collegian.tccd.edu
Film details betrayal in Black history PG. 6
Wednesday, February 24, 2021 – Volume 33 • Issue 18 News
Feature
Entertainment
Opinion
Editorial
SAFELY FINDING LOVE DASHH Prevention hosts dating workshop for students. PG. 2
CHAT WITH MICHAEL EVANS Talking with the first Black mayor of Mansfield. PG. 3
INSPIRED BY THE 2000s Pale Waves returns with triumphant second album. PG. 6
DON’T FEAR CHANGE The importance of desegregation laws in North Texas schools. PG. 7
WINTER STORM URI Is Texas unprepared for severe weather? PG. 7
DISTRICT
African drummers find power in rhythm
jozefklopacka/Adobe Stock
The djembe is a traditional West African instrument used during ceremonies and other events. It is designed to carry sound over a large percussion ensemble. LOGAN EVANS
campus editor/photographer
The taut snap of the West African djembe drum cut the air like shouted words. Behind it, Bandan Koro drummer Tony Browne smiled. “Another beautiful thing about music,” he said. “It’s a language.” Browne knows that rhythm has a voice. He knows that it can plead with our bones and shape us. On a trip to Guinea, he saw boys who were still too small to play a djembe bang on empty coffee cans in the street for girls who danced along. Kids pick up on it quickly, but it’s never too late to learn, Browne said. For over a decade, Browne and his drum and dance ensemble Bandan Koro have spoken the language of rhythm as it exists in
traditional West African culture. Their vibrant performances have been a staple of Black History Month at TCC for years — but as a global pandemic hinders live shows, they’re finding new ways to foster awareness of rhythm in the African diaspora. During a virtual session on Feb. 9, Bandan Koro offered an introduction to West African drumming for the TCC community. They explored the culture of it, the history and — above all else — the fundamentals of drumming itself. “Each rhythm is traditionally associated with an ethnic group and a purpose for why it’s played,” Browne said. For instance, Soli is a rites of passage rhythm performed for young boys transitioning from childhood to adulthood and Manjani — meaning “my sweet child” — is a rhythm performed for young girls in their transition, he said.
During their session, Browne and fellow Bandan Koro drummer Tim Patterson deconstructed Kuku — a dance rhythm played for the successful harvest of fish in a village. Like most rhythms in African drumming, Kuku consists of multiple polyrhythms — separate rhythms played together — that weave in and out of one another. Browne and Patterson built the rhythm from the ground up, playing sparring parts on a single djembe and a set of ballet-style dundun. At several points during their lesson, the vibration of their drumming would shake the camera they were live-streaming with — a visual representation of the power behind their playing. Patterson believes that power itself is a defining quality of African drumming. Several ethnic groups have used drums as instruments of rebellion through history, he said. In Saint-Domingue, they were used as a signal
during the Haitian revolution — often considered the largest slave rebellion in the Western Hemisphere. “This drum has been used to help us be victorious,” Patterson said. NE assistant professor of English Annette Cole attended the session and was fascinated by the idea of drumming as language. “My students and I look at different forms of argument in our lives,” she said. “I’ll add the African drum as one of those examples.” Bandan Koro ended their session with a reflection on how the art of drumming can help us better understand the world around us. “As I learned the sacredness of the instrument, the responsibility of the musician, these things stuck with me and helped me evolve my mindset,” Browne said. “The important things that are emphasized here are things that can be carried over.”
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TCC faculty explore intricate origin story of Black History Month ALYSON OLIVER campus editor
Black history should not be confined to the side-panels of history textbooks — students should know great African American heroes as well as they know Abraham Lincoln or George Washington, NE associate history professor Karen Wisely said. “If you don’t know about Black history, you don’t really understand American history either,” TR dean of humanities Amy Gilley said. Black History Month started as a week set aside for the acknowledgment of and education on Black history, she said. Now it has grown into a month-long celebration of the contributions that Black people have made to American culture, she said. A Black history professor named Carter Woodson, also known as the Father of African American History, commenced this growth, Wisely said. In 1926, he suggested that there be a week dedicated to Black history, Wisely said. The second week of February was set aside for this, as that is when Abraham Lin-
“If you don’t know about Black history, you don’t really understand American history either.”
Amy Gilley
TR dean of humanities
coln and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays fall, she said. Carter felt it was important to recognize African Americans’ contributions — including those without celebrity status, Gilley said. “He felt that history was made by people and not just famous people,” she said. Now fast-forward to the ‘60s and ‘70s, during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Interest in Black history was alive among college students, Gilley said. Thus, area studies in higher education were developed — Black, Hispanic and women’s studies, for instance. K-12 teachers
took an interest in teaching Black history to their students, she said. More writings and more events pertaining to the history of Black people were created, she said. And in 1976, President Gerald Ford called for the first Black History Month, Wisely said. It has been celebrated every year since. Each year the month has a different theme, she said. This year’s theme is family, with a spotlight on representation, identity and diversity, she said. The way people celebrate Black History Month has evolved over its lifespan of nearly a century. It involves a greater number of formal events now, Gilley said, especially after Ford’s acknowledgment. And while speeches and skits were common in the past, technology in the present allows for more creativity and an easier spread of educational information, NE assistant English professor Shewanda Riley said. TCC hosts its own events for Black History Month, Wisely said. For instance, the African American Read-In exists to celebrate the voices of Black writers, traditional or contemporary,
NE assistant English professor Annette Cole said. There have been on-campus events as well. The Celebrating Strides event at NE featured a collection of dance pieces such as African American Dance, tap, hip hop, swing and the Charleston, NE dean of humanities Linda Quinn said. Gilley said Black History Month should bring about knowledge and awareness of the history, culture and accomplishments of Black people. But it should go beyond that, too. Gilley said Woodson hoped that someday people would be educated enough that a specific time dedicated to Black history wouldn’t be such a necessity. Historians should continue integrating Black history into school courses, Wisely said. Including it in the main narrative of U.S. history — and not just tossing it into the side-panel — is essential, she said. Riley said we should make an effort to honor Black people’s achievements, big or small, even once the month is over. They make history every day. “We just have to open our eyes, ears and hearts to see them,” she said.
News
Page 2 • February 24, 2021
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DISTRICT
Specialist outlines dating advice for students
JANINE SHUMAN
The Collegian
Spotlight on safety TCC’s doors to remain tips in relationships shut for summer term LYDIA REGALADO campus editor
February is National Teen Dating Violence and Awareness Month, and the Drugs, Alcohol, Sex, Harassment and Hazing (DASHH) Prevention Squad is wasting no time providing students with tools and resources through their interactive virtual workshops. One of DASHH Prevention’s recent events, #RelationshipGoals, provided participants with tips on appreciating each other’s differences and establishing boundaries through healthy communication styles. “Even introverts like myself have to have relationships,” SE student Rhogenia Horton said. “It’s easier said than done, especially if you only know how to communicate based on what you saw in your household growing up.” Community health outreach specialist Jatonda Green said that everyone has different ideas about what constitutes a healthy relationship. “It’s based on your upbringing, it’s based off your religious beliefs, your value system, and what sort of imagery you consume on a frequent basis,” Green said. She said that it is important to recognize boundaries established in early childhood. For example, if we tell our child to hug someone, such as a relative, and the child expresses discomfort, this is a sign that the child is establishing their physical boundaries, Green said. Green suggests giving the child an out, like fist-bumping, otherwise, Green said “it’s teaching children that you shouldn’t say no to an adult even if they feel that their bodily autonomy is being violated.” Green also stressed the importance of talking about digital boundaries surrounding technology and practicing digital consent, which became recognized when more people started using the same social media sites such as Facebook and Instagram. “A lot of couples and interpersonal vio-
lence is based on social media interaction,” Green said. “They’re already in middle school and early high school saying, ‘[if] they don’t share passwords, I’m breaking up with them.’” Respecting someone’s digital boundaries can include asking someone if it’s okay to post a picture of them or tag them as a partner on Facebook. Green suggests talking about boundaries early on in a relationship and avoiding heated emotional statements. Instead, try asking your partner when a good time would be to talk about how they feel. “What we don’t want is for you to do something where you’re just compromising so much that you lose your identity,” Green said. Green said an example of this is displayed in Hollywood when celebrity couples such as Kim and Kanye are grouped together as one personality, and renamed ‘Kimye.’ “Compromise, learn to work on things that will keep your relationship healthy, but don’t lose who you are,” Green said. Students can join DASHH Prevention in upcoming workshops such as Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention on Feb. 24, where Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center (DARCC) will present information about dating violence, and the DASHH Bash event March 8-11, which will include panel discussions and interactive sessions surrounding drug, alcohol and sexual harassment awareness. If you are in an unhealthy relationship or know someone who is, but do not feel ready to talk to someone, you can text LOVEIS to 22522 and connect with an advocate in an anonymous way who can help sort out the next steps. If you are ready or need to talk to someone, The Dallas Area Red Crisis Center has counseling, virtual options, and groups to help navigate emotions and provide resources such as legal help and shelter information. Other resources include the National Dating Abuse Hotline, 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) and LoveisRespect’s website.
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campus editor
TCC recently announced that campuses will continue with virtual learning during the May and summer semesters. The announcement spurred conversation among the TCC community. Adjunct math instructor Clifton Parrish recognizes the educational advantages of on-campus learning and feels ready to return to campus with precautions. “Although my students performed very well last summer, I think there is a difference between a lecture and online courses and there is a cumulative effect of COVID restrictions on student and teacher psyche over time,” Parrish said. “I think it is time to persevere, safely, of course.” NE dual-credit student Abrar Hammoudeh believes TCC is doing right by keeping its doors shut for the summer. “They’re making sure that everyone including staff and students are safe,” she said. TR student Maria Del Carmen Granados understands why TCC decided to extend these precautions through the summer. “I think TCC is making the safest choice”, Granados said. “It’s hard to predict how the virus will be months from now, so I understand their decision to keep classes online.” The online format posed many challenges for students who prefer a more personal approach to learning. Parrish said that students displayed disdain for self-paced programs such as MyMathLab and requested that professors resort to different methods. “As a teacher, I kept seeing student feedback that preferred a more customized approach,” Parrish said. “I have created home-made online materials such as videos and online quizzes/exams, although they are not fancy, students in my courses greatly prefer it,” The online platform has various technical errors, including grading inconsistencies that inevitably frustrate students. Parrish speculates that students feel their education is more authentic when professors ditch the
“They’re making sure that everyone including staff and students are safe.”
Abrar Hammondeh
NE dual-credit student
self-paced platforms and record their content. “My conjecture is that part of the reason students like the videos is that students like to see "authenticity" in online materials,” Parrish said. “my quizzes/exams provide practice versions, immediate grading, and I manually check and override the auto-grader with partial credit for minor obvious errors,” Granados feels that the only factor preventing her from favoring classes online is the lack of lectures, which she believes are immensely helpful to students. “I don’t think that the professors have gotten lazy, it’s just sad they’ve seen that the students of the past didn’t utilize their live or recorded lectures, so now they’re not even trying to provide live lectures this semester,” she said. Hammoudeh, who plans on taking classes at TCC this summer, believes the online platform drives a communication barrier between students and faculty. “Professors are still doing lessons and lectures via video, but there is less communication between students and teachers,” she said. Despite the many challenges in the virtual world, lots of students and professors feel uneasy about the notion of returning to campus. When asked if she would feel comfortable returning to campus, Hammoudeh expressed her concerns. “I would not feel safe at all,” she said. “While there are rules and guidelines to follow because of COVID-19, that doesn’t mean everyone will follow them correctly.”
The Collegian
Feature
February 24, 2021 • Page 3
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First African American mayor of Mansfield
Azul Sordo/The Collegian
Michael Evans was a former member of TCC’s Board of Trustees and is currently the pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church, where he has served for over 30 years.
Mansfield’s newly elected mayor discusses his victory and his hopes for the future of the city JOSE ROMERO ROMERO campus editor
Reverend Dr. Michael A. Evans Sr. is a previous member of TCC’s Board of Trustees, former U.S. Navy reserve chaplain, Bethlehem Baptist Church’s pastor and now Mansfield’s first African American mayor. Evans’ term as District 5 seat — covering South Arlington and Mansfield — on the Board of Trustees lasted from 2016 to 2020 and was recently filled by Leonard Hornsby on Feb. 11. Evans has had a long history with TCC dating back to the 1990s. “TCC allowed me to go into the high schools and talk to people about college and the opportunities to better their life,” Evans said. “TCC exposed me to a world that was a lot broader than mine, and it caused me to appreciate the hunger that people have to make their lives better. I will forever be grateful to a college for doing just that.”
In the ‘90s, Evans was an adjunct professor for a class that taught students “how to survive college.” He reminisced about his time teaching it, calling it the “treat of his life.” Nowadays, he’s focused on his tasks as a mayor. “We want to definitely make sure that we continue to be the safest city, not just Tarrant County, but in the country, and we are,” he said. “Knock on wood; we didn’t have a murder in Mansfield last year, not once.” One of his desires is for Mansfield to thrive as a spot where people can come and enjoy the culture. A few things he hopes they’ll come to see are live music and theatrical performances in the downtown area. As a practicing pastor, Evans’ favorite spot in Mansfield isn’t a surprise. He laughed and said it’s Bethlehem Baptist Church, twice. When he isn’t on mayor duty, he’s focused on his pastoral work at the
church where he’s served for over 30 years. “I’m not gonna lie to you, man,” Evans said. “I owe so much to the Bethlehem Baptist Church to where everything else is secondary, besides my family and my own place where I live.” He found it difficult to recount only one memory at the church, but then settled on telling one of the funniest stories he could remember. It was a story of how he — a man raised in Houston with no prior interaction with livestock — was chased into his office by a giant hog that he described as “big as a Volkswagen.” Evans paused for a moment before describing the late deacon Willie O. Lawson, an influential figure in his life. “He was my teacher, my mentor,” Evans said. “I’ll say this to you as well, Willie Lawson was my covering. He protected me from things, from people, from criticism. He was in the shadows, but he was always
there to guide me.” Evans also spent eight years in the U.S. Navy as a reserve chaplain. He was ordained — made a priest — and commissioned into the Navy on the same day. He reflected on pieces of media that have impacted his life. Evans said he loves history, documentaries and period pieces. Eras that he’s most interested in are colonial times, slavery and the civil rights movement. “Seeing people succeed, people make it, people survive, how they overcome adversity,” he said. “Those are all of the things that really, really touch me.” Evans described a book written by Howard Thurman, “Jesus and the Disinherited.” It’s a book about helping the less fortunate and marginalized, Evans said. “Follow your passion,” he said. “Even when people tell you that you can’t do it. Follow your gut. If it is in you, try it. Failure is not failure. Failure is your progression towards success.”
Page 4 • February 24, 2021
Entertainment
The Collegian
MOVIE REVIEW
History makes compelling docu-drama
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Daniel Kaluuya gives the performance of a lifetime portraying real-life activist Fred Hampton in the Shaka King-directed historical drama. Hampton was assassinated in 1969.
MICHAEL FOSTER-SANDERS editor-in-chief
Equality is a war that Black people have fought since the transatlantic slave trade. Many of the people who were fighting for equality were assassinated,and government agencies had a hand in these deaths. The historical drama “Judas and The Black Messiah’’ tells the tale of the treacherous William O’Neal being a tool for the FBI to dismantle The Black Panther Party of Chicago and the death of its chairman, Fred Hampton, through its COINTELPRO division. The late great racist director of the FBI, J. Edger Hoover, hated the Panthers for what they stood for, which was Black defiance, Black pride and freedom and justice for all races. Keith Stanfield stars as O’Neal,a two-bit car thief who stole cars by impersonating an FBI agent. After botching a car theft from a local Chicago gang member, he is caught by local law enforcement. The FBI is informed of the crime and G-Man Roy Mitchell pays O’Neal a visit to make him an offer —do time in prison for impersonating an agent or infiltrate the Panthers and report their every move. The choice he makes sets off a tragic chain of events that he will have to come to terms with later. Also in this tragic tale of deceit is the magnificent uprising of late Fred Hampton played by Daniel Kaluuya. Hampton is a charismatic orator with an idea of freedom and justice for all. His ideology became an important piece of the Black Panther party.
Hampton also falls in love with one of his biggest supporters, Deborah Johnson, who is played by up and coming actress Dominique Fishback. The love story of the couple is a palate cleanser for the nastiness the viewer will ingest while taking in O’Neal’s vile actions. Fishback and Kaluuya bring a tenderness in the period of history where the story takes place because the viewer will root for them to win. Stanfield does a magnificent job playing weak, spineless O’Neal. The viewer will despise the character in every scene where he interacts with Hampton. Because they know what is going to happen in the end, due to this being a true story. Ironically, Stanfield had to go to therapy after playing this character because of the psychological toll it took on him. Jesse Plemons as the G-man Mitchell, the middle-man between O’Neal and the puppet-master Hoover, gives a chilling performance — a man who simply thinks he’s doing his job to keep O’Neal on a leash until he’s no longer needed. Plemons excels as one of the villains of the story. The only gripe I have with this film is that it’s too short for the history that it is based on. If ever there’s a need for an extended cut, this should be it. There’s no excuse not to see this movie, especially since it is streaming on HBO Max. Go and learn some Black American History.
Lakeith Stanfield plays the car-thief-turned-government-informant William O’Neal. O’Neal infiltrates the Black Panther Party of Chicago.
MUSIC REVIEW
Goth-pop band replaces 1980s gloss with 2000s grit LOGAN EVANS
campus editor/photographer
Photo courtesy of Dirty Hit
Pale Waves makes their return after a near-fatal tour bus crash in February 2020. Because of COVID-19, the band had to record the album apart from each other.
The most uncanny quality music holds is the ability to transcribe time and place so instantly. Something as functional as the tone of a synth or the depth of a snare can be heard years later and bring to mind the fashion, culture and attitude of the era it was played in. Manchester goth-pop band Pale Waves understands this. Their 2018 debut “My Mind Makes Noises” was a glossy riff on ‘80s post-punk, dressed up with the pulsing synths and dreamy choruses of bands like New Order and The Cure. They wore the sound well, stitching it together with modern pop songwriting and trendy production that earned them a co-sign from alt-pop giants The 1975. In the time of ‘80s nostalgia, Pale Waves still managed to tread boldly into the future. Now the band is back with a sophomore album that sheds most of that ‘80s gloss to indulge in the sweet melodrama of early 2000s alt-rock. The most apparent influence on “Who Am I?” is pop-punk princess Avril Lavigne. The album art alone — a hazy, fluorescent portrait of the band with singer Heather Baron-Gracie brooding cross-armed in the center — echoes the cover of Lavigne’s breakout debut “Let Go.” The album bursts with triumphant power-chord anthems and driving acoustic ballads, almost any of which could have made the career of a one-hit-wonder 20 years ago.
It sounds fast and slow, euphoric and somber, celebratory and downtrodden at once. Baron-Gracie has said that she wanted to write an album reflecting the music that shaped her. By that logic, the sound of “Who Am I?” might be the ideal vehicle for the album’s subject matter. The title might suggest self-reflection or even self-doubt, but that’s only part of the picture. “Who Am I?” is not a question Baron-Gracie is asking herself, but one she is fiercely answering. The song “She’s My Religion” is the brooing examination of a same-sex relationship. “You Don’t Own Me” is a spitting rebuke of the patriarchy, where Baron-Gracie sings “I’d rather pull out my teeth than be what you want me to be.” “Change” mourns the growing disconnect between two people. Some of these themes have been explored in the genre before, but Pale Waves does so with admirable conviction. Sonically, the album works best when Pale Waves is blending the same portions of old and new sounds that made their debut interesting. Unlike their debut, “Who Am I?” sometimes falls too heavily back on the old. Still, even the more derivative songs shine with the band’s razor-sharp songwriting. At a trim 11 songs, “Who Am I?” doesn’t overstay its welcome. It’s a fast-paced, victorious proclamation for Baron-Gracie, dressed up in the sounds that shaped her.
Opinion
The Collegian
Viewpoints
Corporate sincerity is not what it seems
JOSE ROMERO campus editor
Corporations demonstrating how “woke” they are is a great way to determine which ones do the most harm. The word woke refers to someone aware of issues on racial and social justice, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It’s not bad to be cognizant of social issues, but it’s terrible when a famous personality or company preaches ideologies just for attention instead of caring about the issue. For example, Kendall Jenner — a television star — did a tone-deaf advertisement with Pepsi during the Black Lives Matter movement. In the ad, Jenner hands a Pepsi to a police officer during a protest, diffusing the situation entirely. The disconnect between the severity of the actual events and what was happening in the commercial is mind-boggling.
The BLM movement was downplayed so Pepsi and Jenner could sell soda. Corporate wokeness is especially evident when companies change their logos for a month in hopes people will believe they’re fighting for a cause, but in reality, it’s only done to elevate sales or raise user numbers. Facebook adding a rainbow to its logo doesn’t hide how malicious of a company it is. Chick-fil-A is another company trying to spread a message of positivity while spitting in the face of others. Over $1.8 million was donated to charities with anti-LGBTQ agendas in 2017, according to Vox. The company pulled out of these sorts of donations last year but refused to specify if they would go back to donating to other charities with similar agendas. But don’t worry, their website says “Chick-fil-A is committed to a workplace culture where everyone is treated with honor, dignity and respect.” That must mean they care, right? I understand a company isn’t going to come out and talk about how terrible they are outright, but I also don’t want to lie in my face. Corporations need to take a good long look at themselves and realize the “positive” messages they push are directly juxtaposed with the negative actions they commit.
How history shifted schools’ perspectives
LYIDA REGALADO campus editor
An understanding of the laws and cases that paved the way for the desegregation of North Texas schools proves knowledge truly is power and provides an important aspect in understanding past, current and possible future issues surrounding racial inequality. In 2003, Dallas Independent School District (DISD) was finally declared desegregated, according to Tasby v. Moses. Lawyer and Civil Rights Activist Thurgood Marshall pioneered Black rights as part of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. He was part of the team in 1954 which successfully argued Brown v. Board of Education in the U.S. Supreme Court. This landmark decision reinforced decision of Plessy v. Ferguson’s “separate but equal”
doctrine in 1896 had no place in public education. When three students were denied enrollment in Mansfield High School in 1956 based on their race, they took the school board to court in Jackson v. Rawdon, where it was declared the district needed time to desegregate as the citizens were “struggling with the traditions of generations.” The decision was reversed and remanded with the declaration “that plaintiffs have the right to admission to, and to attend, Mansfield High School on the same basis as members of the white race…” In 1971, Tasby v. Estes pointed out the inequality that continued in DISD, where according to case evidence, 70 schools were 90% or more white, 40 schools were 90% or more black and 49 schools were 90% or more minority. The result was an order which instructed DISD to report back to the court on an annual basis so their desegregation efforts could be monitored. Education is an important key in continuing to address issues such as why incarceration and sentences are higher for Blacks, and finding solutions to the rising wage gaps between Blacks and whites, which were higher in 2019 than 2000, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s 2019 wage report.
February 24, 2021 • Page 5
Editorial
Profits over people during icy disaster
Amber Davis/The Collegian
What happens when the economy goes before ethics? The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or E.R.C.O.T., could answer that question. Winter storm Uri left more than broken pipes in its wake. It left millions without power, according to CNBC. The electricity was turned off by the same entity that falsely blamed the outages on green energy. Electricity is now regarded as scarce in supply and high in demand by the state of Texas, and therefore long-overdue for a price increase. This price increase was happily provided by the Texas legislature, who met during the storm, not to support emergency funding for this natural disaster, but to improve the bill that would take millions of dollars from the pockets of citizens already impacted by record-setting conditions. ERCOT wasted no time in acting on this bill either. Reports from all over Texas talk of electricity bills in the five-digit range, and that’s before the decimal point. For a state still barely recovering after a week without electricity, it’s no surprise many feel shellshocked by a bill demanding, in some cases, more than 70% more than they would typically pay. Ethically, charging the price of a used sedan for one month of electricity is completely unthinkable, but ethics is not even considered by the politicians and business people running both the state and ERCOT. Many politicians have defended ERCOT and Texas’ independent power grid. Former Governor Rick Perry even said power outages were a worthy sacrifice to not fall under the federal government’s thumb. What is not understood is the government is instituted to help
in cases exactly like this, and to deny help on the grounds of state pride is damaging and deadly. Texas state leaders and ERCOT officials alike must be held responsible for their actions. The consequences of this decision fall entirely upon their heads, and that fall will be anything but graceful in the coming weeks. The obvious solution to the problem is to forgive all electric bills entirely for the month. However, the idea that any Texas politician would willingly do so feels almost unattainable. TCC currently faces a similar but different issue thanks to Uri. Widespread outages and dangerous driving conditions not only left campuses closed but professors and students without power or internet for a week or longer. A week without being able to do coursework, synchronous classes, labs or projects. Many professors have postponed due dates, and many still are facing continued outages. This past year has left students and teachers alike familiar with sudden changes in syllabi and schedules, but this obstacle seems bigger than before especially as students enter midterms. Economically, the school sees it as more profitable to remain on an unchanged course, but with students already struggling during the pandemic, it doesn’t feel ethical. Doubling the work means doubling student stress levels, and doubling chances of drop-outs. Lengthening the semester would help the problem, but whether the board would agree to such an idea is both unknown and unlikely. Putting students first would be an ethical choice, but not a very profitable one. And for now, in both state and school, profit comes before people.
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Feature
Page 6 • February 24, 2021
Celebrating women of color
Black women in History
Strong black women leave a legacy of hope and power MICHAEL FOSTER-SANDERS Editor in chief
Black women are the backbone of Black history, and their accomplishments should be celebrated. While many people know of mainstream women who helped advance Black America such as Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou and Harriet Tubman, history tends to skip over figures who are not deemed “safe.” Yet four women who didn’t fit this mold went on to change history. Angela Davis refused to be pigeonholed into one thing, so she decided to become many. She’s an educator, author and an activist for civil rights and other social issues.
Davis’ fiery spirit for social justice and equality was influenced by growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, which at the time was one of the most segregated cities in the Jim Crow South. Even though Davis is mostly known as once being a member of the Black Panther party, she left the group due to her believing the group to be sexist toward women. Nikki Giovanni is a world-renowned poet influenced as a child by her grandmother’s storytelling ability. Becoming a self-published writer was no easy feat in 1968, and her first two books — “Black Feelings, Black Talk” and “Black Judgement” came out the same year and set the literary world on fire. Those books, influenced by the assassinations of Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr. and Medgar Evers, gave her the
voice to speak out about the repression facing Blacks at that time. She also created a publishing company that gave a voice to other Black women authors. Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born into slavery in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and rose above the obstacles in her path to become one of the first civil rights activists. Early in life, Wells’ parents let her know that an educated mind is a dangerous mind. She used her journalism skills to expose the injustices to Black Americans in the post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow South. Eight decades before Rosa Parks, Wells was thrown off a Memphis train for refusing to leave in spite of her first-class ticket. Wells’ journalism into the psyche of white mob violence led to her being persecuted by racists to the point of flee-
ing Memphis to Chicago for her safety. Wells then decided to travel internationally to spread the word about black injustice. She also challenged whites in the women’s suffrage movement on why lynching was not included in their talks. She spent her last years improving the quality of life of Blacks that lived in Chicago until her death in 1931. Ruby Bridges at age 6 was chosen to integrate into a segregated school in New Orleans in 1960. She was escorted to and from school by federal marshals to ensure her safety while whites shouted vile words in protest. But Bridges held her head high and soldiered on. Due to Bridges’ courage, more black students enrolled the next year. Norman Rockwell immortalized Bridges’ strength in his painting “The Problem We All Live With.” Illustration by Amber Davis/The Collegian