Bethune-Cookman University • Daytona Beach, Florida
October/November 2021
The Pride Of Florida A marble statue of B-CU founder Mary McLeod Bethune beckons all that venture to the News-Journals Center in downtown Daytona Beach. See Shay Myrthil column on page 2.Staff /Photo
What's inside:
Page 2 OPINION
Page 3 NEWS
Page 4 REVIEW
Page 5
FEATURES
Page 6
FEATURES
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OPINION
October/November 2021
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. Editor Amber Courtney Online Editor Mariah Brown Assistant Online Malik Grant Layout Editor Julian Bacon Rene White Sports Writers Sidney P. Brown Julian Bacon Feature Writers Shay Myrthil Timothy Moss Alysia Briscoe Jasmeen Rivera Amber Courtney Photographers Harmony Bienemy Loron Robles Julian Bacon Social Media Harmony Bienemy Publication Director Dr. Salvador R. Victor Faculty Adviser Prof. Valerie Whitney
VOICE OF THE WILDCATS
Bethune statue is a source of pride By Shay Myrthil
The statue is on display in Daytona Beach until Dec. 12
The 11-foot marble statue of Mary McLeod Bethune that was recently unveiled at the NewsJournal Center here in Daytona Beach is, in my opinion, a must see! Don’t miss it. It is a prime opportunity for people to learn about the history of Mary herself and the legacy she leaves behind at Bethune Cookman University. The statue will remain in Daytona Beach until midDecember before its transported to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where it will be placed in National Statuary Hall to represent the state of Florida. Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator and activist who dedicated her life to learning. Her statue will forever be a reminder of the great accomplishments and sacrifices she made. Those who see this statue will learn about this inspiring woman and the legacy she left behind. Nilda Comas is the sculptor responsible for creating the beautiful masterpiece. After three years of waiting, Comas was able to begin the project. The marble that was used to create the
sculpture was carved out from Michelangelos cave in the Apian Italian Alps in Tuscany. The hollow base is 3 feet tall to help decrease the weight of the sculpture. The actual sculpture itself is 8 feet tall, weighing 6,129 pounds of pure white marble. The sculpture has many different symbols that reflect the ideologies and devotion Bethune demonstrated throughout her life. The graduation cap worn by Bethune in the sculpture is a symbol of her hard work and dedication towards education. She always believed in the power of education and believed in her students. The rose is a representation of diversity. It is said that after visiting a rose garden in Europe, Bethune began referring to her students as “black
roses.” The books stacked at the foot of the statue represent education in all its forms. Learning is a powerful tool that is to be used to serve one’s community, a lesson Bethune devoted her life to teaching. I had the opportunity to see the sculpture in person and it made me feel proud. Being an African-American woman during her time could not have been easy. Even so, she persevered and accomplished great things. As a young African-American woman, I learned from Bethune the importance of education and how I’m able to use it to my advantage. Having a hunger for learning is a tool that I am able to use to strive to be the best version of myself. Education is the key to success and she has inspired me to work harder to excel in anything and everything I do. Her statue will always be a visual reminder of what she fought for and devoted her life to. I am overjoyed to be a part of the legacy she left behind. Meanwhile, a smaller bronze version of the stature of set to grace downtown Daytona Beach next year in the new Riverfront Esplanade Park along Beach Street.
PUBLICATION MEMBERSHIP The Voice of the Wildcats is a member of the Black College Communications Association (BCCA), College Media Advisors Association (CMA) and National Asscociation of Black Journalists (NABJ). ADVERTISER MEMBERSHIPP The Voice of the Wildcats subscribes to the 360 Youth Send Correspondence to: Editor The VOICE, Fine Arts Building Room 124 640 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32114 Phone: (386) 481-2707 voiceofthewildcats@ gmail.com
Bethune, during a visit to Europe, was first introduced to the black rose. Upon her return, she planted them on campus.
Historical Mark of Dr. Bethune's Legacy.
Bethune walked with a cane that formerly belonged to Pres. Franklin D. Roosevelt.
The words on the base of the statue correspond with the ideals of Dr. Bethune left in her last will and testament.
NEWS
VOICE OF THE WILDCATS
October/November 2021
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Department of Mass Communications teams up with regional black journalism group for bootcamp Staff Report Members of the Central Florida Association of Black Journalists, in conjunction with the Department of mass communications, staged a boot camp recently to give students a taste of deadline pressure. “All I can say is WOW,” said Tammie Fields afterward. Fields is president of the Orlandobased CFABJ, after the event, which was named the Bethune-Cookman University Joan Fuller Journalism Virtual Boot Camp. Fuller was a Central Florida broadcast journalist that taught classes here for several years before relocating. She died in 2019 from cancer. The camp began at 8:45 a.m. Oct. 23 and concluded around 6:30 p.m. that same day. During the interim six teams of four students hit the streets to find stories, shoot video and edit for publication. At the end of the day, CFABJ members via Zoom viewed the video packages and offeredconstructive comments about the final products. Meanwhile, student Amber Courtney won a $500 award from CFABJ for her essay on why she
wants to be a journalist. Courtney, a senior, is a multimedia journalism major. This was the first year for the event, according to Professor Valerie Whitney, coordinator for the multimedia journalism program and adviser to the Voice of the Wildcats newspaper. “We are excited and looking forward to doing it again. Maybe as soon as spring 2022,” Whitney said, adding she hopes to add opportunities for students to tell stories in print. Neilani Saville-Russ, a sophomore, was among the participants.“I had fun,” said Saville-Russ, who found herself taking on the role of the on-air reporter in her group. Chris Shaw, manager of the campus television station, also helped coordinate the event.
Caitlyn Steel and Sidney Bown working on a story in the T.V Studio for the boot camp.
Central Florida radio personality Monica May, above, was among the journalists that took part in the Bethune-Cookman University Joan Fuller Boot Camp on Oct. 23, 2021.
Amber Courtney and Mariah Brown sitting in the Kottle Building.
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REVIEW
October/November 2021
VOICE OF THE WILDCATS
AZEB - EP by Mereba hits all the right notes Album Review By Timothy Moss Music Critic
'I love how all these songs have the same tempo and mood'
Mereba, the infamous “Sandstorm”
artist, released her extended play album titled “AZEB” in May of this year. This is the fourth release in the discography of the R&B artist, who is signed to Interscope records. This project starts off with the track “Aye,” which features some angelic soft piano chords, low tone synths here and there, and in and out heavy 808s. Her vocals come in with the chorus over quiet finger snaps on two and four taking
Cover/Interscope Records
over the main groove for the entire song.This track is percussion-less. The instrumentation through the 808s and piano keep the feel and drive. Peace and love are the essence and theme present throughout this entire body of work. The intro track sets the mood for the rest of what you are going to be put through for seven tracks. The next song “Rider” has the gorgeous harp theme that repeats itself with a dancehall percussion feature. A small orchestra in the background brings more light to the complexion of the music alongside the basic bass guitar notes played here and there. When the chorus comes in with her multiple voice effect, the 808s come in present and strong to back up the vocals. This track is simply talking
about having a special someone that you can When she sings “Freedom for my people is depend on from a physical and spiritual level. urgent, tell me who are you serving, tell em all A perfect representation song for peaceful, the facts and they curve’em,” she is talking loving relationships. about the history of African Americans in this The next song “Beretta” is one of my country. She is singing about how our history personal favorite tracks on this EP because I got so whitewashed to the point that this love the acoustic guitar chords with Mereba’s generation can’t even learn about how much soft vocal lines on top of a steady low power we had as a united people year and years undertone happening throughout the track. go. Rhythmic claps happen that just makes you The next track “Go(l)d” is all right. It gives nod your head right when the song starts so off bliss summertime vibe with the positive, you can feel the steady groove automatically. bright sounding instrumental and minimal This is another song about true love, and drums. I like the chorus though. “Do you about finding that someone that fulfills all believe in gold, in gold, in gold.” It always your needs. Basically, another ride or die song. makes me answer, “Yes I believe it and love it.” Quick note, one of the things that I love about And then the last track “My Moon” is this project is its consistency with the sound. I definitely one of my favorites on this EP and is love how all these songs have the same tempo a great closure. Mereba lowers her vocals a little and mood, but they are each different in their to a darker tone that makes it mysterious and own way even if the content is repetitive in a drowsy like. To be honest I don’t know what sense. she is talking about in this song, I do know the “Another Kin” is a quick mood track with a Astrology reference in her chorus hits the spot beautiful orchestra and those low volume claps every time. keeping the rhythmic meter. This track felt like “Sun in Cancer, Sun in Cancer, Sun in an interlude in my opinion simply because it’s Cancer.” I am a Cancer so this just hits different the shortest song and it’s the same content as for me. But I do know this is a love reference the other songs-- just with more poetic filled as well because she mentions that “you’re my lyrics.It’s my least favorite but I still enjoy the moon” specifically talking about someone of energy that the song gives off in keeping with course. the consistency of the rest of the EP. Overall, Mereba definitely delivered with Now the next track “News Come” is this project and I think it has high probability probably one of my favorite songs of 2021. That to be inducted into the top R&B projects of this guitar riff theme is so smooth and seamless yet year.Anybody can resonate with this project, soothing. The added violins and synths making it’s calm, delight, and just a good vibe. small appearances around the instrumental is impressive. Mereba just has a way with words that makes you believe she knows what she is talking about in a calm orderly way. Her vocal ability is legendary on this song, and yes, I’m exaggerating, but that’s how much I love the song. That chorus is perfect and is one of my favorite chorus’ in life right now. The one take away from this song is that it changes to a completely different key and chord that made me a little frustrated. I wanted to Tim Moss is a mass communications major and member of the keep hearing that first half on repeat. I love Bethune-Cookman University Wildcats Marching Band. how the content of this track dives a little into some racial aspects and third eye perspectives.
Bruce Dunn Wows Students at Professional Seminar By Amber B. Courtney Award-winning broadcast director and producer Bruce E. Dunn visited Bethune-Cookman University recently. Dunn, who has 40-plus years of experience working with some of the biggest names in television such as PBS, NBC, ESPN, ABC and BET, shared words of wisdom on how to succeed in the business during the monthly professional seminar. Dunn gave his self-titled “D.U.N.N (acronym for Dialogue Unfiltered No Nonsense)
Talks ; that asked students to think seriously about what they are willing to sacrifice to get where they want to be.
He used his own life as an example on how to deal with important matters such as the passing of time, developing one’s career and craft early in life, the importance of good financial management, and the significance of having knowledge about your field and high confidence in your abilities. Dunn’s speech was met
with a standing-ovation at its conclusion. He was mobbed by students looking to shake his hand and introduce themselves. Many, including mass communications major Timothy Moss, gave the presentation high marks. Moss said was one of the “better” seminars that he has attended. Photo by Amber Courtney
VOICE OF THE WILDCATS
FEATURES
October/November 2021
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BNC Journalists Drop Gems at Media Day By Julian Bacon
“We are not activists. We are journalists and we have to keep that line from being blurred,” Blow added. Stories like George Floyd’s murder received initial traction when the horrific video was posted on social media. Social media is the latest and fastest-growing way to receive news. Jimmy Marlow, co-host of BNC’s “Morning Hype” and “After 6ix,” says
important. Michelle Fisher, co-host of “Morning Hype” and “After 6ix,” told the students that they should spend time in every part of the newsroom in order to get a full grasp of working in media. The virtual event, meanwhile, had to overcome some technical difficulties with the new system they were trying out
social media offers opportunities for journalists to breathe and give a little more of themselves to their viewers. “Social media provided the opportunity to connect and for people to understand things instead of just becoming knowledgeable about something on the broadcast,” Marlow said. Nayeera Haq, co-host of “The World Tonight” on BNC, and Blow said they have received news leads from Twitter and Facebook. BNC has created a space for black journalists to cover all parts of news media. Black journalists can tell black stories from a place of understanding what is going on. “A white journalist writing about a black sorority member running for president said that the crowd was hooting at her, having not known that is a call-and-response associated with the organization,” Haq said. Black journalists are very important and can tell stories about black lifestyles and culture from a place of understanding, which is very
and students were not able to hear much of the dialogue. Officials solved the problem by sending a link to the video.
Black journalists have always been at the forefront of telling stories that are pertinent to black people. “The first black daily newspaper was in New Orleans. It helped pressure Louisiana into providing one of the most progressive state constitutions giving black people more rights than they had anywhere in the country,” said Charles M. Blow, host of “Prime with Charles M. Blow” on the Black News Channel, during a recent media day that attracted student journalists from HBCUs. The event was held as part of the screening process for potential candidates for the“BNC + BNC Go Journalism Project” intern program. Participants had The BNC Panel during the virtual media day program on Oct. 28 for HBCU journalism students. the opportunity to get answers to their questions on a number of subjects including the future of black journalism in America and cable vs. streaming vs. social media. They also looked at the rising tide of black and brown women in leadership roles in U.S. Media and journalism’s influence on race relations in America. Blow told students about the Chicago Defender, a newspaper smuggled to the South that allowed southern blacks to be up to date on news elsewhere that involved or affected African Americans. Furthermore, he noted that Ebony and Jet Magazine were the publications that posted the pictures of Emmet Till. Jet and Ebony laid the foundation for companies like BNC to come to fruition. “Journalism is about bearing witness, we are here to record what happened on this day,” Blow said in response to a student’s questions about how do black journalists spread accurate news through the lens of empowerment and not anger.
Julian Bacon is a senior mass communications major and aspires to be a sports journalist.
“We are not activists. We are journalists and we have to keep that line from being blurred.” -Charles Blow
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October/November 2021
FEATURES
VOICE OF THE WILDCATS
Instagram’s Downfall May Not Be All That Bad
By Amber B. Courtney Voice Editor
Social Media Giant Stummbled Earlier This Year
Facebook and the other apps that it owns went out of service for a handful of hours on Oct. 4. For the 3.5 billion people using Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp worldwide, the incident caused disarray. It appears to have caused the most response from Instagram users. I saw dozens of posts on Instagram of people sharing their opinions and concerns. Many people were sharing the fact that they didn’t know that they were addicted to the app until after it went down and were entertaining the idea that Instagram might be shut down forever. Ironically, the outage happened shortly after a Whistle Blower, who we now know is Frances Haugen, came forward to expose what she claims are wrongdoings by Facebook as it relates to its users. Is it too far-fetched to say that the end of Instagram may actually be a great thing? Frances Haugen is the ex-product manager for Facebook. She released thousands of pages of documents and research proving Facebook’s awareness of the issues it caused users, especially its teenage girl demographic. She testified before the U.S Senate on Oct. 5 about how Facebook was fully
LendEDU’s chart to show college students’ response to “Do you know someone who deletes Instagram posts if they don’t get enough likes?” (Graphic: LendEDU)
aware of the harm its social media site Instagram caused to young children. She revealed that the company’s research shows that its young users often suffer from cyberbullying and body image issues. Not only did she have proof that Facebooks knows Instagram is damaging, but also that it has done nothing to try to solve the issue.The company leadership knows how to make Facebook and Instagram safer but won't make the necessary changes because they have put their astronomical profits before people, Haugen said. “We still have time to act. But we must act now.” NBC reported in 2019 that there was a strong correlation between the rise of mental health issues among young adults and teenagers and the rise in popularity of social media. There was more than a 50-percent increase of those in Gen Z reporting to have depressive and anxiety symptoms and 71-percent increase of reported psychological stress. The numbers began to spike in 2011 with the emergence of social media. Likewise, The Wall Street Journal reported that 32 percent of teenage girls reported
that Instagram made them feel worse about their bodies and that a sum of teens traced their anxiety and depression back to their Instagram usage. Given all of these negative aspects of Facebook app, Instagram, you would think many people would be refrain from ever using the app again. Logically speaking, most people don’t want to be in support of a company that makes its living by depleting the self-esteem of kids. However, even with all of the controversy that Facebook is currently going through, now that Instagram is back up and running, there hasn’t really been any change as far as usership. There has been no major decline in usership and the app is still just as popular as it was before any of this happened. I find this all disheartening, especially considering that many people didn’t know that they were addicted to Instagram until it went down and they had to live without it for six hours. There are so many people who have found themselves unknowingly hooked to the app. Whether it for boosting self-esteem, gaining a career, or just mindlessly scrolling to pass time, so many people find themselves stuck in one spot for hours. “I think people still use Instagram for reassurance and the fast attention that you can get from it,” one B-CU student said. According to research, there might be truth to that statement. LendEDU, a digital marketplace, conducted a study where they polled more than 3,700 college students and asked them what the most narcissistic social media platform was. The majority, 64 percent, answered “Instagram.” Obviously, people post for some form of validation. What other logical reason could there be to share thirst-trap bikini pictures with people who don’t even know you? Meanwhile, 78 percent of 9,477 students voted “Yes” to knowing people who will delete their Instagram posts if they don’t get enough likes (how much you want to bet that they were voting about themselves too?). “You definitely see how it affects you,” another B-CU said. “When you get a lot of likes you can feel yourself get happy, versus when a post doesn’t get that much attention and you feel a little disappointed.” I am not one of those people who want to catastrophize the effects of Instagram or judge other people for being so attached to it. I, along with the vast majority of users, have all experienced falling into a cycle of dependence at one point or another, so to judge others for doing the same would be unfair. I definitely will catch myself scrolling when I’m supposed to be focused on other tasks and posting good pictures for the sake of getting as many likes as possible. I get it. Perhaps the real question is if a majority of people can agree that Instagram isn’t the best for our mental health, why don’t the majority stop using it? Is it actually addictive like a drug would be or are we really just that desperate for admiration from others?
Instagram was the most narcissistic social media site?” (Graphic:LendEDU)
Instagram being shut down was probably one of the best incidents to happen to Western society within the last few years. It brought a lot of awareness to a lot of people about how reliant they are on social media. I think, just like any habit, we all got sucked into Instagram like a black hole without even being consciously aware of it. I’m in full support of free-choice and the ability to make your own decisions, even if it causes harm to you. However, I think this shutdown was a good wake-up call. I don’t believe that Instagram will go down in popularity anytime soon. Likewise, I hope that perhaps its effects and negative aspects will be acknowledged more and that the hours spent on it daily will decrease to some degree. We all could use a break from photoshopped pictures, negative comments sometimes disguised as “humor”, and the unrealistic highlights of other peoples’ lives while we ignore our own. I am not sure about anyone else, but I think deleting my app for a while would definitely be better than
Twitter user shares their choice to delete all social media accounts due to the negative effects on their mental health (Photo courtesy of Amber B. Courtney)
"We all could use a break from photoshopped pictures, negative comments sometimes disguised as “humor”, and the unrealistic highlights of other peoples’ lives..."