Trump Prevails in Election, Wins second Presidential term
Kamala Harris: 223
Donald Trump: 312
The Voice of the Wildcats is written, edited and published by members of the student body at BethuneCookman University. All opinions are solely those of the author.
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Prof. Valerie Whitney
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OPINION
Taking Away Women's Reproductive Rights is an Injustice
Imagine a world where a person’s ability to make choices about their own body is restricted, where their health, opportunities, and future can be controlled by laws that disregard their voice.
This is the reality faced by millions of women when reproductive rights are stripped away. Restricting these rights does more than infringe on personal freedoms, it undermines gender equality, risks lives, and harms society. I believe that everything surrounding Amendment 4 is wrong!
The ability to make decisions about one’s own body is intrinsic to freedom, dignity, and self-respect. Denying women this right simply because they are women is discrimination, plain and simple. Reproductive rights allow women the autonomy to make choices about when, if, and how to have
children. When these rights are taken away, society sends a message: that women cannot be trusted to make decisions about their own lives.
Finally, these restrictions do not impact all women equally; they disproportionately harm low-income women and women of color. Those with fewer resources cannot simply travel to areas with fewer restrictions, nor can they easily access the care they need. In a world where freedom and equality are valued, there is no place for laws that take away the basic right to make decisions about one’s own body.
Reproductive rights are human rights and denying them is a step backward for all of society. It’s time we ask ourselves: do we want a world where freedom is conditional, and autonomy is negotiable? Or do we believe in a future
By Sanaa Towers
where every individual has the right to control their destiny?
We cannot truly be a society of equality and justice if we ignore the fundamental rights of women.
Trump seeks to fill cabinet with Florida faithful
President-elect Donald Trump has announced picks to fill his cabinet including several with ties to Florida, his adopted home. They are:
Rep. Michael Waltz, (R-Fla), who has criticized the International Criminal Court, for National Security Advisor.
Wiles,
Pam Bondi, former state attorney for Florida, for U.S, Attorney General. She was the second choice after Matt
Susan
the Florida Republican strategist who led his successful 2024 election campaign, to be the White House chief of staff.
Gaetz bowed out.
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, who ran against him for the GOP nomination for president, for Secretary of State.
Photo : Wikipedia
ELECTIONS Blacks need to get involved in clinical studies
By Sanaa Towers
Using faith, hip-hop and healthcare knowledge, the Rev. Dr. Shavon Arline-Bradley urged attendees at a recent chapel program to lean into the world of clinical health trials instead of running from them.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” said Bradley, an ordained Baptist minister, quoting from the Bible book of Hosea 4:6. Bradley, who is the president and chief executive officer for the National Council of Negro Women, Inc., reminded the audience of students and community members, of how black healthcare has never been a priority in this country and as such blacks die at a greater rate than their white counterparts.
“I’m a Holy ghost and hip-hop girl,” Bradley said, adding she grew up in New Jersey listening to rappers including the Notorious B.I.G. His empowering messages from the 1994 hiphop song “Juicy” continue to resonant with her. “If you don’t know, now you know,” she said repeating the lyrics.
Those that were enslaved and bought to this country endured unimageable things, she said, referring to black women who were expected to get up after giving birth and return to the field to pick cotton.
“And as I think about our health care, and how it started for Africans who came to this country, our minds, our bodies and our spirits were faced with the most undoubtable horrific oppositions ever,” Bradley, 46, said.
Likewise, she noted, that blacks have sometime be unwitting guinea pigs, referring to the infamous Tuskegee Syphilis experiment.
“If it were not for our ancestors and what they unfortunately went through,” she said,
“most research we have today that came from African Americans would not be here.” She pointed to Henrietta Lacks, a black woman whose cells began what was the first, and, for many years, the only human cell line able to reproduce indefinitely.
“There’s no one like us,” Bradley said,
noting that Lacks’ cells, which are referred to in the medial world as HeLa, have been the
basis for numerous cures, and revolutionized science and medicine.
Therefore, Bradley said, it is important that African Americans be a part of clinical trials so that they are represented in the finding. Black people make up about 14 percent of the U. S. population but only 5 percent to 7 percent of clinical trials participants, according to the national Cancer Institute.
“We are the next generation and as far as clinical trials are concerned, it is our job as young black men and women to do our research, connect with trusted individuals and be knowledgeable so that we are not destroyed,” said Bradley, who earned both her bachelor’s degree in exercise science and master’s in public health from Tulane University in New Orleans.
She received her master of divinity from Virginia Union University.
Bradley also is the founding principal and CEO of R.E.A.C.H Beyond Solutions, a public
health, advocacy and executive leadership firm.
Bradley’s appearance was a collaboration between officials with B-CU’s Win HP. Wildcat 360 and Equitable Breakthroughs in Medicine Development. The latter is an initiative started by Yale University to increase the number of African Americans in clinical trials.
“The event today touched so many lives and truly started the conversation of clinical trials with young and wiser members of our community,” said Dr. Danyell Wilson-Howard, one of the organizers and a chemistry professor at B-CU.
NCNW President Shavon Arline-Bradley encouraged the audience to consider clinical trials.
Photo : Valerie Jean
By Joseph Moss
Muni Long brings her R&B vibes to Homecoming 2024
There have been talks over the years of R&B being dead and whether or not people were interested in the genre anymore.
There was a major shift in the conversation in 2021 when singer Muni (pronounced “Money”) Long dropped her classic “Hrs &Hrs.” The mix of modern R&B instrumentation and the classic R&B sound that folks know and love made everyone’s ears perk up.
It quickly went viral and made everyone fall in love with the genre again. Since then the song has peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100, sparked a viral challenge on social media, garnered her four Grammy nominations and even secured a Grammy win for Best R&B performance.
Muni Long has been becoming a household name and solidifying her place in R&B history. Her newest album title “Revenge” is in stores now including hits “Made For Me,” “Ruined Me” and “30s.”
Long, whose real name is Priscilla Renea Hamilton, took time out recently to visit B-CU during 2024 Homecoming week.
She talked about balancing motherhood and her career, her creative process and not attending college. Below is an edited version of her meeting with students and staff.
Continued to page 7
Wil D Cat meets Muni Long
Photo : Amber Kemp
Continued from page 6
HOMECOMING
Q: We have public displays of affections vs. revenge. I saw the growth. I felt the growth in your music. Was there personal development happening there? Explain to me that growth from one album to another. How did you get there and how did that process go for you?
Long: I paid attention to the mixes a little bit more. I made sure things were more polished, there were transitions between each track. Just certain things that perfect and polish the entire project a little bit more. I’m always doing personal development and I’m always learning and tweaking and wanting to grow and wanting to be the best version of myself that I could possibly be at that point in time.
Q: You’re currently signed to Def Jam records. You’ve been signed to Capitol Records prior, and you’ve released material independently. What would you say are some pros and cons of being an independent artist versus a major label artists for Music Recording Technology students in the audience?
Long: So, right now I have a partnership with Def Jam. I'm still signed to myself. You only need a major label for two things really. Money and Visibility. So basically, they spend a lot of money to help make you famous. That’s it. Your job is to make the music and know who you wanna be. You need to know all the ingredients to what it takes. In order for me to shoot a video and have it look how I want it to look, what does that require? In order for me to make an album, who do I need to know? Who do I need to call? Those are all things that you should know before even going to ask somebody for money.
Q: Back to your latest album, “Revenge.”…What is your favorite song off the album? Why and what was your inspiration behind it?
Long: One of my favorite songs on the album is the interlude “Reverse”, but I also really love “30s.” It was the first song that I wrote for this project. It’s just a real feeling that I think we’ve all had at one point. Even I have friends in their 40s and 50s who hear that song and would be like, yeah, exactly, I know exactly what you mean. So yeah, those are my favorites.
Q: Back to your latest album, “Revenge.”…What is your favorite song off the album? Why and what was your inspiration behind it?
Long: One of my favorite songs on the album is the interlude “Reverse”, but I also really love “30s.” It was the first song that I wrote for this project. It’s just a real feeling that I think we’ve all had at one point. Even I have friends in their 40s and 50s who hear that song and would be like, yeah, exactly, I know exactly what you mean. So yeah, those are my favorites.
Q: So, the No. 1 question. If you could go to any HBCU, which HBCU would you have attended?
Long: Y’all trying to get me! I’ll just say it like this. I never got to go to college. I never got the experience. My mom was super protective, and I graduated around 17. I applied to a lot of places and I got into almost everywhere. I didn’t end up going to college because I decided to pursue my career in music. So, I definitely would’ve stayed in Florida. That’s all I’ma say because I know how yall get!
Q: You’ve written for so many different artists. Could you share your creative process with us?
Long: There’s really not much I’m doing. It’s really a divine process. I just go in and I listen. I'm like okay what wants to be said today? What story wants to be told? I heard this analogy a long time ago about ideas and creativity. If you just imagine a really long hallway, and all the different doors are people. The ideas knock on the door, and whoever opens gets to be the person that is the vessel for the idea. So, I'll always make sure that I’m listening for the knock, if that makes sense.
Q: What is the most rewarding part of the career you have now? Aside from fan interactions, is it traveling the world? Is it the different people you meet? What has been a standout to you?
Long: The rewarding part for me is seeing how my music affects people. Seeing it be useful and being of value. There are a lot of people that make music and create art, but sometimes their offerings don’t have any value. Even when my peers tell me that my journey and story is so inspirational. Sometimes I need that, to help me realize that what you’re doing is important to someone.
B-CU signs two new Volleyball players for fall 2025
Rylee Davis dives for a ball during the Homecoming games against University of Arkansas at Pine Bluffs.
By BCU Athletics
Bethune-Cookman Volleyball Head Coach Brittany Williams announced the signing of two incoming Wildcats with Neveah Donahoe and Sienna Lawrence set to join the program for the fall of 2025.
Donahoe is a junior college transfer that plans to enroll in January, while Lawrence is a high school senior set to graduate in the spring of 2025.
Neveah Donahoe, a 5-foot-11 sophomore outside hitter/opposite from Katy, Texas, is set to arrive at Bethune-Cookman from Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas.
She played her prep volleyball at Morton Ranch High School in her hometown of Katy, where she played four seasons accumulating 673 kills (2.4 k/s) and a 31.5 percent kills percentage.
She also tallied 145 blocks (88 assisted) across her high school career, as well as 525 digs (1.8 d/s). While at Trinity Valley CC, Donahoe has recorded 430 kills, 135 digs and 88 blocks in two seasons.
Neveah is a solid, true pin attacker who has the ability to swing on the outside and right side, Williams said. She comes from a strong JUCO program and will bring depth and experience to the pin position.
She will transition to the Wildcats program this spring which we are very excited about to get a jump start with working on her chemistry with the returning class – both on and off the court.
Sienna Lawrence, a 5-foot-9 middle hitter/opposite, is set to join Bethune-Cookman from Miami, Florida, after prepping at Palmetto High School.
As a junior during the 2023 season, Lawrence registered 106 kills (1.5 k/s) on 223 attacks and hitting .296 on the year. She added 40 blocks (33 assisted). She plays club ball for Miami Hype, one of the top clubs in South Florida.
Siena will be a great addition to a class that comes in to fill the shoes of some Wildcats category leaders in the middle blocker position, Williams said.
She is a high-flyer that is not only a great blocker, but also will add variety on offense. She's playing for one of the top clubs in the Miami area at a very high level and will make a smooth transition into the Wildcats system.
The Wildcats (14-13), meanwhile, were set to play Texas Southern on Friday, Nov. 22 in the Southwest Athletic Conference Tournament in Grambling, Louisiana.
The Wildcats were seeded 4 for the event. The Wildcats defeated the Tigers of TSU by a 3-1 decision back on October 18, in Houston, Texas.
B-CU Women's Volleyball celebrates a point scored against UAPB.
Nola Hemphill serves a ball.
Mecca Freeman goes to hit a ball.
Niara Hightower goes for a spike.
IPHONE 16 PRO MAX: Technology on the rise
By Thomas Kyles ll
Released in 2023, the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a premium smartphone that exemplifies Apples commitment to quality and innovation.
It has a sleek appearance, a sturdy titanium frame, and tasteful color options.With the help of ProMotion technology, the 6.7-inch Super Retina XDR OLED display provides brilliant images and remarkable brightness for fluid scrolling.
The A17 Pro chip powers the devices remarkable performance and energy efficiency, which makes gaming and multitasking a breeze. Along with outstanding video recording capabilities, its sophisticated camera system incorporates a triple-lens arrangement, enhanced low-light capabilities, and a periscope telephoto lens with an optical magnification of up to 5x.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max is made for all-day use and has a longer battery life that allows for quick and MagSafe wireless charging. It has a well-designed user interface and robust app support, running on iOS 17.
Despite its high price tag ($1,099), the iPhone 16 Pro Max is a great option for consumers looking for a high-end smartphone experience because to its distinctive design, potent performance, and adaptable camera.
The iPhone 16 Pro Max upgrades the iPhone 15 Pro Max with a larger 6.9-inch display, faster A18 Pro chip, improved 48MP ultra-wide camera, and a new Camera Control button for easier photography.
It also offers slightly better battery life and a new "Desert Titanium" color while retaining the titanium build. The 16 Pro Max is ideal for those seeking advanced features, while the 15 Pro Max is a more affordable alternative.
