Nubian Message Nov. 02, 2023, "Empowering Voices"

NUBIANMESSAGE NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY | RALEIGH, NC | THENUBIANMESSAGE.COM | THURSDAY, November 2, 2023

empowering voices

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 2

Letter from the editor What’s popping, What’s happening?

Make some noise! You get me this week! This might be the only time that you will hear from me so enjoy it while it lasts. Make some more noise!! *plays Sexyy Redd song* We have an exciting issue for you filled with empowering articles. There is a lot going on in the world right now, so we made sure to highlight important topics with new perspectives from NC State professors. Our opinion section is always popping so check it out. Make sure to share your opinions with us on our socials!

THISISSUE 5

GERRYMANDERING

The North Carolina Senate's new redistricting plans

8

PALESTINE

11

RACE IN ACADEMIC CONVERSATION

Last but not least, we are keeping you in the know about what our North Carolina politicians are up to these days. These politicians do a lot so we made sure to write a lot about it! And you know you can’t finish reading the issue without looking at our amazing gallery!!

A historian's perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian war Objective Constructive Criticism

cover photo BY Hallie Walkerh/Staff Photographer The women's soccer team celebrates with freshman forward Hannah Jibril after she scored her first career goal during the match against Syracuse at Dail Soccer Field on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. Jibril made two shots and scored one goal. NC State beat Syracuse 2-0.

I hope you feel empowered by this week’s issue and are inspired to keep going, even through hard times.

Stay blessed and keep doing you boo! You are doing amazing sweetie!!

Love, Jeanine Ikekhua.

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

Editor-in-Chief

Photo editor

Staff Writers

Milan Hall nubian-editor@ncsu.edu

Kaela Belingon

Managing Editor

Layout designers

Jeanine Ikekhua nubian-managingeditor@ncsu.edu

Abigail Harris Leah Tierney

Austin Modlin Nadia Hargett Micah Oliphant Eleanor Saunders Alianna Kendall-Brooks Ross Emelle

Communication Lead

Copy Editors

Shaere Delgiudice

Rebecca Hernández Sydney Bowman

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, november 2, 2023 | 3

news

NC State's New Budget At the beginning nadia hargett of October, the Staff Writer

North Carolina General Assembly passed a new $30 billion budget for the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Governor Roy Cooper announced that it would come into law without his signature.

The budget wasn’t passed until three months after the 2022-23 fiscal year came to an end due to Cooper’s disapproval of the budget.

In a statement released in September, Cooper said, “Make no mistake, overall this is a bad budget that seriously shortchanges our schools, prioritizes power grabs, keeps shady backroom deals secret and blatantly violates the constitution, and many of its provisions will face legal action.” He reportedly allowed the budget to pass due to it enacting a landmark bill that would expand Medicaid to over 600,000 North Carolina residents.

The budget, which provides funding for many of the government’s primary functions, will be mainly allocated to the education system, state infrastructure and healthcare. Approximately $17.3 billion of the budget will go towards educational means. A portion of this budget will also be allocated to NC State which Chancellor Randy Woodson announced at the end of September.

“I’m pleased to share that this budget recognizes NC State’s immense value to North Carolina with significant investments in our campus that will have transformative impacts on our students, faculty, staff, programs, and facilities for decades to come,” Woodson said in a statement on the official NC State website.

“We are tremendously grateful for the support of the legislature and their commitment to NC State’s mission and future success.”

The budget will provide a 4% salary increase for NC State faculty and staff for the remainder of 2023 and then an additional increase of 3% for 2024, totaling at 7%. The budget will provide the university the ability to broaden educational and research opportunities around campus by growing pre-existing programs and funding new plans.

A large portion of the new budget will be going toward the College of Engineering. $200 million is being set aside for new construction on Centennial campus including a new Engineering Classroom

image from creative commons

Photo of money

building. $10 million will be continuously funded for “Engineering North Carolina’s Future,” a legislative initiative that will expand the College of Engineering by approximately 40% over the next several years.

The rest will be going towards various other projects and programs throughout the university that will aid the university in funding the construction of various other buildings and renovating classrooms and other educational environments on campus.

One of these projects is the new Integrative Sciences building which is being constructed in the Brickyard. $28 million will be going towards this project, which is the last investment needed to match the building’s $180 million cost.

This building’s construction is one of the most major projects currently being established at NC State. The official school website says, “The new $180 million Integrative Sciences Building (ISB) — the heart of the initiative — will provide vital space for STEM teaching and research space at NC State and serve as a catalyst for transforming the sciences.”

Another notable project is a Large Animal Hospital being built at the College of Veterinary Medicine, which will have $70 million going towards its $120 million budget. According to Woodson, the additional outstanding $50 million will be provided through funding in order to match the state's investment.

The rest of the notable initiatives receiving additional funding will include $80 million towards phase two of Dabney Hall’s renovations, $63 million towards phase two of Polk Hall’s renovation and $30 million towards phase two of Mann Hall’s renovation.

Other projects will include the Man-in-Simulant-Test lab located in the Textile Protection and Comfort Center in the Wilson College of Textiles. The lab will receive a one-time funding of $2.5 million, and $3 million for a study to test the practicality of establishing an advanced nuclear reactor on NC State campus. $4.5 million will go toward the planning funds for a new Poole College of Management building.

The budget will impact research opportunities as well, broadening them and making them more valuable to the

student body. These investments will include: $6 million in establishing an education and workforce pilot program within the College of Education for those with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and $5.5 million in continuous funding to expand the College of Veterinary Medicine class size from 100 to 125 students in each cohort.

Additionally, the NC FFA’s (North Carolina Future Farmers of America) agricultural education in middle and high school programs will receive a one-time funding of $4 million to support future programs. The statewide Small Business and Technology Development Center and SAS (a Cary-based software company) and NC State’s joint research platform will also receive a continuous funding support of $1 million.

Lastly, the budget will also go towards funding to support various other smaller initiatives, including the NC Clean Energy Technology Center and the Christmas Tree Genetics Program’s future research projects. The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will also receive funding to conduct an impact study test on the green industry.

There are various other projects that will receive funding as well throughout the next several months and, according to Woodson, more details will be provided as these projects begin to impact NC State campus. Woodson ended his statement on the budget by praising the state for its funding and the faculty and staff for their services.

“The state’s extraordinary commitment to our university is a testament to our greatest asset — our people. The hard work and dedication of our faculty and staff, and the spirit, drive and creativity of our remarkable students make this university special.”

Despite Roy Cooper’s disapproval of the passing of the state’s new budget, the allocation of the budget to NC State seems to be beneficial for the university. With the incoming classes of NC State continuously increasing each year, the expansion of student-based opportunities and educational spaces will aid the school in adapting to the rapid growth of the student population.

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 4

news

New Embedded Counselors ross emelle Staff Writer

In the past year, NC State has added embedded counselors for each college of study. These counselors work with students in their specific college, giving students easier access to counseling services. Their offices are located within their college’s buildings, closer to the students’ classes than the Counseling Center itself. The embedded counselors offer group, individual and drop-in counseling, in addition to other services.

NC State first implemented this new counseling program in the College of Veterinary Medicine and the Athletics Department. The distance from the departments and the Counseling Center and scheduling problems led to their implementation. This mental health service expansion happened in response to the 14 student deaths by suicide that happened at NC State during the 2022-2023 school year.

Other large institutions, including Ohio State University and the University of Iowa, also put these resources into place. Studies have shown embedded counseling to be effective in encouraging students to seek treatment on campus by making resources easier to access.

Counselors were one recommendation given to NC State by the Student Mental Health Task Force. This task force was also created in response to the student deaths that occurred during the Fall 2023 semester and it was assigned to review the current mental health resources available on campus and recommend further actions.

NC State released the task force’s recommendations to the public on Feb. 21. The recommendations focused on changing policies, and improving campus culture.

Dr. Lisa Zapata, a senior associate vice chancellor at NC State and co-chair of the Student Mental Health Task Force, said, “We're doing all kinds of things based on the mental health task force recommendations. So we have taken all those recommendations, and we've created implementation teams to look at the recommendations.”

The primary goal of the task force is to make mental health resources more accessible, regardless of a student’s situation. “So the whole idea of the embedded clinicians is to try to make it as easy as possible for students to meet with a

Image from creative commons

Photo of two people talking

clinician,” Zapata said.

When it comes to what they look for in the embedded counselors, Zapata said, “We have multi-disciplined clinicians. So, what that means is we hire psychologists, we hire social workers, we hire licensed clinical mental health counselors. So, there's not one profession that we seek out as it's all the different disciplines, and also psychiatrists. And we feel like that really brings a richness to our counseling center because it's multi-disciplined.”

Outside of those factors, Zapata said, “We're looking for people that we think are caring and compassionate and know the issues that students are facing somebody that wants to be here at NC State and wants to help students.”

Also, these clinicians are able to meet the specific needs that may come with the students in each college. “The clinician that's embedded in a college, they get to know the college, they get to know the culture, they get to know the expectations and so we feel like it might be just a really great experience for students to see a clinician within their college,” Zapata said.

Apart from the embedded counselors, there are several other options for students seeking counseling. The Counseling Center,

located in the Student Health building, is still an option, along with the new embedded counselors.

In 2022, NC State announced a partnership with AcademicLiveCare, a telehealth counseling company. This deal gives all current NC State students 12 free telehealth counseling appointments through the service in the calendar year.

Two more counseling options are Togetherall, an online peer support community that’s moderated by mental health professionals, and Headspace, a wellness app focusing on mindfulness techniques. Both services are free to NC State students, with Headspace’s premium membership being free on a first-come, first-served basis.

All these options are meant to help students, regardless of their situation, comfortably access resources to fit their needs. “The whole idea is to meet students where they are,” Zapata said.

Zapata said all these options act like a “continuum” that can meet most students’ needs. “One option is a student can go to the counseling center and have an appointment with a counselor or do group counseling or something like that. If that's not super convenient, they could go see

an embedded clinician within the college, if they're not comfortable doing either one of those things and they don't want to have a one on one appointment, we have telehealth available,” she said.

Essentially, even if a student is uncomfortable with one or more of the options available, NC State University hopes another option will appeal to them.

“One option is a student can go to the counseling center and have an appointment with a counselor or do group counseling or something like that. If that's not super convenient, they could go see an embedded clinician within the college, if they're not comfortable doing either one of those things and they don't want to have a one on one appointment, we have telehealth available," she said.

The goal was to account for every type of student and what they need. “We've got resources, kind of all different levels and all different comfort zones. So whenever a student is seeking help, they can kind of plug-in where they're comfortable,” Zapata said.

NC State is still working on implementing recommendations made by the Mental Health Task Force. “We're slowly but surely tackling all of those different recommendations, or we’re seeing if they’re feasible,” Zapata said.

NC State also made changes to its online mental health media resources. Zapata further explained this by stating, “We've completely revised the Counseling Center website, we created a one-stop website for all things wellness. So if you go to wellness. ncsu.edu, it's got anything you ever want to know about wellness and the support that we have on campus.”

Students can find their college’s embedded counselor on the NC State counseling website’s embedded counseling page by clicking on their college. Beginning Nov. 19, students in the College of Education and the College of Natural Resources can begin meeting with their embedded counselor. Students in other colleges of study can sign up for appointments with their counselor now.

If you or someone you know are having a mental health crisis, you can call the NC State Crisis Hotline at 919-515-2143.

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 5

news

REDISTRICTING NORTH CAROLINA carmella holloway Correspondent

Republicans on the redistricting committee of the North Carolina Senate have proposed a new set of congressional district maps, set to take effect in 2024. These maps have far-reaching implications, potentially threatening the seats of three Democrats in the House of Representatives.

The proposed maps intend to redraw the boundaries for North Carolina's congressional districts. This new configuration would establish 10 districts that appear to lean in favor of Republicans, three that favor Democrats and one that could be considered a competitive area.

One significant aspect of these maps is the division of North Carolina's largest Democratic-leaning counties, such as those in Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, into as many as three separate districts. In some instances, these divisions are designed to overlap more red-leaning suburban and rural voters into these areas. This aims to create stronger competition between Republican and Democrat runners.

The process of redrawing district lines in North Carolina has a controversial history. Gerrymandering in North Carolina dates back to the Reconstruction era in the mid to late 1800s. During this period, politicians in the state would create district lines that aimed to systematically marginalize African American voters.

These districts effectively isolated African American voters, minimizing their influence on politics in North Carolina and across the country. These district lines have made it exceedingly challenging for African American voters to elect officials of their choice and have their voices be heard in the political realm.

The practice of gerrymandering continued to evolve and thrive in North Carolina far beyond the end of the Reconstruction era. In 1962, a landmark ruling came through the U.S. Supreme Court’s Baker v. Carr case. This decision marked a victory for voting rights in the United States. The ruling promoted the principle of “one person, one vote” which required states to redraw district lines based on population changes to ensure fair representation for underrepresented demographics.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 allowed state legislatures to create districts in

image from creative commons

Photo of the NC State Legislative Building which underrepresented individuals made up a majority of the population. In 1990, the North Carolina General Assembly established majority-minority districts.

These districts were argued to be created in order to adequately adhere to the Voting Rights Act. However, the districts were soon challenged by state Republicans and eventually ruled as an illegal racial gerrymander by the Supreme Court due to the bizarre shapes these districts held. This decision set narrow standards for defining racial gerrymandering, impacting the strength of the Voting Rights Act. The gerrymandering issue has continued, with a series of court cases involving North Carolina’s voting districts continuing into the present. In the 2010s, the Republican Party won control of the North Carolina General Assembly and, therefore, had control over the redrawing of state legislative districts.

However, federal and state courts rejected maps drawn by the Republican party for unconstitutional gerrymandering based on race and partisanship. Last year, North Carolina's Supreme Court, holding a 4-3 Democratic majority, declared that the map proposals were unlawful on the grounds of gerrymandering with excessive partisan bias and had violated the state

constitution's free election policies.

Under court order, lawmakers released a temporary redrawing of North Carolina's district lines.

However, after the 2022 Midterm elections, the State Supreme Court underwent a pivotal shift, resulting in a Republican 5-2 majority. The court subsequently reversed its previous ruling last Spring, releasing a statement saying there is "no judicially manageable standard by which to adjudicate partisan gerrymandering claims," and courts "are not intended to meddle in policy matters."

Under this ruling, lawmakers obtained the freedom to delegate Congressional districts with minor obstruction. This change has raised concerns about the potential for unchecked gerrymandering

by House majority parties, which could have large consequences for the state’s political landscape.

Republican Sen. Ralph Hise said that the maps were drawn under traditional redistricting criteria which involves maintaining equal population across districts and minimizing the splitting of municipalities and precincts. However, he told his fellow senators that he did not use racial data to avoid violating the 14th Amendment. “To be clear, the chairs did

not believe that the use of racial data would be helpful in reaching any political or other legislative redistricting goal."

With these new districts, North Carolina’s Republican legislatures could potentially maintain their veto-proof majorities for several years to come.

Currently, North Carolina's Congress is split between seven Republicans and seven Democrats. Although, under the proposed map, the seats of three House Democrats' may be at risk. These seats would include Reps. Jeff Jackson of Charlotte, Wiley Nickel of Cary and second-term Rep. Kathy Manning of Greensboro. House Democrats who seek to re-run for their seats may have to run against Republican candidates in more conservative districts.

When defending the new state district map in a Senate floor debate, the redistricting co-chair, Republican Sen. Warren Daniel, told fellow senators, "Democrats in North Carolina have blamed their electoral failures on so-called gerrymandering for over a decade instead of looking in the mirror and understanding that voters have time and time again rejected their out of touch far-left policies."

In 2022, voters in North Carolina supported the 14 Republican candidates for the U.S. House with approximately 4.4% more votes than they did for their Democratic counterparts.

As a supermajority, Republicans successfully overrode the veto of Democratic Governor Roy Cooper for two bills. One aimed at limiting abortion access and another restricted transgender rights in areas like healthcare and participation in school sports.

In response to these district mapping developments, Gov. Roy Cooper released a statement describing these new maps as "gerrymandering on steroids." Cooper said Republican legislatures "have used race and political party to create districts that are historically discriminatory and unfair."

Even so, he lacks the power to veto the districts drawn by the Republican House majority under North Carolina law.

The House of Representatives and Senate aim to enact a final map by the end of October.

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 6

Arts & Culture

Running wi t h

The pack

Griffen Bryant/ Staff Photographer

Ms. Wuf throws up a "wolfie" during the the pep rally event on Hillsborough Street near North Hall on Friday, Oct. 27, 2023.

The event capped off Red and White Week and included multiple campus groups like Grains of Time and Pack Clogging as well as floats made by greek organizations.

Kylee Hertrick/ Correspondent

Yoga instructor Bianqa Bizune demonstrates a pose during the Black Graduate Student Association's Sunset Yoga event at Harris Field on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. During the Black Graduate Student Association's event, they had Bizune, who owns a locally Black-owned business, lead the session for the group.

Griffen Bryant/ Staff Photographer

Christopher Dunstan, a graduate student studying Geospatial analytics, performs during the Scream and Shout event in the African American Cultural Center on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023.

Kylee Hertrick/ Correspondent Deja Perkins, a graduate student studying Geospatial analytics, stretches during the Black Graduate Student Association's Sunset Yoga event at Harris Field on Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023. The yoga session was led by a yoga instructer from a locally Black-owned business.

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 7

Arts & Culture

Get Empowered playlist by Nubian Message Staff Songs that will make you feel powerful

Triumphant

olamide, bella shmurda

Black woman

danielle brooks

feeling good

michael bublÉ

everywhere

chlÖe x halle

angel

you gotta be female gucci mane

halle des'ree sexyy red

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 8

features

Navigating the Israeli-Palestinian War with Historian Kristan Alff vika Dzhobadze Correspondent

As Kristan Alff works on her upcoming book, she finds herself inundated with questions and interview requests about the Israeli-Palestinian war. The war began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks that has resulted in Israeli bombings in both Gaza and the West Bank. Alff is a professor at North Carolina State University where she teaches the history of the Israeli-palestinian Conflict. Alff has been interviewed multiple times to discuss the war, her thoughts on it and what these events mean to her as a historian and an educator.

With the increase of discussion and confusion surrounding the IsraeliPalestinian war, Alff was asked how she navigates all of this. “As a historian,” Alff stated, “we get the privilege to be able to claim our historian status, which means that we are very cautious to make definite kind of opinions as facts, when things are still unraveling and going on, you know, for example, the hospital bombing.

I certainly have an opinion about what I think happened, but in this historical precedent understand that I could be totally wrong."

Allf also stated, "I’m not really, as a historian, trying to get into the nitty-gritty of the details and focus on the larger picture of what is happening…and how this can be interpreted through a historical lens… As a historian, you’re thinking ‘well I saw what happened in 1948 I’ve read all the perspectives on it. I’ve seen what happened in the 1960s event right and I know what has been happening in the year leading up to this attack by Hamas, and the retaliation of Israel.’ Something was going to happen. And things are getting more and more heated and violent.”

The Israeli-Palestinian war is not an isolated event, it is influenced by the broader global context. With misinformation spreading, there comes a familiar rhetoric resembling the War on Terror. Alff states “I think this is not unprecedented, right? I mean 9/11 happened, and the United States invaded a country that had very little to do with 9/11 and they could do that because of fear.

Fear is a very powerful motivator. Often we make impulsive reactions, we have

impulsive decisions, or impulsive feelings around fear.” She relates this concept to the war occurring today. “A lot of them are fear-based, fear of Palestinians being exterminated, fear of a genocide coming into fruition and ending up with even worse scenarios… Fear for Gaza. Or fear that Israel is going to not exist anymore.

Fear for people in Israel, fear for their lives.”

Alff said, “we know that Netanyahu came to the United States after 9/11 and he said, ‘I know how to fight terror, we've been fighting terror. This is a civilization issue. We are part of your civilization.’ So there's this inherent othering of Muslims, in particular, of people who are not white, not Jewish Christian, don't have the Judeo Christian legacies. People who are non-white, and especially people who are Muslim, we hold a built-in fear and discrimination… Not as many people in Hamas, as there are people who are actually dying. But if we have this fear response, then it becomes anybody that looks like this, or I mean, this is why somebody in Illinois can kill a Palestinian or Muslim child... Because there's this overall fear of terror. And so culturally, economically, politically, very much intertwined.”

She then said “And that does not undermine the existence of antisemitism.

Of course, that also exists.”

Since the bombings in Gaza, there has been a rise in antisemitism and claims that criticizing the Israeli government promotes antisemitism. Alff says, “Like any definition, it changes throughout history based on historical conjunctions and anti-semitism is one of those. I do not condone anti-semitism at all, when I see it I point it out in the way that I stand up for all communities that are oppressed. I think that people who are conflating criticism of the Israeli government right now with antisemitism shut down a conversation that needs to be had to find a viable solution for peace… where both Israelis and Palestinians can live peacefully.”

“I think it is a way to avoid all criticism of a government, and I think that… the biggest critiques of the Israeli government are Israelis themselves. And that is not anti-semetic, as they get to criticize their democratically elected government. And

other people around the world, by freedom of speech, get to have an opinion about what the government is doing or not doing.

And that’s really undermining and diluting what anti-semitism is… and it's really sad and scary because when anti-semitism is diluted to include criticism of Israel in general or the government it kind of loses its meaning and in that way it can be used in really violent and discriminatory ways.”

The classification of Hamas as a terrorist organization is a subject of debate. Alff points out that “they were elected, so there was popular support for them. It’s really hard to talk about Hamas because if Palestine was a state and this was a military we wouldn’t be talking about it in the same way. What is true is that the Palestinian government in the West Bank is different than the Palestinian government in Gaze. The PLO, the government in the West Bank, is considered the legitimate government, and Hamas is considered illegitimate even though they did have elections that were condoned by the United States.”

Alff then called to attention the ways in which Hamas and the Israeli government have interacted in the past, prior to these events. “In the Times of Israel, there is an article that came out in the last couple of days about how Israel had treated Hamas as an ally. The Israeli government was speaking with Hamas in Egypt, they were propping up Hamas. So it’s a bit more complicated than ‘the Palestinians elected a terrorist organization.’ There’s a lot more involved including that Israel has Hamas as a physical threat, and their bombing of this festival was absolutely horrendous, and nobody is condoning that."

All of this information led me to ask Alff how, historically, Palestinians protested for themselves and self-determination. “We've seen this over and over the last couple of years, Palestinian strategy has been peaceful protests. We see this in the film Five Broken Cameras. We've seen this daily in Gaza over the past year. This peaceful protest has been met with violence. On the part of the IDF. We see this in the West Bank right now. So I think it’s unfair, historically, to say that Palestinians are violent, or that this is not just a last resort.

Again, as a historian, I'm not gonna make any broad claims about this until things

have shaded a little bit. I think we don't hear about the peaceful protests. We also don't hear about the hundreds of Palestinians that were killed protesting in Gaza over the last year by Israeli IDF,” she stated.

But why haven’t Arab countries stepped in to assist Palestinians throughout these protests and violence? Alff was uncertain, stating “I don’t know if I can answer that.

I think we’ve seen this time and time again that Arab countries are not pro-Palestinian. We know historically that Arab governments have, behind the scenes, supported Israel in very significant ways.

Though there is the question of Iran… and I think that is a real fear for Israel’s government. I think that’s part of the reason why Biden went. Everyone’s on edge, like what’s going to happen? I think that there’s a fear of being destroyed.”

The Israeli-Palestinian war is an evolving subject and teaching it presents a set of challenges. Alff 's approach to teaching the history of the Israeli-Palestinian war is through valuable insights into the pedagogical aspects of this topic.

“I try to be as reflective as possible and teach students empathy through history… to be able to empathize. There’s enough empathy to go around. You don’t have to pick a side. You can see this as a historical hole and understand what's happening, and in some ways why it's happening and form your own opinion about what you wanna do or say about it.

But it’s not my job…to think of myself as the absolute expert with all of the answers.

I’ve been just one of many that have an argument about this. But there are many, many other reasonable arguments. And this is the difference between being an honest historian and not being an objective historian.”

To conclude, Alff said "I think all of us need to have some humility. I am not the last word on this conflict, but I try to give my students a variety of reasonable perspectives and some unreasonable so they can see how some claims cannot be supported in evidence? From Palestinians, Israelis, Zionists, and Jewish immigrants before the creation of Israel. And really kind of think about how history is made, how power operates.”

features

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 9

Protests from Raleigh to Palestine “From Raleigh to Palestine!” “Intifada, Intifada!” shouted protestors as they called for an end to the bombing of Gaza by Israel.

On Sunday, Oct. 23, a peaceful protest in support of Palestine Alianna occurred at Moore Square Kendallin downtown Raleigh, just Brooks blocks away from where Staff Writer an Israeli protest calling for the release of hostages

by Hamas occurred earlier that morning. Throughout the Triangle area of North Carolina, political demonstrations have surged in response to the rising death toll in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, which began with Hamas's surprise attacks on Oct. 7.

Thousands of people returned to downtown Raleigh for the third proPalestine march this month. As the rally began at 3 p.m., a small crowd donning black and white checkered keffiyehs, a garment symbolizing Palestinian unity, gathered while proudly holding up the flag of Palestine.

The first speaker, Alaa Hamouda, a Gazan woman, faced the crowd holding a megaphone and began to share her story. “I have been in the U.S. for less than five years now. I left everything behind – my family, my brothers, my sisters, my nephews, my cousins – everyone. All the Gazans are our family. I stand here today with a broken heart, calling every one of you to take action, because every single voice counts.”

Hamouda also pointed out the rising death toll of Palestinians. She said, “The last numbers I read a couple of hours ago were more than 4,800 people, innocent people in Gaza have been killed so far. 1,800 of them are children. 1,500 of them are women. So we're talking about very peaceful innocent people being killed. The living conditions of Gaza have been very bad before the war even started…no humanitarian aid has entered Gaza except for 20 trucks. My family and friends say most of the things that entered Gaza were coffins, coffins, not things that people need. On a normal day, 500 trucks enter Gaza daily. And now we're talking about 20 trucks.”

In the weeks allowing the protest on Oct. 23, the Gaza Health Ministry reported that the Palestinian death toll has surpassed 8,000, with most of them being women and children. In Israel, over 1,400 civillians have died, many of whom were killed during the initial Hamas attack.

Hamouda ended her speech with tears in her eyes, “All my family is back home and I have lost touch with them. The last thing I heard was that some of my family had to evacuate to the South. They are sheltering in a bomb house with no blankets, no mattresses, no food, no water. When I asked what are you doing, they said ‘we are just waiting for our turn, we don’t know if we are going to talk to you again.’ All of them are saying goodbye, forgive us. I, as a Gazan woman, as a mom, am feeling very ashamed being here watching my people die. My heart is broken, I want to go die with my family. I don’t want to be here while all of my family die in Gaza.”

Local activists from the Starbucks Workers United and Black Workers for Justice joined Hamouda’s passionate plea for a ceasefire to end the violence against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Raleigh City Council member, Mary Black, addressed the crowd by expressing her solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Both the Black Workers for Justice and Mary made sure to emphasize profound connection between the struggles of Black and Palestinian communities.

Black said, “This issue matters to me personally because I feel and see the parallels between Black and Palestinian liberation. I know what it feels like to have a settler colonial nation commit generational atrocities against your people and then rewrite history to sweep everything under the rug…Too many people in the West have been fooled into believing you either stand with Israel or you stand with terrorists as if supporting Palestinians' rights to self-determination and resistance means supporting war crimes…There are no perfect victims as there are no perfect people, there’s just a fundamental right to self-determination and freedom to thrive in the land we inherited and there are oppressors who oppose that right.”

Among the onlookers was Dr. Ajamu Dillahunt-Holloway, an Assistant

Professor of African American History and Public History at NC State, who has done extensive research on the interconnectedness of the Black and Palestinian struggles. To delve deeper into the relationship between the liberation of Palestinians and people across the African diaspora, Nubian spoke with Dr. Dillahunt Holloway.

Nubian Message (NM): “How does your field of academia shape your understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?”

Dillahunt-Holloway (ADH): “From my many years of study, I learned that it's almost impossible to understand African Americans without understanding the larger world, because African American activists were not only talking about social change, here, in the US. They were talking about social change across the world and African Americans have long been aware and conscious of what we call this question of Palestine. So, if you look at the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, founded at Shaw University in 1960, it really was the youth voice of the civil rights movement. They were critiquing the war in Vietnam and in 1967 they released a statement in support of Palestine. And then of course…you have a whole range of African American leaders who are raising questions about what was happening to Palestinians as part of a larger fight against colonialism...”

has taken place with very little context, very little framing of the events. So media is important. Nelson Mandela said, our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of Palestine because he saw that the same system that made apartheid in South Africa possible, was the same system that made the State of Israel in his creation possible.

So, when you're trying to navigate the media, history and context are important.”

NM: “There are many competing terms for what is happening between Israel and Palestine. From a historical lens, how do you think the conflict will be defined in the future?”

ADH: “If we look at South Africa, and how apartheid was defined, it would be defined as that. But I also don't think you can get away from talking about the subject without the question of genocide.

So I do think genocide and apartheid in an occupation will be how it is defined from a historical perspective.”

NM: “Is a two-state solution possible?”

ADH: “I can’t offer an answer to what the solution is, but I think there are a lot of people out there who can. I think right now, a solution that people have been calling for is a ceasefire and I think that's important. Some have even said in order for a solution to take place means an end to the occupation and allowing people to be self-determined.”

NM: “How important do you think media literacy is when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict?”

NM: “Do you think the worldwide protests will be able to make a difference in peacebuilding?”

ADH: “Malcolm X told us if you’re not careful, the newspaper will have you opposing the people who are being oppressed and glorifying those who are doing the oppressing. When we talk about this current iteration of what is happening in Palestine and Israel, a lot of it is divorced from context. So, oftentimes people don't talk about 97% of Gaza's water being undrinkable, or that, since the beginning of the year, 250 Palestinians had been murdered by Israeli soldiers. Context is important and the media approached what

ADH: “I think people making their voices heard from a historical basis has always made a difference. In London, there were almost 100,000, and in places like New York, Chicago, even here in Raleigh, there's been in the thousands. I think they will make a difference. Hopefully, peace and justice for everyone is something that we can see very soon.”

Read The Full Article on thenubianmessage.com

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 10

opinion

Mental Health on Campus Alright y’all, let’s talk about mental health.

Over the past few years, mental health has become a more prevalent topic in society. Last year was particularly hard for some of us but NC State has now implemented some amazing programs to help Eleanor Saunders with the mental health of students.

Staff Writer College is stressful for many students. We have to balance different roles in order to feel like we are not falling behind the rest of our peers. Finances, jobs, internships, clubs and a social life along with maintaining a good academic standing are all hard to juggle.

All of these commitments can contribute to a students’ mental health.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center said that “mental health problems can affect a student’s energy level, concentration, dependability, mental ability, and optimism, hindering performance. Research suggests that depression is associated with lower grade point averages and that co-occurring depression and anxiety can increase this association.”

I have personally noticed that my level of concentration and energy level has decreased since I started college. I need to take a nap almost every day to get through the day. I sat down to write this article at 7:30 p.m. It is now 11:07 p.m. and this is how far I’ve got. I’m pretty sure that most students can agree with me when I say that all I want to do is sleep and watch Netflix.

Across campus, you can see how mental health is affecting students. In my classes, students are not participating as much. Many students complain about the workload and how it is not negatively affecting their mental health.

My roommate, Arianna Ocasio, a second-year majoring in Biochemistry, had to drop one of her classes mid-semester because she could not understanding the material. The material was stressing her out to the point where she was in tears.

Luckily, her advisor said she was able to drop the class. Regardless of having one less class, Arianna still does not feel like her workload was lightened.

image from creative commons

North Carolina State University's Bell Tower Karis Price, a second year student getting her Masters in Clinical mental health counseling, said “academia is not conducive to mental health in general.

The pressures and stressors can come from family, professors and work culture on top of having to pass the semester. We [students] are expected to be on go all the time and that’s not good for anyone’s mental health.”

Joseph Hairston, a second year majoring in Business administration said that balancing his classes and extracurricular activities has negatively affected his sleep.

Joseph is on the Black Students Board and he is a Poole Ambassador, a secretary for the Black Business Association and an intern for Intrepid Marketing. He feels like balancing all this has taken away from his personal life.

Joseph struggles to find time to do things that he loves, like playing basketball and working out. The Kaiser Permanente said that “research shows that when you engage in interests you enjoy, you’re more likely to have lower stress levels, a lower heart rate, and a better mood.” Joseph had to cut back on some of his internship hours because

he felt he wasn’t getting enough time to himself. Once he cut out some of the hours, he realized that his stress levels decreased and he was able to enjoy more of what being a college student entails.

Like Joseph, Karis and Arianna, many NC State students agree that balancing school, extracurriculars and a social life negatively impacts student's mental health. The U.S. News said that “chronic and unhealthy levels of stress is at its their worst among college-age students and young adults. The American Psychological Association’s 2022 “Stress in America” report said that 46% of adults between the ages of 18-35 reported that “most days they are so stressed they can’t function.”

Take a look at the NC State community YikYak for example. One anonymous student said, “I love waking up with anxiety levels of a prey animal in the wild when my only plan today is to go to the library.”

Another anonymous student said, “turning on my computer to see the damage from protecting my peace during fall break.”

Another student said, “I must go, my people need me,” referring to the Chronic Illness and Mental Health communities

on YikYak. Midterms also did not help student's mental health. Many students had multiple exams in one week. Some students even had two to three exams in one day. I am a Communication major so a majority of my exams happen to be in paper format. I had four papers due in two weeks. My anxiety was through the roof during these two weeks. At one point, I couldn’t even hold a conversation because I was so burnt out from overthinking and stressing out about my assignments.

Although students are struggling with their mental health, NC State has implemented many programs to help improve their mental health. One of these programs is Wellness Days. As we know, these days have been put aside to give students a breather day. Students are encouraged to not do any assignments on these days and prioritize their wellness.

Counseling for students is also encouraged. Centers like the African American Cultural Center (AACC) in the Witherspoon Student Center have drop-in times where students can speak to professionals and on-campus counselors about issues they may be facing. NC State’s Counseling Center encourages students to schedule appointments with them.

A new program, called the NC State University Faculty and Staff Assistance Program offers 24 hours, seven days a week counseling. The program offers confidential counseling, financial information and resources, legal support and resources, work-life solutions and guidance resources online.

As a college student, it is important to know the resources available, especially when it comes to mental health. Take advantage of the resources. Believe me when I tell you, the counselors on campus are amazing and they can’t wait to help you.

It is important to remember that you are not alone in this struggle.

Go to the Women’s Center, the LGBTQ Center (aka the Rainbow Room), the AACC and other centers on campus that have programs designed to help students improve their mental health. Attend on-campus events, but most importantly, have “me days.” In my opinion, “me days” are very important to one’s mental health.

Take care of yourself!

opinion

THURSDAY, november 2, 2023 | 11

SPEAK UP ABOUT RACE Does it ever feel like white people are scared to talk about race? Is there an unspoken belief that people outside of a certain race cannot partake in conversations about other races? I’m here Senait Richmond to say, don't be scared.

Cancel culture has Staff Writer created an atmosphere of judgment and quick consequences, instilling fear in those discussing topics related to race.

Instead of invalidating and speaking over groups who deal with racism, be curious.

The Black struggle in America is still real, and nuanced conversations are more effective when everyone participates.

Racism has evolved within society, and while instances of blatant racism still exist, the complexities of implicit racism should be taught and understood by the general public.

To clarify, talking about the Black experience doesn't always imply racism or offense. Yet, I’ve often refrained from talking about my own Black experience to ensure others, typically white people, feel comfortable.

My first time talking about race was in my college essay. Although it wasn’t my intention to write an essay about race, it was a constant and necessary part of my lived experience. As an Ethiopian child adopted by a white family, navigating a white world became the new normal for me. I never realized how much it limited my conversations around race until I came to college.

At NC State, I attended the weekly ‘What’s On The Table’ event hosted by the African American Cultural Center (AACC) where we had in-depth conversations about issues in the Black community. From Black hair to Affirmative Action, we covered a wide range of topics and heard everyone's thoughts and opinions.

These spaces have opened my mind to valuable and beneficial perspectives while simultaneously validating my life experiences.

Referring back to my college essay, after I completed the first draft, the time came for critique and edits. I asked my high school English teacher to give me feedback on

ways I could make the essay college-ready.

He responded, saying he didn’t think he was the right person for the job because he was white. At the time, I thought it was admirable that he didn't want to critique an experience he couldn’t relate to. But then, I stood there puzzled.

If my English teacher can’t edit my essay, and he is implying that white people aren’t equipped to do so, who do I ask?

Growing up in a white household in a predominantly white town with white teachers, white coaches and white mentors, how do I improve the storytelling of my Black experience?

Since I had no other option, I turned to the only other Black student in the class.

Although we spoke occasionally, I had a feeling he would be the best person to talk to. We spent hours going through each paragraph, editing out unnecessary parts and critiquing the essay. He was incredibly helpful and I am so grateful for the time he set aside to help me. To this day, I think about what an amazing stroke of luck that was.

I wonder though, what would have happened if I were the sole Black person in the room? Would I have to search for a stranger in the hallway, hoping that because of their race they were qualified to critique my essay? Would I have to settle for a subpar essay, one that sounded generic and lacked a unique essence? Would it have garnered sympathy points for my struggles, or simply been dismissed for lacking a formal structure?

Even though I want to write about the Black experience, I take pride in being a writer and producing quality work. I expect to be given the same opportunity for constructive criticism to help elevate my work, regardless of whether or not I'm in a predominantly white setting.

This memory resurfaced when my friend Alianna Kendall-Brooks, a second-year double majoring in Political science and English, had a similar experience in her creative writing class. She wrote a poem about her biracial identity experience.

When the poem was read in front of the class in a student-led poetry workshop, there was minimal engagement from students, particularly non-students of color.

Kendall-Brooks believes this is a result of fear when it comes to covering issues of racial identity. She said, “The people who

commented on my poem were mostly the only other people of color in the classroom.

I could hear the stutters and the awkward silence of my white peers, and it made me sad. Just because I’m talking about a racially charged subject, doesn't mean that feedback can’t be provided to help improve my poetry. I think sometimes when talking about race and Black issues in society with white people, they almost seem to be scared to talk about it and scared of me, as if I’m going to automatically dox or cancel them. I find it offensive because you're profiling me based on what I look like, assuming I can’t be objective when talking about issues that regard race.”

“I think sometimes when

talking about race and Black issues in society with white people, they almost seem to be scared to talk about it and scared of me, as if I’m going to automatically dox or cancel them. ” You don’t need to walk in someone's shoes to empathize and educate yourself about their experiences. If the topic of the poem were heartbreak or drug addiction, people wouldn't need personal experience with these topics to provide critique because it’s about the poem itself, not the subject matter.

So how can teachers, professors and future bosses be better equipped to handle these situations and provide feedback when students want to talk about race?

Kendall-Brooks said, “Professors set the tone for the classroom. If it seems they’re scared to say the word Black or African American, then all the other white people in the class are going to be scared to talk about it too.”

When asked about how these circumstances can be improved to support constructive feedback rather than offensive feedback, Kendall-Brooks said, “Recognizing that Black issues are

everybody's issues. Just because it’s an issue pertaining to a certain race doesn’t mean that it’s not affecting everyone in society. When it comes to the brutal killing of unarmed Black men, that’s an issue for everyone in society, not just Black people.

Microaggressions and racial prejudice in the 21st century, that’s an issue for everybody, not just people of color.”

Human rights issues and social conversation about multicultural experiences shouldn’t be taboo to talk about. There is no permission needed, but always show respect.

Kendall-Brooks said, “It’s important to be cognizant and aware of how what you say can be interpreted, but it’s also important to be willing to address your own ignorance and privilege.”

Kendall-Brooks said, “I’m used to being one of the only advocates in a room. Every day when I’m the only person to talk about Black issues or the issues of people of color in a white setting, I feel that way because no one else is willing to talk about it since they think it doesn’t pertain to them. So they don’t."

The experiences of both my friends and myself when looking for literary feedback from white teachers and classmates is discouraging and disappointing.The truth is not all writing about the Black experience is good. A good topic doesn’t always mean a well-written one.

Students deserve fair evaluation and objective critical analysis of literary works.

My high school art teacher once said "not all art is good art," which goes against what we are generally taught, that there's no such thing as bad art because it’s ‘art.’

But…that's just not true. We’ve all seen questionable art, and even a non-artist could give feedback on a piece if they took the time to understand the goal, methods and story the artist was trying to convey.

I think it’s time to change the awkwardness of talking about Black issues in white spaces. We can have deeper than surface-level conversations about topics we may not all relate to. If we can empathize and critique literature about traumas we’ve never experienced, why can’t white people do the same with racial issues?

Just be respectful and join the conversation.