NYU’s Daily Student Newspaper
WASHINGTON SQUARE NEWS Vol. 42, No. 21
THURSDAY, MARCH 6, 2014
nyunews.com
Fake slave auction performed in park
NYU to open innovator space
Freedom For All, a non-profit organization to fight human trafficking, hosted three anti-trafficking demonstrations on March 5 throughout New York City. In the third demonstration five actors, including four adults and a young girl, were led onto the steps of Washington Square Park’s outdoor stage and gathered in front of a crowd of about 20 people. A staged auctioneer then proceeded to auction them off to several people acting as bidders who were placed among the crowd. Kim Dempster, the demonstration’s director, said the auction was a creative way to explore the issue. “I thought it would be good to do these auctions and get attention for the problem rather to do just awareness campaigns,” Dempster said. New School sophomore Gabriel Franklin said the impact of
The development of a new 5,900 square foot entrepreneur’s lab was announced on Feb. 28 during NYU’s third annual Entrepreneur’s Festival. The lab is designed to foster cross-school instruction, networking and inspiration for NYU’s young entrepreneurs. Faculty will also be brought in to engage with and assist students. The lab’s construction is made possible due to a large donation from 1966 alumnus Mark Leslie and his wife, Debra. Leslie, the founding chairman and CEO of the VERITAS software company, said he hopes the lab will continue to increase the entrepreneurial culture at NYU. “I am a product of, and believe deeply, in the virtue of the entrepreneurial endeavor,” Leslie said. “And, because I am an alumnus and product of NYU, I want to help [NYU] in this area.”
By LARSON BINZER
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By ANDREW SPOHN
SHAWN PAIK/WSN
Freedom For All, an anti-human trafficking organization, put on the demonstration.
Davis calls for abolition of imprisonment By BAILEY EVANS
Activist, author and professor Angela Davis spoke at NYU on March 4 as the Institute of African American Affairs’ scholar-in-residence. Her lecture, Feminism, Abolition and Radical Reconstruction in the 21st century, centered on the role of feminism in today’s society and the abolition of the incarceration system. “Abolition involves so much more than the abolition of slavery,” Davis said. “It involves more than the abolition of imprisonment as the dominate form of punishment. Feminism involves so much more than gender equality.” Davis spoke on the relationship between feminism and abolition, and she said the two are necessary to positively change society.
“Feminism needs abolition and abolition needs feminism if we’re going to bring about radical change,” Davis said. Davis is known for her activism for social justice, particularly racial and gender justice. Her activism dates back to the 1960s civil rights movement, when she was a leader of the American Communist Party and involved with the Black Panther Party. She is a self-described radical feminist and has been heavily involved with prisoners’ rights, founding her own organization dedicated to abolishing the industrial prison system. The crowd at her lecture, which exceeded the number of chairs in the auditorium, was vocal throughout the night, frequently breaking out into
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‘Cleopatra’ production impresses By DYLAN JARRETT
Marc Antony and Cleopatra are placed among history’s greatest lovers. Their tragic story is as famous as Romeo and Juliet’s, Samson and Delilah’s or Lancelot and Guinevere’s. However, Shakespeare’s portrayal of the couple is heavy on politics as well as love, focusing largely on the conflict between Egypt and Rome. Tarell Alvin McCraney’s production of “Antony and Cleopatra,” which opened at the Public Theater on March 5, successfully accomplishes the difficult task of balancing this famous love story with the cultural and political gap between the title characters. McCraney’s play opens in
a palpably African Egypt. Rather than giving the audience the sleek robes and kohl eyeliner stereotypically associated with a semi-Caucasian Egypt, McCraney’s Egypt feels far more natural. Joaquina Kalukango, who plays a dominating yet petite Cleopatra, has dreadlocks rather than the black wig commonly associated with the character. In contrast, the Romans have been Anglicized. They wear military jackets rather than togas and would not appear out of place in a textbook about the American Revolution. Luckily, the play’s action occurs predominantly in Egypt, which is the far more interesting culture to observe, full of music and passion.
Chivas Michael, an actor who plays several Egyptian roles, exemplifies this passion. Although his three parts are not distinct enough to differentiate one character from another, he carries the Egyptian culture with him even when he leaves the country, accompanying Antony to Rome as the two nations fight. By making this cultural divide so jarring, McCraney is better able to illustrate Antony’s inner struggle. Antony is unsure whether his allegiances lie with Rome or with Cleopatra, the woman he loves and the face of Egypt. As played by Jonathan Cake, Antony is
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