Nubian Message, Sept. 12, 2019 — Latinxcellence: Celebrating Latin Culture

NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | THURSDAY, september 12, 2019

latinxcellence: celebrating latin cuture

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Letter from the editor Hi Everyone!

ORGULLLOOO LATINNOOO! Latinx Heritage Month is right around the corner and we are super excited to cover and attend all of the events that the Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) will host. As the events are announced, we will add them to our online community calendar, so stay tuned!

In the meantime, we wanted to get a headstart on celebrating Latinx Heritage Month. To start, we are showcasing a Latina student artist on our cover! Shout out to Sidney Uriarte for sharing her talents with us and allowing Nubian Message to use her art. Behind the beautiful art you will find a news piece on a Latino politician. Saige Martin is a Puerto Rican, (WEPA!) LGBTQ+ identifying candidate for the Raleigh City Council. He recently visited NC State and shared his platform as well as the importance of voting.

Along with showcasing a Latinx artist and politician, we have also included a list of some of the impactful, community-oriented and Latinx based organizations on campus.

Some of these organizations include Mi Familia, Students for Immigrant Rights and Equality (SIRE) and the Association of Latin Professionals for America (ALPFA). During Latinx Heritage month let’s take the time to recognize and appreciate these organizations for their presence on campus.

Let’s also take a moment to address the long history of racism and colorism that is present in Latin communities.

Too often, Afro-Latinx people have been excluded from narratives and made to feel like second-class citizens. For this reason, we have decided to include a feature piece from our former Managing Editor, Kenneysha Woods. The article can be found on page five and discusses how Afro-Latinx people on campus can find and use their voice.

Speaking of using your voice, we also have a few opinion pieces which can be found on pages six and seven. These opinion pieces discuss a range of issues that are important to students, so check them out. Also, remember that anyone can submit an anonymous letter to the editor. If you have an opinion, share it with us!

We hope that you enjoy this issue as well as the events that will occur during Latinx Heritage Month. To stay up to date, follow the Nubian Message (@nubianmessage) on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

With lots of love, Yesenia Jones

THISISSUE 3

CITY COUNCIL RACE DISCUSSION

6

MAINTAINING YOUR IDENTITY

6

PWI VS HBCU

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A RANT FROM A CONCERNED STUDENT

Saige Martin visits NC State Being black at a PWI

Should black athletes attend HBCUs? The Black community needs to tighten up

cover art contributed by sidney uriarte

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

314 Witherspoon Student Center, NCSU Campus Box 7318, Raleigh, NC 27695 office 919-515-1468 advertising 919-515-2411 online thenubianmessage.com

Yesenia Jones

Editor-in-Chief

nubian-editor@ncsu.edu Kevin Moye

Managing editor

nubian-managingeditor@ncsu.edu Elikem Dodor Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe Layout designers

Mersina Boynton

general manager

media-sales@ncsu.edu

Only with the permission of our elders do we proudly produce each edition of 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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City Council Candidate Discusses the Upcoming Local Election On Sept. 12, the Rho Chapter of kevin moye Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. welcomed Managing Editor Raleigh City Council candidate Saige

Martin to NC State to discuss his campaign and the upcoming elections. The event gave the candidate an opportunity to tell students about why he is running for office and what his platform contains as well as a way for students to interact with a potential policymaker about issues that are important to our demographic.

Martin is running for Raleigh City Council - District D against the incumbent candidate, Kay Crowder. Crowder, who was elected in 2015, has yet to face a serious challenger to run against her for the City Council spot. In 2017, Crowder faced off against a candidate who ran a campaign by himself with a budget of less than $1000. Crowder easily won that election with nearly 90 percent of the vote.

The newcomer, Martin, will be running for his first elected position. Martin intends on using his adverse background as a means to connect with his constituents.

Having struggled with homelessness and the challenges attached with immigration in his early life, Martin believes that he is the candidate that is more in touch with these issues facing Raleigh citizens.

The city elections will take place on Oct. 8 with all seven seats on the Raleigh City Council and the mayoral race

being up for grabs. Early voting for the election starts Wednesday, Sept. 18 and extends up until Friday, Oct. 4th.

Runoff elections are scheduled for Nov. 5 in the case of statistically tied races.

Martin, who is an openly gay candidate, talked about what it means for him to be running as a gay candidate in Raleigh. He referenced a conversation he had with some of the constituents in District D to emphasize the impact of his candidacy.

“This makes me cry every time, but the amount of people that come up to us and say ‘I grew up openly gay in Raleigh and I can’t count the amount of death threats I got.

I could’ve never imagined someone openly gay running for Raleigh City Council,’” Martin said. “They’re not saying you’re amazing because you are gay. They’re saying it as an acknowledgement of how far we have come. And I see that also as a challenge of how far we can go. When will it be okay for a kid to say ‘of course I can be gay and run for city council?’ That’s what I want.”

Martin highlighted the need for humane policy towards immigrants living in Raleigh as one of the core reasons behind him starting his campaign. Martin stated that he was driven to entering the race as a result of Crowder’s response to issues surrounding the Hispanic and Latinx community.

He recalled the decision by the City Council to prohibit Raleigh from becoming a sanctuary city as another driving factor in cementing his desire to run for office. The legislation passed by the North Carolina General Assembly that allows lawsuits to be brought up against cities that enacted sanctuary ordinances was never challenged by the Raleigh City Council.

“This council wouldn’t push back and make Raleigh a sanctuary city because the state would fine us,” Martin said.

“Let them fine us. We have values and we have morals. And we stand by them.”

After pitching his campaign to the audience, the candidate gave a call-to-action for our young demographic to transform Raleigh. Martin implored the NC State population to not leave our city upon graduation in search of a progressive city to call home, but to make one out of the city many of us have already recognized as home.

“Raleigh can be the next great progressive city in the Southeast and we can lead on so many issues, but only if people commit,” Martin declared. “My hope in coming here is not that you vote for one candidate over another, but that you realize your role and how critically important it is.

Deciding to go out of our way and do something that we have never done.”

Elizabeth Byers/Staff Photographer On Tuesday Nov. 8, 2016. The polls were packed early in the morning, as many NC State students and Raleigh citizens came out to cast their ballot.

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features

latinxcellence: Students for Immigrant Rights and Equality (SIRE)

SIRE advocates for immigrant rights with an emphasis towards undocumented immigrants.

The organization gives students the opportunity to provide language and volunteer services to immigrant communities at NC State and in Raleigh.

Mi Familia

Mi Familia serves as a social, cultural, and political forum for NC State students and members of the greater Raleigh community.

The organization aims to promote the richness of the Latinx community and culture.

Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc.

Lambda Pi Chi was founded in 1988 to embrace the ideals of la Hermandad, la Comunidad, and la Cultura. The Rho chapter at NC State is one of 28 undergraduate chapters in the nation.

Lambda Theta Phi Fraternity, Inc.

Lambda Theta Phi prides themselves on being the First Latino Greek Organization founded in 1975. The Gamma Sigma chapter strives to achieve their fraternity’s goal of “Progress and empowerment of [Latinx] people.”

Kaydee Gawlik/Staff Photographer Aaron Sanchez Guerra, an alumn, raises his fist while leading a chant during Sanctuary Everywhere, starting at the Wake County Justice Center and ending at the North Carolina State Capitol in support of immigrant rights, Saturday, Jan. 27.

Sanctuary Everywhere Raleigh was organized by Wolfpack Students for Immigrant Rights and Equality on behalf of the many immigrants in North Carolina that fear deportation or separation from their families.

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)

SHPE focuses on bringing STEM awareness, access, support, and professional development to the Hispanic community. The NC State chapter of SHPE was awarded honors at the 2013 Regional Leadership Development Conference held at Georgia Tech.

Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA)

ALPFA was the first Latinx based professional association founded in the United States. ALPFA strives to accomplish its mission “To empower and develop Latino men and women as leaders of character for the nation, in every sector of the global economy.”

Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. Sindy Huang/Staff Photographer

Protesters march from the Wake County Justice Center up to the North Carolina State Capitol building to show their support for immigrants who are facing deportation despite being model citizens during the Sanctuary Everywhere rally on Saturday, Jan 27, 2018. Among the immigrants in the spotlight are Jose Chicas, Samuel Oliver-Bruno, Juana Ortega, and Eliseo Jimenez.

Founded in 1975, Lambda Theta Alpha became the first Latina based sorority. The LTA sisterhood is based on the principles of unity, love, and respect. The Epsilon Nu Chapter of LTA provides political, social, and cultural events to the NC State community for students to get immersed with Latinx culture.

features

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Afro-Latina Voices: Finding Acceptance on Campus kennysha Woods Former Managing Editor

“Afro-Latina” is a relatively new–and seemingly complex–term to most people.

With celebrities like music artist Amara La Negra and actress Gina Torres bringing the discussion of what it means to be Afro-Latina in the entertainment industry, we’re implored to learn about the way Afro-Latinas navigate everyday life–especially on college campuses like NC State.

So, what does it mean to be an “Afro-Latina”? How do they experience NC State’s campus? Nubian Message met with three Afro-Latina students to find those answers.

“For the most part it means someone who is Hispanic with African origins,” said Marriah Decosta, a third-year studying sociology who identifies as Afro-Dominican and president of the Caribbean Student Association. ”Like, I’m not African, but I know somewhere down the line I came on a boat from somewhere.”

“My identity is very hard to explain to some people,” said Caíla Holley, a sixth-year studying geology and chairperson of Lambda Theta Alpha Latin Sorority, Inc. (LTA), “because at the end of the day, I’m black. I feel like oftentimes black Americans in the United States see black as American-only, and it dismisses black or Afro-everybody else.”

Holley continued: “For me, the Latino community has always been where I’ve felt more at home. Also, a place very dear to me is Dominican Republic. I eventually want to live there.”

Ayanis Lindo, a postgraduate from the Class of 2017 who studied zoology and member of LTA, is from a Panamanian family that immigrated to the U.S. She grew up in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. “Although my parents are immigrants,” Lindo said,” and although they are Panamanian and they’re Latinx, that doesn’t mean that I’m very much different. That black culture transcends. It didn’t really change much from Latin America to American itself.”

There’s little data that shows the exact population of Afro-Latinas at NC State. Presumably, the figure is small, considering the Latinx student community only makes up 4.7% of the 32,898 total student population, according to the Spring 2018 Enrollment report published by the Office of Institutional Research and Planning.

“There’s not that many Afro-Latinx in general,” Decosta said. “I remember last year I helped facilitate an event called ‘Latinx and,’ and one of the segments was Latinx and Black, and trying to find panelists for that was really hard because most of us are Dominicans or Panamanians.”

As an identifier, “Afro-Latina” expresses an intersection of identities: Black and Latinx, and it bears some weight on how these students navigate campus culture socially across the Black community, the Latinx community and the overall student community.

When talking about her experiences with the Latinx community, Decosta said, “It’s awkward exclusion from my experience. I don’t speak Spanish very well, so it’s hard to join in. They’re really clique-ish. It’s not even really the thing of being Afro-Latina. Sometimes it’s about what country you specifically come from. For here, most people are Puerto Rican or Mexican, so not following those set traditions or having that background [makes you] not fit in.

They have certain mannerisms or inside jokes you may not understand.”

However, Decosta also has positive experiences: “I have a lot of friends in the Latinx community. I go to events when I’m able to… for the most part, people are very accepting.”

Holley and Lindo also relayed feeling acceptance from the Latinx community, especially as member of LTA. Lindo recalled being inspired to become an AYA Ambassador because of one of her sisters and how taking on that role helped her understand her identity.

“To this day,” Lindo said, “I’m really grateful that I finally pushed through that and I had my sorority sisters to help push me through that and find my identity. From that point forward, I felt, ‘I am Afro-Latina. I am Black, but I’m not American.’ Not being American doesn’t mean that I’m not going through the same things that somebody who grew up here did, I was just raised a little differently.”

Holley added, “Growing up, I was always the odd ball anyway. I was never black enough… But for me, the Latinx community, I was always okay. I do think it has to with so many backgrounds in the Latinx community. It is a little easier [to be accepted]. You still have the racial questioning going in the community, but not as much in the educated community, but definitely outside of college.”

On an administrative level, NC State has made efforts to improve representation and consideration of its Latinx community, primarily through hiring capable staff in offices such as the Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA).

Lindo said, “As for the school portion, the staff that they’re hiring for these different offices, they have been really great people that have brought so much to the

Anna Lee/Nubian Message university to highlight that appreciation of culture. And they get students excited. From the alum standpoint, I see how excited the students are.

Back in the day when I started at NC State, it was the student’s job to celebrate diversity. It was hard because some of us were dealing with our own identities, plus we got school, this, and that, so it’s nice to have people to take our ideas to actually make them come to fruition and make them happen.”

But even with these strides, there is still room for NC State to improve. From preemptively supplying admissions applications’ instructions in Spanish to placing more Latinx people in administrative positions, the school can do to further support Latinx students in general.

Holley said, “When we don’t have as many people represented in administration, why would they think about us? They never had to think about how I’m going to go to college, how am I going to pay for college, how am I going to translate this to my parents. Even in poorer white and black communities, there are things we have to do to help our parents out because they aren’t higher educated.

Imagine that with a language barrier.”

Holley asserted that having more diverse people in these positions leads to more understanding and consideration of issues that affect students from different backgrounds. Without those perspectives, such issues may go unacknowledged, and that unacknowledgement doesn’t make a welcoming campus. “What draws people to a university is not just the grades or rankings. It’s also, ‘Will I feel at home?’”

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opinion

Remember Who You Are When high school seniors receive letters from colleges of their choice, accepting them into the upcoming fall semester, immediate amounts of exhilaration are typically felt. Most are excited for the new Oluwajoba adventure, some are Ogun relieved that they actually Staff Writer received acceptance letters, but others are nervous, knowing that they are entering a strange world — a place where it’s hard to find others that look like you, or that puts you in a corner because you’re a minority — where they will be forced to answer important but intimidating questions like, ‘ what do you plan on becoming? Future goals? Dream career?’

And the most grueling: Who are you going to set yourself to become?

The popular Netflix show, Dear White

People, follows a group of African-American students that attend a Predominantly White Institute, named Winchester University. The show is centered on the identity issues that Black people face on campus — a campus that so proudly diminishes their culture, and intentionally mimics it. Many episodes shine a light on pressures from family members to continue the legacy, losing oneself to fit in with the majority, the importance of support groups, black organization and bringing awareness to the problems that are currently faced on PWIs. In many African-American homes, parents instill in their children the importance of hard- work, especially when it comes to education. Some people live by the words, “You gotta do whatever is necessary to succeed,” because of the shared upbringing of sacrificing everything so your children don’t have to suffer. Some parents stress the value of legacy — the feeling of when their child follows in their footsteps is one of great substance. Though others can

push one overboard to the point where they are left in a space of uncertainty.

Since PWIs have a low population of Blacks, Black students are pushed to a crowd where they are forced to maneuver their way into an unusual world. Losing oneself in school is already an easy allure — the parties, the drinks, the procrastination, the outfits — but then adding on the idea of doing it to blend in with crowd — the so called, doing it to make yourself “cool” or “seen” — a person starts to realize the loss of identity and searches to gain sense of self.

This stems from low self-esteem, people not having the confidence to step away from the norm because of feeling wanted and appreciated is much more satisfying, especially in a place of unfamiliarity.

In a school that sets high expectations and has rigorous courses, a student can become easily overwhelmed, primarily if that student is a minority. According to Austin Astin’s theory of student involvement, the more students are involved in university,

like student organizations, the more likely they are to enjoy college and ultimately graduate. Though there are a lot of Black organizations that are now rooted in PWIs, they aren’t being promoted like any other white organization on campus.

Some may argue that progress has been made, that African-American have made their ground on the campuses of predominantly white institutions, and that we’ve come a long way for integration.

Yes that is true, but the issue is not one of inclusion but of support. Is the Black culture fully embraced?

As we start to immerse ourselves into the school year at NC State, it is important to learn new things, meet new people and experience new cultures, but let’s not forget about our own. Join and uplift the many black organizations on campus — crucial places designed to help students find their place, especially the new wolfpack.

Do Black Athletes have a Responsibility to Attend HBCUs? Jasmine Mckoy Correspondent

Jemele Hill is in the spotlight again, but this time it’s a little different than last. Hill is most known for her career at ESPN that was cut short when she tweeted about President Donald Trump being a “white supremacistst”. Hill was suspended for two weeks for violating company guidelines.

Later, ESPN announced that she would anchor her final show and gave the option elsewhere for another role within the company. Jemele would then move to where she is currently a staff writer for The Atlantic, where she covers sports, race, culture and politics. The Atlantic has released content for their Oct. 2019 Issue and one article is creating buzz.

Jemele Hill wrote an article, “It’s Time for Black Athletes to Leave White Colleges” that highlights a few key points.

Hill talks about the greediness of the NCAA and of white institutions that are fueled “largely on the exertions of

(uncompensated) Black athletes.” I can agree with that statement. According to the U.S Department of Education and additional data collected by USA Today, in the year 2017 the NCAA reported $1.1 billion in revenue, with about 30 Division I schools bringing in no less than $100 million in athletic revenue. Hill’s article stated, “Black men make up only 2.4 percent of the total undergraduate population of the 65 schools in the so-called Power Five athletic conferences. Yet Black men make up 55 percent of the football players in those conferences, and 56 percent of basketball players.” Student-athletes, mainly Black athletes, don’t see any of that money.

Hill would then go on to mention why we need HBCUs. “Despite constituting only 3 percent of four-year colleges in the country, HBCUs have produced 80 percent of the Black judges, 50 percent of the Black lawyers, 50 percent of the Black doctors, 40 percent of the Black engineers, 40 percent of the Black members of Congress, and

13 percent of the Black CEOs in America today.”

Another point that Hill made was that Black athletes lure in money and recognition to the predominantly white institutions (PWI) that showcase them.

Hill’s article stated that in 2016-17 Alabama’s athletic department generated $174 million, compared to Prairie View A&M with $18 million. Prairie View A&M was the HBCU that made the most money that year. With that kind of money rolling in HBCUs will never be able to compete with PWI when it comes to athletic facilities, resources, stipend checks, etc.

A Black student-athlete here at NC State, who chose to remain anonymous stated, “People confuse what college athletics is at its core. It’s a business and a platform to get you to the next level. Is it doable at a HBCU? Absolutely, but if you come from a power 5 it helps you more and the resources aren’t comparable.”

The points that Hill raised are truthful.

Yes, the NCAA is greedy. Yes, HBCUs are vital. Yes, Black athletes are powerful and can change the game. But, when it comes down to it, athletes have to be able to market and brand themselves. As much as the schools take from these athletes, they have to at least be somewhere where they know they can be successful. Athletes go to a school that can prepare them and give them exposure to make it to the next level.

Some athletes use sports as an escape to give themselves and their family a better life.

Athletes are more than just athletes, they are people. People who have made sacrifices and busted their behinds to make it to the best programs, it would be crazy to tell them that they should go to a school that could get in the way of their goals.

I think it would take a little bit more than just athletes choosing a HBCU over a PWI to help HBCUs financially.

opinion

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I’M TIRED: a spiel from a tired n***a As a Black CONTRIBUTED BY student at a AN ANONYMOUS predominantly SOURCE

white institution, I am constantly fighting for a seat at the table.

While this is unfortunate, it just so happens to be my reality. This reality also extends to spaces such as the Black community here on campus.

As a child of African immigrants, I often wonder where I fit in within the Black community here at NC State. While there are spaces catered towards people like me, in the greater community, we often get written out of the picture. Things that are supposedly catered to the entirety of the community often get pushed towards whatever the majority wants.

Black and African-American are not synonymous. There are Black people who are not African-American. There are Black people who do not get to attend annual family reunions -- their family members are living on a completely different continents.

There are Black people who have a different perspective of the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s --

their countries were fighting for and gaining independence during this period.

Black unification should not result in Black people who hold other identities having to “get with it or get lost.” Black unification should aim to unify ALL Black people.

There have already been movements catered towards unifying Black people as a whole -- Pan Africanism. The definition of Pan-Africanism is “the belief that unity is vital to economic, social and political progress and aims to ‘unify and uplift’ people of African descent.” During the prime of this movement, Black people from across the diaspora unified as one cause. The unification happened at the Pan-African conferences. Around 1945, the conferences fell off. Over time, the true meaning of the movement has gotten lost in the sauce.

The discussion of Pan-Africanism is very interesting, especially because we have a Pan-African week here on campus.

The discussion of the week truly being Pan-African has caused a lot of arguments and open ended, meaningless apologies.

Apparently, if people are not informed of the meetings discussing the planning (and therefore not able to attend the meetings), they are not allowed to say anything. The shade and the indirect shots took away from the larger picture, the potential to reevaluate Pan-Af week. Now, before you get upset (again), please ask yourself: Do I actually know what Pan-Africanism is? Who were some key leaders of the movement? Does our Pan-Af week reflect the true origins of the movement or is it more similar to a Black Excellence week? All of these are very important questions that should have been raised from the initial article.

Pan-Africanism is more than an excuse to pull out that fake, made in china, Kente that has been rebranded as African Cloth.

Pan-Africanism is more than just dressing up and looking cute. Pan-Africanism is about unification. Unifying around things that are largely representative of AfricanAmerican culture is not true unification.

I will acknowledge that effort has been made towards being more inclusive but the discussion still holds true -- how are the

events representative of the entirety of the diaspora? How are these events different from anything else that could happen literally any other week of the year? What is the distinguishing factor? We need to make sure that Pan-Af week is actually more than just a time to get lit.

All of this to say: while Blackness is a unifying factor -- it is not the end all. Please be mindful when you are entering new spaces. While Black students are a minority at this institution, please keep in mind that there are intersections that Black people still fall into. Black people can hold more identities than just their Blackness. Be self aware and check yourself and your privilege.

It is not the job of the people in these intersections to educate you -- we are tired.

We do not exist to educate others about things that nobody had to educate us about.

Be mindful and be kind, forever and always.

- A tired NC State Student