Nubian Message, Oct. 17, 2019 — Inclusion: at what cost?

NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | THURSDAY, october 17, 2019

inclusion: at what cost?

THURSDAY, october 17, 2019 | 2

Letter from the editor Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a great fall break. It was a much needed time to relax and reorganize after a few disheartening events occurred on campus.

One of these events was an incident where a professor told his class that women are “useless.” The other incident was when a Black female student received photos of a monkey from a Caucasian male student. Both of these incidents were incredibly disappointing. As the Editor-In-Chief of the Nubian Message, I would like to make it known that I stand in solidarity with the students who have been affected by these issues. And I will do everything in my power to shed light on these incidents. One of the ways I am shedding light is by using the Nubian Message as a platform for the victims.

In this issue, you will find a recap of all of the events that occurred after an NCSU professor made misogynistic comments. You will also get the opportunity to learn about how this incident affected students. Unfortunately we were unable to include a recount of the other incident in this issue, however, be sure to check our website for the story that will go up soon.

Also in this issue, you will find an update on the recent Raleigh elections. The city made history by electing its first openly LGBTQ identifying politicians. See page three for more information about these candidates.

To follow our theme of showcasing NC State students, we have included another For Us, By Us column. We have featured two Black female entrepreneurs who are killing the game. See page six for more information about their businesses.

We hope that you enjoy this issue. And as always don’t forget to follow us @nubianmessage.

With love, Yesenia Jones

THISISSUE 4

MISOGYNY IN PHYSICS

5

YOUNG LATINOS’ ROLE IN FAMILIES

Physics professor makes sexist comments during lecture Finding one’s true self

6

BLACK ENTREPRENEURSHIP

7

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE’S DAY

Discussions with Robyn and Je’Lia Moving away from Columbus

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

THURSDAY, october 17, 2019 | 3

Raleigh Moves Left After City Elections

left: Natalie Folsom /Staff Photographer Raleigh election campaign signs for the upcoming Raleigh elections can be found throughout the city. The city of Raleigh is holding its general elections and all seven city council seats on Oct. 8, 2019. right: Photo of Saige Martin contributed by The National Black Worker Center Project.

Last Tuesday, Oct. 8, municipal kevin moye Managing Editor elections were held in Raleigh with city

council spots and the mayor’s seat up for grabs. The election cycle resulted in a progressive wave with representatives of this side of the left winning key positions.

With the incumbent mayor, Nancy MacFarlane, choosing not to run the race for her position was wide open. Six challengers ran to occupy the newly opened position: Mary-Ann Baldwin, Charles Francis, Caroline, Sullivan, Zainab Baloch, Justin L. Sutton, and George Knott.

Baldwin and Francis secured the lion’s share of votes in the election with them receiving 38 percent and 31 percent of the votes, respectively. Sullivan followed them with her receiving 20 percent of the vote while Baloch, Sutton and Knott ended their nights in the single-digits.

On Friday, Oct. 11, it was declared that Baldwin would be the next mayor of Raleigh as Francis declined to pursue challenging her again in a November run-off election. The race would have been a familiar scene for Francis as it would have marked the second-straight mayoral race for him to end in a run-off.

Raleigh law mandates that a candidate must win by a majority vote to have an outright winner. An election where neither candidate exceeds the 50 percent threshold has the option go to a run-off election where a simple plurality will then suffice.

The former City Council member, Baldwin, has already

identified some of the issues she will be prioritizing in her time as mayor. She has cited Raleigh’s housing crisis, public transit and job creations as the most pressing matters she will face.

Baldwin credited her victory to the grassroot movement her campaign was able to create through connecting to voters.

“I went around this city talking to lots of people about my experience on the city council,” Baldwin stated. “I talked to them about the issues that I felt passionate about and that I took action on.”

The elections also brought a historic outcome in regards to the city council. For the first time ever, Raleigh will get its first LGBTQ City Council members. Saige Martin and Jonathan Melton, two openly gay challengers won their races against incumbent City Council members.

The twenty-eight-year-old, Martin, will be representing District D. The race for District D saw three challengers, Brittany Bryan, Saige Martin and April Parker, attempt to dethrone the incumbent, Kay Crowder. Martin secured the largest share of votes at 47 percent, while Kay Crowder ended the night with 33 percent of the votes.

Martin embarked on his campaign with a host of leftwing policies. He has placed “housing as a right” and the need for the creation of a long-term renewable energy plan in Raleigh as key policies he will pursue as a City Council member.

Like the mayoral race, voters would have gotten the chance to choose between Martin and Crowder in the November run-off election. However, Crowder opted out of entering the race in a concession post on Facebook.

“I thank all of the residents of Raleigh’s District D for the great honor and privilege of serving as your city councilor,” Crowder said. “It has been exciting to be a part of the wonderful changes that have made this city the best in the country. I wish Mr. Martin all the best as he works to keep District D a wonderful place to live, work and play.”

Fellow elected LGBTQ Council Member, Jonathan Melton joined Martin in making Raleigh history by dethroning the incumbent, Russ Stephenson. Melton ran for the at-large Council position meaning that he will represent each district of Raleigh. The new Council Member campaigned on a message of developing Raleigh while still attending to the needs of those often left behind by growth projects.

Nicole Stewart, the second incumbent for the at-large City Council position held on to her spot by a dominant margin.

Stewart garnered 33.7 percent of the at-large votes -- a 10 percent higher margin than her elected counterpart, Melton.

With the election of its first two LGTBQ City Council members and a host of progressive leadership, Raleigh can expect to continue and expand upon its path of liberal policy-making.

THURSDAY, october 17, 2019 | 4

news

Protest Playlist

NC State Suspends Professor for Sexist Comments Staff Report NC State professor of physics, E. David Davis, has been suspended for misogynistic comments made during a lecture of his course PY 211, College Physics I. The move comes after the university launched an investigation into Davis due to complaints made by students about his comments.

The comments made by Davis were publicized by students of the class on social media. The inflammatory remarks quickly received widespread attention as students grew outraged by the professor.

Cheyenne Bradford, a third-year biology major and student of Davis’ PY 211 class, was in attendance when the professor made his crass comments. She says that the professor’s diatribe began after he randomly called on students to present a homework assignment they had already covered.

“He chose one woman randomly and she replied that she forgot her diagram,” Bradford said. “Dr. Davis then asked the young woman the following questions: ‘How old are you? How long have you suffered from this short term memory loss? Were you dropped on your head as a child?’”

Davis then selected another female student in the classroom to present their diagram. After saying that she, too, left hers at home, Davis called the women in the classroom “useless.”

The comment immediately created tension among students in the class. Maria Haque, a third-year in the class, fired back at the professor for aiming his unprofessional comments at students. Davis defended his comments by claiming they were jokes.

“Well, obviously, it was a joke,” Davis said. “Women are obviously useful because we need them for a species to reproduce.”

After the event had taken place, the departmental head of the physics program, Paul Huffman, sent out an apology email to students in Davis’ section of the PY 211 class. The email informed students that Davis would no longer be their instructor for the course. Students were also encouraged to fill out reports to the university’s Bias Impact Response Team The comments made by Davis coincide with reviews of him posted on the online instructor review site, Rate My Professors.

There, Davis received a low overall quality rating of 1.7 with some reviewers pointing

to his “snarky” and “cynical” comments in class as common components of his teaching style.

Davis’ sexist comments come as another example of the adversity women in STEM commonly face. Bradford gave her perspective on how the comments made her feel as a woman studying a STEM subject.

“Everyone knows that in order to be a professor at somewhere like NC State, you need to be distinguished and accomplished,” Bradford said. “To have an accomplished STEM professor say that you are ‘useless’ is extremely disheartening because it makes you feel like you’re never going to make it in STEM.” Nubian Message contacted Paul Huffman for comments regarding the situation. Huffman deferred to the university statement on the matter stating that the physics department could not provide any additional information.

“The faculty member has been immediately suspended from teaching while this incident is being further investigated,” Huffman said. “At NC State, we take pride in our campus culture which values and strives to live our commitment to diversity, inclusion and equity.”

Student leaders were quick to come to condemn the actions of the physics professors.

Inter-Residence Council President, Noah Grady, empathized with the students in his message underscoring the damage caused by the physics professor.

“His words perpetuate the stigma of female-identified students in STEM fields and exemplify that we as an institution have an alarming space for improvement regarding marginalized individuals in spaces of higher education,” Grady said.

Student Body President, Emma Carter, also released a statement on the situation calling for students and faculty to practice the values of inclusivity that NC State claims to represent.

“We want to come together and remember that the Strength of the Pack is the Wolf but the Strength of the Wolf is the Pack,” Carter said. “We want to treat our classmates with kindness and let them know that they are welcome here.”

Graphic by Kyle howe

playlist by Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe and Elikem Dodor We stand in solidarity with the members of the NC State community that have been the targets of discrimination from faculty and students. This playlist aims to capture the spirit of protest and resistance that marginalized communities have continuously embodied.

The full playlist is available on our Spotify account.

I Shot The Sheriff Zombie They Don’t Care About Glory Fire In Soweto 16 shots Is It Because I’m Black Nongqongqo Fight The Power Rivers of Babylon Get Up Stand up

Bob Marley Fela Michael Jackson Common, John Legend Sonny Okosun Vic Mensa Syl Johnson Miriam Makeba Public Enemy Boney M Bob Marley

news

THURSDAY, october 17, 2019 | 5

BloomHomies: Redefining Masculinity Oluwajoba Ojun Staff Writer

On Oct. 15, 2019, the Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA) hosted an open mic night as the last event for Latinx Heritage Month. The guest speakers, BloomHomie, a group of Latino men that advocate the importance of redefining what it means to be masculine, shared their own experiences through a handful of talents: poems, songs, beatboxing and encouraged the audience to do the same.

The theme of the night stressed the current issues with being a young Latino in the US - from the racial divide of the Latino community as well as different ethnic groups to the pressure of emphasizing men’s role in the family, this occasion highlighted the importance of self-expression.

The night started with introductions, as the Assistant Director of Community Outreach and Engagement and the Chair of Latinx Heritage Month, Marcella Torres-Cervantes, introduced the members of the group as well as giving an opening as to what the purpose of the event was.

“I would like to take a moment to honor the land beneath us,” Torres-Cervantes said.

“The land that NC State University sits on is land that was originally stewarded by two indigenous tribes. We honor these tribes today by recognizing that this institution of higher education is built on land stolen from those who were here before the colonizers arrived…We must acknowledge the history of the spaces and places we occupy to both understand and unlearn the many ways we have been socialized. It is an honor to stand before you today as we celebrate ethnicities, heritage, histories and cultures at the university.”

Rudy Torres, one of the BloomHomies, went on to be the Master of Ceremonies (MC) of the event as he elaborated on the work he does and the significance it brings to the Latino community.

“I hold open mics all over LA county, in communities where we don’t really have access to many art programs and opportunities, so it’s a great pleasure that we do that here today with you,” Torres said. “Tonight is really about you...there’s a lot of people in the room that have a lot of things to say about their Latin existence.”

The open mic portion of the event began as students who signed up were called on to showcase their talent with their intended message.

James Daniels, a third-year majoring in

The logo for the mental health collective, Bloom Homie middle-school language arts and social studies education, was the first to go. He performed his poems and showcased his raps.

His poem, ‘Hammerhead’ details the ongoing racial and political issues that are continuously brought to the forefront of America.

“Listen, I am still forced to be the mediator,” Daniels said, “I am the hammerhead that sees both sides so it makes sense that I missed the red flags in front of me because of the bullsh*t that I’m made to see.”

Next to perform was Mateo Gill, one of the BloomHomies.

Gill is a community organizer and men-circle facilitator. He dedicates his work to men matching their minds with their hearts so that they can return to their truths.

He showcased his message through poetry and beatboxing.

His first poem, ‘Depression’ focused on his childhood and how he dealt with many emotions and how he learned how to handle them.

“When I was younger I was like a really depressed kid and I had a lot of anger, a lot of sadness and what I realized over the years is that like failure to manage emotions can be the difference between living and dying,” Gill said.

“It feels like my life is pointless, meaningless, no longer worth it,” Gill said. “Should I

continue to fight, or should I just forfeit...

When the monster grows, I’ll feed it to my ego, become the dark version of myself and be the hero.”

Madison Darley, a first year majoring in engineering, recited her poem about real love.

“I’m not scared of commitment, I’m scared of attachment,” Darley said. “I’m scared of being left when you’re all I have left...I was taught that real love is when you can stand all types of weather, but you left when you heard the thunder and now that makes me wonder if you were ever for real.

Real love is just surreal. Young love that was all a dream. Now I know everything isn’t as good as it seems” Kailee Storie, a first year studying agricultural education, felt inspired by the open mic performances.

“I really liked the open mic portion,” Storie said. “It was very inspiring. It made me really appreciate everything and understand it a little bit better.”

Morgan Yorton, a first-year studying elementary education also commented on the open mic acts.

“I really liked being able to have my mind opened up to a part, and to an aspect of something that I’ve never experienced or lived,” Yorton said. “So it was really nice to see other people’s experiences and what they have gone through, lived through and survived.”

Raniah Jealys, a fourth-year majoring in business education and finance said: “I thought it was really important for the Latinx community because I think there’s a lot of things we always feel, but we never like really want to talk about so this open mic night was just a chance for us to really speak and get our words out,” Jealys said.

“This is not something just in my head, this is something that everyone else in this community is feeling and it kinda just brings us a lot closer, more like tight knit and I just like, love that.”

Nicole Lopez, a third-year majoring in social work spoke about how she loved the authenticity in the performances.

“I really loved the ability for people to take up space, and just be real and vulnerable in front of an audience that some people understood -- some people may have never been exposed to that kind of performance before,” Lopez said. “But I thought it was so important for people to really see the Latinx and the other communities -- whoever just wanted to perform talk about what they needed to talk about.”

Chyra Savage, a fourth-year majoring in computer engineering shared new things that she learned coming to the event.

“I would say sharing stories, being able to just hear about people...to hear something different… getting to hear about Latinx people and their community,” Savage said.

To close up the event, Figgy Baby, one of the three BloomHomies, who is an international Latinx rapper and performer who uses music to help others recognize their identity and truth as evolving parts of life, performed melodies of his hits, getting the crowd involved as he occasionally pointed the mic to them, encouraging them to sing along.

“I hope that people see that men can be different.” Figgy Baby said “That men don’t necessarily have to be this traditional toxic person. We can be healthy versions in community, with our friends, with our family” Torres ended the night with a heartfelt message to Latino men about the importance of opening up and deconstructing toxic masculinity.

“We can be emotional, we can be vulnerable, we can be open about things with our loved ones, with our homies” Torres said.

THURSDAY, october 17, 2019 | 6

features

For Us, By Us: Robyn Bess and Je’Lia Russell Bring Black Entrepreneurship to NCSU Naz Santiago Correspondent

College can often be a journey for young entrepreneurs to begin making moves across campus and to begin the process of letting their names be known around the area. Being a young college student entrepreneur can be challenging, especially when trying to keep the business alive and going. Robyn Bess, a fourth-year majoring in communications and a photographer on campus shares her starting point with the camera.

“My father is a photographer, I saw him taking pictures of things in nature, I remember going to the Daniel Stowe Botanical garden and taking pictures of my mom and it came out really nice and that is when my interest in photography started,” Bess said.

“But I got my first camera when I was 13 -- it was my first DSLR that my dad got for me, but I didn’t start taking it seriously until high school.”

In order for a business to be successful there has to be growth, Bess tells us about her growth as a photographer.

“I am growing in the technical aspects of taking pictures, understanding color, light and angles,” Bess said. “I am also growing as a business person.”

Je’Lia Russell, a third-year criminology major, shares her experiences as a young college student with a business that caters mainly to Black females who want their hair done.

“I started by watching my mother who had her cosmetology license, she was the one to inspire me,” Russell said. “I started practicing on my own hair then I slowly started doing other people’s hair.’’

“I want to be able to provide an affordable hair service to college students because it’s hard out here, and a lot of hairstylists overcharge,” said Russell. “It is extremely time consuming, especially as someone who doesn’t have formal training so it takes longer sometimes,” Russell admits.

Bess expresses the challenge of time consumption that comes with having her own photography business.

“It is time consuming but I went to a workshop where they said you get out what you give in,” Bess said. “If I want to invest in my business I have to put in that time, but I don’t drive myself crazy or stress too much about it.”

While having a side-business as a college student can often be very time consuming, these women relish being able to provide the community with their time and skills.

“I enjoy seeing people be happy after receiving their pictures and building that confidence and relationships with each person who steps in front of my camera because then I get a chance to understand people,” Bess said.

These young women set goals for their businesses in order for them to grow. Russell states what her goals are as a hairstylist.

“One major goal I have is to make myself more accessible and available,” Russell said.

College has allowed Russell’s business to expand around campus and she states that she gets more clients than what she started off with.

Having a business on campus can often be a starter for long term goals, Bess declares what her long term goals are as a photographer.

“My goal is to have my own makerspace studio by 30, working full time as a photographer,” she said.

Students of color that have side businesses tend to cater to college students of color as well, making it important for us to support these businesses.

“For my photography, because I do mainly shoot people of color, I definitely want people to feel like their beauty is naturally there and feeling like I’ve captured the best moments,” Bess said. “I want people of color to feel like they’re naturally beautiful and that I just enhanced it by capturing it in that one moment. Graduation bookings are opening October 1, and Robyn Bess photography is capturing the beauty in its most natural state -- come and get the Bess experience.

Headshot contriuted by robin bess

Headshot Contributed by Je’lia Russell

THURSDAY, october 17, 2019 | 7

opinion

Genocide Has a Holiday Isaac Smith Correspondent

Today, I woke up to the alarm that was set on my iPhone so that I could shower in clean water, get dressed in clean clothes, brush teeth that have been inspected by a dentist and eat food that I didn’t have to farm or prepare myself. These are all luxuries that a good portion of people in the world cannot have. These are all luxuries that we can enjoy because we live in the United States of America. Just saying United States of America can fill many Americans with pride.

However, while we are a proud country and can enjoy many benefits that billions of people cannot, we need to remember how this country was founded. So, let’s do a recap…

In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.

He “discovered” what we now call the Americas. There are only a few problems with this picture: First, Columbus did not discover what is now North and South America; people already lived here by the time Columbus landed. Second, Columbus intended to land in India. He landed here by mistake. It was not a heroic “discovery.” Third, the people who were here before Columbus are often left out of the conversation.

Christopher Columbus is not the hero he was painted to be. He’s not the explorer that many people were raised to believe he is. In reality, Columbus was responsible for murdering, stealing from and enslaving the indigenous people of the Americas. On top of intentionally doing all these horrible things to those who were here first, Columbus and his European friends introduced a host of illnesses that, according to PBS, wiped out approximately 90 percent of the Native American population.

Combining the violence and illness he brought, Columbus is responsible for approximately 20 million deaths. Christopher Columbus caused the genocide of Indigenous Peoples in the Americas.

Had Columbus not landed in the Americas, the country we know and live in would most likely be drastically different. The demographics of both North and South America would be radically changed had Columbus stayed in his own country. The history of the world would potentially be changed.

But also, if Columbus hadn’t landed in the Americas, what would we celebrate on the second Monday of every October?

That question has been answered by cities across the country and 12 states. Alaska, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine and many others,

have all decided to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day in an effort to face the reality about Columbus Day: it shouldn’t be celebrated.

With upwards of 20 million deaths to the Columbus name and states changing the holiday, why do we still celebrate Columbus Day as a national holiday? That is a question that there isn’t a good answer for.

It may be in part due to the fact that people still celebrate Columbus Day. Every year people gather in celebrations that take place in various locations across the country. People still cling to the idea that Columbus did in fact “discover” this country. While there is overwhelming evidence that says otherwise, why not stick to that belief?

It does seem quite foolish to celebrate a mass murderer for an accomplishment he did not actually achieve. But maybe Columbus supporters just want to stick to tradition and fear the changes that may come with Indigenous Peoples’ Day. In any event, Columbus Day is still considered as a national holiday regardless of whether or not people decide to celebrate it. This could be changed should the federal government decide to listen to people and change something for the better. Yet, with the current administration, the idea of Indigenous Peoples’ Day may be a far-off dream. However, there is still hope.

Because, while the federal government may legitimize Columbus Day as opposed to Indigenous Peoples’ Day, here at NCSU we don’t celebrate murderers. This past Indigenous Peoples’ Day, NC State University’s own Native Space collaborated with MSA (Multicultural Student Affairs) in order to host a panel discussion. This panel discussion was organized in order to inform people on the history and importance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day in NC State’s community and indigenous communities.

Events like these are taking place more and more frequently as perspectives are changed on the celebration of Columbus Day. This idea of celebrating, honoring and respecting the people who were originally here is becoming more significant throughout the country. Maybe, eventually, hopefully, this idea will go a long way in helping to make amends between the America we have today and the indigenous people who still suffer in a land that is no longer their own.

Afropack Playlist

playlist by Ugonna Ezuma-Igwe and Elikem Dodor

Graphic by Kyle howe

To prepare for Afropack, we created an Afropack playlist as a preview for the weekend’s festival. We made this playlist with the intent of representing Afropack’s message to celebrate Black joy. The full playlist is available on our Spotify account.

Sue me

Wale

Redemption Song

Bob Marley

F.U.B.U

Solange

Complexion (a Zulu Love) Brown Skin Girl U.N.I.T.Y Sojourner Doo Wap (That Thing) HiiiPower Feeling Good I Am Not My Hair

Kendrick Lamar

Wizkid, Beyoncé, Saint Jhn Queen Latifah Rapsody ft. J. Cole Lauryn Hill Kendrick Lamar Nina Simone Indie.Arie ft Akon

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