the strength of the faculty (3) building on our reputation as a leading research university (4) ensuring well maintained facilities and a campus that supports a safe learning environment and (5) combining quality and affordability in delivering a strong return on the investment of students. With the upcoming budget cuts, students may see an increase in consolidation of course offerings as well as the elimination of several underutilized majors and courses. Decentralized campus services will be consolidated into service centers distributed around

campus and will report centrally. In addition, delivery of student support services across campus will be reviewed in order to make sure that they are providing adequate service, which promotes student success. This means that some faculty members may be losing their positions as the huge budget cuts arrive, but it is unsure at the moment which departments may receive these cuts. However, the chancellor mentioned in a letter to the University that the three biggest business expenditures are laborrelated. Institutions of the UNC System have been asked to prepare for budget cuts of as much as 15 percent. In this university’s terms this means the loss of close to 80 million dollars. The proposed cuts may affect the university for a lengthy period of time and the fear is that this will not be a one-time occurrence.

The Chancellor hopes to receive the finalized plan on his desk by March 15.

The proposed date for the launch of the strategic plan is July 1. Students and staff will be informed of the ongoing process of the plan through campus wide messages and the University Budget news website. The Chancellor’s hope is that the upcoming changes will continue to affirm the university’s commitment to be a “world-class, research extensive, comprehensive university.” This is an issue which will have an effect on all of the students and faculty of the university as well as potential incoming students in the future.

“With the upcoming budget cuts, students may see an increase in consolidation of course offerings as well as the elimination of several underutilized majors and courses”

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Diversity’s Role in theWake County School Board ly segregated so long as they were equal. Under this doctrine, states were required to make sure that educational programs were being allotted the same recourses in order to maintain equality in the quality of learning. Despite this, African American schools still suffered significantly often lacking the funding and resources that other white schools did not. It is my opinion that a return to the days of separate but equal education will only result in the same problems.

Many of the people in favor of the plan to end diversity busing are quick to affirm that Wake county schools would not be segregated by race, but rather by neighborhood. While this may be true, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that already, most neighborhoods are already

segregated by race. The more affluent neighborhoods through the Wake County School District such as the Devon Subdivision located in North Raleigh where homes range from $900,000- $2 million are more heavily populated with well to do Caucasians where as the neighborhoods along the outskirts of downtown Raleigh and Section 8 housing is more populous with minorities. Therefore, if the school board were to go through with the plan to eliminate diversity busing, neighborhood schools would be not only racially segregated but also economically isolated as well. Schools located in the more affluent neighborhoods would have more resources to offer its students being that parents in these areas have more money to donate to the school, while

schools in the poorer neighborhoods would be left to do without in instances.

In the fall of 2009 when I completed my application for admission into North Carolina State University, one of the central themes that continued to appear over and over again on the application was diversity, and its importance in today society. If Wake County Schools is to revert back to the practice of separate but equal in terms of education, how will students ever gain an appreciation for diversity and become educated citizens who value and are aware of the cultural, social, and economic differences throughout their community? With a society as diverse as the current American society, an appreciation of diversity is definitely important.

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January 26, 2011

Adinkras

Symbols of West Africa

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Photos From the SAA-PAMS Blood Drive

ADINKRAHENE “Chief of the Adinkra Symbols” symbol of greatness, charisma and leadership A Red Cross phlebotomist preps Jessica Dickey, a sophomore in biology and computer programming, for a blood donation. Photo by MelvinMoore

FOFO “Yellow Flowered Plant” symbol of jealousy and envy

Kelly Abrams, a graduate student in English, reclines casually while giving blood. Photo by Melvin Moore

NKYINKYIM “Twisting” symbol of initiative, dynamism and versatility For more adinkras visit adinkra.org

Jesse Daystar, a second year masters student in forest biomaterials, texts on his iPhone while giving blood. Photo by Melvin Moore

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January 26, 2011

The Power of Technology on Pop Culture

Adinkras

Symbols of West Africa

Dip and Pitts

CJ Guion In the past, the citizens of the world were forced to learn about new fashion, dances, and slang from word of mouth, music videos, and magazines. With the transfusion of the television, computers, and telephones in recent time, the time it takes for new trends to catch on have tremendously decreased from months to days to milliseconds. This was evident in 2010 with the rise of the Bed Intruder song by Antoine Dodson and most recently in 2011 with the emergence of the new dance “The Dip and Pitts.” A short five minute scene of a television show became a new dance craze on YouTube in a matter of minutes after being featured in a recent episode of the television sitcom “The Game.”

The fictional football player turned sportscaster, Jason Pitts, debuted his new dance during a launch party, which was accompanied by a song that remained stuck in the head of viewers long after the show was complete. Fans witnessing the spectacle within the scene were not impressed with the dance, but viewers at home definitely were. Hours later, over 20 videos were posted to YouTube featuring fans emulating the dance and placing their own spin on it. The power of technology never ceases to amaze the world. Fans truly have the power to decide what the world falls in love with. The Internet and the introduction of smart phones have truly transformed the way that information is transmitted across the world. The interesting thing is that most times events such as this are not done with the intention of becoming pop culture sensations. Antoine Dodson was just a guy upset with a man break-

ing into his house and attempting to assault his sister. The interview, which he provided to a news station, was turned into an auto-tuned song with clips of the newscast. The Dip and Pitts was just meant to be a comic relief inside a dramedy. Videos can easily be uploaded and passed around the world quickly through the assistance of the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. Regular people also no longer have to exclusively rely on television to provide visual entertainment as they can easily created their own artwork on YouTube and other similar sites. Up and coming artists are no longer forced to rely on huge corporations to showcase their artwork on the airways. One site, which became popular in the last year for fan created artwork. is a site by the name of XtraNormal. This site gives Internet users the ability to create short animated clips with text to voice technology. Many controversial videos involving ideas on relationships and celebrity feuds have become a nationwide phenomenon and have sparked heated debates.

It is unknown right now how long “The Dip and Pitts” will be the talk of the town, as it is very likely that in a couple of weeks we will move onto the next trend. One thing that can be said is that it is one of the moments when it is very evident that technology has a big impact on the world, and will continue to do so for many years to come. Television channels have their work cut out for them in the upcoming years to continue delivering fresh and innovative programming, or they may soon find themselves in the dark as smart phones and the Internet continue to provide 24/7 accessible entertainment.

SANKOFA “Return and Get it” symbol of importance of learning from the past

BI NKA BI “No one should bite the other” This symbol cautions against provocation and strife.

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Colbert Delivers Pie in The Face to Wake County Schools of the segment was Wake County member Tedesco who blamed social engineering for trying to control the “hearts of minds of our children.” In an office which is non-partisan, many have criticized the board which is mostly comprised of members in favor of Tea Party views and values. He poked fun at the fact that the government will continue to let problems like this exist until every aspect of public facilities are torn apart and return to the way they were during the Civil Rights movement.

Furthermore, it would take social rallies and outspoken dissatisfaction for the community to realize that issues still exist and there is a true problem. However, supporters of the new policy believe that this would allow parents the chance to become more involved in their children’s schools. Whether that is true remains to be seen. The county has also come under fire from AdvancED, which is an accreditation agency. The agency is reviewing the steps which were taken for the board to come to the conclusion that they needed to change the diversity policy.

One important question that should be asked is why is it that all public schools can’t have the same benefits as others? It would not matter what communities students were living in if all schools granted the same level of education. There would be no need to bus students around an entire county.

There would be no worries of having teachers favoring one over another. The level of education which our students are receiving in public schools around the nation varies tremendously. However, it appears that this is not a concern which is at the top of the agenda for Washington.

DENKYEM “Crocodile” symbol of adaptability For more adinkras visit adinkra.org

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