Archive for the ‘Culture’ Category:
02 Nov
Recently, Morehouse College in Atlanta, GA enacted its new appropriate attire policy. In this new policy, eleven expectations have been set to show how Morehouse men are expected to dress. Examples of this new dress policy include no do-rags, no women’s clothing, and no sagging in the classroom or at campus events. Most would wonder why being an all male school, Morehouse would even have to outline a rule banning women’s clothing. While many believe that Morehouse’s dress code policy change was targeted at reviving the image of masculinity on campus, the policy change brings up an interesting debate. While there are many people who agree with this policy, there are just as many who disagree. These new rules have stirred a debate regarding dress codes on college campuses. However, there are a couple of questions that could be addressed. The first question is what constitutes appropriate dress on a college campus? Secondly, should students be told what to wear? Lastly, do the clothes that African American males wear really define who they are?
So what exactly is the appropriate dress for a college campus? Many college campuses have no set standards that say what is and what is not appropriate on campus. Walking on many college campuses it is possible to see students wearing sweat pants, pajamas, do-rags, etc. North Carolina State University has no defined code of dress. Many schools really could care less what students are wearing as long as they pay tuition, come to class, learn, and graduate. After all students come to college to become educated. There are many articles of clothing which have no place in the classroom, but shouldn’t students know that article of clothing is right or wrong? College is a place where most students start to become more responsible. So shouldn’t they be responsible to regulate their dress? By now, students should know what to wear when they go to a job interview. There is a time and a place to wear specific attire. Is college really the time to be giving lessons on dress etiquette? College however is supposed to prepare students of what they can expect in the “real world.” When it comes to the “real world”, people don’t exactly get the opportunity to choose what they want to wear to work. So one might say that if we are preparing students for the real world, maybe there should be some sort of dress policy in place.
This brings us to the question, regarding whether students should be told what to wear. Many students may believe that their clothes are one of the elements which make them who they are. College is supposed to be the best years of a person’s life. College is the stoplight between childhood and the real world. It’s a time when students can explore new ideas, learn themselves, and decide what they want to do in life. With all the stresses of studying, finances, career decisions, should clothing be added to the list? What changes will regulating student dress really bring? While, statistics have shown that uniforms in high school seem to change the atmosphere, one must realize that college and high school are on two different levels. If a dress code was to show up at some place like NC State, who would police this policy? Would it even be possible for someone to police the attire of more than 34,000 people on a daily basis?
It seems that when it comes to concerns with clothing in today’s society, African American males stand at the forefront. Some people feel as if the style in which African American men have taken on is disrespectful and juvenile. They feel as if the clothes that African American males choose to wear further hinder themselves from success. One must ask, will putting on a suit and tie suddenly erase the achievement gap? What about trying to have resources to educate black males to make the right decisions in life. What about making sure that more jobs are readily available. What about inspiring more African American men to become teachers. There are much bigger problems that need to be addressed before we start worrying about an image. Putting a suit on a thug is not guaranteed to change his mentality.
09 Oct
The subject of race has always been an important one for President Obama, he first gained minor notoriety in academic circles for being the first African American President of the Harvard Law Review, and wrote a best selling and critically acclaimed book, (Dreams From My Father,) about the subject of race in America. He also came under fire for his relationship with his former pastor, Black Liberation Theology devotee Reverend Jeremiah Wright.
The subject of race has once again been thrust into the public forum as the criticism of President Obama has become more extreme at Tea Party rallies, and after South Carolina representative Joe Wilson’s unprecedented outburst during one of his most recent presidential addresses to a joint session of Congress. The most notable critic of the protests has been former President Jimmy Carter, who said of the protests “I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he is African-American.”
The criticism was not well received by the overwhelming majority of conservative voices in the country. Michael Steele, the first African American to serve as chair of the Republican National Committee said “President Carter is flat-out wrong, this is not about race. It is about policy.”
People on President Carter’s side of the argument tend to point out the more unusual elements of the criticism of President Obama to support their opinions. Such as the persistent “birther” movement that holds that the President was not actually born in the United States. The movement originated during Obama’s run for the presidency and has persisted to this day in spite of him having already produced his Hawaiian birth certificate and the local newspaper announcement of his birth that his parents released.
Those who claim that the criticism is racially motivated also point to the more extreme elements of some of the criticism, such as the various caricatures of President Obama as a Hitler, or a witch doctor, or signs like one that was spotted at a gathering in Washington DC that read: “The zoo has an African lion and the White House has a lyin’ African.”
The argument has its merits, and in some cases it is clear that race is a key factor for some people’s dislike of President Obama, but it is not always that simple. “Granted, some people (on both sides of the isle) do not like President Obama because he is black. Those are misguided feelings fostered from ignorance and lack of decent civility; however, it is simply ridiculous to group all protestors in the South into this category. When you have close to 2,000,000 protestors at an event there are bound to be some bad apples with ignorant signs and frankly stupid rants,” notes Ches McDowell, President of the NCSU chapter of the College Republicans. As New York Times columnist David Brooks pointed out in a recent column, he noticed that when some of the tea party protests were going on near (the Black Family Reunion Celebration) to celebrate African American culture, some of the tea party protesters could be found enjoying the festivities themselves, so it would be unfair to suggest that the grievances expressed at the Tea Parties all come from racial dislike.
Extreme presidential dislike is nothing new. Anyone who has not been living in a cave knows that feelings on President Bush certainly ran in extremes. It was not unusual to find protestors of Bush’s policies portraying him as Hitler and accusing him of being a fascist. As Mr. Brooks notes in his opinion column, the arguments that are being so virulently expressed at the tea party protests are as old as the country itself and the arguments over the role of government in democracy that Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had. While it would not seem that the arguments being expressed are as eloquent and intelligent as the ones Hamilton and Jefferson often expressed, it does mean that the dislike of what people believe are parts of the Obama political agenda can come from a source other than racism.
Politics is a game for only those with the thickest skin, and a democracy cannot thrive unless people are allowed to passionately criticize their leaders. However, that does not mean that all criticism is equally well reasoned or worthy of consideration. It would be better if we could all argue a little more politely and honestly, so we could critically think about what we are arguing, rather than why we are arguing.
09 Oct
In an atmosphere that was filled with good spirits and the smell of home-cooked food, the sixth annual El Salsabor once again provided the NC State community with a glimpse inside the Latino culture. “The purpose of El Salsabor is to showcase the uniqueness and diversity within the Latino culture and kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Nicole Machado, a junior in Textile and Apparel Management and president of Mi Familia. Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th through October 15th. The event, which was hosted by Mi Familia and the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), attracted a diverse crowd that congregated in the Talley Ballroom. A quarter of the entrance fee went to support Stop Hunger Now, an organization that coordinates the distribution of food and other life-saving aid around the world.
There were several acts that gained the attention of the audience and kept them entertained throughout the entire event. The first act to come to the stage was Alex Joyce, who recited a poem about mothers; Anna Murillo, a senior in Biological Sciences and Ana Alvarado, a senior in Business Administration, performed a Mexican folkloric dance that included the presentation of the Mexican flag that drew applause and cheers from the audience. Afterwards, Sube Ritmo, a Latin dance group here at NC State, came to the stage and awed the crowd with their moves. Grande Gato, a Reggaeton artist and alumnus of the university (Class of 1994), laced everyone with his rhymes.
But perhaps the most anticipated part of the night was the dance lessons with instructions that were provided by Anthony Tuttle. The lessons required a partner, and even though there were more women than men at the event, people still managed to get a dance partner nonetheless even if they were of the same sex. Tuttle first started off with the basics and gradually went into more complicated dances to include salsa. Despite the difficult moves and the fast-paced dance lesson, that did little to faze the spectators like Elana Turner, a sophomore in Philosophy. “I’ve had a wonderful time experiencing the culture and felt that it was very festive, especially the dancing part.” Daisy Hurtado, a freshman in Textile and Apparel Management and a member of Mi Familia, loved the “willingness” of the people to learn about the culture, from the food to the music. The night concluded in a free-for-all dance marathon where people were showing off their freshly learned dance moves.
09 Oct
No one can say with authority who was the first person to express ideas synonymous with pan-Africanism, but resistance to foreign domination has been a constant element of African history on and off the continent. It is generally accepted, however, that true pan-African thinking first appeared among Black people in the Diaspora. Africans who were outside of Africa and stripped of their tribal affiliation were quick to recognize that their subjugation was based on their race; hence the call for racial unity in the face of a shared oppressive experience was originally given voice among them.
Early pan-African sentiments were clearly expressed by the 1700s. In America in 1787, for example, the famed Freemason Prince Hall sent a formal request to the Massachusetts Legislative Assembly for help with immigrating back to Africa. Likewise in the first two decades of the 1800s, the successful Boston merchant Paul Cuffee supported the repatriation of a least two groups of emigrants at his own expense. Prominent African Nationalists of that time include Henry Sylvester Williams, Edward W. Bylden, Benito Sylvain, Orishatukeh Faduma, and Mojola Agbebi. A good article to read about this subject is “Pan-Negro Nationalism in the New World Before 1862” by Hollis R. Lynch.
But aside from those luminaries, many scholars point to two particular meetings in order to date the beginning of the pan-African movement. The Chicago Congress on Africa in 1893 and the London meeting of the African Association in 1900 which introduced the use of the term “pan-African”. Nevertheless, while both of those meetings were historic in their originality, participation and outlook, it was the later Pan-African Congresses sponsored by W.E.B. Dubois and the U.N.I.A. conventions of Marcus Garvey that traditionally have been credited with having the most influence on pan-African thinking.
Over a 45 year period, DuBois would champion or be involved with six Congresses which would inspire such African leaders as Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana, Nnamdi Azikiwe of Nigeria, Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, Wallace Johnson of Sierra Leone, and Ralph Armattoe of Togo among others. Marcus Garvey, on the other hand, spread his fiery message of African unity through the largest movement of Black people the world has ever known. The work of those two leaders inspired a wave of pride, resistance, and self-reliance which swept the globe and produced independence and human rights movements which left no African people moved. Moreover, new leaders and organizations emerged in the wake of DuBois and Garvey that have had riveting effects on African history including Malcolm X, the Black Panthers, the African National Congress, and the Pan-African Congress of Azania.
Pan-Africanism would, subsequently, reach a new level of institutionalization with the launch of the 1958 First Conference of Independent African States in Ghana. That would be followed by several other expressions of African unity including “the Union of African States (1960), the African States of the Casablanca Charter (1961), the African and Malagasy Union (1961), the Organization of Inter-African and Malagasy States (1962), the African-Malagasy-Mauritius Common Organization (1964)” and the Organization of African Unity (1963). (The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press.)
In 2002, the Organization of African Unity transformed itself into the African Union with the stated objectives “to achieve greater unity and solidarity between the African countries and the peoples of Africa” and “to accelerate the political and socio-economic integration of the continent.” (www.african-union.org)
Yet in spite of this long, rich and progressive history, pan-Africanism and African Nationalism are much misunderstood and maligned. The pan-African movement is not racist, sexist, homophobic, communist, or based on religious bigotry. As a matter of fact, the modern pan-African movement is open to every person willing to participate in the struggle to produce a world from racism, sexism or discrimination. Additionally, the modern African Nationalist community is strong and vibrant. Despite the best efforts of the FBI and CIA to dispose and discredit African leaders, the masses of African people have never lost focus of their dream for a world based on freedom, justice, and equality. Indeed the people who created civilization are now ready to give birth to a new world and a new type of human society.
African Nationalists believe that the best way to free the earth from the hatred and prejudice of Western white supremacy is to form a great African nation based on the timeless but revolutionary principle of the equality of humankind birthed from a movement that models that principle in theory and in practice.
If you are interested and would like to get involved in the pan-African struggle, then the simplest thing to do is to email me, Maurice X, President of the United Pan-African Student Movement at horizonis@hotmail.com. We will be restarting our meetings in Durham after the summer break and you can get involved with any of our programs from the African History class to the AIDS/HIV education and social services project. In addition you can look for and read future articles from a pan-African perspective by me here in The Nubian Message.
Maurice X is the President of the United Pan-African Student Movement. He is a community activist, writer, and former teacher of Adult Education at Durham Technical Community College. Maurice resides in Durham and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina Central University. In his spare time he enjoys reading and exercising.
09 Oct
Marcus Garvey was a political activist who promoted nationalism. Nationalism can be defined as a grand movement involving African Americans and on a wider spectrum, blacks around the world. This movement encompassed elements of self- determination and self-preservation. The purveyors of this seemingly radical concept thought that certain actions needed to be taken to re-allocate power and funds from the skewed power structure. Systemic racism exists in systems where institutional racism hinders the ability of the lower classes to gain upward social mobility. In order for a class to advance it must have the proper tolls provided for in the economic and political system of the ruling class. They said that the United States used black people in America to build up its economy, while persecuting them in their own communities. Marcus Garvey was one of the first activists to actually move upon these ideals by creating an organization called the United Negro Improvement Organization.
Garvey said that the government should reflect the will of the people. Garvey said that black people suffered from propaganda to destroy our confidence in ourselves.
In 1914, Garvey organized the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Soon after he began to travel around the United States preaching Black Nationalism. The association grew to encompass over 1,100 branches in more than forty countries. Garvey felt that if black people established some leadership, through solidarity, they could gain some form of human liberty and appreciation. He called for a mass movement to move black people back to Africa. He said that it was the educated western black man’s responsibility to take care of African resources. Mr. Garvey believed that the black leaders of the time headed mock organizations, not completely dedicated to empowering the entire black race. He saw the color tone stratification in these organizations, whereby the light skinned people seemed to want to form another color caste. Garvey saw the need for black people to appreciate each other and to not worship the white race. He saw how some of the integrationists wanted entrance into the white society. He was trying to get black people to create their own society where they could seek prosperity through entrepreneurial endeavors. There was also a need to promote self-reliance and black love. In world politics, Garvey promoted his views to black people in colonized regions.
Some countries would not grant him a visa when he applied. The British Government stopped him from coming to its colonies. He and his wife were denied entry into the British Guiana or any of the British West Indian islands.
Liberia was a venture into the ideals of Garvyism (black nationalism). The American government delegated this portion of land, already inhabited, for black relocation. This effort failed after a number of years. The American government lost interest in the project and stopped funding it. Some of the initiatives Garvey was involved in are believed to be radical according to history. He dedicated his life to the cause of black liberation for people trying to defeat oppression around the world, without biting his tongue.
-Davin Van Eyken
09 Oct
It is not a myth that a large amount of the world’s population is racially mixed. It may not show, but it is still there. Just because a person may appear to be one race does not mean that they are just that. On some occasions you cannot physically tell if someone is mixed. Other times an individual’s mixed heritage can be easily picked up on. Does this mean that they are different or confused?
Decades ago being a “mulatto” (an individual who is equally African America and Causcasion) was seen as a ticket out. If you could pass for a white person you could live the life people could only dream of. Since the years have passed it seems as if we all want to be included and excluded. We want to be included as strong and, upstanding members of society, but then we want to say who’s in and who’s out of our group. This is wrong and can leave devastating scars on someone’s life.
I have had a handful of bi-racial/multicultural friends in my lifetime. I can honestly say that they are some of the most beautiful people, inside and out. The sad thing is that every one of them had identity issues. They were never completely accepted by one group or the other. One friend in particular happened to be African American and Japanese. She was taunted by the black community because she had long hair and they accused her of thinking that she was better than them. On the other hand, she was never accepted into the Japanese side of her family. They did not consider her one of them because she was mixed. I am not trying to step on the toes of African Americans or the Japanese. I am simply making a point that a person is a person no matter what they look like.
The only reason some biracial/multicultural people may be confused about who they are is because we as a society are making it that way. It would not be a problem if we didn’t make it a problem. You shouldn’t have to choose one side or the other. Failing to embrace all parts of yourself could have lead to low self-image and self-worth.
My sixteen year old brother is African- American ,as well as Caucasian. The town he lives in is quite traditional in the way it views race relations. On one side there is a black community and on the other side there is the white community and off to the side is a small population of people of Spanish descent. The only places people mix and mingle are the baseball park and the Piggly Wiggly. My brother has recently been interested in dating , but the girl he is interested in cannot date him because he is half African- American. Her parents do not approve of it and he was ordered not to call the their house anymore. These people fail to realize that my brother is a person, first and foremost, and that he is half Caucasian. It should not matter if he is blue, he is still a human being just like everyone else. He sometimes gets heat from both sides because of being biracial and it negatively affects his development. His teenage years should be fun, not filled with race anxiety.
Biracial people have taken Hollywood by storm. Celebrities such as Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, Derek Jeter, and our own President of the United States Barack Obama are all biracial. They have all embraced their mixed heritage and set a good example for those who will follow them.
There is no reason for this disconnect between races. Biracial/multicultural shouldn’t have to play “Monkey in the Middle” to be accepted. A prime example of this is Halle Berry and her current relationship with the German model Gabriel Aubry. I have been reading many blogs by black people that have a problem with her dating a white man. The truth is that she is half white and everyone should get over themselves and let her be. She has done a great job of representing biracial people and is well respected for overcoming the barriers of race. She has a beautiful biracial daughter and she will not grow up confused.
Overall, I would like to see people of mixed heritage not struggling over which group they need to belong too. There is no need for this ridiculous separation and it is only making things worse. Embrace your heritage, hold your head high, and show the world just how beautiful you are.
09 Oct
Hispanic Heritage Month, started in 1968, runs from September 15th to October 15th and celebrates the achievements and showcases the plight of Hispanic/Latinos in America. Although the “month” is really half of two different months, there is a reason. September 15th is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on September 16th, while Chile celebrates Independence Day on September 18th and Belize on September 21st. Many students have misconceptions about the Hispanic/Latino culture and have limited it to farm workers, reggaeton, and Salsa dancing. There are more than 20 Spanish speaking countries with even more local dialects and native languages. The food varies from border to border, as well as the music, dancing, and traditional dress. There’s so much to learn, even for Hispanic/Latino students!
The Hispanic population in the U.S. has grown tremendously. Hispanics are now the largest minority ethnic group within the U.S. and North Carolina has had a helping hand in that growing number. North Carolina is a state whose Hispanic population has quadrupled since the 1990’s and NC State University’s Hispanic population has also steadily increased through the years. There are more than 700 Hispanic students at NC State, student organizations have become more abundant and campus offices have begun to focus more on the Hispanic population on campus. The six Hispanic/Latino student organizations on campus are: Mi Familia, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Destino (Bible study organization under Campus Ministries), Sube Ritmo (Dance team), Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. and LASA (Latin American Student Association). All of these organizations have worked diligently to bring Hispanic/Latino students together at NC State in an effort to provide a forum for all students to learn more about the richness of the culture and to provide a welcoming and comfortable learning environment.
Many students have heard of or attended programs hosted by these organizations such as: Salsabor, Somos, and Pi Chi Week. Salsabor is an annual fall cultural show to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month hosted by Mi Familia and SHPE. There are music and dance performances, traditional Hispanic cuisine and dance lessons from Sube Ritmo! Salsabor is going to be held this year on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Talley Ballroom. The organizations on campus like to work together to show a broad spectrum of perspectives and ideas concerning the Hispanic/Latino community. There are many more events going on during Hispanic Heritage Month that showcase the beauty of the culture and you can get a complete listing of the calendar at http://www.ncsu.edu/msa/downloads/hlhm2009.pdf.
One campus office that has been instrumental in the success of Hispanic/Latino students on campus is the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs located in Pullen Hall. The staff members are very supportive of the Hispanic/Latino student population on campus and are always willing to assist in whatever way possible. The Assistant Director for Hispanic Student Affairs, Mr. Abraham Dones, came to campus in the summer of 2008 from Philadelphia, PA by way of proactive students, like Jezzette Rivera, who diligently pushed for a Hispanic/Latino student advisor. The addition has been a great success to the office and the NC State community and many students have been able to build a relationship with Mr. Dones. He has truly been vital in the success of students, programs, and Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when ALL students can learn about the rich culture and history of our ancestors and embrace the diversity on our campus. We hope to see everyone at our future events to support and to meet members of the Hispanic/Latino community. NC State is a diverse group of educated students that will hopefully take advantage of all the opportunities to learn outside of the classroom.
By: Nicole Machado
09 Oct
The most pervasive and omnipresent debate in the United States today is without a doubt the debate on healthcare reform. The push by the Obama administration to change much of the basic fabric of healthcare in the United States has resulted in some of the most over the top political theatre in recent history. People shouting down their legislative representatives, teary diatribes against a supposed Marxist revolution, and even gun toting protesters have all become commonplace at the town halls where healthcare reform is being “debated.”
With all of the political posturing, it can be easy to forget the realities of current healthcare situation in the United States, and the especially tenuous situation in the African -American community. According to a study done by the Commonwealth Fund, a charitable foundation that advocates for increased health coverage for Americans, African- Americans and Hispanics are by far the most commonly uninsured racial demographics in the United States. The Commonwealth Fund’s study found that about a third of the African- American population had been uninsured at some point in the past year, and a whopping 62% percent of the Hispanic American population had been uninsured at some point.
Poor health coverage would seems to also result in an unhealthy African-American community. According to a report from the Center for Disease Control African Americans are more likely to die from heart disease, cancer especially colon and prostate cancer. HIV/AIDS have also been a larger problem for the African-American community than any other racial community in the United States. Nearly half of the people suffering from HIV/AIDS in the United States are African-American.
For any of these disturbing statistics to change, the African American community has to look as healthcare as not just a political issue, but a personal one. While African Americans may in fact be genetically predisposed to have certain diseases, not all health issues are out of the control of the individual.
First of all, if you don’t have health coverage, you need to do everything you can to get it. Obviously, the chances of you getting seriously ill are slim, but if you get seriously ill and need health care, the chance of you being able to get coverage after you become ill is slim to none. The chances of you being able to pay out of pocket for treatments for serious illnesses is even more remote unless you just won the lottery or were born with a multi-million dollar trust fund.
Past just getting health insurance, African Americans and America as a nation has to look at healthcare as prevention just as much as it looks at it as treatment. Risk factors for things like diabetes and heart disease are heavily affected by the diet and lifestyle of potential victims. If you want to be healthy into middle age and later life, proper diet and exercise are not optional, they are required. The same viewpoint has to be taken with sexual health as well, no form of contraception is perfect, but the risk of catching many STDs is greatly reduced by using protection.
Healthcare for African-Americans is certainly a confounding issue in many ways, but the best way that most people can positively affect it right now is to take personal steps towards being healthier and secure in their personal life. Get insured, eat healthy, and exercise regularly. No matter what happens with the healthcare debate in Washington, DC, your health should always be a personal priority in everything you do.
01 May
Every year is its own adventure for all students, but this past school year has been an especially interesting one for students here on campus. At the beginning of the year, the focus of the entire community on and off campus was brought together by the prospect of the historic election of our nation’s first African-American President. Students all over campus were involved on both sides of the election by organizing rallies, registering voters, and otherwise advocating for their party. President Obama’s election in November was an opportunity for many students to participate in both a major event in their lives (their first presidential election) and a major event in the country’s history.
Unfortunately, shortly after the election, the student body received a reminder of sentiments from the United States’ less than tolerant past. Racist graffiti with threats intended for the newly elected President Obama were painted on the free expression tunnel. The graffiti painted onto the Free Expression tunnel put the student body here into an unwanted spotlight.
The incident resulted in the involvement of the NAACP, which also resulted in a town hall meeting, where students were allowed to voice their concerns about their safety. It also resulted in the creation of a student task force, to focus on diversity that would produce suggestions about how to handle and prevent issues like these. However, for many people on campus and in the Raleigh community and surrounding areas, it also brought up discussions of the importance and rights to free speech on college campuses.
There were, thankfully, non-political things happening on campus for NCSU students this year. The homecoming festivities, and especially the Packhowl pep rally and concert headlined by N.E.R.D. and Common, were well attended, especially by the African-American community at NCSU and surrounding schools.
For some people, the tunnel incident may have put a damper on the day after the elections, but it did not seem to affect the celebration of the inauguration. Some NCSU student braved the frigid cold and record crowds to actually be a part of the inaugural moment in Washington, DC. Many others enjoyed the day on our campus during a somewhat unexpected snow day that kept us out of class.
The campus was also united by the death of our beloved women’s basketball coach, Kay Yow. Yow had coached at NCSU for 34 years, with a career long score compiling over seven hundred wins. Perhaps even more impressively, Yow had become an effective advocate for breast cancer research funding, and had helped bring women’s college basketball to the mainstream. Thousands of people paid their respects by wearing pink for breast cancer awareness, and painting the free expression tunnel pink. Thousands also attended a memorial service in honor of Yow and her many accomplishments in Reynolds Coliseum.
The year was capped off by another successful Pan Afrikan week which featured multiple excellent events, and was heightened by an exciting step and comedy show at the end of the week. The end of the year also saw another student government election, and the election of a new Student Body President, Jim Ceresnak.
The past year has been one to remember, with both historic highs and tragic lows. But no matter what one remembers, there is no doubt that everyone has learned or experienced something special this year. Whether it was the opportunity to learn from a life of giving and perseverance like Kay Yow’s, or to learn that things can truly change from a formerly impossible event, like the election of Barack Obama, the past year has had special lessons for all of us.
01 May
Virginia Tech suffered a devastating tragedy two years ago Apr. 16 2007. For those who don’t know, 32 people were killed and 21 more were injured on that Monday morning at Virginia Tech University, located in Blacksburg, Virginia. Many of the victims that were injured or killed were students in dorms or in classrooms. Due to the chaos and situation many people were found crouching down in order to find cover and to keep from getting hurt.
Many students may have known someone or may have been mournful at the time of the shooting but unfortunately because it didn’t occur in the proximity of home many people did not feel they were affected. When I asked a few students randomly, about the Virginia Tech anniversary, many were oblivious to the date at all, and a few had to be reminded of what the event was.
Terence Patterson a senior in sports management said “No. I wasn’t aware that it was the two year anniversary of the V. Tech shooting. The fear of school shooting happening has tremendously died down over time. When I think about it, it makes me wonder how someone could take the lives of innocent people like it’s nothing. I actually had the opportunity to visit V. Tech the summer after the shooting and I got to see the memorial and the building where the shooting occurred. It was a very scary feeling being on the site just months after the incident. I do feel people really don’t think about it as much anymore just because it’s been a while and other incidents like this haven’t occurred in a long time. It is a very sad thinking about how those young adults, the same age as myself, won’t have the opportunity to live out their dreams and it’s even more devastating thinking about how their families feel, I could only imagine. I send out my prayers to those families who had loved ones lost in the horrific shooting.”
Although some students were not aware of the tragic incident others were well aware of the shooting and had a few words to say about it as well.
Junior in business management, Tre McQueen said, “Yes I am aware of the anniversary. It still makes me feel for the families that lost loved ones that day. It makes me realize not to take life for granted.”
Freshman in math Toneka Walker, says ” I remember the V.Tech shooting and I feel that it is a shame that so many young people lost their lives. One guy was from my home town and it’s sad he had such a short lived life because he as well as the others had so much in store for them.”
Needless to say this event has touched many people and needs to be recognized. Innocent people who were the same ages as the students here on our campus were killed for no reason at all. Even though the anniversary has passed, please take the time out to remember those who have been lost and those who have lost loved ones. From the Wolf Pack family our condolences will always be with the students and faculty at Virginia Tech University.
Page 1 of 612345»...Last »
