Richland Chronicle February 26th, 2019

CHRONICLE Richland

Vol. XLV Issue 21 February 26, 2019

Uncovering local history Pg. 7

Special section on pages 5-8 RichlandStudentMedia.com

Richland Student Media

@RLCStudentMedia

Richland Student Media

2 LOCAL/CAMPUS

February 26, 2019

HIV testing on campus Jani Leuschel Staff Writer

RichlandStudentMedia.com

“Rates for new infections and for people living with HIV are high in this area [75243 zip code] of Dallas,” said Edgar Gonzalez, the health education coordinator with Project Impact, an outreach and education organization that focuses on AIDS testing and prevention. Project Impact works in partnership with the Richland Health Center in providing free HIV testing. The next round of testing takes place March 6.

“Turnout for the testing has been good,” Gonzalez said.

Most often, it’s Richland students who want the test, but anyone over 18 with an ID can take advantage of the free testing. Comparable HIV tests available in stores can cost $30 to $40.

The rapid finger-stick test gives nearly immediate results and is based on antibody science. If a student reacts positively, a blood draw can also be performed in the health center.

“It is our responsibility to do confirmation testing. We’re a one-stop shop,” Gonzalez said.

The blood draw however, has to be sent to Dallas Health and Human Services, so it takes three to five days for the results to be returned.

Project Impact also offers tests for syphilis. Having syphilis or other STDs can predispose a person to contracting HIV. Diagnosis of these diseases is also done with a quick test offering results in less than 10 minutes.

“Both the HIV and syphilis tests can be done with one finger stick or a total of about three drops of blood,” Gonzalez said.

“They don’t just come in and do a test and send [the students] on their way,” Caroline White, senior manager of the Richland Health Center said. “There’s a lot of counseling because people come in here that have been involved in somewhat of a risky encounter,” she said.

While free condoms are not available at the Health Center, Project Impact and other community agencies give them to people who ask. Most health agencies agree that condoms

protect against HIV and other STDs like chlamydia and gonorrhea, which are much more rampant in the community than HIV. “Not having a condom in this climate, shouldn’t happen,” said Gonzalez.

He stressed that prevention is key. While many people have heard prevention messages about practicing monogamy, using condoms and getting tested, Gonzalez stressed that “asking questions of partners” is critical to preventing infection.

Rates of new infection are highest among males having sex with males, according to statistics from Dallas Health and Human Services, and this is especially the case for African-American men who make up almost half (48 percent) of the new diagnoses, according to 2017 statistics on HIV. Other groups experiencing higher rates of new infections are African-American women and transgender males to females.

“Those are priority populations in Texas specifically and that’s [sic] actually the priority populations here in Dallas locally,” Gonzalez said.

Project Impact and area service organizations like Resource Center, a non-profit organization that operates a large LGBTQ community center in Dallas, educate clients on HIV treatment called PrEP, pre-exposure prophylaxis through a daily pill. Truvada interferes with viral replication and is recommended for persons who find themselves regularly at risk.

“Early treatment is a big focus,” said Gonzalez, who educates clients and others about the phrase “U equals U”- undetectable means untransmittable.

Recent advances in science show that if an HIV-positive person has a low viral load, under 200, they cannot give the virus to anyone else. The website www.aidsmap.com puts a high viral load around 100,000 and a low viral load at 10,000.

In cases of extremely low viral loads, living with HIV is not that different from management of other chronic diseases like diabetes or hypertension.

The story continues online at www.richlandstudent media.com.

NATIONAL 3

February 26, 2019

Photo The Associated Press

R. Kelly arriving at the Cook County Criminal Court Building in Chicago in 2008. He was charged Feb. 22 with aggravated sexual abuse involving four victims.

Robert Kelly indicted for aggravated sexual assault Kaelyn Bradley

Online Editor Music mogul Robert Kelly was indicted Feb. 22 on 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. The Class 2 felony involves four alleged victims including at least three young women between the ages of 13 and 18. The announcement was made in a press conference by Cook County State’s Attorney, Kim Foxx.

The charging documents contained

allegations of abuse that dated back to 1998. The indictments revealed specific incidents that took place in 2003, according to The Associated Press (AP).

This comes just seven weeks after the premiere of “Surviving R. Kelly,” a six-part docuseries on Lifetime TV. The program revealed an inside look into Kelly’s life that partially confirmed decades of lurid rumors that made Kelly a public enemy to

Actor Jussie Smollett’s character on “Empire” will be removed from the final two episodes of this season in the wake of his arrest on charges that he staged a racist, antigay attack on himself last month in downtown Chicago. The decision was announced by Fox TV show producers Feb. 22.

Meanwhile, the Smollett case encapsulates the polarized state of political discourse in America.

With Smollett now accused of staging a racist, anti-gay attack on himself, the case seemed to inflame political tensions even more while creating potentially damaging consequences for genuine hate crime victims in the future.

“The danger is that it will cause people to respond with skepticism whenever they hear reports of hate violence, even though the overwhelming majority of those reports are completely true,” said Shannon Minter, legal director of the National Center for Lesbian Rights.

Smollett, who is black and gay, is accused of filing a false police report last month asserting that he was attacked in Chicago by two men who beat him, targeted him with slurs, and yelled “This is MAGA country” — an apparent reference to President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Democratic presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker were among those who sided with Smollett early on and called the incident a “modern-day lynching.” They soon found themselves under attack from the right as Smollett’s story began to fall apart.

Trump initially called reports of the attack “horrible.” On Feb. 21, he tweeted, “What

about MAGA and the tens of millions of people you insulted with your racist and dangerous comments!?”

Editor and commentator Jarrett Stepman of The Daily Signal, an online publication of the conservative The Heritage Foundation, faulted left-of-center pundits and politicians for seizing immediately on Smollett’s claims in a bid to score political points.

“Instead of just treating this as a serious crime, it was used as a political bludgeon to malign large swaths of Americans,” he said.

“There was a rush to find a story to attack half the country.”

Stepman, however, said he shared concerns that the case might have unfortunate consequences for real victims who deserve support and compassion.

“Heinous hate crimes do exist in this country, but it’s the ‘boy who cried wolf’ thing,” Stepman said. “People become cynical, and that’s not a healthy thing for American society.”

Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson had a hard time holding back his frustration over the allegation that a gay black man like Smollett would concoct such a story given the real struggles in the city with racial divisions and hate crimes.

He expressed similar concerns about how hate crimes are handled in the future because of this case while recognizing how his city became a participant in a national political debate.

“Celebrities, news commentators and even presidential candidates weighed in on something that was choreographed by an actor,” said Johnson, who is black and grew up in

the #MeToo movement. The public came together in the name of activism to support the #MuteRKelly campaign to stop his music from being played. Activists demanded that promotors not book Kelly for any future gigs and led to a protest outside his Chicago recording studio, according to AP. Over the years, Kelly denied all claims of sexual misconduct. In 2008, he was acquitted on child pornography charges based on an explicit video that prosecutors said showed a sexual encounter between Kelly and a girl as young as 13. Contrary to the video, and confirmation by witnesses, both Kelly and the young girl denied they were the people in the 27-minute video. Had Kelly not been acquitted, he could have faced 15 years in prison. Many people speculated that the victim’s silence was the result of manipulation

For more than two decades, Kelly has been trailed by allegations of sexual misconduct.

– the very manipulation that would later be disclosed in the Lifetime docuseries.

In the indictment, the prosecution addressed the question of the statute of limitations. It outlined how Kelly could be prosecuted under Illinois law, although the alleged crimes happened as far back as two decades earlier, according to AP. Kelly’s attorney, Steve Greenburg, believes his client was victimized in the docuseries.

Greenburg said he believed that Kelly, “never knowingly had sex with an underage woman. He never forced anyone to do anything. He never held anyone captive. He never abused anyone.”

For more than two decades, Kelly has been trailed by allegations of sexual misconduct. Renewed secutiny came after attorney Michael Avenatti said he received yet another video showing Kelly engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year old girl, which he turned over to the Cook County State Attorney’s Office in Chicago. Avenatti said Kelly and the girl refer to the girl’s age multiple times in the 40-minute video – a striking detail that seemed to confirm claims of statutory rape.

A person convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse can carry a sentence of between three and seven years in prison under Illinois law, according to AP. At press time, a warrant has been issued for Kelly’s arrest, according to Chicago police. Kelly is set to appear in court Feb. 24 for a bail hearing.

Smollett attack could marginalize other hate crime victims

Smollett

Photo The Associated Press

complete because it’s based in part on voluntary reporting by police agencies across the country.

Non-government researchers have come up with a variety of findings. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism in Cal State San Bernardino looked at hate crimes in the nation’s 10 biggest cities and found a 12 percent increase in 2017. There were similar annual increases during the Obama administration.

Robin Valeri, a psychology professor at St. Bonaventure University who has researched hate crimes, said the Smollett case reminded her of the 1987 case involving Tawana Brawley, a black teenager from New York state who

falsely alleged that she was abducted and raped by a gang of white men.

“These cases make people skeptical,” Valeri said. “The assumption is going to be, ‘Oh, they’re just making it up.’”

Among the black activists who championed Brawley’s case before it unraveled was civil rights leader Al Sharpton.

Speaking Feb. 21 on MSNBC, Sharpton called the hoax claims against Smollett “horrific” and said the actor, if proven guilty, “ought to face accountability to the maximum.”

Alvin Tillery, a political science professor who directs Northwestern University’s Center for the Study of Diversity and Democracy, said racial hoaxes — including the Brawley case — have a long history in the United States.

“The Smollett case is likely to have an even larger impact on our politics and culture than those infamous hoaxes because of Mr. Smollett’s celebrity status and our deeply troubling political climate,” said Tillery, who is black.

The wall-to-wall media coverage that the case generated also left some people frustrated.

“There’s a lot of racial and anti-Semitic violence in this country that we didn’t even know about,” said Heidi Beirich, who heads the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project. “It outweighs one sensational fake crime.”

The Chicago police chief began his news conference by acknowledging the throng of reporters in front of him and declaring, “I just wish that the families of gun violence got this much attention.”

-The Associated Press

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Chicago.

In the debate over the Smollett case, critics of Trump have pointed out that hate crimes have soared since his election, but the statistics are nuanced.

The most recent official figures from the FBI show that there was a 17 percent spike in hate crimes in 2017. But that data isn’t

4 MUSIC

February 26, 2019

Local band showcase rocks Deep Ellum Nick Medlock Staff Writer

A music showcase in Deep Ellum brought together four bands of very different styles to play in front of a packed house. The local musicians rocked the Prophet Bar from 7 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 17.

The show started with guitarist and vocalist Anna Garcia. Her performance was one to be seen as she warmed up the crowd that appeared to enjoy the music as well as the drinks.

“I think I did pretty good despite the fact that I wasn’t playing my own guitar,” Garcia said. “I think playing some of the original music that I had helped me today.”

The next act was the very young and wild Griffin Holtby with an over-clocked attitude and a flair for the stage. He and his drummer went all out. Holtby was dancing while playing electric guitar and blasted the world with the sound of music.

“Before getting here, we used to be in another band called Seven-Forty-Five,” Holtby said. “We won the Green Day competition and I really got to know Anton [Ritter] through that. Then I left because I wanted to pursue a different avenue while Anton continued with the band. Later, on down the line more towards high school, I came back and started working with Anton again.”

Photo Courtesy Shawn Estrada/Brokeboi Productions

Cade Vandare of Slow Vine sings at the Prophet Bar in Deep Ellum on Feb. 17.

The next act was the main event. The upbeat indie rock band Slow Vine made their way to the stage. It was their first live performance as a full band. Slow Vine is made up of

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two rhythm guitarists, a lead guitarist/singer, keyboardist and drummer.

“Lauren [Berlin – the promoter] hooked us up before to do a show here playing with

another drummer but we were a different band at the time. The Prophet Bar had brought us back as a second chance. This is the first show, however, at the Prophet Bar with everyone in Slow Vine,” said drummer Isiah Harrell.

Their performance appeared to be a smashing success as the crowd applauded with joy and whistles.

“The next thing we need to do is probably make a music video or something like that so we can get more publicity,” Harrell said. It seemed the whole band was in agreement that they were on board with making a splash into the limelight.

At the end of the night, DJ Oribjorn, also known as music artist Ross Ingram, took the stage. Oribjorn played dream techno music to close out the show.

Ingram’s sick jams turned up the heat (and the volume) in the room as the temperature dropped outside. His techno fever swept the stage as Prophet Bar patrons crowded the dance floor.

“I play a type of dubstep music known as dreamy dubstep,” Ingram said. “It’s a free form sound with no real structure. You can change the structure every bar, two bars. It’s really fun to make and it’s really fun to play it as well.”

Ingram said, he wants to create a unique sound for his act.

“Wherever the music takes me I’ll go,” he said.

Photo Illustration Adrienne Aguilar

SPECIAL SECTION 5

RichlandStudentMedia.com

February 26, 2019

6 SPECIAL SECTION

February 26, 2019

Witnessing Dallas’ hidden history

would not have to attend the same park with its white citizens,” Pinkard said.

Just a few blocks away is the YMCA built for The rich history of Dallas’ African-Ameri- African-Americans. Pinkard said the builder can community is concealed in neighborhoods would not start the process until $50,000 was throughout the city. These sites preserve the raised to erect the building. To what may have record of the first arrivals to Dallas and Texas. been the surprise of white residents, $75,000 Each site tells the story of how African-Amer- was raised to build the facility. Not only was icans shaped the city and developed a unique it a YMCA, it was also a boarding house and meeting hall. The building had 20 rooms availway of life.

Boarding a bus in East Dallas, the Hidden able to African-Americans. The facility was History Tour began at the J.B. Jackson Bus listed in the Green Book as a location where Station. The tour guide told a story about African-Americans could stay the night.

“The Green Book was written by Victor Jackson, a political activist who protested the taking of African-American property through Greens,” said Jocelyn Pinkard, also a guide on imminent domain in 1969. Jackson and then the tour.

The Green Book listed places where AfriDallas Mayor J. Erik Jonsson were involved in negotiations to keep protesters from blocking can-Americans could find housing, gas and purchase goods while traveling in the South,” the annual Cotton Bowl parade.

“Jackson received a concession in the 11th she said. The Dallas Black Dance Theatre now hour that Jackson would ride in the lead car owns the facility.

Entering the business district of Dallas, the with the mayor in the Cotton Bowl parade,” tour bus approached the Majestic Theatre. tour guide Dan Pinkard said.

Freedmen’s Cemetery is located at I-75 African-Americans were not able to attend and Lemmon Avenue. The site is located on performances at the Majestic until 1925. That land once owned by African-Americans on year, African-Americans were able to purchase both sides of the expressway. The cemetery tickets but had to enter through a side gate is where freed blacks were buried. Even in and sit upstairs in the balcony. That practice death, the mixing of races was forbidden in continued until the 1960s when civil rights activist Juanita Craft made it an issue and the early years of Dallas.

“From 1850, there are between 2,000 and fought to change the practice.

Leaving downtown on Elm Street, just past 2,500 African-Americans [buried] here,” the Sixth Floor Museum, is an unmarked park Pinkard said.

The area now known as Uptown was once where three men were hung for burning down the location of the first African-American the city of Dallas in the 1860s, said George Keaton, the owner of Hidden Tours. community in Dallas.

“On July 24, 2019, a plaque will be placed Griggs Park, south of Freedmen’s Cemetery, surrounded by condominiums, town-houses at the historical site to mark the event,” said and upscale homes, was originally named Hall Keaton.

Pinkard pointed out two bronze statues of Street Negro Park. It was purchased for Juneteenth celebrations. Reverend Allen R. Griggs prominent African-Americans downtown. A and the New Hope Baptist Church purchased statue of Chicago Cubs Hall of Fame shortthe park in 1913. It was later sold to the city stop Ernie Banks is located in front of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performof Dallas. “[This was] one of seven parks that the city ing and Visual Arts. A statue of Rosa Parks, of Dallas purchased so that its black citizens the seamstress who took a seat at the front of the bus and sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, is at Rosa Parks Plaza on Lamar Street. It was installed to commemorate on the 60th anniversary of the boycott.

The tour continued across the Trinity River to Oak Cliff, an area of town where African-Americans could settle and call home.

Pinkard pointed out The Bottoms, a neighborhood where black people got their start on the American dream. It was home to musician T-Bone Walker, who found inspiration to write songs like “Trinity River Blues,” and Rafer Johnson, who won the decathlon Olympic gold medal in 1960.

The historic Trinity River floods were a part of everyday life. Pinkard said African-Americans who were able to “move up,” moved to the Tenth Street area of the neighborhood.

Blacks and Anglos were buried in the Oak Cliff cemetery, but not side by side.

The Forest Theater is a short drive from Oak Cliff. It’s located on the corner of I-75 and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. AccordSculpture of Rosa Parks in Downtown Dallas. ing to Pinkard, this is where the headline acts

Willie R. Cole

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Staff Writer

Sculpture by David Newton at Freedmen’s Cemetery in Uptown Dallas.

would come to perform for African-Americans in Dallas. Pinkard said Craft, the previously mentioned civil rights activist, lived on Warren Street, just off MLK Boulevard, and became the city’s first African-American city council representative. South Boulevard, one block to the north, was once home to a thriving Jewish community. A statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is located in front of the community center that bears his name.

The African-American Museum, located in Fair Park, offers a closer look at life in Freedman’s Town. The second floor exhibit gives visitors a much better look at life in the past.

Deep Ellum was an area where African-Americans, Anglos, and Mexicans could meet and socialize. It was the only place in Dallas where merchants would allow African-Americans to try on clothes before they purchased them.

Staff Photo Willie R. Cole

The history of the struggles and celebrations are documented in the exhibits. Items on display include documents of a woman who was sold into slavery, years after the executive order for the Emancipation Proclamation and a Ku Klux Klan robe that is protected behind glass.

Deep Ellum, Hamilton Park, the Old Red Courthouse, Little Egypt and churches like New Hope Baptist, where African-American leaders would speak on the issues of the day, are also on the tour. African-American history in Dallas covers the time period from the early 1800s to the present.

“It was culturally enriching; the exhibits, the locations, the history, was really complete and educational,” tourist George Gilchrist, Jr. said For more information about Hidden Tours, visit www.hiddenhistory.org and www.rememberingblackdallas.org.

February 26, 2019

SPECIAL SECTION

The exhibit “Black Beauty, Glitz and Glamour” is on view at South Dallas Cultural Center through March 23.

7

Staff Photos Trace Miller

‘Black Beauty, Glitz and Glamour’ in Dallas Trace Miller

Assistant Managing Editor One mannequin wore a psychedelic pantsuit and top hat slashed by a baby-blue belt.

Another mannequin sported paint-smeared black sweats and a collared, cascading, orangesatin robe. These two outfits were inspired respectively by Grace Jones, the JamaicanAmerican actress, supermodel and Grammywinning singer, and Iman, the Somalian fashion model noted for her pioneering work in ethnic-cosmetics.

The outfits constitute only a fraction of those on display as part of the exhibition “Black Beauty, Glitz and Glamour,” a fashion and photography show on view at the South Dallas Cultural Center (SDCC). This exhibit highlights the beauty and accomplishments of black, female celebrities.

“Historically, African-American women have rarely been the subject of discussion around beauty, style and fashion in general.

This was an opportunity to address that discrepancy and highlight their accomplishments,” said John Spriggins, the general manager of the SDCC. Designers and fashion stylists Patrick Wright and Pucci Lisenbee organized and curated the exhibit. Wright and Lisenbee integrated photographs, text and clothing to portray the marginalized beauty of AfricanAmerican women and illustrate their accomplishments.

The photographs were sourced from the archives of the African American Museum at Fair Park and the outfits were designed by Wright and Lisenbee themselves.

Each outfit was seemingly inspired by a particular black, female entertainer or celebrity.

A historic photograph of each woman was accompanied by a paragraph highlighting their respective achievements, posted on the wall near each outfit.

The array of styles, textures, cuts and colors was dazzling. The total number of outfits hovers around 40—each one fresh and unique.

Unfortunately, the variety is overwhelming rather than informative due to a lack of coordination between the text, photographs and clothing.

While proximity between an outfit and photograph suggested a correspondence, no particular dress is linked to a specific entertainer or photo. This creates a challenge for viewers seeking information while enjoying the innovative beauty of the ensembles.

This exhibit is on view at the South Dallas Cultural Center through March 23. Visit www. sdcc.dallasculture.org for more information.

A dress inspired by performer Eartha Kitt.

“When you’re digging, you’re actually excited. Maybe you can find something that will actually lead to something,” said Delphine Tuma, one of the student anthropologists.

When searching through land records, the professors were pleasantly surprised to discover that the McCoy family, former Little Egypt residents who had been interviewed extensively, were the former owners of the exact plot of land. Richland students are working with the family to create a 3D model of their family homestead.

“Most other classes you don’t get to actually do what the profession entails, but this one, you do. So it’s kind of interesting,” said Luis Orozco, a student working on the project.

According to written material made available by the professors to the Chronicle, the origins of the Little Egypt settlement date back to Sept. 25, 1883 when former slaves Jeff and Hannah Hill purchased 110 acres of land at $10 an acre. It was also part of the land that Richland College now occupies.

The Hill property eventually became a farmland community. The Hill children and other families rented or bought property from the Hills and made their homes on the property.

The Hill family built a general store on the property, according to documents supplied by Siegel. A hotel and another building, possibly

a dance hall, were built on the area sometime later. The community got its name from the Egypt Chapel Baptist Church.

“The community was primitive and did not have the modern conveniences of paved roads, water and sewer lines, although they shared electric and telephone lines,” Sullivan said.

During the post-World War II years, the rural land surrounding the property was transformed into housing developments that put pressure on the community to modernize.

“Little Egypt remained virtually the same as it had been in the 1800s until they came close to being condemned,” Sullivan said.

In 1961, community leaders met with a developer who wanted to build a shopping center on the property. Over the course of a year, an agreement was drafted to buy out all of the residents and move them to new homes with modern conveniences.

In May 1962, the entire community, headed by the Hill’s son Will and his wife Sara, relocated to other parts of the city. The bulldozers moved in and Little Egypt was no more.

“It’s like a giant hand came down and swept it away,” Siegle said. Many of the residents moved to Oak Cliff along with the Egypt Chapel Baptist Church. For more on the Little Egypt story, visit www.richlandstudentmedia.com/ littleegypt

Dara Jones and Ryan B. Duff Staff Writers

A neighborhood in Northeast Dallas has a secret and Richland anthropology students are trying to dig it up. The Africa- American community, known as Little Egypt, is in the Lake Highlands neighborhood not far from Richland College.

According to history professor Dr. Clive Siegle, in the fall of 2015, he learned from a neighbor, who was a longtime resident, that there had once been an African-American settlement called Little Egypt across the street from his home. The community vanished in the 1960s. Most of the area had been turned into a shopping center, except for an empty lot across the street from his house.

When he noticed the lot had been dug up, Siegle called anthropology professor, Dr. Tim Sullivan. “They’ve plowed the field,” he said.

The owner of the lot, Eastlake Veterinary Hospital, granted the professors permission to search for historical artifacts on the property.

They later merged their history and anthropology classes to form a six-hour Honors Learning Community The course, now in its third year, includes a project to reconstruct the history of Little Egypt through oral histories, aerial

Photo courtesy Clive Siegel

Will and Sara Hill were the first residents of Little Egypt.

photographs, computer modeling, archaeological and genealogical research.

“I was not going to let it be erased,” Siegle said.

According to the professors, some examples of artifacts found at the site include bits of charcoal, wire, denim and other vestiges of days gone by. The students catalog the location of the artifacts to help put together a larger picture of what life once was like in the enclave. They seem to love the hands-on experience.

RichlandStudentMedia.com

Rediscovering the lost Little Egypt neighborhood

8 SPECIAL SECTION

February 26, 2019

Program explores intersectionality of Africans and African-Americans Kobloh-Obase Kammonke Staff Writer The Black Student Association (BSA) and the African Student Association (ASA) collaborated on an event to discuss the relationship between Africans and African-Americans through the lens of the movie “Black Panther.”

The event was held in conjunction with Black History Month at Richland.

The event was presented in two segments: Small group discussions facilitated by student representatives of BSA and ASA, and a group discussion in which the small group discussions were summarized in a larger setting.

The BSA students conceptualized the event while they were brainstorming about a project for Black History Month. They shared their ideas with BSA sponsor, Rolanda Randle, who reached out to the ASA to make it happen.

“The discussion itself [came about] by talking to the students and trying to find out ‘how do you want to have the discussion’ and eventually I found research that was done at Howard University,” Randle said.

“The researchers gave surveys to African and African-American students about stereotypes amongst the different groups and I pulled quotes from that research. The students met and decided how they wanted to use those quotes to have the broader discussion in conjunction with clips from the film.”

This event was a platform to discuss misconceptions presented in the media. The robust topic was narrowed down and “Black Panther” used as a bridge to connect the communities.

“I enjoyed it. I thought it was a safe place and safe space to discuss everything that needed to be discussed in an open way. The way it was moderated was perfect because no one got offended or upset,” said Chedena Hayes, a new staff member at Richland.

Clips from the film “Black Panther” were used to introduce topics to initiate conversation. Certain scenes were played, illustrating ideas about Africa and African-Americans, after which, a student facilitator asked questions. Students and facilitators shared their views.

“So, because “Black Panther” has the foundation of talking about the relationship or lack thereof between Africans and African-Americans, the students were interested in collaborating with ASA to do some type of programming around the film,” Randle said.“I think there are some nuggets from that movie that we can take and expand upon even more,” said Hayes.

BSA and ASA are working on more collaborations. The Richland campus is highly diverse. Randle believes that as minorities, black students should band together.

“We have a small group of black students on campus, so we need to build the relationship

Staff Photo Kammonke Obase-Wotta

Students and staff discuss the integration of cultures on Feb. 12.

between Africans and African-Americans, so for that purpose it was good.

It was also good for the purpose of informing non-blacks about Africa, about AfricanAmericans and how their relationship is. And to also understand the legacy of colonialism.

How they view us has been affected by what’s happened to us as a whole,” said Randle.

The black community launched this event to attract people from all communities. It was a means of educating, as well as celebrating

their culture during Black History Month.

The response was positive and the discussions were informative all around.

“I am very pleased with the turnout. I think there were enough people in each group to have robust discussions and I’m glad that, in the broader discussion, we had different people from different groups chiming in and giving their feedback about the various issues we were bringing up,” Randle said.

Black History Month trivia

DOWN ACROSS 1. Before it became Black History 2. The PGA was considered “CaucaMonth what was the observance of sian Only” until which golfer joined?

Black History called?

7. Who broke three track and field 3. Who was the first African-Ameri- World Records in 45 minutes at Ohio can to win an Academy Award?

State?

5. This is the name of the first Afri11. Who wrote the bestselling can-American owned-and operated memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird newspaper.

Sings”?

6. Who was the first African-Amer12. Abraham Lincoln signed what ican to perform at the White House? act to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia?

8. The first African-American Clarification: woman to receive a patent for invent_ = Spacing between names ing the folding bed is?

ANSWERS

9. Name the only African-American among the original NAACP executives.

DOWN: 1. Negro History Week 3. Hattie McDaniel4. Hiram Revels 5. Freedom’s Journal 6. Blind Tom Wiggins 8. Sarah Goode 9. W.E.B Du Bois ACROSS: 2. Charles Sifford 7. Jesse Owens 10. Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. 11. Maya Angelou 12.

Emancipation Act

RichlandStudentMedia.com

4. Name the first African-American 10. In June 1967, who was named to serve as a U.S. Senator? the first African-American astronaut?

February 26, 2019

MOVIES 9

Black History Month movies Ricky Miller Entertainment Editor African-Americans have had leading roles in many top films. In celebration of AfricanAmerican History Month, here are some of my favorites.

“A Soldier’s Story” (1984) – Supporter Adolph Caesar was Oscar-nominated for his turn as Sergeant Waters. This amazing tale was directed by Norman Jewison, who drew an Oscar nomination for directing 1967’s “In the Heat of the Night”. B “The Color Purple” (1985) – Steven Spielberg directed this epic drama that introduced both Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey to Middle America. It was nominated for a plethora of Oscars but ended up with nothing but a giant goose egg; no wins. A+ “Moving” (1988) – Richard Pryor is Arlo Pear, a New Jersey architect forced to move his family to Boise, Idaho. It features some great turns from Dana Carvey as a cross-dressing schizophrenic, as well as Rodney Dangerfield and Randy Quaid. C+ “Mo’ Better Blues” (1990) – Denzel Washington is trumpet player Bleek Gillian.

He faces many dilemmas in his life during a somewhat successful career. With Joie

Lee, Wesley Snipes, Robin Harris, John Turturro and Samuel L. Jackson. C+ “To Sleep with Anger” (1990) –Danny Glover is Harry, a ne’er-do-well, who turns a close-knit family’s life upside down when he shows up out of the blue. B“187” (1997) – Samuel L. Jackson is excellent in this tale about a teacher facing thugs in the City of Angels.

So readers know, the number 187 refers to death on a police scanner. C+ “Déjà Vu” (2006) – Denzel Washington stars in this intriguing tale filled with awesome science-fiction mumbo jumbo filled with pretzel twists galore. From director Tony Scott, who passed away in 2012. B “Miracle at St. Anna” (2008) – Set in 1944 Italy, this fact-based tale looks at the power of faith and belief in the Tuscan region as a few WWII soldiers test their limits in this intriguing Spike Lee-directed tale. B+ “BlacKkKlansman” (2018) – This dramawith-comedy based on a true story finds John David Washington’s Ron Stallworth infiltrating the Ku Klux Klan in 1970s Colorado Springs, Colorado. Nominated for multiple Oscars, including supporting actor Adam Driver, composer Terence Blanchard for the soundtrack and Spike Lee as best director. B+

Spike Lee, left, and Samuel L. Jackson in "Mo' Better Blues" (1990).

Danny Glover, center, Richard Brooks and Sheryl Lee Ralph in "To Sleep with Anger" (1990).

Denzel Washington in "Deja Vu" (2006).

Photos courtesy IMDb

Ricky Miller Entertainment Editor “Alita: Battle Angel” has had an interesting cinematic life. It was supposed to come out in August 2018 but the powers

that be at 20th Century Fox delayed the release until last December, just in time for the Christmas rush, but to no avail.

The film was finally released Feb. 14 but with no big boom, degree of excitement or fanfare

Photo Courtesy IMDb

Rosa Salazar voices Alita and Keean Johnson voices Hugo in "Alita: Battle Angel."

of any kind. Sure, “Alita: Battle Angel” opened in the No. 1 spot, but with a box office under $30 million. The $28 million-plus initial gross was less than stellar. It had one of the worst President’s Day weekends in the past 15 years The pluses, however, outweighed the minuses in this James Cameron-produced tale directed by Robert Rodriguez. This excursion is probably the biggest-budgeted film Rodriguez has ever worked on. What works well here are the 3D visuals. Cameron, to me, is the only one who has a firm grasp on the 3D medium.

Like Cameron’s well-written Kathryn Bigelow-directed tale “Strange Days” (1995), he knows how to move the story along. That is what he did as co-writer in of “Alita: Battle Angel.”

He essentially sets up a story with the idea of further chapters.

Both Cameron and Rodriguez know where the characters and story are heading, since the dramatic scenes pause for an action set piece woven into the story at just the right degree.

Like the Luc Besson-directed “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" (2017), “Alita: Battle Angel” landed with a giant thud accompanied with a ker-plat at the box office.

Too bad. I would have liked to see what happened to all the denizens of this futuristic

society wherein a Rollerball-like game is the end all to win in this complex and intriguing tale.

Rosa Salazar exudes the right degree of naiveté as lead character Alita. She knows what she needs and wants in the world.

Aiding Alita in her journey is Christoph Waltz’s Dr. Dyson Ido, who once had a younger daughter who fell ill to the outside world around her. Also woven into the story is Jennifer Connelly’s Chiren, Ido’s ex, who still hangs around for further interaction.

Filling out the antagonist role is Mahershala Ali’s Vector, a heavy in the game for his own self-serving interests. At various stages, his eyes glisten with a bright blue hue, a character dynamic mentioned only briefly in passing.

Part of the story also involves Alita becoming a bounty hunter for hire, so she can repay the debt she feels she owes Dr. Ido. Like Joss Whedon’s awesome “Serenity” (2005), the nomenclature and dialogue includes word phrases that become commonplace later on.

When it comes down to it, this one is a must-see for the big screen. “Alita: Battle Angel” contains 3D visuals that work within the structure of the story, so the extra money for the upgrade is worth it.

Grade: B-

RichlandStudentMedia.com

'Alita' battles for number one spot in box office

10 OPINION

February 26, 2019

Opening containers: A ‘can of worms’ CHRONICLE Richland

Joyce Jackson

Copy Editor Just recently, I came to the conclusion that some things are more difficult for women than they are for men. If you haven’t noticed, just about everything being sold in stores is geared toward men.

A few examples: Last night, I was trying to get a large tube of toothpaste open. I tried to twist the cap. Nothing happened. I grabbed a small towel to wrap around the cap and twisted again. It wouldn’t budge.

I wonder if it ever occurred to men how frustrating it is for women to try to open stubborn bottle-caps, boxed foods, all sizes of cans and other goods. Just trying to pry them open to me is downright nerve-wracking.

Some of us ladies, however, are luckier than others. I’m fortunate enough to have a man in the house: my husband. He just happens to be a handyman.

So, if he sees me struggling trying to get something open, he’ll come to my rescue. He knows how impatient I am when it comes to opening cans, bottles and boxes just to cook a meal and that it has irritated me for years.

Sometimes I have to call him, just like you would a cute, little puppy, but he answers my call.

Men don’t like to go hungry, so they usually respond to a woman’s cry for help in the kitchen when it comes time for supper.

I’ve wondered for years what type of paper the food companies use to package their goods, especially meals boxed in tough

Staff Photo Adrienne Aguilar

Joyce Jackson tries to open a milk bottle.

cardboard or those that go in the microwave. I sometimes think these companies have something against women because they don’t realize how hard it is to get these items opened.

Usually, I try first to rip the box open with my fingers, but that never works.

I cut the cardboard on the box on one side or the other if my husband doesn’t happen to be around. If he is, I just call him over and he

rips it right open. Men really have it easy when it comes to getting something to eat, especially if they live alone.

Women can experience pure misery trying to open small, canned foods like tuna fish.

It’s easy to use a can opener, but that’s where it ends. I don’t have the strength to pull the cap off without getting drenched in tuna juice.

But, my husband figured out a way for me to open cans by myself and it works great.

Here’s the secret for others who hate opening cans. First, use the can opener to loosen the top of the can. Then pull the top up a little. Take a screwdriver and push it through the hole on the top of the lid and pull back toward where you’re standing. Presto! It opens right up with no mess. You haven’t broken your beautifully polished fingernails and you can now enjoy some tuna and feel proud that you’ve solved the problem. I now keep a screwdriver handy for just such use.

Surely, a lot of women can relate to my misery. I hope food companies will find a way to make these products easier to open. Maybe we just need to contact them and let them know what the problem is.

Correction

In the Feb. 19 issue, Ricky’s pick for Academy Award Best Picture category should have been “Green Book” instead of “Roma.” Also, the article on the Disney College Program should have referenced the Richland Honors Program instead of College. The Chronicle regrets these errors.

STUDENT MEDIA LEADERS Editor-in-Chief Design Editor Managing Editor Assistant Mng. Editor Online Editor Copy Editor Entertainment Editor Layout Editor Photo Editor Social Media Editor

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ON THE COVER

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Editorial Policy The Chronicle is the official student-produced newspaper of Richland College. Editorials, cartoons, columns and letters are the opinions of individual students and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other individual student writers, editors, advisers or the college administration. © Richland Chronicle 2019

SPORTS 11

February 26, 2019

UPCOMING EVENTS All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.

February 26

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11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Free Mardi Gras celebration Shrimp etouffee and king cake samples El Paso Hall Lounge 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

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Free food: The North Texas Mobile Food Bank East Breezeway 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

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Theater department musical selections Fannin Hall, F102

Kwamae Byers keeps his eye on the ball, waiting for the perfect pitch during the game against Cedar Valley on Feb 21. Staff Photos

Sanchez seals victory Staff Writer

The T-Ducks baseball team could not have asked for a more poetic ending to a teethgrinding 6-4 win against Cedar Valley on Feb. 20. The offense really sparked as the hits came in bunches at the bottom of the 8th inning.

Once the T-Ducks got going, they got going. First baseman Kwamae Byers, in his three at bats, posted three hits and one RBI. With Richland down one run in the bottom of the 8th, Zach Sanchez, in his only at bat crushed a home run over the left field fence for a 6-4 Richland lead.

Gus Timmons, in for closer duties, faced five batters and struck out three, sealing the game for the T-Ducks.

“This is a team to watch out for,” said pitcher Dylan Salinas.

What seemed like a comfortable 3-0 lead at the top of the 7th inning made for a dramatic home stretch. Salinas set the way in his six

innings pitched, recording eight strike outs against 27 batters faced.

Hits were few and far between. It was not until Salinas’ reached a 98-pitch count before Cedar Valley could earn their runs. The Suns used the top of the 7th and 8th innings to turn Richland’s 3-0 lead to 3-4 deficit.

While the Richland baseball supporters suddenly became wary about the outcome of the game, the T-Ducks never faltered, never lost composure.

“We are really excited, and want to stick together, keep winning, go on and play for something that matters. We’re just here to play baseball,” said closer Gus Timmons.

T-Ducks baseball players appear to have unique chemistry. They put the right foot forward, starting 1-0 in conference play and want to continue making strides in the right direction. The Richland-Cedar Valley Series was scheduled, at press time, to finish Feb. 23.

The T-Ducks are scheduled to travel to play North Lake on Feb. 27.

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The Male Achievement Program presents “Black History Today: As I See It” Dr. Preston Rich Brazos Gallery, C140

February 27 12 to 1 p.m. i Richland big band jazz emsemble Cafeteria stage, El Paso Hall 1 to 2 p.m. i

Majoring in finance, career opportunities, SMU finance professor Dr. Mattia Landoni Brazos Gallery, C140 3:15 to 5:15 p.m.

i Dylan Salinas gives it all he has for the win.

T-DUCKS BASEBALL SCHEDULE Feb. 27 vs. North Lake 2 p.m. (A)

March 23 vs. Mountain View 12 p.m. (A)

April 12 vs. North Lake 2 p.m. (A)

March 1 vs. North Lake 2 p.m. (H)

March 25 vs. Dallas Christian College 2 p.m. (H)

April 13 vs. North Lake 12 p.m. (A)

March 2 vs. North Lake 12:00 p.m. (H)

March 27 vs. Eastfield 2 p.m. (A)

April 17 vs. Brookhaven 2 p.m. (H)

March 6 vs. Brookhaven 2 p.m. (A)

March 29 vs. Jolliet 12 & 3 p.m. (H)

April 19 vs. Brookhaven 2 p.m. (A)

March 8 vs. Brookhaven 2 p.m. (H)

March 30 vs. Southwest Prep 12 & 3 p.m. (H)

April 20 vs. Brookhaven 12 p.m. (H)

March 9 vs. Brookhaven 12 p.m. (H)

April 1 vs. Letourneau 3:30 & 5:30 p.m. (A)

April 22 vs. Western Oklahoma State 1 & 4 p.m. (H)

March 10 vs. Rock Valley 12 & 3 p.m. (H)

April 3 vs. Cedar Valley 2 p.m. (A)

April 24 vs. Mountain View 2 p.m. (A)

March 11 vs. Jolliet 12 & 3 p.m. (H)

April 5 vs. Cedar Valley 2 p.m. (H)

April 26 vs. Mountain View 2 p.m. (H)

March 18 vs. Southwest Prep 12 & 3 p.m. (H)

April 6 vs. Cedar Valley 12 p.m. (H)

April 27 vs. Mountain View 12 p.m. (H)

March 20 vs. Mountain View 2 p.m. (H)

April 8 vs. TCS Postgrad 12 p.m. (A)

May 1 vs. Eastfield 2 p.m. (H)

March 22 vs. Mountain View 2 p.m. (A)

April 10 vs. North Lake 2 p.m. (H)

May 3 vs. Eastfield 2 p.m. (A)

The Richland International Film Series: “The Rules of the Game” by Jean Renoir (French) Wichita Hall W116

February 28 - March 1 2 to 4:30 p.m. i

Movie “Selma” Sabine Hall, SH118

Thursdays 4 to 5 p.m. i

Free yoga and meditation class Guadalupe Hall G27

Inclement Weather Hotline

RLC students: 972-238-6196 RLC employees: 972-238-6912

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André Duncan

2 to 3 p.m.

Willie R. Cole

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February 26, 2019

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