Oct. 21, 2015

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

BLACK NAMES MATTER, pg. 6

Actress Laverne Cox visits N.C. State

Photo Illustration

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THISISSUE 2 West Coast Party foul Diversity Program Highlights Intersectionality 4 Million Man March 6 Black Names Matter 7 No ones a Monkey

The Sentinel of the African -American Community at N.C. State Since 1992.

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.

Editor-in-Chief Chris Hart-Williams Managing Editor Nia Doaks Creative Director Lica Mishelle

NEWS

Halloween season starts with a west coast PARTY foul

Diversity program highlights Intersectionality QuiAnne’ Holmes | Staff Writer

Wikimedia Commons

Jillian Smith | Staff Writer A “Kanye Western” themed party that took place at the University of California, Los Angeles earlier this month is still sending waves of anger and frustration across the United States.

Put simply, “just because you can do something, does not mean you should,” UCLA said in a public statement.

The party, which took place on Oct. 6 at the Sigma Pi Epsilon fraternity house and partnered with the Alpha Pi sorority, sparked protests on UCLA’s campus, one of which extended to the office of Chancellor Gene Block.

Students chanted and carried signs with messages such as “Black Bruins Matter,” “Black culture is not a theme,” and “culture is not a costume.”

The party goers were seen wearing baggy clothes, padded butts and some smeared charcoal or paint on their faces. Whether their darkened faces were meant to complement a “gold digger costume” as the fraternity claims or something much more

serious, the party showed how cultural sensitivity is a poorly neglected area of education in our society.

“It’s one thing to suggest you are actually focusing on one celebrity who is African American, it’s another thing to take it as a license to perform every attribute, every stereotype, every grotesque minstrelsy that you see,” said Jerry Kang, vice chancellor for UCLA’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

UCLA says that they are investigating the event and for the time being, the UCLA chapter of SigEp is suspending all activities.

Alpha Phi’s social activities also have been temporarily suspended.

“While we do not yet have all the facts, the alleged behavior is inconsistent with good judgment as well as our principles of community,” UCLA said in a statement. “We remind students that while they are free to celebrate in ways that draw on popular culture, their specific choices can cause harm and pain to fellow members of their community.

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Last week, NC State hosted its annual Diversity Education Week. The week serves to promote awareness and understanding diverse cultures of the nation and world’s and to foster intercultural understanding through a collection of engaging programs.

The Black Students Board, BSB of the Union Activities Board hosted an event called More Than Melanin on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at in the Witherspoon Student Cinema.

“More than Melanin was intended to teach people about how their identities play into the way that they are treated in society and work together to form a complex human being with complex experiences,” said BSB Chairperson Tsharre Sanders, a senior majoring in psychology with minors in Africana Studies and Spanish.

Each attendee received a playing card with different numbers during an activity called Face Value. They were instructed to walk around with a playing card on their forehead and treat one another according to the value of the other student’s card. The cards said to avoid eye contact with those who had two to five, smile at those who had seven to 10, and acknowledge with smiles and conversation to those of a suit higher than 10.

“We aimed to make sure that it was interactive, enjoyable and informational at the same time,” Sanders said.

Some volunteered their answers about what they experienced and the common realization was that often times we treat people that we think are of higher value with more respect than those who we rank lower.

The event created an environment where students could think about identity in depth and openly. Students conversed with one another about what they noticed, how they felt and how that translates into real life.

Dr. C. Ellen Washington, assistant director of the Women’s Center, described the world by painting a picture of “hope and possibility,” she used examples such as having the first African-American President to serve in office along with having women running in both parties of the upcoming election.

However, she said just because there has been progress, problems still exist.

Washington presented the acronym, A.D.D.R.E.S.S.I.N.G (age, disabilities, desirability, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, intimate relationship, nationality, and gender) Intersectionality. Each word is one particular identity in which she gave specific examples to illustrate what it may look like in everyday life.

“You do not have to change your beliefs but you need to treat each person as a human.

Don’t let your perceptions let someone else suffer,” said Washington.She even used herself as an example to show how people assume that just because she is a tall athletic looking African-American female that she has to play a sport.

Washington said everyday misconceptions can be attributed to the term intersectionality and said that it allows people to understand how the perception of belonging to a group can lead to unfair treatment. She challenged the audience by asking, “Why is this inappropriate?” Biases formed against a person based off of assumptions can be linked to identities that we may or may not identify with.

Features

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Million man march graces new generation Taari Coleman |Staff Writer Nearly half a million demonstrators celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington D.C. on Sunday, October 10.

Twenty years ago, the first march ended up being the largest civil rights demonstration in American history, according to the Washington post, and it showed Black men different from common media portrayals.

Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam led the anniversary demonstration. Farrakhan spoke about justice and equality. He also invoked President Obama to speak out against police brutality and rebuked the use of the word “illegal” to refer to human beings. Two decades ago the outspoken minister called for Black men to improve themselves, be better husbands, neighbors, fathers and all around members of society.

Well-known faces such as J. Cole and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs populated the crowd. Both entertainers wore hooded sweatshirts in tribute to Trayvon Martin, whose mother Sybrina Fulton was also in attendance.

Social media outlets erupted with criticisms when BET didn’t provide live coverage of the march.

Other media outlets such as, NBC, ABC, and CNN, all covered the March, which makes BET’s lack of presence more upsetting, for some.

Viacom Inc. bought BET back in November of 2000. The cable and broadcasting company also owns CBS, MTV, and Nickelodeon. CBS didn’t cover the march either.

BET did not provide a response to social media users, but did claim to send a news crew to the event in a statement. However information on the March was not posted on the website at any point in time.

The Million Man March, Washington, D.C., October 1995. Wikimedia Commons.

Continued from page 2 This event and others like it have been encouraging conversations about what is considered a costume and what is considered cultural appropriation. With Halloween coming up, the issue of socially appropriate and politically correct costumes is becoming a prominent topic.

“The issue isn’t simply about putting on blackface, it is also about the entire mockery of black culture,” said Tina Frison in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. Frison is a student at UCLA and a member of the black student union.

The problem with parties, themes and costumes such as these is that they proliferate the stereotypes surrounding black popular culture. This idea that all young black men are “gangsters” and all young black women are “gold diggers” shows just how influential pop culture is and why it can, at times, be dangerous.

Although the fraternity continuously denies any members being at the party in blackface, the implications of all of the “costumes” were blatantly evident.

This year when choosing a Halloween costume, it would be best to steer clear of any racially charged costumes. It’s time for young Americans to think before they act, or take pictures at a party.

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Features

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Black Names MAtter Threa Almontaser | Correspondent Actress and television personality Raven Symoné, best known for her hit Disney television series “That’s So Raven,” comments drew criticism nation-wide last week when she discussed a study about how Americans make racist assumptions based on people’s’ names.

On “The View” where Symoné is currently a co-host she said, “I am very discriminatory...I’m not about to hire you if your name is Watermelondrea, it’s just not going to happen, I’m not going to hire you.”

“Raven was in a position to advocate against it, but she voiced her hypocritical opinion instead,” said Aubrey Lewis, a junior studying French. “I definitely think...that people are wrongly discriminated against by something as simple as their name.”

Lewis’s step-mom is part Colombian. She grew up with the last name Gutierrez before marrying her dad and gaining the last name Lewis. Aubrey’s mom faced a lot more harsh judgment against her working as a nurse with Gutierrez for a last name. Aubrey said her mother still remembers being in her early 20s and not having recognition in her career, only getting chosen for the smaller jobs, no matter how much skill she possessed.

Economist Marianna Bertrand from the University of Chicago conducted a study in 2003 where her team sent out thousands of resumes to employers, specifically choosing African-American based names like “Jamal” on some and common white names like “Brendan” on others. Results proved that, “The same résumé was roughly 50 percent more likely to result in a callback for an interview if it had a ‘white’ name.” Even though the

résumé’s mailed out were basically identical, the conclusions were different because of the main manipulated factor of names.

“It’s pretty obvious people are discriminated against with their names,” said Wyatt Bond, a senior studying MSL.“Even the most common names face it. Longer names are just more obvious and exposed to the discrimination.”

Bond views Symoné’s words as both economic and racial discrimination, “like upper-class black people would say they wouldn’t hire a Watermelondra either, so it’s a class and economic thing as well,” he said.

Nikita Chintalapudi, a junior studying Biology and English said though she doesn’t feel she faces as much negative stereotyping as people with African-American sounding names, but she’s experienced discrimination because of her name. She’s heard “wow that sucks, you should shorten it,” or people trying to use some crude bastardization of her name as a ‘joke’.

“People tend to hear my name, especially my last name, and make jokes about call centers or arranged marriages. While maybe not discriminatory, it’s degrading and annoying,” said Chintalapudi. “Plus, to me, what’s really upsetting about the whole controversy is that Symoné felt the need to play into the white bias against ethnic sounding names. Especially when she herself has likely had to face that same discrimination. It’s like, where’s your solidarity girl.”

To answer Shakespeare’s question, “What’s in a name?” There’s a lot. Names can determine more aspects in your life than just grade school nicknames or when you’ll be called during attendance.

Top 5 “BLAck” & “WHITE” Sounding Names Black Girl Imani

Boy DeShawn

Ebony

DeAndre

Shanice

Marquis

Aaliyah

Darnell

Precious

Terrell

White Girl Molly

Boy Jake

Amy

Connor

Claire

Tanner

Emily

Wyatt

Katie

Cody

The list of names Come from the book “Freakonomics,” by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, showing the top 20 whitest- and blackest-sounding girl and boy names.

Opinion

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An Open Letter to the Guy on Campus Who Called me a Monkey Stephanie Tate | Correspondent Ever since I made the decision to come to NC State, I’ve feared that this day would come. While many of my friends packed their suitcases and headed over to North Carolina A&T State University or Winston Salem State University, both historically black universities, I packed mine and drove to the school I called home. Upon arrival I was immersed in a sea of melanin at the Multicultural Student Affairs’ African American Symposium. Meeting so many students of color gave me a sense of security in a place where very few people looked like me. That sense of security and that homelike feeling was shattered on the day that you slammed the door of the atrium into my body and snickered while calling me a monkey. I must admit I went through a series of stages after your actions. I went through the initial shock.

Not including some disgustingly racist comments on Yik-Yak last year, and some small microaggressions like “You’re very intelligent for a black girl,” I had not personally experienced racism on campus, so of course your actions stunned me. I then went through a stage of confusion.

I thought to myself “How could someone be at an institution of higher education, yet be so ignorant? How could someone attend a university that prides itself on diversity, yet still be so overtly prejudiced?” Lastly, I found myself flooded with anger. Admittedly, for fear of perpetuating the angry black woman stereotype, I kept my anger inside and instead rushed to my meeting.

Who was I to be angry in the first place? Actually I’m the dedicated honors and AP student, the too many extra-curricular activities student, the service oriented student that worked their butt off to get here.

You see this is what women like me have been doing for centuries, bending and shape-shifting for men like you. But this letter is my refusal to do so any longer, and my affirmation that my anger derived from being referred to as a monkey is justified. I do not want you to confuse this as a letter rooted in hatred but rather this letter is rooted in hope, newfound awareness, and appreciation.

First of all, I want to thank you for reminding me of what my being here stands for, what the mere presence of many African Americans on this campus stands for. It was only fifty-nine years ago that NC State had its very first African American undergraduate students enroll. So let’s put this into perspective, a university that is 128 years old, just started had its first African American students enroll fifty nine years ago. Fifty nine years later, as an African American woman on this campus I have not only the

privilege but the honor to walk on the same campus as those students.

Like many other African American students on this campus I have a duty to uphold the values of scholarship and excellence like those who came before me. So thank you, for reminding me that I am not here just for myself.

I’m not sure if this is the Donald Trump effect of or what, but I had almost forgotten that overt racism was a thing. I had fallen into a daze and forgotten that people like you, people that harbor hate in their hearts and find comic relief in publically putting others down, exist. Your reminder was a rude but necessary awakening. A reminder that I have a duty as a human being to lift others up. To be a lighthouse of encouragement, smiles, and helpfulness in a world that can get dark.

Lastly, I would like to thank you for a reminder of the amazing resources and people that inhabit this campus. When I left our awful, but thought provoking encounter I walked straight into Witherspoon Student Center, the only building on this campus named after an African American. That same building houses the African American Cultural Center on campus.

The center, equipped with a library, a gallery, and some of the warmest and inspiring faculty on campus, might be a good place for you to check out. I’m almost positive that Toni Thorpe, affectionately known as Momma Thorpe, can give you a hug that will squeeze some of those ill thoughts out of you. The books in the library will tell you of a people that were royalty, helped build and shape the world, and have since continued to illustrate brilliance. Thanks for reminding me why outlets such as the Nubian Message, Multicultural Student Affairs, and various other offices and student groups exist. The sense of community I have felt both prior to and after our encounter is the exact reason I remain an advocate for programs like Symposium, Diversity Education Week, and more.

With that being said, I hope that at this wonderfully prestigious institution you embark on a journey of discovery. I hope that you step outside of your comfort zone and get to know someone who looks like me or looks different from both you and I. I hope that your time here opens you up to new experiences and beliefs. I hope that one day you realize how powerful words can be. But until then, thank you for the reminder of where I came from, feel free to watch me as I keep going, as I continue to keep achieving, all while being unapologetically black.

Sincerely, No One’s Monkey