Nubian Message, Sept. 26, 2019 — Sneakerheads: for us, by us

NUBIANMESSAGE

NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | THURSDAY, september 26, 2019

sneakerheads: For us, by us

THURSDAY, september 26, 2019 | 2

Letter from the editor Hi Everyone, I hope you all are having a great semester thus far! The month of October is going to be a busy month so get ready!

October means that it is time to start gearing up for exams. But it also means another NUBIAN MESSAGE COMMUNITY CALENDAR!! This month’s calendar is filled with even more events from the Multicultural Student Affairs Latinx Heritage Month celebration. Some of these events include the first Barrio party held in the Poole College of Management, the Poet X book club and more!

October also signifies National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Therefore, the month will be filled with tons of events. Be sure to take a break from studying to experience some of them.

In this issue, we have covered a few events that you may have missed last month. To start, on page two, you will find a recap of Sneakerhead: Intersectionality of Hip-Hop Heritage and Hypbeast. The event features photographs from NC State’s very own Robyn Bess. She is the owner of her own photography company, and we are so privileged to have her work on the cover of this issue! Along with Bess’ photo’s, the event featured Raleigh native 9th Wonder as well as an ambassador from Cantu and faculty from NC State’s School of Textiles.

In this issue, we also covered an Afro-Latina speaker in the African-American Cultural Center. The event was titled Sazon y Flava: Accepting My Afro-Latinidad When No One Else Would. During the event, speaker Maralis Mercado Emerson, discussed topics such as Amara La Negra, accepting your identity and creating spaces for yourself. This story can be found on page 4.

And speaking of creating space for yourself, in this issue you will find one of our first features about Black Athletes on campus. This feature is about Devonte Brown, a talented Baseball player who discusses the intersectionality of being a Black Athlete at NC State. As we continue through the school year, there will be more features on Athletes to further the conversation of what it means to be a Black athlete at NC State.

Finally, following through with our theme of being a platform to showcase the opinions and talents of students. We have also included a feature on our previous cover artists, Jew’el Lucas. In the feature, Lucas discusses her business and her artistic process. And for the opinion section, Shawn Fredricks has given us some insight on his trip to Africa.

We hope you enjoy this issue.

Best of luck, Yesenia Jones

THISISSUE 3

SNEAKERHEADS

4

AFRO-LATINA

5

JE’WEL LUCAS

6

BLACK ABROAD

The Intersection of Hip hop, Heritage and Hypebeast Bridging the Identity divide Owner of Black Jewels Studying abroad in Ghana

cover photo BY robyn bess robynbessphotography.com @thebessphotos

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.

THURSDAY, september 26, 2019 | 3

news

NC State Professors Discuss the Cultural Impact of Sneakerheads kevin moye Managing Editor

Dr. Delisia Matthews, assistant professor of Fashion and Textile Management in the Wilson College of Textiles, and Dr. Qiana Cryer-Coupet, an assistant professor of Social Work in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences joined students at Witherspoon to present their research on the fashion community known as “sneakerheads.”

The research project brought both of their disciplines together on the subject with Matthews focusing on the consumer trends of sneakerheads and Cryer-Coupet discussing the racial and familial dynamics of sneakerheads.

What Matthews and Cryer-Coupet discovered was that being a sneakerhead went far deeper than just having a material appreciation for shoes. For most, the material appreciation of sneakers was just the surface of their fandom. In the interviews they conducted, the researchers found that sneakers could act as a vehicle for parenting, historical appreciation and pieces of expression.

Matthews discussed the consumer themes that were most apparent among the sneakerheads they interviewed. She pointed to themes of nostalgia for historically significant shoes, a love for Jordans, and the sense of belonging that comes with being apart of the sneakerhead community as driving factors in consumer behavior.

Cryer-Coupet’s portion of the presentation portrayed the importance of sneakers in the Black community. The interviews she and Matthews conducted contained a common theme of Black fathers using sneakers as a method for parenting their children.

“Three things emerged from this,” Cryer-Coupet said. “The first being this sense of belonging and connection. The next would be this idea of freedom of expression. Being able to select what you want your style to be and passing that message on to sons and daughters was very important for the fathers in our study.

Lastly, the thing that came through pretty strongly was this idea of entrepreneurship.

Utilizing the ability to buy, sell, and trade,

Pack the Vote: How to Make Your Vote Count Recently, our nation celebrated #NationalVoterRegistrationDay. A day that was held to increase knowledge surrounding voter registration. Here in Raleigh, our elections will be taking place on Oct. 8 for both the mayoral and city council seats in the city. Here is a brief guide on how to prepare yourself to vote:

REGISTER

All registrations must be completed by filling out a North Carolina Voter Registration Application. This document can be found on the NC State Board of Elections “Registering to Vote” website or the NC Voter Guide “register” page. Once completed and signed, you can either mail or bring your application to the Wake County Board of Elections office at 1200 N. New Hope Road.

nick faulkner/Staff Photographer

Men’s basketball coach, Kevin Keatts. Wolfpack themed sneakers at a game versus Clemson. to gain intergenerational wealth.”

The research presentation was followed by a panel discussion led by self-proclaimed sneakerheads. The eclectic panel consisted of the owners of the local Raleigh sneaker shop Capital BST, a fashion marketer, a Cantu brand ambassador, a lifelong sneakerhead academic, and the Grammy-winning producer 9th Wonder.

9th Wonder highlighted the heterodox nature of sneaker collection during the panel discussion.

“One of the things we can collect is sneakers,” said 9th Wonder. “It’s just like a mom and dad that collects baseball cards and passes them down to their son or daughter. For me, it’s not just the actual sneaker or just wearing it -- it’s the idea of collecting something and having it be a part of history.”

Given his illustrious career in the music industry, 9th Wonder was also able to speak directly on the intersection of hiphop and the sneakerhead community.

“It goes past the sneakers,” he said. “Hiphop is basically like the past 40 years of fashion. I don’t think that fashion would survive without hip-hop at all. Hip-hop is arguably the most daring art form on

the face of the Earth. It is straight without premise. The Clyde, the Stan Smith, the Air Jordan -- that is 100 percent a hip-hop creation.”

With two female panelists on the stage, the event also showcased the gender-neutral appeal of sneakers. Melissa Cantey, a professional blogger and Cantu Brand Ambassador, discussed the long journey that women underwent to become members of the sneakerhead community. She spoke not only on the importance of women being added to the community, but on ways for women to maintain and build on their status as sneakerheads.

“I think it’s been a long time coming for us, but we’re here now and we have a voice,” Cantey said. “It was male-dominated for a long time and now we’re here and taking strides and putting ourselves out there. We’re letting the younger generation know that they can collect sneakers too.

They don’t have to be tomboys — we can wear sneakers with dresses, with skirts, with suits. It can be our thing too.”

CHECK YOUR REGISTRATION STATUS

The Wake County Board of Elections has created an intuitive online registry to check the status of your voting information. To check it, you have to go to the WakeGov Board of Elections “View My Voter Information” page online. From there, you will fill in your voter information such as name and county to search the database for your information.

REVIEW CANDIDATE PLATFORMS

Each candidate has a platform on their website that included their views and goals for the district. Prior to voting, it is important to do your research on all candidates running in your local elections.

VOTE

Once everything is taken care of, go out and vote! For those on or close to campus, the closest polling place will be the Pullen Community Center. Every vote matters, but particularly in local elections so be sure to make your voice heard.

THURSDAY, september 26, 2019 | 4

features

Maralis Mercado Emerson Examines the Intersectionality of Afro-Latinas oluwajoba ogun On Sept. 18, 2019, the AfriStaff Writer

can-American Cultural Center held a special event as part of Latinx Heritage Month. Guest speaker, storyteller and wellness coach, Maralis Mercado Emerson took the audience down memory lane as she discussed her journey of acceptance as an Afro-Latina.

Emerson presented a slideshow, showcasing her family and photos of her college days. She also included information about how Afro-Latinos came to be, dating back to the Atlantic Slave Trade.

The purpose of this event was to shut down the false stories of the Latinx community while also encouraging people to embrace who they are, just the way they are.

Emerson begins with introducing who she is: a half Puerto Rican and half Dominican Afro-Latina.

“My people come from coconut milk and sugarcane and rice and beans with a little bit of thickness on the side,” Emerson said.

Emerson also brings up how hard it was growing up in South Florida because she didn’t know what to identify with.

“I remember sitting in class,” Emerson said, “and my classmate was like, ‘well what are you?’ And I’m like ‘well I’m Hispanic’ ‘but you’re Black’ and I’m like ‘I speak Spanish’ ‘but you’re Black!’ and that stuck with me.”

She attacks the corrupt system of ignoring the diversity of this world.

“There’s a whole nother level and a whole nother layer of colorism and racism back in our countries,” Emerson said.

Emerson also brought attention to how Afro-Latinos don’t get enough research that they deserve, especially in the medical field.

“If you look at it from a public health perspective,” Emerson said, “there’s very little research on Afro-Latino health… there’s no research on what diabetes, health disease, hypertension any of that looks like for the Afro-Latino community…”

Many “mhmms” and head nods were dispersed throughout the room as audience members resonated with her truthfulness through the speech.

Emerson continues to talk about the importance of representation through her son.

“It wasn’t until I had my first son and I was trying to figure some artwork for him and I was like, ’I can’t find Afro-Latino art-

ists.’ This is ridiculous to me because the art comes from Black people,” Emerson said.

“I need to figure out more of my background,” Emerson said. “I need to learn more because I have to leave this for my sons. If I’m gone tomorrow, they are going to know that they are both Black and Latino and no one can take that away from them.”

She also told a compelling and humorous story about her experience at North Carolina Central University when they brought the musical artist, Amara La Negra.

“She’s cute or whatever but she said something that hurt my entire soul,” Emerson said. “We as young people, as millennials, we didn’t have Afro Latina role models growing up. They didn’t exist.”

Some girls whispered, “that’s not true” and Emerson, hearing that retorted.

“Right, it’s not true. They existed, but the system forgot to mention that they existed,” Emerson said.

From there, Emerson discussed the significance of educating our own people, “My older folks, when I ask them — we ask him,’ aside from being Latino,” Emerson said. “Which one of these would you say you are?’ and they’re like ‘I don’t understand the question, I’m Latino, so I guess white?’ or they’ll pick because they just don’t know.”

Emerson then brought attention to how social media and the news have a good and bad impact on how Afro-Latinos are viewed and how that can negatively affect the Afro-Latino community. ”I think about how it can be both a help

and a hindrance — like it’s a help because you’re seeing all this information being provided and it’s right there in front of your face in tactile, but it could also hurt because I can’t even watch the news,” Emerson said.

The root of her presentation was then expressed as she asked three simple words, “AM I ENOUGH?” She continues with speaking about her process of self-identity and why it’s critical for the younger ones to quickly grasp theirs.

“For so many years of my life, I walked around not even knowing who I was,” she said. “I didn’t understand that, and I didn’t have to choose because everybody always made me choose…

It wasn’t until recently, honestly, that I’m like ‘No I am enough and this is who I am’...I’m gonna give you the definition so that you don’t define me. I’m gonna tell you who I am before you tell me who I am.

That’s power.”

Ayanis Lindo, an alumna of NC State and prior student in zoology, class of ‘17 discussed his reaction to the event.

“It’s 100 percent real [the event], that’s the best way I can describe it,” Lindo said.

“Because even though it was from her perspective, I also can identify with a lot of the things she said. Being about the fact of being too Latina to be Black or too Black to be Latina, that question of ‘what are you?’”

Shantoneeka Zorn, a graduate student, mastering in college counseling student research, who is also the graduate research assistant for the African-American Cultural Center gave her perspective on the event.

“I thought the event was really necessary,

I’m like ‘No I am enough and this is who I am’...I’m gonna give you the definition so that you don’t define me. I’m gonna tell you who I am before you tell me who I am. That’s power.”

contributed by maralis mercado emerson

not just because it’s Latinx Heritage Month,” Zorn said. “But as a Black person, I don’t necessarily always think about the other Black people that make up the diaspora and so having a speaker that was of African descent but also who identified with Latinas was really beneficial to see how their upbringing was different from ours.”

John Robinson-Miller IV, who is the program coordinator for the Cultural Center remarked on Emerson’s talk.

“We as a cultural center embrace the full diaspora, but it’s also recognizing that we have embraced particularly West Africa in the past, so this is like really a part of us really trying to unpack and embrace other parts of the diaspora,” Robinson-Miller said.

At the end of the presentation, Emerson stressed the importance of tearing down the mentality of how Black people and Latin people are supposed to look like and to engage others in the diversity of Blackness.

“I think about how we have role models — but there’s so much more,” Emerson said.

“There’s so much brilliance. There are people doing activism work in the community that you wouldn’t know because we’re not on the news because why would we?’ Black is a diaspora. People forget that.”

THURSDAY, september 26, 2019 | 5

features

For Us By Us: Black Jewels Naz Santiago Representation Correspondent for people of color

throughout NC State is important for the different cultural organizations. Je’wel Lucas, the owner of Black Jewels, a second-year majoring in Fashion Textile Management, represents the Black community through her works of art, as many may know, due to her ongoing growth on campus as an artist. Her style as an artist varies, while mainly having a focus on Afrocentric and surreal styles.

“My intent with my work is to represent and trigger thoughts,” Lucas said. “A lot of my art depicts the Black woman. I love drawing Black women because I want them to see the beauty that is in them. I draw a lot of darker-skinned women for this same reason. I want people to look at my work and be able to see themselves. I want it to make them happy and add value to their lives.”

The community has supported her business by asking for more content and helping her business grow. Lucas enjoys being able to provide the community with quality art through her available skills. She spoke on her growth as an artist.

“I grow every day as an artist,” she said.

“Being self-taught is very challenging, but it’s a challenge I love. I constantly create things that cause me to push my abilities and broaden my skills and it is grooming me to become better at my craft every day.”

Gaining inspiration as an artist can often be random, Lucas tells us about her inspirations and her thought process when coming up with an original idea for her pieces. Stating that she is inspired by everyday life. Lucas said that she gets inspiration from everyday events and a variety of sources.

However, every artist has that starting point that marks the beginning of their ongoing creations. The artists first began taking art seriously in high school.

“...When I took a drawing class elective in high school, I realized that I was really good at art and I just kept practicing,” the artist said.

She continued, “Eventually, I mustered up the courage to start a campaign on Custom Ink with one of my most liked design concepts. Since then, I have been teaching myself art and growing my consumer base, and now I’m here!”

Artists usually set goals for their businesses which drives growth. Without goals, a business can only go so far. She tells us about the goals she sets for herself when creating a piece.

“Some goals I set for myself while creating a piece are usually time goals,” she said. “For example, I try to create a due date for the canvas or I give myself a certain time frame to finish a certain part of the painting.”

For her business, Lucas sets goals that will emphasize inclusivity.

“For example, I don’t usually draw a lot of men, so I have set goals in the past to draw ‘x’ amount of men within a certain time frame,” the artist stated.

As an artist that continuously aims to provide representation for various groups as well as consistently create content, Lucas mentioned that she spends a lot of time on her craft.

“I have pieces that have taken me weeks and even months to complete, but I also have pieces that I completed in only a few hours,” she said. “I’ve had pieces that I worked on for so long, I lost interest in them and never finished. It happens.”

Due to the time-consuming nature of her craft, Lucas genuinely appreciates her supporters.

“With the help of my customers, I have been able to grow and manifest my goals,” she said. “I just want to give my supporters a shout out here. I would not be here without them.”

Photo Taken By Maayan EAves, A third-year majoring in Communications

NC State Baseball’s Devonte Brown

Photo Contributed by NC State’s Athletic’s Communications

Jasmine Mckoy At three-years-old in the city of WaterCorrespondent

town, NY, Devonte Brown was first introduced to the game of baseball. Brown had no idea that this game would open the door for even more experiences. Brown was introduced to the game by his father who played football and baseball in high school, and who later enlisted in the army at a young age.

In third grade the Brown family moved to Georgia; this is where Brown would continue his baseball career until he graduated high school. Brown would follow in his father’s footsteps and play both baseball and football in high school.

Brown was his football team’s running back. When deciding what sport he was going to pursue, it was a no-brainer.

“I think I’ve just always loved baseball, I mean I’ve played it way longer than I did football,” Brown said. “I played football when I was 10-years-old. I only played football just to have something to do when I wasn’t playing baseball. It’s what I did to keep me in shape.”

As Brown is entering his third year with the Wolfpack, he always knew he made the right choice by attending NC State.

“The reason I chose NC State is because I thought it was the best place for me to develop as a player and a student,” Brown said. “From the beginning, the coaches here were very involved with my family and I, they made me feel wanted so I really admire that about the coaching staff here. Also, NC State just felt like home away from home. Even though I’m seven hours away from home, I can never tell

that I’m away!”

Since Brown is away from home, family is important. When he is not on the field he enjoys hanging out with friends and family. Brown mentioned that his, “family comes every weekend,” and he even laughed mentioning that, “they’re coming next weekend!”

Being that Brown is one of four Black players on the baseball team, he opened up about his experience with being Black and playing baseball.

“It’s never been any different, I’ve always been treated the same as others,” Brown said. “I try not to set myself apart from others, I try to not make myself stand out.

I guess I just try to fit in, and do what I need to do. It’s been good, nothing out of the ordinary has happened.”

Brown’s roommates, David and Terrell, are also Black and on the baseball team and are some people he can talk to about anything -- even the personal stuff. Overall, the guys that make up the NC State Baseball team fit together to make up one big family and you can see that with how well the team plays together. Last year the team was ranked No. 1 by the Collegiate Baseball Ranking, this was the first time ever in program history.

The game of baseball will always have a lasting impact on Brown.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It taught me numerous things. I think if I didn’t have baseball, I don’t know what else I would be doing. I’ve never imagined my life without it.”

THURSDAY, september 26, 2019 | 6

opinion

LatinX Playlist

Black Abroad: My Journey Through the Motherland This past summer I had a life-changing experience; I traveled to Africa, specifically, the country of Ghana.

Traveling to Ghana was a once in a lifetime experience as it was almost a mythical journey Shawn full of ups downs and “Kweku” everything in between.

As I kept uncovering Fredericks the layers of Ghana I Staff Writer suddenly realized I was peeling back layers of myself. I studied abroad to study Ghana, which I did, but along the way, I also left with new knowledge of myself which did not bring me happiness, but peace and harmony.

2019 was the year of the return, something I did not know until I touched down into the country. The Year of The Return was a call for African people from all over the diaspora to come back to Ghana 400 years later from slavery.

When I found this out I truly believed God placed me here for a specific purpose — the timing was too perfect. And what a return it was. Walking through the streets of the capital city of Accra, I felt an ease that I have never felt before. Yes, I still had my initial anxiety, but they quickly melted away when I realized I am a thousand miles away from all the drama, pettiness and greed of the United States. I could just be me amongst my people with no limitations.

I could interact with people who knew who they were — who embraced themselves and their culture, unapologetically. I didn’t have to hide who I am. I could be me: express myself however I wanted to, no weird looks or anxious energy, I was just a brother.

Knowing who you are and the values you embrace is a type of freedom that is hard to put into words. When I gained such intimate knowledge of myself, I felt less anxious and more complete. I felt after all the sacrifices the ancestors made, the world is my oyster. There is a peace that comes after a tragedy that is strange to explain.

It is like I should be furious about the treatment of my ancestors, but there’s a tinge of a feeling of gratitude and acceptance that washes that anger away I feel like I have to be the best person I can be — not for myself but for the legacy of people who came before me, and that notion within itself brings me peace.

Peace in that I know, I know who I am and I know what it took to bring me to this point in my life. I lost the existential crises that come with the ‘who am I?’ question.

With losing that I can make more space for love, community and gratitude.

Being Black in America is weird. It is confusing and it is often dangerous. All those things and even more, but it’s really weird. See being Black in America you, as an individual, are constantly defined by how other people define what that is across the board. It’s not just white people — other Black people who do not even have a strong identity will dictate what Blackness is to other people.

I learned that being Black in Ghana is different — it is a point of pride and it is not something anyone has a monopoly over.

You can be poor and Black, rich and Black, a king or a queen, and anything else. Being Black is a point of pride and — I say this very considerately and carefully — it is not everything that you are you can be you and that is the ultimate type of freedom.

Another aspect of being Black in Ghana is valuing community. Here in America, we have the loosely based concept of association that we call the “Black community” — a community in which all Black people are supposed to be included, but are not, and some people do not even want to associate themselves with.

The Black community in America, just like the rest of America, is facing a crisis of intimacy. People are not close with each other and there is much pain and distrust.

Alongside that pain is a lack of forgiveness and, honestly, that perpetuates community pains.

In Ghana, I learned community comes from a place of love, a love that does not hold grudges or keep tabs on past wrongs. It comes from a place of intimacy. Families eat together, they share what they can without a second thought. Families live together without stigma or belittlement.

I learned many lessons in Ghana, but the biggest lesson is that there is nothing like knowing exactly who you are — the strength of identity is powerful. Also, community is an important part of learning who you are, and being in community with people has to come from a place of love. Lastly, love is forgiving honest and intimate.

playlist by Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe and Elikem Dodor

Graphic by Kyle howe

Pa Mi Corazon Sin Cara Con Altura

Here’s a look into a few of our favorite hits for Latinx History Month. The full playlist is available on our Spotify account.

Dalex Ft. Rafa Pabón Prince Royce Rosalía, J Balvin

Vivir Mi Vida

Marc Anthony

Suavemente

Elvis Crespo

Pretend

CNCO

Culiquitaca

Toño Rosario

Adiós Amo

Christian Nodal

X Bum Bum Tum Tum Baila Esta Cumbia

Nicky Jam, J Balvin MC Fiota Selena

THURSDAY, septemer 26, 2019 | 7

community calendar

October 2019 Here are a few events to look forward to next month sunday

6

monday

7

tuesday

20

27

thursday

friday

saturday

1

2

3

4

Barrio Party (Poole College of Management) ¹

Meet The Democratic Candidates (Talley 4270)

The Poet X -- Book Club (Women’s Center) ¹

Black Graduate Student Association (Witherspoon 356)

Asian Culture and Music Festival (Stewart Theater)

8

9

10

11

12

Searching Our First Lady’s Garden (Witherspoon Gallery)

“Navigating the Coming Out Process” (Talley 5230)

13

Wednesday

5

National Coming Out Day

14

15

16

17

18

19

Mi Familia General Body Meeting (TBD) ¹

LHM 2019 Keynote Address (Mountains Ballroom, Talley) ¹

Hip Hop Project (Witherspoon 356)

The Traveling Mixtape Series Presents Money Matters (MSA)

Love Your Body Day Summit

AfroPack (Harris Field)

21

22

23

24

25

26

Tiempo Radical Joy Session (Witherspoon 356) ¹

Growth and Opportunity Networking Night (McKimmon

28

29

30

The Workplace Response to Domestic Violence (Talley 4280)

Supporting Survivors 101 (Women’s Center)

Candy, Condoms CSA General Body Meeting* and Consent

Triangle LGBTQ+ Community History Panel (Witherspoon 356)

Center) ¹

Salsabor: A Night in Havana (Witherspoon, Sankofa Room) ¹

31 (Talley Lobby)

Disclaimer: We understand that this is not a comprehensive list of all the events occurring in the area. If you would like your event to be featured in future community calendars please email us at nubian-editor@ncsu.edu. For more information about the events listed, please check out the online version of our calendar. *Event is repeated throughout the month ¹ Event is a part of the Multicultural Student Affairs celebration of Latinx Heritage Month