Nubian Message, Nov. 16, 2016 — Unwrapping the holidays

north carolina state university | Raleigh, nc| thenubianmessage.com | WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Actress Laverne Cox visits N.C. State

TITLE UNWRAPPING THE HOLIDAYS

wednesday, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | 2

Letter from the editor T

Happy HolidaysAmerican family! Cultural Center, which has he African been celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, will host the annual Ebony Harlem Awards Sunday, May 1.

If you’re like me the partceremony’s of winter break Because ofanything the big milestone thebest award theme is not having to worry about school work. this year will be “25 Proverbs for 25 years”.But for many, winter breakthe brings the American joy of the holidays.

While many This year African Cultural Center and the assume that I am just speaking about Christmas, that AYA Ambassadors partnered with the office of Multiculcouldn’t be further the the truth.

There are so Awards, many tural Student Affairsfrom to host Ebony Harlem different holidays that fall in between November which recognizes extraordinary African-Americans who excel in aand particDecember owe it to for all cultures and religions to recognize that. ular field, and havewe a penchant community-based activism that lifts up So the ifAfrican-American you’re one of thosecommunity people whoand is upset that people say Happy Holidays are actively engaged in the centers. instead of Merry Section DividerChristmas, check your privilege. No seriously, check your privilege.

“Ebony Harlem was conceptualized by the creators of the African One of myCultural favoriteCenter parts ofDr. theAugustus holiday season is that regardless of what American Witherspoon and Dr. [Lawrence] holidays you may or may notthat be celebrating, people are generally in a more Clark wanted to make sure African-American students in particular cheerful mood.

I genuinely believe that the holidays bring out the best in understood the value of using their brilliance to build their community people and I can’t wait to see what they bring out of all of you. and to promote the mission of the African American Cultural Center,” says With theToni holidays approaching, I have become for more moreAmerican concerned “Mama” Thorpe, the program coordinator theand African with thoseCenter. who have nowhere to spend the holidays. While many are lookCultural ingEach forward spending are time with theirfor friends and family, for some yearto candidates nominated several categories such as, this art, is not an option.

I encourage you to think about this when discussing holiday photography, music, literature, leadership and academics. This year the this plans. also encourage to to check on your andwhich family memyear’sItheme: “It is not you taboo to goinback and friends fetch that you have bers.

Mental illness rears it’s head a lot more during the holiday season, forgotten.” and“We we have owe ita to ourselvesofand our community have open came ears and open collection 25 proverbs that theto community up with arms. that symbolize the center, they represent our culture ” says the AYA AmTry to keep your spirits up as you head into this season and as always, bassador president Kinesha Harris. email withwill anynot comments, questions or concerns at: but nubian-editor@ Theusnight only include the award ceremony also dancing. ncsu.edu s a time to get a greater appreciation from the outside community.”

Love, Nothing but love, Stephanie Stephanie

THISISSUE 3 NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH How it came to be and why it needs to stay

4 CHRISTIANS MAKE THE CALENDAR GO ROUND

How school calendars marginalize other religious beliefs

5 BRINGING BAE HOME

Holiday don’ts and do’s for you and your boos

6 DR. BROOKINS GUEST COLUMN Elders break down Kwanzaa

7 MERRY LIT-MAS Best Christmas songs

8 KENTON’S CORNER Give love year-round

9 MR. GRINCH Why I hate christmas music

10 HELL IN A HANDBASKET? Post election thoughts

11 DEAR AMERICA The exit polls are in

12 STAFF EDITORIAL Our response to white supremacists

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

Stephanie Tate

Editor-in-Chief

Ashley Darrisaw

LAYOUT DESIGNER

Anahzsa Jones

Managing editor

Allona Wilkerson

LAYOUT DESIGNER

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.

news

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CHASS Students, Faculty, Staff discuss race relations vladIMIR ureÑa CORRESPONDENT “I want this to be more like a family sitting around a dining room table...this begins but, I promise you, [that it] will not end the conversation.” These were the opening remarks made by Dr. Jeff Braden, Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHASS), at the Racial Climate Town Hall Meeting held in Caldwell Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

From the infamous “Group-Me Gate” to the white supremacist fliers posted around campus and in our very own Nubian newsstands, there have been a myriad of discriminatory and racist events occurring across campus this semester. CHASS hosted this meeting to give a voice to the voiceless and alleviate tensions within the college.

The Dean’s opening statements were at first met with silence by the dozens in attendance. However, once people began speaking up, it became clear why they were silent at first.

“A lot of us just don’t know what to do.

This is uncharted territory for us,” said a faculty member who wished to remain

anonymous. classes, that tells everybody that minorities Later, Michael Helms, a senior in are not important and minorities will not religious studies said, “It’s difficult for be heard.” people who are white and stupid who have She also brought up the point that faccomments to come forward if the reaction ulty are often told to keep quiet regarding is going to be critical.” This comment, sensitive issues, such as race, and that among others, highlighted the reality that many of the organizations which address those who are privileged may not know these issues are student led, not faculty led. how to address these issues and may be An NC State graduate, Tamara Hayes, afraid to come pointed out that there forward. was an element of The focus “preaching to the of the converchoir” in these talks sation later and their audiences. changed to “My challenge to the how minorities University is to reach -Dr. Elizabeth Nelson, a Communication out to the folks who may be able to be better Teaching Assistant Professor don’t get it,” Hayes understood by said. all. Samantha Minority students Alverson, a junior studying sociology, was made sure that their voices were heard one of the few who came forward with during the town hall event. Alexis Carson, different ideas. “We have classes that are a senior studying science, technology, and not required for everybody, including society, summed up her daily feelings. minorities,” Alverson said. “When you “People don’t understand how it feels don’t include minorities in the mandatory seeing all these racist things going on

“I’m speaking out to the

white people right now; educate yourselves.”

around campus and then sitting in a classroom as the only colored person there, feeling as if everyone is staring at you,” Carson said. She later went on to explain that those who are not directly affected cannot understand how deeply these issues alter the state of being of those who are.

Dr. Elizabeth Nelson, a Communication Teaching Assistant Professor and the COM 110 Director, later spoke the words that seemed to resonate most with the audience. “I’m speaking out to the white people right now; educate yourselves.

There are a ton of resources. You can start showing up to events like this one.”

Everyone’s voices were well heard, and the message was received by Dean Braden, as evidenced by his closing remarks.

“Hearing, listening, and understanding is not enough. We need to move past talking and into doing. We need to create an environment in which all of us feel that we are valued, we are respected, we are appreciated for who we are.”

celebrating native american heritage vladIMIR ureÑa CORRESPONDENT

At NC State, the Native American Student Association, or NASA, devotes the month of November to recognizing and promoting knowledge of the many different indigenous American cultures.

In 1990, President George H.W. Bush declared November to be nationally recognized as Native Heritage Month, a tradition that still stands today.

There have been events taking place throughout the month to honor these cultures as NASA, along with the Multicultural Student Affairs office, aims to increase campus awareness and knowledge of Native students and their culture.

Native American Heritage Month kicked off with a bang on the first of the month with “Be Who You Be,” a talk that combined the topics of the Indigenous Hip Hop Generation and different current cultural movements in the country. This was followed by events like “Chat and Chew”, which was aimed to combat Native stereotypes, and the 12th Annual Dreamcatcher Workshop, hosted by Sigma Omicron

Epsilon Sorority, Inc. among other events.

On Saturday the 19, the North Carolina Museum of History will celebrate the 21st Annual American Indian Heritage Celebration, in which different Native musicians, storytellers, and dancers will come and perform. Michael Sanderson, a senior majoring in chemical engineering and a member of the Lumbee Tribe, is planning to attend this event and several more throughout the month. “I just returned from the American Indian Science and Engineering Society National Conference in Minnesota, so I have to catch up on school right now, but I will lend as much support to the events as I can.”

While the Native population at NC State is less than one percent, the students and faculty are like a tight knit family that maintains the heritage away from home. “Native American Culture is often overlooked and treated as a dead culture sometimes, due to our small size and lack of representation, but we are very much alive and active,” Sanderson said.

Brittany Hunt, the Assistant Director of Native American Student Affairs and a member of the Lumbee tribe, makes sure to get to know the Native students at State well through NASA. “As such, I work closely with both the executive board and the general members of the organization throughout the year, including Native American Heritage Month and Pow Wow.” In addition to NASA, there are several smaller institutions inside the university, such as the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, which encourages Indigenous representation in STEM fields, and the Native Space Village in Wood Hall, which Hunt also manages.

When attending the events, it is important to be open and willing to learn more about Native heritage outside of November. “History books are very misleading and typically stop teaching anything about Native history after the 1800s, and the media erases us completely. There are many myths and stereotypes that people hold about Natives that are often extreme-

ly antiquated and historically inaccurate,” Hunt said.

Another goal of the month is to raise awareness on the contributions of indigenous people. “I think the most important thing to remember this month is to respect those that inhabited this land before you,” Sanderson said. According to him, it is also important to keep in mind not only our future, but of those who come after.

“Many tribes believe that when we make decisions, it must have a positive effect on those seven generations from us. Those that come after us must inherit what we leave behind, so let’s leave goodness in the world.”

There are still many events being promoted by NASA for the rest of November, so be sure to attend at least one in order to help support NASA, MSA, and Native culture in general. For more information regarding the full list of events, go to the MSA website.

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FEATURES

HOW OTHER CULTURES CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS Imagine a holiday season without turkey, green bean casserole, and a Christmas tree. For many Americans, these elements are holiday essentials. For others, holiday foods and traditions that to many might seem unconventional are the norm.

“Usually we just spend time with a lot of family and you eat a lot of fried food,” Kruti Patel, a sophomore studying nutrition, said.

“We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in France but my family does because my dad is from here so he grew up celebrating it,” Max Ganch, a sophomore studying graphic design, said.

Patel and Ganch experienced “non-traditional” holidays from two very different perspectives. Ganch’s mother is French and his father is American. He grew up experiencing U.S. holidays with a mixed set of traditions. “It was really like a melting pot,” Ganch said. “We blended the two a whole lot.”

Ganch recalled baking thumbprint sugar cookies with his father, who made them with his own family as a kid. Ganch also experienced Christmas in France with his mother’s family. “Food is really important

in French culture,” Ganch said. “In France, oysters, champagne, foie gras, and beef wellington are Christmas staples.”

In addition to these foods, candied fruits are also a major treat that Ganch’s family enjoys during the holiday season.

“Candied fruit is something we spend the day doing on Christmas Eve,” Ganch said. “I remember the last time we went to France for Christmas, my sister and I spent the day taking dates, pitting them, rolling them in sugar, and putting a filling on top.”

While celebrating Christmas in the U.S., Ganch’s family traditions emphasized Christmas Eve. “In America, most people do Christmas gifts on Christmas morning,” Ganch said. “Kids wake up their parents and they all do it in the morning.

We always grew up opening all of our gifts on Christmas Eve.” Patel is Hindu and her family is from Gujarat, a northwest state in India. Many Hindu holidays fall during the academic year instead of scheduled breaks. Thus, fully celebrating them requires missing valuable class time.

“These holidays aren’t just one day,”

Patel said. “There are Christmas-level holidays with the amount of family you see, the amount of cooking you do, and the amount of tradition. In India, we have a month off for Diwali and here we have a month off for Christmas. It’s actually kind of annoying.”

For Patel, “the holidays” refers almost exclusively to religious and cultural holidays, not traditional U.S. holidays.

“If we didn’t have days off for these [U.S.] holidays, my family wouldn’t really care,” Patel said. “We just have so many holidays to keep up with.”

In the Hindu calendar, Navratri, a tenday festival dedicated to worship of the Hindu deity Durga, and Diwali, a festival of lights, come back-to-back in the fall.

“Diwali usually comes before Halloween. We’ll put up Christmas lights–string lights–and we’ll keep them up until after Christmas,” Patel said. While Patel’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, her family still gathers around that time and often exchanges gifts.

“Our reunions tend to happen around Christmas time and then it feels like we’re celebrating Christmas but we’re not,” Patel

NCSU CALENDAR FAVORS CHRISTIAN HOLIDAYS While many are anticipating Christmas, there are a number of students who celebrate other religious holidays that do not necessarily coincide with academic breaks. The majority of our breaks during the academic year fall around what are generally considered to be American and/ or Christian holidays.

Winter break for example, is always around the time of Christmas and spring holiday is always around the time of Easter. Michael Mullen, Vice Chancellor and dean of the Division of Academic and Student Affairs (DASA), explained that this is a part of a longstanding tradition. “​The winter holiday break of course has always been around the Christmas holiday. This tradition goes back many decades. The only other break is Spring Break, Friday, April 14 this year, that coincides with Good Friday. Again, this is traditional going back many decades,” Mullen said.

For some students, this tradition is problematic. Rania Hassan, a sophomore studying environmental science, is a Muslim student and feels that the tradition of

school breaks falling in line with Christian holidays is not only unfair but unconstitutional.

“The fact that schools operate around Christian holidays is a contradiction to the constitution. Just because the majority of people in America are Christian doesn’t mean that my holidays mean any less...

We are a country with many religions and we can only preach equality when we give everyone the same religious rights as Christians,” Hassan said.

Students who need to miss school to celebrate religious holidays are given the opportunity to do so in accordance with a 2010 law enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly. NC State’s own attendance policy reflects this by allowing “a minimum of two excused absences per academic year for religious observances as verified by the Division of Academic and Student Affairs (DASA),” according to section 3.1.3 of REG 02.20.03.

According to Dr. Mullen, if a student feels they have been wrongly punished for missing class in lieu of observing a religious holiday, then there are resources

KEILAH DAVIS STAFF WRITER said. “But since we’re together, we’ll do a secret Santa or white elephant.”

With holiday season approaching, it’s important to know that not everyone celebrates “the holidays” in the same way.

In the Hindu calendar, Navratri, a ten-day festival dedicated to worship of the Hindu deity Durga, and Diwali, a festival of lights, come back-to-back in the fall.

“Diwali usually comes before Halloween. We’ll put up Christmas lights–string lights–and we’ll keep them up until after Christmas,” Patel said.

While Patel’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas for religious reasons, her family still gathers around that time and often exchanges gifts.“Our reunions tend to happen around Christmas time and then it feels like we’re celebrating Christmas but we’re not,” Patel said. “But since we’re together, we’ll do a secret Santa or white elephant.”

With holiday season approaching, it’s important to know that not everyone celebrates “the holidays” in the same way.

STEPHANIE TATE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

available. ​“Their first contact should be the department’s or college’s dean’s office.

The Student Ombuds Service can provide assistance, and of course, the Division of Academic and Student Affairs would be the next step,” Mullen said.

For Hassan and others, it is not just about missing class, it is also about the lack of time they are able to spend with their families and the missed school work.

“Since I have to skip school to celebrate my holidays, I only get to celebrate Eid-AlFitr and Eid-Al-Adha for a day when these holidays are normally 3 days long, but I can’t afford to miss that much school. I only get two holidays a year besides Ramadan and I feel it unfair that I can’t enjoy them,” Hassan said.

According to the university’s policy, students absent from class to observe religious holidays must provide adequate documentation prior to missing the class.

Even then, professors are not obligated to provide the students with the notes from class or other coursework they may have missed while absent. Hassan has had a fairly positive experience with professors

after missing class to celebrate Islamic holidays with her family.

“I think professors are very accepting for excused religious absences, but there is no effort made to get the students the material they missed or to get them back on track since the professors have to continue the material,” Hassan said.

While others prepare to pack up for the Christmas season, some consider this just another break from school. Alternatively, while some head home in the middle of the week to celebrate other religious holidays, others continue on with a normal school day.

For Hassan, this is more than just missing a few notes, it is a matter of basic rights. According to Hassan, “I think it’s my right as an American and under the first amendment that I get to celebrate my holidays and not have to worry about the school work I missed. I shouldn’t have to decide between my education and my religion.”

OPINION

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bringing bae home for the holidays PENNY LAWRENCE CORRESPONDENT Now that we’re in college, bringing a significant other home for the holidays is not an unusual idea. Inviting that special someone to share in your family traditions can be a big step in your relationship. For some it can be the first time the family meets your lover. If your family means as much to you as mine does to me, then how they feel about your bae is extremely important. Holidays are generally pleasant and happy experiences. They are times for your family to come together and celebrate love and life. I think that is a wonderful time to introduce your significant other, but only if your family is open to the idea. It gives your parents and partner a safe and positive environment to begin their relationship in. Your bae will get the opportunity to experience your family’s traditions, and your family will have just enough time to get to know them. Yet not enough time to point out all of their flaws.

Here are my answers to some common questions about it: How long should you be dating your significant other before they meet the family?

My family is a very big part of my life.

They meet my significant other very quickly. Usually within a few months of dating if not less. I don’t date lightly, and my family is quick to jump on any smile that escapes while looking at my phone.

I use meeting my family to weed out the weak ones. My family is immensely

strange. My mother is demanding and assertive. She isn’t afraid of asking the difficult questions or calling out a comment that she doesn’t like. My dad, however, only really grunts and growls at new people. Add in weird scientific theories, terrible music, and my little pony and you have my family. I feel like if a man can handle all of them, he can handle being in a relationship with me. That’s only one of the important reasons why you should introduce your significant other to your family.

Are the holidays a good time?

The holidays can be as good of a time as any. It depends on the family. The holidays just mean that your family is all in once place. However, you should remember that you two might have religious differences or different traditions. You should tell your family ahead a time if they have any special conditions such as allergies.

Where should you and your partner stay? Same room? Same bed?

My family is pretty open to letting my significant other stay at their house. If they know them well, they wouldn’t mind us sleeping in the same bed. If your parents don’t mind, you should definitely stay at their house. Save money on the hotel. As far as sex, go for it if you feel comfortable with it! However, respect your parents and respect the house you’re in. Don’t get “vocal” in the room next door to your

parents. That’s just rude.

How important is it when they meet on the holidays?

For some families, the holidays are intimate. Personally, my family celebrates holidays for the entire month that they’re in. We get presents randomly through the month of december, and we don’t do much other than that. So for us, meeting on a holiday does not affect the importance of it. For families that cherish the togetherness of the holidays, being invited into that really means a lot. It means that you are being invited into the personal bubble of their family or you’re offering that to someone else. It’s special.

How influential is your family in your relationship?

My family cannot tell me who to be with, but their opinion of my significant other affects my opinion. I have learned over the many years of my life that my mother is always right. Always. Whatever she says about the man I’m dating, even if I don’t see it at the time, is true. If the person I’m with cannot interact with my parents in a pleasant way, then they are not someone I can be with. My mother and I are particularly close, and her opinion of me and who I care for means a lot to me. I don’t just mean the empty words. I know that she is a good judge of character, and unlike me, she does not have the love or lust clouding her judgement. If you are

not very close to your parents or family, it is good to have the outside view of a close friend. You should always take what your friends say into consideration. That does not mean listening to their advice or not standing up for your relationship.

Would you want to be a part of their family’s holiday plans and traditions?

I absolutely love being a part of other families traditions. Because my family has never really celebrated, I enjoy being surrounded by the feeling of faith and celebration. I once helped my significant other’s family celebrate Christmas. They had the tradition to decorate trees with specific colors and put up a Christmas town. His mother that year bought me a few glass angel ornaments because she had always collected them and she wanted me to continue the tradition. That is the best present I’ve ever gotten. Even though that relationship ended, I will continue that tradition.

Do you think it is a good or bad idea to bring your partner home for the holidays?

If both your family and your bae are comfortable with it, I think it can be a wonderful idea. Just follow the general rule of “don’t do anything stupid”. It can be a wonderful opportunity to get closer to your partner, and to let your family get to know them too.

OPINION

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GUEST COLUMN: Kwanzaa 2016-17 In Celebration of Ourselves 2016 has been a year that, as my elders used to say, has tested our nerves and our resolve. For African American people in particular, the DR. KWESI BROOKINS forces that are GUEST COLUMNIST seemingly aligned against us have the tendency and perhaps goal of knocking us off course, creating fear, confusion and doubt and deterring us from doing the things that we were and need to be doing. At these moments, it is always good and necessary to take stock, recenter, refocus and recommit to the things that acknowledge and celebrate who we are as a people. That was true in 1966 when Dr. Maulana Karenga created the African American cultural celebration of Kwanzaa.

And that is true now as we move from 2016 into 2017. The extrajudicial killings of black people, our growing awareness of the judicial destruction of black lives, the targeting of black communities, and the results of the past elections have fueled considerable anxiety and trauma for

individuals and families both within and beyond our communities.

And if all of that is true, it begs the question: so what are we really celebrating? In short...ourselves, the value and joys of our existence, our history of struggle and triumph, and the possibilities of our future.

It is also true that the numbers of people who acknowledge or even understand the post-Christmas through New Year’s celebration of Kwanzaa, at least from my observations, has declined since I first participated almost 40 years ago. Kwanzaa has nevertheless traveled with me from my hometown of Chicago, to Lansing, Michigan, and now to Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Nguzo Saba, or Seven Principles of Kwanzaa, was the foundation on which I and several NC State students built our Kemetic Education for Young Scholars program in the early 1990s. This rite-ofpassage program for coed cohorts of black youth in several schools and communities in Raleigh sought to reintroduce the value of the cultural principles that are at the heart of our history and existence in America. The seven day Kwanzaa period has also been an important time each year for my family. Although we do better some years more than others, our three

generations celebrate each other through it at home and in the community. So, in many ways, Kwanzaa is at the heart of pretty much everything I do, including my teaching, research and service here at NC State. It is therefore always a pleasure and honor to participate in the annual Kwanzaa celebration hosted by the African American Cultural Center.

So how do we use the Nguzo Saba? The principle of Umoja (Unity) is represented in the organizing and gathering of black, brown and other students in response to recent racist and bigoted events both on and off campus. Ujima (collective work and responsibility) and Kuumba (creativity) is found in the continued existence of this very newspaper, The Nubian Message, which highlights the perspectives of people of African descent as we make sense out of the experiences of this Wolfpack nation as well as the world. And perhaps the most difficult principle to be realized is Ujamaa (cooperative economics). Yet, it points to what must become central to the very reasons students are here and pursuing a life course that must ultimately be used for community benefit. We must, however, look beyond “economics” as just related to the salaries we will make or the

things we can purchase. The wealth of the communities we live in is essential to the strength of those communities and the people within them. The goal of Ujamaa is to get every labor activity and professional pursuit to be pointed towards community as much as it benefits ourselves and our families.

So during this Kwanzaa season, let us continue to practice the Kujichagulia (self-determination) that our ancestors taught us. We have much work to do as we enter a new year.

If we make it our Nia (purpose) to thoughtfully and passionately pursue our individual and collective goals, we can beat back the madness that has seemingly taken over the world we thought we knew. What we will find is that the foundation that Kwanzaa provides gives us very firm ground to stand upon and the peace of mind (Imani - faith) to be the people that have always brought balance and justice to the American experiment. So take stock, recenter, refocus, recommit...and CELEBRATE!

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OPINION

A VERY LIT CHRISTMAS! Honestly, what is christmas without music? This playlist will set the mood for all the family reunion, the Christmas turn-up and all the types of gifts you may be receiving under the mistletoe. Everything from Chris Brown, Justin Bieber to Kanye West himself.

KAI ANTHONY

Staff Writer

1

This Christmas - Chris Brown

This is the only christmas song you can leave on repeat all year long, so it’s obvious why it’s at the top of the playlist. Originally performed by Donny Hathaway in 1970, this masterpiece was redone by Chris Brown for the film “The Christmas” in 2007. You will be soothed as you close your eyes and be serenaded by the sweet voice of Chris Brown.

2

Sleigh Ride - TLC

It’s not a LIT-mas without a song from one of best R&B girl groups of all time.

This hop of rendition of the infamous Christmas carol will transport you back to the era of baggy jeans as your Coogi sweaters keeps you warm. As this funky beat fills the air, watch the snowflakes fall down your window pane.

3

Let it Snow - Boyz II Men

If you truly want to be in the gift giving mood with your bae, this is definitely the song for you. This R&B rendition of America’s favorite winter wonderland song wouldn’t sound anywhere near as good without the Grammy award winning vocals from Boyz II Men. This will have you and your bae running to the mistletoe as soon as you hit that play button.

4

8 Days of Christmas - Destiny’s Child

Before the Beyhive was even conceived, there was an all girl trio that shook the world. Beyonce, Kelly, and Michelle sing their own modified version of “12 days of Christmas,” listing all the things their boo thangs gave them this holiday season. Ladies play this for your man if you really think he’s having trouble showing you some appreciation this season or just want to throw it back to Destiny’s Child.

5

The Christmas Song - Justin Bieber ft. Usher

After Purpose dropped last November, Bieber instantly picked me up as a fan.

This Christmas Carol dating back to 1945 was originally popularized by the voice of Nat King Cole, but it got a hot spin from Justin Bieber and his mentor, Usher.

As you listen make sure to look out for harmonization of two great vocalist over a stunning guitar solo that will make your heart melt. They definitely set the Christmas tree in the studio on fire in the process of recording this track.

6

Santa Claus is Coming To Town - The Jackson 5

The only song you will probably hear in Macy’s, Belk and JCPenney this season will be this ode to Mr. Claus by the unstoppable Jackson 5. Nothing tops young Michael and his brothers jamming out in this ode to Saint Nick.

7

All I Want for Christmas Is You (So, So Def Remix) - Mariah Carey ft Jermaine Dupri & Bow Wow

8

Someday at Christmas - Stevie Wonder

Obviously, everyone has heard the Mariah Carey’s original Christmas anthem, but did you know that there was a remix? It’s lit! Yes, the original is on the playlist but make sure to check out this “So So Def ” remix with your favorite elementary school rapper, Lil Bow Wow. It’s definitely a refreshing switch-up to the already Christmas classic that your grandma can two-step to as you milly-rock the night away this Christmas Eve.

Speaking of grandparents, the needle has probably dropped on this record in your grandparents house. Wonder’s winter ballad may make you shed a tear as he asks for peace, the end of world hunger, and unity. It’s upsetting that a lot of things that Wonder wished for in ‘67 are some of the same things are community is asking for this holiday season.

9

Give Love on Christmas Day - The Jackson 5

Yes, The Jackson 5’s Christmas album is so good that I had to put two of their songs on the playlist. In the midst of all of department store sales, the Space Jams dropping this December and eggnog milkshakes at Cookout, it is so easy to forget about the true meaning of Christmas. The Jackson 5 is back on the playlist reminding the world that this season isn’t about buying, it’s about the gift of giving.

10

Christmas in Harlem - Kanye West ft. Prynce Cy Hi & Teyanna Taylor

Who knew that Yeezus had made a song for celebrate the birth of Jesus? This GOOD Music hit was released in December of 2010 and fits this Chrztmz Szn in true Kanye Fashion. Be transported to the snowy streets of Harlem as Kanye, Prince Cy Hi and Teyanna Taylor take us on a smooth cruise uptown. The GOOD Music Trio have gave our generation our own “Christmas in Hollis” with this tribute to Christmas in the big apple. Don’t worry, “Christmas in Hollis” is also on this playlist.

HONORABLE MENTION 12 Ghetto Days of Christmas This is just really turnt and you have to listen to it for yourself.

Check out the full playlist on our website or on our Spotify!

OPINION

wednesday, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | 8

KEEP THE FAMILY CLOSE Lately I have come to the realization that as a black person in America I am faced with my own mortality at an alarmingly early age. This fact has made me become a more positive and loving personal all around. So the kenton Gibbs people I’ve been showing Staff Writer this appreciation and gratefulness towards have been a little freaked out. But if I waited until the holidays everyone would have seen these behaviors as normal.

The holidays are a time for good will toward all mankind and embracing a loving and giving spirit. My family may have been a little different but it seemed as though the only time we could be civil and nice to each other was holidays and

funerals. I’m here today to tell you don’t be like us. Embrace and love your family and friends as often as you get a chance to.

There are so many reasons why we need to do this that few people ever explore.

But the first thing I have to do is be a little morbid to show why year round positivity and love are necessary.

There are times where we become so self-absorbed that we don’t take the time to check on those who mean the most to us. But if we do it’s only the older people in our lives because we’re young and we’ll have forever with our friends right?...

Wrong.

The sad truth is that according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), for young black men between the ages of 15 and 24 the three leading causes of death are homicide, unintentional injury and suicide. These three things are all sudden

and unexpected. These things don’t stop or start based on our schedules.

Causes of death demographics are similar for black women of the same age group. Although the top three aren’t the same, the CDC reports over 40 percent of deaths in young black women are from unintentional injury or homicide. This goes to show we might not have as much time with our favorite people as we think we do.

Tell the women in your life they’re important, thank them for all they do for you. Call the young men in your life and tell them how much you care about them.

Ask your siblings, cousins and long time friends how they’re doing. What do you have to lose besides five to ten minutes on a conversation with your people who mean the world to you?

I have heard entirely too many stories of people who lost a friend or family member suddenly. Then they felt terrible because they remember their last conversation with that person felt like forever ago or that chat didn’t end favorably. I’m here to say don’t let that be you. Don’t let your bestfriend pass meanwhile you all haven’t spoken because y’all were upset with each other over a minor disagreement.

In a world where we are more divided than ever, if you can’t find the time to love up on anyone else please let it be your loved ones. Life is to precious to wait around and let petty beefs linger. Eat great food, drink great drinks (but responsibly of course), watch corny holiday movies and after the holidays are over please don’t let the feelings of compassion and goodwill be an annual brief and passing wave.

mr. grinch: WHY I HATE CHRISTMAS MUSIC If your childhood was anything like mine, your Christmas mornings consisted of waking up at 7 A.M. on the dot. After a restless night spent imagining what gifts Santa would bring you, dion figueroa you’d creep out of your Correspondent room and run to see if your dreams had come true. You’d sit in front of the bright lights of the Christmas Tree listening to the classics while waiting for your parents to wake up.

The experience and idea of Christmas was great, and everything around it, but somewhere along the way certain aspects of the “Christmas Spirit” began to rub me the wrong way. Specifically, I passionately HATE Christmas music.

Now before you say it, I am not a Grinch. I’m really not. But there is something about hearing Mariah Carey’s “All I Want For Christmas Is You” for the umpteenth time that makes me cringe. I used to love it. Hearing the soothing but deep and vibrant voice of Nat King Cole accompanied by flashing colorful Christmas lights excited me, and there is still a piece of me that gets very nostalgic when experiencing that, but the rest of the holiday music catalog could disappear today and I would not miss it.

Pinpointing an exact moment where I began to feel this way is difficult, but it most likely happened sometime in my late teens. I’ve spent the majority of my life working in some aspect of the retail space since I was 15 years old, and have had the ‘pleasure’ of hearing Christmas music throughout my holiday work shifts

for the majority of the eight years following. Starting a week or so removed from Thanksgiving, until the end of December, Christmas music is everywhere and it is virtually impossible to avoid.

But why? Is it not possible to mix the occasional Christmas song into the store’s normal Top 40 rotation? Why do I have to feel as if the ‘Christmas Spirit’ is being shoved down my throat? I can’t be the only person to feel this way.

Another thing that tends to upset me when hearing holiday music is the fact that no matter how large of a catalog of holiday music there is, we as a society narrow our playlists to the same small sample of songs. In the last twenty years have there not been enough holiday ‘hits’ to finally take Ms. Carey off the top of the Christmas music playlist?

I’m not a lost cause, trust me, but there needs to be a serious rethinking about how we handle the topic of our holiday music. If there is any hope out there for the Christmas music skeptics such as myself, there are a few things that need to happen. We need to seriously rethink the date range in which we see the playing of holiday music as acceptable.

Play it non-stop around Black Friday, as I understand we need to be reminded of the ‘holiday spirit’ as we trample each other, and then maybe the week before Christmas through Christmas. Also, either mix-in songs with Top 40, or we need a national initiative to create some new ‘classics.’ Lastly, ban Mariah’s voice from holiday radio, and then maybe then you can convert even the biggest skeptics like myself.

wednesday, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | 9

OPINION

a house divided: ELITISM IN OUR COMMUNITY This previous October, NC State alumna Tensie Taylor, came back to speak about her new book Bullied kenton Gibbs From Terror Staff Writer to Triumph: My Survival Story. During her speech she discussed how she was criticized early and often in her academic career because her success led some of her peers to say that she wasn’t “black enough”. Oddly, it was by pure chance that I ended up in her presentation, but the topic of having to constantly reaffirm one’s blackness has been in the front of my mind for some time now.

The devastating practice of limiting blackness causes deeply rooted rifts to become even harder to overcome. I interviewed students from many different walks of life and combined what they said during those interviews with my own experiences. While we have very little else in common, we all shared the experience of being told that we aren’t black enough.

The sad part is there was such a wide variety of reasons why we were deemed as not black.

Everything from attributes as apparent as physical features, all the way down to traits as minor as having a respect for coaches.

All these are reasons we are labeled as not black enough.

Matthew Wright is a junior studying graphic design. He touched on his experience of being called “barely black” by a friend. “I had a friend recently who said I didn’t look black because my features weren’t typically black and I have a small nose,” Wright said. “Also he said I didn’t act stereotypical.”

I want to know “what is acting stereotypical?” Would it be aimlessly lusting after various women to the point of being unable to complete his work?

Or would it be speaking with very lax following of grammatical principles combined with expletives? The expectations placed on black people are so pointless. Not to mention they require a constant high wire juggling act for the average black person.

How people speak was shared by almost all the people I interviewed as a reason why their blackness was constantly in question. Since I came here to State, people have told me that I talk white, yet others have had to deal with this critique much more than I have.

Lauren Howard, a senior majoring in communications media, said, “The way I speak is different and teachers always used to say that I was so well spoken. You know you just have to deal with those microaggressions.”

The crazy part is the heat is turned up even more for the

black population on this campus. Attending a predominantly white institution comes with a set of problems that turns the already barely attainable expectations into the undoable.

We are asked to not be too loud, too aggressive and we are not allowed to be too “stereotypical.”

There is a flipside to this coin of division as we graduate and become successful. The idea is that because I and others have made it out everyone who is beneath me is inferior. We get jobs with high salaries and benefits, and then, all of a sudden, everyone who didn’t make it out is lazy. This attitude is just as common as the one that says you must listen to only rap and R&B to be black. My personal experience of being around judgemental people with degrees who turn their nose up at the people they grew up with because their lives didn’t go in the same direction has been very disappointing.

Anyone who pushes respectability politics and elitism on those of us at four-year universities is missing the point as well. Black excellence is not limited to those of us who have master’s degrees. It is not limited to those of us who speak well enough to trick a potential employer to think that we’re white if they’ve only interacted with us over the phone. The sad part is many of us are happily blind to what is going on so we continue to practice these

deleterious habits.

Please allow me to let you in on a little secret. The system of divide and conquer is stronger than it has ever been. Whether it be the constant stream of memes saying dark skinned or light skinned girls are winning or the many different religious and spiritual practices that somehow make groups harbor a disdain for each other, it all feeds the systems that allow the thought of black people hating each other for 400 years true.

This prediction was said to be made by Willie Lynch who many have said didn’t actually exist.

So before you call someone white or an “oreo” because they listen to different music than you, realize that you are as much, if not more problematic, to the black community than the klansmen who screams that Obama is a Kenyan socialist terrorist. Next time you say, “Oh you’re not really black” to someone because their speech is too formal and their diction lacks certain pronunciations and Ebonic terms, know that you are no better for the well being of black people than a politician who panders to us for the black vote only to show an unexplained animus towards the same constituents they made endless promises to.

Promoting division between us may be one of the greatest tools of white supremacy because as the old adage goes, a house divided cannot stand.

OPINION

wednesday, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | 10

GUEST COLUMN: Trump Wins. Is This Hell In A Handbasket?

Rupert W. Nacoste, Ph.D. GUEST COLUMNIST

After the election results showed that Mr. Donald Trump won our presidential election, I started to get emails. One of them said: “Dr. Nacoste, I am reaching out to you because I am confused and overwhelmed by this election. How did we get to this?

How have bigotry and hatred prevailed?

What does this mean for every minority in this country?”

On Facebook, I found myself being tagged in commentaries filled with questions: “What can I tell my daughter? The democratic process has unfolded. And yet we don’t feel safe.” Another, from a former student (a Muslim woman) who wrote: “I’m actually scared to leave the house tomorrow, on a real note...”

In the hallways of Poe Hall I was doing “walk-by” counseling: responding to questions, feelings of dismay and helplessness.

And that was just the faculty.

How have I been responding to all these emotions? I say this: “I have seen worse.” I make that statement and a few people gasp, wondering, I guess, what I could have seen that was worse. So without being asked, I explain.

“I grew up in the Jim Crow South. I, a dark-skinned black man, grew up in the Jim-Crow South of legal racial segregation: a fully American, societal system that said that I and people with my skin color were not human. I grew up in an America that created, accepted and enforced that Jim Crow legal racial segregation, that accepted and enforced that way of thinking about and interacting with black people.

But…we fought and destroyed that system of laws.”

Today many are confused because despite what you have been told, bring-

ing down the walls of that system did not expect. erase all of the attached psychology of But in the 2016 Presidential election prejudice. In creating and teaching my there was more going on than bigotry.

“Interdependence and Race” course, for There was economic distress. There were ten years I have been warning students feelings of social isolation. There was about assuming that all bigotry in America fatigue with and distrust of all things had been eradicated by the 1970s. In my connected to Washington politics, career general writings, in my presentations, I politicians, lobbyists, and the national mehave been warning America about taking dia. There was anxiety about our growing that for granted. I have been describing neo-diversity; not necessarily hate, but the hibernating bigotry that still lives and anxiety and uncertainty about what that breathes in means for some (not people’s evall) in Amereryday lives. ica, that Mr. Trump bigotry that crafted a sleeps until message that the right tapped into stimulus all of that. wakes it up.

But since Presidenit was that tial candicomplex, we date Donald must accept Trump has that not all awakened those who that once voted for Mr. Dr. Nacoste is an Alumni Distinguished Undergradsleeping, Trump voted uate Professor of Psychology and the author of “Taking to support hibernating on Diversity: How We Can Move From Anxiety to bigotry. Evihis bigotry. dence of that Respect” (Prometheus Books, 2015).

It’s just not awakening is that simple. clear in the Let’s sudden, dramatic increase in anti-black, not demonize people who voted for Mr. anti-Muslim, anti-homosexual graffiti; the Trump; let’s not demonize the American next days after the election saw a sudden political process. Let’s not waste time and increase in the waving of the Confederate energy engaging in the same kind of bigotbattle flag all over America. ry we are trying to denounce. Let’s respect Now many are seeing and realizing that each other and get to work. there is leftover psychology from the days America is not done. We ARE NOT of Jim Crow. Now it is clear that we have going to hell in a handbasket. True, we are more work left than many thought we had in the basket, but we can stand up, reach to do; more work that too many didn’t up and then climb out. As my father, Mr.

Ogeese always said: “The only way to keep a man in a ditch is to stand there over him.” The only way to keep us in this basket is for those so motivated to stay very close by and do nothing but watch us, and for us to let that intimidate us.

We’ve got some difficult days ahead. Feel your emotions. If you feel hurt, do not deny that you are hurt. Talk to likeminded people. Then reach out to any person in your social circles who is willing to have a civil conversation about how we can work to reclaim the soul of America. Lots of emotion is good if it becomes your signal to get to work, to focus that emotion into strategies to reinvigorate the true soul of America: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all are created equal...”

Let’s focus our emotions. In our neo-diverse America, let’s start developing new strategies to address the new situation of America. With all the trauma of violence in the summer of 2016, something amazing started to happen. Dr. Tim Tyson wrote to tell me that the work of the Moral Monday movement was spreading so much that there has been an increase in white-Americans joining the NAACP. In fact he told me that in the mountains of NC, the new Yancey-Mitchell County NAACP, is the only all-white NAACP chapter in America.

Let’s focus our emotions. Let’s start building new neo-diverse coalitions and alliances to fight all forms of bigotry in America to work toward our goal of “…a more perfect union.”

Let’s get the hell out of this basket.

wednesday, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | 11

OPINION

America, you played yAself Well America I don’t have much to say but I would like to talk about who we can and can’t blame for Donald Trump’s election. I want to blame the members of the black community who didn’t vote but I kenton Gibbs can’t. I want to blame Staff Writer the 23% of Latinx voters who voted for Trump but I can’t. The biggest part of me wants to blame liberal talking heads like Bill Maher for creating an atmosphere where everyone on the other side of the aisle is the devil but we can’t punitively measure the effects of the devastatingly partisan culture we live in. So I’ll say we all have to take varying bits of the blame.

The first group I want to speak to is white women, who were one of the driving forces behind Trump gaining 270 electoral votes. I’m not surprised but endlessly dis-

appointed in the way you voted. According to exit polls, more white women — 53% — voted for Trump than for Clinton.

I just have to ask what happened? What made you decide to vote for a man with multiple cases of rape, sexual assault and domestic violence in his past? What made you think that this man would make it easier for you and your daughters? Did his promises to bring jobs to your husbands lure you in despite the fact that he was one of the business owners who outsourced jobs for profit?

Well I hope he does fulfill his promises to you. But may I ask, was it worth the persecution, harassment and nationwide disavowal of others? Was it worth it to vote for a man who clearly has little respect for your right to not be groped and catcalled?

I always wondered why feminists of color said that white feminism is not for them.

Now I understand the very sad reality of that sentiment. Women of color stood behind Hillary Clinton in solidarity as white

women broke gender lines for party lines.

Now for the men of impoverished southern states. What on God’s green earth made you believe that this candidate was for you? I get it, many liberals have ignored you and said America is moving on without you. I understand the anger and desperation of being dependent upon the government for your next meal. However, problems that have been created and worsened over decades will not be solved by one radical, unknowledgeable president.

Furthermore, many of the states who receive the most in social welfare were the first to line up and give their votes away to the candidate who so badly wants to rid America of social welfare outside of social security. Of the top ten receivers of federal assistance, eight of those states gave their electoral votes to Trump. I hope you know that your programs will be cut along with taxes much more easily than this president can bring back jobs. So when it becomes even harder to feed your family, please do

not blame anyone but yourselves.

Lastly, to every person in America who made our political sphere hostile to productive, intelligent discourse. Whether someone is on the right or left doesn’t matter. When we decided that working in a partisan manner for the betterment of this country was as shameful as treason, I knew we were headed to a horrible space.

Instead of people realizing that moderation and nuances make differences, people just see party lines. You are just as responsible as anyone for this atrocity.

America has conducted what Van Jones called a whitelash, but I argue that he was wrong. This was a dumblash. In the face of insurmountable odds and facts all stating that one candidate is a lying, abusive, xenophobe we said, “Nope we’re too dumb to elect someone who’s qualified for the job.” As DJ Khaled Mohamed Khaled would say, “Congratulations, you played yourself.”

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wednesday, NOVEMBER 16, 2016 | 12

OPINION

STAFF EDITORIAL: ignorance will not be rewarded The Nubian Message was created in 1992 to give a voice to the African American community on campus. Our first issue was published on North Carolina Central University’s campus due to initially receiving absolutely no university funding by NC State and being prohibited from using NC State’s media equipment. We have had to fight to have a voice on this campus.

The Nubian Message is our voice. It is our safe space. This publication is a platform where the African American community can speak freely just like every other American via the First Amendment which we were repeatedly

“It’s dangerous for black

one is telling white people to go back to whatever respective European country their ancestors came from voluntarily.

It’s dangerous for LGBTQ+ people to hold hands with their significant other and simply be themselves when people are pulling over, getting out of their cars, and beating them until they see blood. It’s dangerous for black people to be black when black people are getting killed and their bodies left on the streets for hours after being shot by cops, feeling as if we need to justify that our life matters and then having the rebuttal of “All Lives Matter” tossed at us.

When exactly did all lives matter in America? What period of time are you

people to be black when black people are getting killed and their bodies left on the streets for hours after being shot by cops, feeling as if we need to justify that our life matters and then having “The Nubian Message the rebuttal of “All Lives “When exactly did all is our voice. It is our safe Matter” tossed at us.” lives matter in America? genocide.” This election year we have space” had to keep up with local, national, and What period of time are global news, and we want to know when reminded of when students referred and where did a deliberate killing of you referring to when you to African American students as the N white people occur? At what point did it word earlier this semester. become dangerous and a threat to your say, “Make America Great Through our ongoing struggle to have life to be a white person in America? an equal voice on this campus we’ve Again?””

Within 48 hours of the election, it

Actress Laverne Cox visits N.C. State recognized other minorities and marginalized communities who are fighting to have their voices heard too. How privileged, racist, and full of ignorance do you have to be to equate our fight to “anti-white propaganda”? Let it be known that pro-black does not mean anti-white. As if us fighting for equal rights is a threat to your life.

This election has fostered an environment of hatred and has given a platform to this hatred so that individuals like the “white comrade” feel as if they need to organize and “fight against white

became dangerous for Muslims to be themselves openly in America. Muslim women are having conversations about whether or not to wear their hijabs in public because they’re being harassed about wearing them. Immigrants fear that their lives as they know it will be snatched away from them. Members of the Latinx community are being told to go back to Mexico. A whole community. Just Mexico. African-Americans, descendants of slaves who were brought here unwillingly over 400 years ago, are being told to go back to Africa. Yet no

referring to when you say, “Make America Great Again?” The “white comrade” exemplifies privilege in that we hear ”not all white people[...]” yet marginalized groups across America are being generalized by stereotypes and therefore threatened by individuals who now proudly express their racists, homophobic and misogynistic views that threaten our humanity, our rights and our lives.

Another aspect that must be acknowledged is the powerful sense of privilege these culprits have. The sheets that

were put in student media drop boxes included links to websites that stated, “Bow down n**ger” and refer to people of Middle Eastern descent as “hajis,” yet the first line of the flyers read, “the media will call this hate.” Well we members of the Nubian Message staff have absolutely no intentions of calling this speech anything else. This speech is of malicious intent and the content is so morally bankrupt that each byline was hard to read, let alone the actual articles.

The bigotry and hate speech evidenced by the recent incidents on campus tear communities apart. This campus already had enough tension without these deliberate acts of prejudice and ignorance. Our campus is supposed to be better than this. However, as of late we, the Nubian Message staff, have been wondering what exactly our campus is. Every time it seems as if we have turned the corner and made progress, a moment like this happens.

It begs the question: are we devolving into a campus that deeply fears diversity or did we ever truly get to a level of tolerance and understanding that many believed we had?

We are tired of constantly being told that we are less than everyone around us. We are tired of being told that we only got into this school because of a program like Affirmative Action. We are tired of being told to shut up. That means that we will not stop writing, speaking out our thoughts, or pursuing our education. We are strong willed, and after suffering and fighting for hundreds of years of oppression, we are not about to give up now.

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