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Injury leads to acts of kindness
Columnist Victoria Marchiony reflects on breaking her foot.
I
never could have predicted that getting a beer with my ex-boyfriend would be the most fun I would have during the first week of my senior year. Nor could I have foreseen that such an activity would land me in a cast for nine weeks. With the sweet promise of senior year and the terrifying threat of graduation Victoria Marchiony weighing That Was Fun heavily on my mind, I got a little nostalgic and felt that after two years and some change, the time was right to reconnect with my freshman year boyfriend. The scenario in my head involved spending no more than 40 minutes catching one another up on our respective college experiences before parting amicably and feeling deeply satisfied by our own maturity. By the fifth round and second bar, we came to the shocking conclusion that we may actually want to pursue a legitimate friendship. After copping to this and letting our “I’ll-catch-up-with-you-afterthis-quick-thing” plans know, we decided to check out the Welcome Week activities for the freshmen. I particularly enjoyed playing the senior card, whining that, “Our class never got a Moon Bounce,” which I guess is the modern equivalent of walking six miles in the snow to school. Cutting a long line of freshmen for the 22-foot zipline set up outside of Tuttleman didn’t suck either. We ended the evening by checking out our old favorite spots on Main Campus, many of which I was weirdly comforted to see had been blocked off. Something felt subtly significant about visiting the sites of my early college memories with a person who was featured prominently in them, while noticing that the two of us, as well as the spaces themselves, were familiar and yet noticeably changed. For our last stop of the night, we visited the grassy patch on top of Anderson Hall to stare at the light-polluted sky. As I hopped up on the stone step separating the grass from the rest of the roof, my right
ankle gave out, and my left foot smacked directly into the rock as it came up. I collapsed into the grass and my body had that all-over tingly feeling that accompanies any drunken collision. I said something along the lines of, “That’s going to bruise,” and thought nothing else of it. Though I was hobbling, I managed to walk back to my friend’s place to sober up, then to my car, and then into my house that night. The next morning, my foot had swollen to the size of a cantaloupe and my mommy insisted on schlepping me to the emergency room. Having never broken anything before, I was absolutely incredulous that this would be the moment the universe decided to incapacitate me. Three days later, my podiatrist confirmed that I had not only fractured my fifth metatarsal, but possibly another part of my foot as well, and that I would need to be in a non-weight bearing cast for a minimum of three weeks. As if commuting from the suburbs didn’t already have me worried about my social life. Living at home has been difficult enough for my independent spirit to adjust to and nothing cuts self-determination off at the knees quite like a disability. As a result of the injury, I’ve developed an anxious fear of rain, falling and having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Mundane activities like getting ready for school and cooking dinner now require precise and creative strategizing. Even so, this is clearly not the worst-case scenario, and the situation has actually come with some unexpected perks, including handicapped parking and a notable increase in kindness from strangers. Philadelphia can be a pretty cranky city, and I have never felt more accommodated than I do now. In addition to smiles and the consistent holding of doors and elevators, people also frequently volunteer their own embarrassing broken bone stories. My favorite anecdote came from the emergency room X-ray technician who, after noting my recent 21st birthday, shared the story of the time she got wasted and shattered her tailbone. I find great comfort in knowing that this condition is temporary, and that while I’m not power walking like I usually do, I’m still not the slowest one on campus. Seriously, texting girls, keep it moving. Or don’t, because passing you is possibly the most fun I have on crutches. Victoria Marchiony can be reached at vmarchiony@temple.edu.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Drexel professor to release book on race Funded partially by Kickstarter, Blay’s newest book will debut this fall.
JAMEEDA RUCKER The Temple News Dr. Yaba Blay, professor and scholar of black identities and skin color politics at Drexel, addresses the global unfamiliarity of race via her soon to be released book, “(1)ne Drop: Conversations on Skin Color, Race and Identity.” After having been interested in the topic of race throughout her life, receiving a Ph.D in African American studies from Temple and conducting a host of other projects relating to the field, Blay began to write her own publication about skin color politics in 2011. “Race is not something that people are familiar with,” said Blay, professor of Africana studies at Drexel and publisher and Editor-in-Chief at BLACKprint Press. “(1)ne Drop” is a study of the “multiple experiences of blackness” of people from all over the world, Blay said. It seems that racial identity is more complex than the few options given on personal information forms. “‘(1)ne Drop’ is this interesting combination of personal narrative and photography,” Blay said. The research is comprised of 75 people of the black diaspora and the work includes the narratives of 58 of them. “I interviewed all of them to ask them about their ideas of
blackness and their experience of blackness,” she said. Blay’s desire to know more about experiences of race began early in her life. “My work is very much connected to the realities that I live,” Blay said. “For a long time, I’ve been acutely aware of skin color politics. I grew up in New Orleans where we have a very large population of people – not black, but Creole people. In that environment, if people have an option to not be black, they won’t.” Blay said she learned that many identities consist within the identity of being black, and that more often than not, people identified more with their other option than Yaba Blay their black option. Her many encounters of the complexities of race drove her to travel around the world and study people who did not readily assume the identity of being black. “I wanted to know what it was like to claim whatever identity,” she said. Consequently, Blay traveled to South Africa, Brazil and more than 20 other countries, dialoguing with various people to understand their own identities, in spite of their position under the umbrella of blackness and to explore how past ideas of race have translated into current racial identities. Blay’s main aim of the book is to get people to think critically about the issue of race. She said she hopes that the book will aid readers in shifting their perspectives and question
“I’m proud
that this book has practical application.
”
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2013
their perceptions on what it truly means to be black. She also shared her desire for the book to actually have an effect on the lives of her audience. “I know how much and how often we end up reading so much theory and people’s research that doesn’t apply,” Blay said. “I’m proud that this book has practical application.” By looking at the support and anticipation the book already has before even being released, it seems that Blay’s goal of having her research impact people’s lives has been reached. Via the funding platform Kickstarter, Blay set out to fund her novel this summer, and reached her goal of $9,000 in late August after one week, though Kickstarter allowed for 30 days of funding. “We nearly doubled the goal,” Blay said. “I was ecstatic that so many people were interested in getting the book and getting the book early.” She explained that the success in funding her book in such a short span of time was due to her own vigorous marketing of the book, the publicity already surrounding her research due to previous public appearances, and the community of people interested in skin politics that was consequently formed. “(1)ne Drop: Conversations on Skin Color, Race and Identity” will be available for purchase on Black Friday this year, Nov. 29, at the book’s launch party at The Painted Bride in Old City. Following the launch party, the book will be available at BLACKprint Press’ website and Amazon.com. Jameeda Rucker can be reached at jameeda.rucker@temple.edu.
Yaba Blay, a professor at Drexel University, funded her book “(1)ne Drop: Conversations on Skin Color, Race and Identity” through Kickstarter.| LUIS FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ TTN
Temple senior designs T-shirt, album cover T-SHIRT PAGE 9
Dessie Jackson, a senior at Temple has already had her art on T-shirts, an album cover and a in a N.Y. restaurant this spring. |ANDREW THAYER TTN
thetic of now,” Jackson said. Some of her work dives past the surface beauty to get to a deeper meaning from the overall piece. As of now, Jackson’s artwork has been circulating because of the T-shirt line for The Hundreds and the cover art she designed for Gilbere Forte’s album “Nolita.” “I feel like a lot of seniors base their decision on where there are jobs available, but for me, my dream is to be my own boss. If that doesn’t work, I’m always willing to pick up some other side jobs,” she said. “I want to keep working and if that means I have to stay here in Philadelphia, that’s fine, but I don’t want to stay here forever. I don’t want to stay anywhere forever.” Jackson said she enjoys listening to music while she works. “I go through really harsh phases between different genres of music,” she said. “Right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of Tigers Jaw. I like to listen to more quiet music when I’m try-
ing to get into my think space while really digging in to create my work. I try not to let that be the loudest voice in the room, I want my artwork to be.” And while listening to that music, Jackson fantasizes a common artistic dream. “My ideal world would be to use real live models, but it’s hard to get someone to sit still for you,” Jackson said. Her roommate gets to be the lucky model every now and then, or Jackson even looks at her own reflection in the mirror to complete the last minute touch-ups. “Sometimes, my pieces do have reflections of me in them,” she said. An artist tends to inspire another artist. Jackson’s admiration comes from her childhood babysitter. “She wouldn’t consider herself an artist by any means,” Jackson said, speaking of her former babysitter. “[She] would show us little crafty things like how to make a turkey with your hand. I think that she saw my
interest in what we were doing, and I was really into it. We took it one step further because she would show me watercolors and I would copy pictures and show her. I think she’s creative more in spirit than in fine art.” Bigger things lie ahead for Jackson and the circulation of her artwork. “Currently, I was just commissioned to work for a restaurant opening up in SoHo. I’m making 20 pieces for the place, but only 10 will be hung up. I’m making a daytime version and a nighttime version. It kind of gives the customer two different vibes – the lunch vibe and the nightlife vibe. It opens more visual aid and more interest, I think,” Jackson said. “That’s huge on my list of things to do. I may or may not be making another piece for The Hundreds. I’m excited because there’s a lot to do right now.” Diana David can be reached at diana.david@temple.edu.
OUT & ABOUT
YARD’S BREWERY PYNK BEER
On Thursday, Sept. 12, Yard’s Brewery will be taking over the beers on tap at Earth – Bread and Brewery in Germantown. The Philadelphia brewery will be showcasing its newest concoction, PYNK, as well as old favorites, including Taste of Good Hope, Philadelphia Pale Ale and Brawler. PYNK, which is new this year, is being marketed by Yards as a tart berry ale. There will also be complementary pint glasses. Later that day, the brewery will have happy hour from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. It will be $2 off its current house beers on tap. At 9:30 p.m. there will be live music by Brandon Morsberger, commonly known as Brandad. For more information about Yards Brewery, visit their website atyardsbrewing. com. To find out more about Earth – Bread and Brewery visit earthbreadbrewery.com. - Samantha Tighe
SODA MAKING AND TOMATO JAM WORKSHOPS Greensgrow Farm is hosting two workshops this month, each hosted by local food bloggers. The first program, a natural soda-making workshop, will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14. Amanda Feifer, of local food fermentation blog Phickle, will teach guests soda brewing methods that include using seasonal produce, such as ginger. The second session is Saturday, Sept. 21 from noon to 2 p.m. Blogger Marisa McClellan of Food In Jars will host the Tomato Jam Workshop. This session will show guests how to preserve and make tomato jams. Each participant will leave with his or her own jar of jam. The event is $35 and registration is online at greensgrow.org. -Sarae Gdovin
MAKING ART FROM UNUSUAL MEDIUMS The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia is a unique museum that focuses on creating new art out of unconventional materials and fabrics. Since June 22, the museum has been showing a series of documents from the Permanent Collection. This exhibit will only last through the fall and will showcase FWM’s artistic history that was made with creative contemporary artists. Many movements within the field of The Fabric Workshop since 1977 will be shown throughout the exhibit. There are more than 5,600 objects for display in the exhibit. Work by prior resident artists such as Sidney Goodman, Tom Marioni and Jean Shin will be showcased. Admission is $3 for each adult. The exhibit is located at 1222 Arch St. -Chelsea Finn