Nubian Message, Sept. 30, 2021 — NC State beats Clemson

NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | Thursday, September 30, 2021

By Any Means

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 2

Letter from the editor Hey y’all, We’ve made it through yet another week of the semester. We're gonna keep pressing on til we get to the finish line, by any means necessary. Some of us have been experiencing loss, but we owe it to those who are gone to move forward and live to the fullest (in a safe manner of course).

This issue we highlighted a few things from the campus community. We featured a UAB event that built community surrounding the barriers of women of color in STEM face.

Nubian also had a chance to cover the NC State vs. Clemson game from Sept. 25. We also have a piece that discusses the policing of Black womens’ bodies.

Our media page features two poems this week with both tying into themes of pain and rebirth. We also have a playlist of songs from one of the best albums released this year!

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NC STATE VS CLEMSON

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LIL NAS X

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DRESS CODED

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WASSAPENED THIS WEEK

NC State beats Clemson in a big upset A review of the album "MONTERO" The policing of Black women's style Events happening around the world

cover photo BY Natalie Folsom/ Correspondent Sophomore running back Zonovan Knight rushes the ball in the game against Clemson on Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 in Carter-Finley Stadium.

Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Spotify @ nubianmessage

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Go listen to “MONTERO” and then DO IT AGAIN.

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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.

Features

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 3

Women of color in stem: the real hidden figures Arana Blake

On Thursday, Sept. 23,

Correspondent UAB, in Collaboration

with The National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP) and Women in Physics (WIP), put on a program titled Hidden Figures Night. During Hidden Figures Night, students had the opportunity to explore and engage with the clubs tabling at the event. Representatives from The National Society of Black Physicists, Women in Physics, Women in Science and Engineering Village, and Women in Mechanical and Aerospace (WIMA) all came and tabled at this event.

During the tabling portion of the event Nubian Message got a chance to talk with some of the representatives from these organizations about the importance of this event: Nubian Message: What did you want people to get out of this event?

Trinity Taylor, the president of NSBP said, “I would like people to know about our clubs and that they exist, because I feel like not many people know about NSBP, people might also not know about Women in Physics, especially Black students and women in physics. It can be really stressful for [those],who haven’t found [these] communities yet, and this could provide some relief for them. I’d also like the community as a whole to be able to learn about the experience of minorities in STEM fields and to learn about how it can be challenging.”

Nora Sayeed, the co-president of WIMA said, ‘I want to spread more awareness about women in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering community. I want people to feel included if they do decide to pursue a Mechanical or Aerospace major.”

Ayesha Darekar the president of WIP said, “I wanted to spread awareness about [WIP], possibly recruit new members as well, and educate people about the physics department and what we do, and let people know that you do not have to be a physics major to join our club. As well as spreading awareness about diversity in STEM and how that is incredibly important, it’s nice to be able to celebrate it through this event and showcase accomplishments that women and minorities have done in the STEM fields.”

Thusna Gardiyehewa the P.A.C.K. Chair said, “[UAB] wanted people to know that there are many resources at NC State to help guide them and lead them to be successful in their future STEM career plans. And truly, to take away that anything is possible.”

The importance of spreading awareness about these communities of Black students, especially women in STEM and various clubs and resources available for them on campus, is more important than ever.

Over the past decade, the percentage of Black students at NC State has dropped to 6.5%, this equates to only 2,399 Black undergraduate students on a campus of 36,831. An even smaller percentage of these students are STEM majors on campus.

UAB played Hidden Figures during this event. This movie tells the story of three Black NASA mathematicians: Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson. It shows the struggles they went through working at NASA during a time where Black people were still legally segregated. The movie also shows their triumphs and great accomplishments and their contributions to the field of mathematics and science.

One notable scene and milestone for Black women was when Mary Jackson was granted permission by the courts to attend an allwhite high school to take all of the necessary coursework to become an engineer at NASA. She went on to become NASA’s first female engineer in 1958. Another notable scene in the movie was when Mrs. Mitchell, the superintendent of the all white east computing group, gave Dorothy Vaughan the job application to become the supervisor of the west computing group. In 1948, Vaughan became NASA’s first Black supervisor and went on to become an expert in Fortran, a computer software language.

These hidden figures were highly important in the success of NASA's missions to send a person to space and later to the moon.

Katharine Johnson’s accomplishments were highlighted in many ways during the film. One of these accomplishments was when she created the math to find the “go no go point” for the launch and return of the Freedom 7, the spacecraft that made Alan Shepard Jr. the first US astronaut in space, in 1961. She then went on to be the first Black woman to be credited as an author of a research report and co-authored 26 research reports before her retirement in 1986.

After the movie there was a discussion based on previously created questions provided by UAB and the other collaborating organizations. They discussed the progressiveness of NASA at the time based on what was seen in the movie. It was seen that NASA was not as progressive as they were portrayed to be, they were “only progressive when it benefited them”, said Trinity Taylor, a sophomore physics major.

Image from Creative Commons This faux progressivism was seen countless times during the movie, examples being when they tore down the colored bathrooms, only because they wanted Katherine Johnson to not spend as much time traveling back and forth to the other campus just to be able to use the bathroom.

NASA had to adapt to inclusivity because they realized that segregation was not working in favor of their progression in mathematics and physics.

As seen in the movie Black people were often the only ones in the rooms or their specific groups, we also can relate to this now on campus in our classrooms. We discussed how being the only women of color in our classes felt like “all eyes [were] on us” and how we feel like we“ have to prove [ourselves] even more” just to feel like we belong in the rooms”, said Zion Pittman, a freshman in Fashion and Textile Management.

Some of us felt “scared to raise our hands [in classes, because we] could get it wrong and [we] don’t want others to think that it's because [we are] women”- Ayesha Darekar, a sophomore majoring in physics and statistics.

Nubian Message interviewed Thusna Gardiyehewa, the PACK chair for the Universities Activities Board, who was the head organizer for this event.

NM: What does being a woman in STEM mean to you?

Thusna Gardiyehewa: To me, being a woman in STEM means to look beyond — to see past what meets the eye, and to

dedicate myself to thinking about complex problems that may remain unsolved. It means looking to a future where we will work toward solutions that lead to bettering our world. Being a woman in STEM means standing on the shoulders of giants and contributing to the groundwork that will support many generations to come.

NM: What did you want people to get out of this event?

TG: We wanted people to know that there are many resources at NC State to help guide them to being successful in their future STEM career plans. And, truly, to take away that anything is possible.

NM: What organizations did you collaborate with and why?

TG: This event was a collaboration between Women in Physics, the National Society of Black Physicists, and UAB. It is important to work alongside groups that have valuable insights into the topic at hand, and we must ensure that their voices are heard.

This event was for women of color to see some of the different campus organizations here to support them. As well as for them to gain community by watching a movie where we see women, who look like us, face disparities in their communities that we can still see today. Especially in our courses at a predominantly white institution.

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 4

Features

NC State Beats Clemson In Classic Football Game The NC State Tim Havens Wolfpack football team Correspondant

took down previously ninth ranked Clemson Tigers, dropping the Tigers’ ranking to 25th and giving Wolfpack fans a game to remember.

NC State entered the game this past weekend with an overall record of two wins and one loss. The Wolfpack won their first match against South Florida, lost to Mississippi State and rebounded with a win against Furman.

Clemson entered the afternoon looking to make a statement. As the winners of two of the last five national championships, the Tigers would need a win to keep their chance of securing another national title alive.

Wolfpack Nation showed their excitement in welcoming the Tigers to Raleigh by packing Carter Finley Stadium with over 56,000 fans. Countless others were also outside tailgating by their RVs or tents blaring country and rap music through speakers, playing games like cornhole and watching pregame shows on mounted televisions.

By kickoff time conditions were perfect for football. The sun was out, the sky was clear and the thunderous crowd was filled with NC State red.

The excitement was drained from the stadium after Clemson easily scored a touchdown on their second drive of the game. The intensity returned after a touchdown pass from QB Devin O’Leary to WR Emeka Emezie. This tied the game heading into the second quarter and put the Wolfpack back into the game.

In the following quarter NC State would control the majority of possession time by handing the ball to RB’s Ricky Person and Zonovan Knight while O’Leary completed short passes. The Wolfpack's defense led

by LB Isaiah Moore would lead the way, stopping their opponent from scoring again the rest of the half. Crucial errors by NC State — including a turnover on a trick play, penalties and a missed field goal — prevented them from taking the lead as the score was tied at halftime. Home fans were left with mixed emotions; their team had been the better performing of the two but that was not reflected by the scoreboard.

The third quarter would see NC State finally take the lead after O’Leary tossed another touchdown to WR Devin Carter.

The crowd erupted as high fives and cheers began to drown Carter Finley Stadium -

Jon williams/Correspondent Redshirt sophomore running back Trent Pennix looks at the field after a play. The NC State Wolfpack defeated the Clemson Tigers 27-21 in double overtime at Carter-Finley Stadium on Sept. 25.

could the Wolfpack finally beat Clemson after losing the previous eight matchups?

Early in the fourth quarter, the battle would again be tied after Clemson RB Will Shipley ran in a short touchdown. Fans originally thought Shipley would attend NC State, so this touchdown hit a nerve for some of Wolfpack Nation. The Wolfpack would respond by advancing the ball down the field but would miss another field goal, foregoing the opportunity to take the lead.

At this point murmurs and groans began to arise from the crowd as anxiety and frustration grew. NC State’s defense would again step up, forcing Clemson to return possession to the Wolfpack.

With the last quarter coming to an end NC State advanced the ball into scoring position as time expired. The only issue: they had to kick another field goal.

Excitement at the chance to win and unease due to the previously missed field goals

filled Carter-Finley as fans began to stand and take their phones out to record the moment.

The time had come, the ball was snapped, kicked in the air and on target before curving left and barely missing for the third time in the game.

The miss caused devastation for Wolfpack fans. While there was still overtime to settle the game, a chance to win had just narrowly escaped their grasp. Losing a football game is one thing but losing THIS game in such an excruciating manner would be heartbreaking.

To begin overtime, Clemson easily drove down the field and made their way into the end zone, which forced NC State to either get a touchdown or lose. Silence overcame the crowd.

NC State countered with another touchdown toss from O'Leary, this time to WR Thayer Thomas forcing a second

overtime.

The Wolfpack began the second overtime by scoring a touchdown when O’Leary threw to the right corner of the end zone where Carter made a difficult sideline catch over his left shoulder. The entire stadium responded with a roar. NC State would then fail a two-point conversion leaving a chance for Clemson to win on their next possession.

The Tigers gained five yards on their first three plays. This gave them one more to either get a first down, score or leave Raleigh with a loss.

Home fans rose and began to make as much noise as possible to energize their defense for one last stop. Clemson gave the ball to their QB DJ Uiagalelei hoping a pass could keep their chances alive. DJ dropped back, scanned the field and threw the ball to his receiver who did not make the catch.

Game over, streak over, NC State pulls off the massive upset in a game to remember.

As soon as the battle was over the party started as players scattered the field with joy.

Fireworks shot into the air and fans rushed onto the field.

During the celebration, Nubian Message talked to Marcellus Davis, a sophomore accounting major who described the experience of the game as “[a] crazy atmosphere, [a] great game, [and an] amazing feeling!”.

Those words were reflected throughout the field where Wolfpack Nation was taking photos, hugging players and celebrating with anyone in sight.

Winning head coach Dave Doeren said “The curse is broken… it’s an awesome thing to light that Belltower red.” He was also seen enjoying a celebratory cigar.

Doeren, who’s had back and forth clashes with Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, previously failed to win against Clemson since joining the Wolfpack eight years ago.

After this performance that saw the Wolfpack defeat the one of the toughest teams on the schedule, Wolfpack fans are now left wondering just how much success this team can achieve. The Wolfpack is now in a favorable position to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The now nationally 23rd ranked Wolfpack will look to improve upon their record when Louisiana Tech visits Raleigh on Oct. 2.

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 5

Opinion

Montero songs from the Montero album by lil nas x

MOntero DEAD right now Industry Baby Ft. Jack harlow

Thats what i want The art of realization

Scoop

Ft. Doja cat

one of me

Ft. Elton john

LosT in the citadel Rapsody

Dolla sign slime

Ft. megan thee stallion

Tales of dominica sun goes down void dont want it Life after salem am i dreaming ft. miley cyrus

Hotter The pure white tile reflects the light as the cool air hits my bare skin.

I step inside my marbled safe haven, Hotter, Hotter, Hotter!

I am comforted by a blanket of warmth as today’s thoughts disappear into a light mist.

I can feel the tension being released, Hotter, Hotter, Hotter!

The steam fills all of my senses clouding my mind with heat.

My skin begins to sting,

Hotter, Hotter, Hotter!

Burn away the stress!

Melt away today's mishaps!

Turn me cherry red like my inner demons!

Hotter, Hotter, Hotter!

My skin stings with every drop of water, the sensation brings me pure joy!

My body has been cleaned and my mind reset.

Finally, everything is perfect.

-Milan Hall

yes, i am Strong I am just as intimidating as I look.

You see, I am rooted in things that you simply will never understand And I know that can be difficult for you to grasp Weak-minded, abusers like yourself Stuck in the “glory days,” attempting to hold onto the past

And now I know that the sacrifices I made to get here will never be worth it Those long, dark, frightful nights Robbing me of my spirit and health Attempting to craft me into the likes of you Better late than never I suppose

And now I got all these problems and I don’t know how to deal with them So, I don’t. And I won’t.

I choose life I choose happiness I choose to be free And there’s nothing you can do to take that from me.

-Elikem

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 6

Opinion

Lil nas X blesses the gays In July 2020, Lil Nas X teased a section of the chorus of an untitled song that would become the number one single “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name).”

“MONTERO” is the title track of Lil Nas X’s Andie Alford debut album, which was Editor-in-Chief released on Sept. 17, 2021.

“MONTERO” has 14 tracks and one spoken interlude. The album touches on R&B and rap influences, but is mostly a pop project. There are currently four singles and they each have a music video. The singles are “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name),” “SUN GOES DOWN,” “INDUSTRY BABY” and “THAT’S WHAT I WANT.” Lil Nas X’s album was highly anticipated and he was able to deliver on every song.

With each listen, the album gets better. Nine songs were produced by the New York based

duo Take a Daytrip, composed of Denzel Baptiste and David Biral.

The duo has worked with Lil Nas X in the past and their lengthy relationship shows in the seamless transitions and innovative beats. Take a Daytrip produced the two songs on “MONTERO” that heavily featured brass instruments. As a music nerd, I really appreciated the care and skill that Take a Daytrip, Lil Nas X and other collaborators put into the mixing and mastering of the album.

“MONTERO” opens with the title track and sets the tone for a genre-bending project that focuses on identity, acceptance, and perseverance. We would expect nothing less from a Black gay icon-in-the-making such as Lil Nas X. There seems to be a connective narrative throughout the album that centers on a few concepts. One concept to mention would be centering queer Blackness and how its is received in mainstream media and everyday life. Lil Nas X mentions themes of suicide, “praying the gay away,” and trying to find

someone who loves you and your faults.

Queer Black people are expected to be on 10 at all times, but that isn’t sustainable. Lil Nas X shares raw emotion and speaks from past experiences in a way that most of us wish we could. Showcasing your true self to friends and family is hard enough, but Lil Nas X does that to millions of people and it's very encouraging.

"Queer Black people are expected to be on 10 at all times, but that isn’t sustainable."

There is also an undercurrent of Lil Nas X responding to critics and people praying for his downfall. Throughout the album, he references being called a one-hit wonder from his success with his 2019 single and first remix “Old Town Road.” Lil Nas X expressed apprehension on how his fans

would receive his work because it moved away from the gimmicky feel of his previous EP or the four remixes to “Old Town Road.”

When I listened to the interlude entitled “THE ART OF REALIZATION,” it hit me that Lil Nas X is only 22, a little over a year older than me. He briefly talked about things we all feel as young adults. Not knowing if we’re happy with what we’ve accomplished. Not quite understanding how big of an impact we might have on others.

“MONTERO” by Lil Nas X has the potential to be the album of the year. Each song is a certified banger and the featured artists (Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion and Miley Cyrus) all pull their weight to elevate the experience.

I’ve been playing “MONTERO” at least once a day since its release and I plan to do so until I’ve learned every single word.

I look forward to seeing what this era is going to look like for this Black king and what he will decide to gift us with. I can’t wait to see a “MONTERO” tour!

Dress Coded: Let black women live I think it’s safe to say that after centuries of evidence, the world may just be out to get Black women. When it comes to appearances, it’s quite obvious what the standard is–perfection.

We must be perfect to be Milan Hall treated equally. Being Correspondant perfect is significantly harder when every single societal idea about an entire race of women seems to contradict itself. From hair to fashion, there doesn’t really seem to be an avenue that Black women can choose without facing judgments from outside and within our own communities.

A massive part of Black culture is hair.

Our hair is a way to express ourselves, in many ways it’s seen as our crown. An issue with this is that hair takes time, which is something that many college students lack.

I’ve personally seen many women start to wear their natural hair through my own

relationships and social media, many of those women are still figuring their hair out. But we don’t really have the option to figure it out. If your hair is not absolutely shiny, moisturized, with the most uniform curl pattern, then your hair suddenly is not a crown anymore. Many people also only view looser textures as crowns, completely ignoring kinkier hair even though it is just as beautiful.

Hair can’t be perfect all the time, because humans aren’t perfect, yet when a Black girl's hair doesn’t look like she just got it done, assumptions are immediately thrown at her. So many will forgo wearing their natural hair and just straighten it, wear a protective style or wear wigs to avoid having to style it, but those options don’t necessarily come without their own set of judgments. These hairstyles are seen as whitewashed, boujee, or dirty. I think my biggest gripe with how we are expected to present our hair is how it leaves very little room for experimentation.

You can’t really test things out when you’re supposed to be perfect, as experimentation

leads to messiness and mistakes. But college is all about figuring yourself out, even if it means you look a hot mess to some people.

"From hair to fashion, there doesn’t really seem to be an avenue that Black women can choose without facing judgments from outside and within our own communities."

I think an example of this would be Black women who lean more alt on the fashion spectrum. Alt fashion is a fairly broad term that refers to fashion that deviates from mainstream ideas. An example of one of the more specific categories would be scene fashion. People who participate in this fashion culture tend to receive a lot of judgement, but Black women seem to be

judged more frequently and harshly than others.

There are so many unique aesthetics out there that non-Black women can explore freely, so what’s stopping us from doing so?

Maybe it’s us wanting to avoid judgment, but it might be more internalized than we think.

The criticisms aren't just from our society or culture but also from ourselves.

We’ve had it drilled into our heads how we are supposed to present ourselves since childhood, and it only seems that in recent years that our mentalities are reversing.

We’ve been oversexualized, ostracized and judged for being ourselves. If we want the freedom to express ourselves, we must take it despite the struggles that come with it.

It will be difficult sometimes to ignore the judgmental stares and microaggressions but when we need it the most, we will be there for each other.

Thursday, September 30, 2021 | 7

Opinion

Wassapened This Week: September 21th- 28th These are events that happened this week that I chose to highlight. These are in no way everything everyone needs to know.

I highly encourage everyone to read the news themselves, from reliable sources and to develop Ugonna their own opinions.

Ezuma-Igwe My opinions have been Staff Writer italicized. With that being said all opinions stated in this article are my own so if you don’t like them then sip your tea and mind your business.

The theme of Wassapened This Week is violence. As we see multiple acts of terrorism and abuse of power.

Haiti

On Tuesday, Sept. 21, The United States immigration officials launched an investigation into video and images released by Al Jazeera that showed mounted US Border Patrol agents chasing, threatening and whipping migrants camped along the Texas-Mexico border. There have been as many as 12,0000 migrants camped at the border, mainly Haitians. The horrifying video shows the horses almost trampling children and the agents harassing the migrants, one of the individuals on horseback even said "You use your women?

This is why your countries sh*t because you use your women for this." It’s ironic that immigration officials are launching an investigation while they are actively deporting migrants to Haiti.With up to 8 flights a day according to the Associated Press! Multiple departments have spoken on the situation, including the Department of Homeland Security tweeting that it "does not tolerate the abuse of migrants in our custody." Somebody get them outta here! So in your right mind you want us to believe y’all had no idea what was going on just like y’all ain’t know about the kids in cages? Oh ok. Ok. Multiple individuals have resigned since the video's release saying they didn’t want to be associated with the "inhumane" decision to deport thousands of Haitian refugees. While some people like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott have said the administration isn’t doing enough, are we surprised it’s someone from anti-vax and mask Texas.

Shooting

On Thursday, September 23, Uk Thang opened fire at a Kroger on New Byhalia Road in Collierville, Tennessee. At least one person has died and 14 people were injured. Of those injured 10 were employees and five were customers. The shooter died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Apparently, the shooter was new to the area as he had just moved into town last summer. He worked as a vendor for Kroger and was fired from his job the morning of the shooting.

Brignetta Dickerson, a cashier on site of the shooting said "He kept on shooting, shooting, shooting...He shot one of my coworkers in the head and then shot one of the customers in the stomach, and then my other customer got kind of like cuts because of the asphalt." To no one’s surprise, this year is predicted to be the worst year for US gun violence in decades. As if last year’s numbers weren't bad enough. There has been a 9% increase from last year as 14,516 people have died from gun violence in the US from January 1 to September 15, 2021.

R Kelly

On Monday, September 27, Robert Sylvester Kelly, the rubbished and disgraced dunce of a musician known as R Kelly, was found guilty of racketeering, sex trafficking-- including acts of bribery and sexual exploitation of a child. He was convicted on 9 counts. One count of racketeering, with 14 underlying acts that included sexual exploitation of a child, kidnapping, bribery and sex trafficking charges. And 8 counts of violations of the Mann Act. He was directly charged for crimes related to 6 women — Aaliyah (the late R&B singer Kelly married when she was 15), Stephanie, Sonja, Jerhonda, Jane and Faith. These convictions come after decades of accusations of sexual, emotional, physical, and verbal abuse from multiple men and women. He is expected to be sentenced in May and hopefully will face decades in prison, preferably with no possibility of parole. Jacquelyn Kasuli, acting US attorney from the Eastern District of New York, described him as "a predator who used his inner circle to ensnare underage girls and young men and women for decades, in a corrupt web of sex abuse, exploitation and humiliation."

Now that they’ve finally gotten this predator off the streets they need to double down and get this “things” music off of all streaming platforms. There’s absolutely no reason for a known and convicted serial sexual predator to have a global platform and still have the possibility to receive royalties. Yuck!

Rioter

On Tuesday, September 28, Dawn Bancroft, one of the terrorists that stormed the US Capitol on January 6, pleaded guilty to a low-level misdemeanor for unlawfully protesting on restricted grounds. This is the woman who said on video that she was looking for Nancy Pelosi to shoot her in the friggin' brain and you're telling me she

only got a low-level misdemeanor??? That sounds like a f***in threat to me. The Justice Department lawyers decided not to charge Bancroft with threatening Pelosi because Bancroft said this comment while she was supposedly exiting the Capitol so it would be hard to prove the threat was serious. Sounds like a damn excuse for yet another white woman to get off out of serving their due time.

This charge has a maximum sentence of six months and most defendants rarely serve the full time. Bancroft told the judge that she said her comment in a joking manner.

So when I joke about slapping you with some baby powder, don't forget I was only joking! It was for sh*ts and giggles teehee :)!

Success In Silence Trigger warnings: sexual assault Watching the Emmys was quite the historical event. Michaela Coel’s Emmy win makes this the first time in the award show’s history that a Black woman has won an Emmy Austin Modlin for writing a limited series.

Correspondant The limited series that Coel was awarded for is “I May Destroy You.”. A series that tells the story of Arabella Essiedu, a rising star novelist who has to deal with the aftermath of being drugged and raped after celebrating her debut novel, as well as navigating her relationships with family, friends and newfound success.

Coel creates scenes in each episode, laden with dark humor, witty social commentary and tense, intimate moments that allow Coel’s talent to be glaringly apparent. While watching the Emmys, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of boredom before Coel got her award. Whenever the Emmys happen, I wonder how this white-dominated event will find another way to snub Black creatives next in place of mediocre white talent.

I was pleasantly surprised when I heard Coel’s name announced as the winner for Writer of a Limited Series. She was always a severely underrated writer in my eyes, especially for her comedy series “Chewing Gum”, which was critically acclaimed for its witty and sharp humor and social commentary. But it never made it over to America, mainly getting awards in Britain.

I could see the shock on Coel’s face when her name was announced, as if her body was catching up to the rest of her body. As she sits still, inhaling deeply, Cynthia Erivo, one of her co-stars from “Chewing Gum”, embraces her in celebratory fashion. As I see her standing up exhaling and closing her eyes, I wonder what thoughts are running through her head during this historic moment. Especially with this award being the first in history for a black woman writer to take stage in a white-dominated arena.

I was thinking of the long list of creatives, family, and the typical “I’d like to thank the Academy” intro that has become commonplace in these events. Instead, what I got was a surprisingly simple, yet stunning speech. “I just wrote a little something for the writers really. Write the tale that scares you, that makes you feel uncertain, that is uncomfortable. I dare you. In a world that entices us to browse through the lives of others to help us feel better determine how we feel about ourselves, and to, in turn, feel the need to be constantly visible, for visibility these days seems to somehow equate to success. Don’t be afraid to disappear, from it, from us, for a while, and see what comes to you in the silence.”

I believe that she was talking to all of us, when she made that last powerful statement.

In a world where we are constantly looking toward other people to set the pace and the pressure to be seen for your triumphs constantly looms over us, there is success in silence.

& other acts of resistance

On view through March 12, 2022 Curated by Tosha Grantham

Renée Stout, The Time She Saw Too Much, 2010

crossed kalunga by the stars