Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 2 No. 5
This is the 2022 print edition of Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine. The theme "Movin' On Up" is inspired by the Black Panther Party.
This is the 2022 print edition of Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine. The theme "Movin' On Up" is inspired by the Black Panther Party.
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DEAR<br />
BLACK<br />
STUDENTS,<br />
You do matter. The numerous achievements and talents<br />
of Black students deserve to be recognized. As of Fall<br />
2021, 11.16% of students on campus identified as Black or<br />
African American. Black students are disproportionately<br />
underrepresented in various areas on campus. <strong>Nineteen</strong><br />
<strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> is a Black student-led magazine that amplifies<br />
the voices within the University of Alabama’s Black<br />
community. It also seeks to educate students from all<br />
backgrounds on culturally important issues and topics<br />
in an effort to produce socially-conscious, ethical and<br />
well-rounded citizens.
EDITORIAL STAFF<br />
TIONNA TAITE<br />
EDITOR IN CHIEF<br />
NICKELL GRANT<br />
MANAGING EDITOR<br />
ASHTON JAH<br />
VISUALS & DESIGN EDITOR<br />
TYLER HOGAN<br />
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR<br />
MADISON DAVIS<br />
ENGAGEMENT EDITOR<br />
JOLENCIA JONES<br />
ASST. ENGAGEMENT EDITOR<br />
ASHLEE WOODS<br />
FEATURES & EXPERIENCES EDITOR<br />
FARRAH SANDERS<br />
CULTURE & LIFESTYLE DIRECTOR
ISSUE CONTRIBUTORS<br />
WRITERS<br />
PHOTOGRAPHERS,<br />
VIDEOGRAPHERS,<br />
& DESIGNERS<br />
SOCIAL MEDIA & MARKETING<br />
PR SPECIALISTS<br />
Rachel Parker, Lyric<br />
Wisdom, Jolencia Jones,<br />
Shamiel Moore, Leah<br />
Jones, Ta’Kyla Bates,<br />
Jeffrey Kelly, Ja’Quacy<br />
Minter, Tonya Williams<br />
Anaya McCullum, CJ<br />
Thomas, Tonya Williams,<br />
Lyric Wisdom<br />
Karris Harmon, Asia<br />
Smith, Christian Thomas,<br />
Jordan Strawter<br />
Danielle S. McAllister,<br />
Farrah Sanders<br />
Special Thanks to Toni Taite, Kim Taite, and Ruby Booker<br />
COPYRIGHT<br />
<strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> is published by the Office of Student Media at The University of Alabama. All content and<br />
design are produced by students in consultation with professional staff advisers. All material contained herein,<br />
except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is copyrighted © 2022 by <strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> magazine. Material<br />
herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written permission of <strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> magazine. Editorial<br />
and Advertising offices for <strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> Magazine are located at 414 Campus Drive East, Tuscaloosa, AL<br />
35487. The mailing address is P.O. Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Phone: (205) 348-7257.<br />
Pictured on the cover are Jaden Johnson, Shak Mullings and Ethan Jones. Cover photography by Tyler Hogan.
FROM THE EDITOR:<br />
“<br />
When<br />
Black women stand up— as they did during the<br />
Montgomery Bus Boycott—as they did during the Black<br />
liberation era, earth-shaking changes occur.<br />
- Angela Davis<br />
”
A<br />
lasting mark has been left on me. <strong>No</strong>, not like a<br />
stain. More like an internal imprint that stains<br />
my character. My grandmother’s influence<br />
can be seen through my responses to life’s various<br />
circumstances. Discussions on my grandmother’s<br />
porch educated me about the history of my hometown,<br />
Montgomery, Alabama, as well as the prejudice my<br />
grandmother endured during her youth. In 1961, the<br />
Ku Klux Klan trespassed onto my great-grandfather’s<br />
property. While only seven years old, my grandmother<br />
consoled her six siblings as they huddled in the corner<br />
of their parents’ room in Evergreen, Alabama. Through<br />
her stories of injustice, I have developed a social<br />
consciousness that aims to give a voice to victims who<br />
would otherwise not get a chance to be heard.<br />
<strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> magazine is one of the many ways that I<br />
carry out my commitment to social justice. Through working<br />
with and highlighting a diverse range of Black students at<br />
the University of Alabama, I have formed lasting memories<br />
that I will truly never forget. These past two years since the<br />
creation of <strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> have solidified my belief that<br />
one action can create lasting change. While serving as the<br />
founding editor-in-chief of a magazine and also preparing for<br />
law school is no easy feat, I would not change my experience<br />
for the world.<br />
It is with a bittersweet feeling that I officially write my last<br />
letter from the editor. However, this is just the beginning of<br />
my journey to creating lasting change in the realm of social<br />
justice. From graduating highschool in 2019 to graduating<br />
college in 2022 to enrolling in law school this Fall, one thing<br />
is for certain: I will continue to find ways to advocate for the<br />
voiceless and initiate change.<br />
I am honored to pass on <strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> to future Black<br />
students at the University of Alabama. I am convinced that<br />
these students will continue to reach new heights with<br />
<strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong>.<br />
In the past two years, <strong>Nineteen</strong> <strong>Fifty</strong>-<strong>Six</strong> released 11 magazine<br />
issues and two special edition issues. I am pleased to present<br />
our final magazine issue of the year entitled “Movin’ On Up.”<br />
It has truly been a blessing to work with such talented and<br />
dedicated students on this historical magazine. I hope this<br />
magazine issue leaves you inspired.<br />
TIONNA TAITE, EDITOR IN CHIEF
12<br />
CULTURE<br />
Grandma’s Hands 14<br />
Respect Black Women 16<br />
Olvera the Explorer 18<br />
Black Lives Still Matter 19<br />
Miss Black Alabama USA 20<br />
Album Review: Ry Ry World 23
Black Mental Health Matters 28<br />
Loud and Proud 30<br />
The Misconceptions of AAVE 35<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
26
38 FEATURES<br />
Black Political Leaders in Alabama 40<br />
Royal Lineage 44<br />
The Balancing Act of Being a Student Parent 46<br />
An Unlevel Playing Field: Black Athletes in Sports 50<br />
Athletes in Motion 54
When Voices Are Made Silent 56<br />
When America Catches a Cold,<br />
The Black Man Breathes His Last Breath 60<br />
Off The Field 65<br />
The “Angry” Black Woman 67<br />
What is a Black Girl’s Childhood 69<br />
54<br />
EXPERIENCES
CULTURE<br />
CULTURE<br />
CULTURE<br />
THE BLACK PANTHER PARTY<br />
The Black Panther Party, originally named Black<br />
Panther Party for Self-Defense, was founded in 1966<br />
by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland,<br />
California. The Black Panther Party’s original purpose<br />
was to patrol African American neighborhoods to<br />
protect residents from acts of police brutality.
TA’KYLA BATES<br />
GRANDMA’S<br />
Sunday Dinner, stories on<br />
the front porch and church<br />
on Sunday. Many of the core<br />
memories most Black people share.<br />
Most of those memories have one central<br />
character, a Black grandmother. Whether<br />
she’s Grandma, Granny, Nana, they are all<br />
representations of the strength and resilience<br />
of the matriarch of Black families. It’s important<br />
to highlight what pivotal roles Black grandmothers<br />
play in the lives of Black youth and Black families. Black<br />
students at the University of Alabama share what pivotal<br />
role their grandmothers have played in their lives and the impact<br />
they have had on their families.<br />
14
“My grandma is extremely beneficial.<br />
she’s who I turn to whenever I’m in a rut or I feel as<br />
though I need someone to talk to. She has shaped<br />
my patience and determination into who I am today.<br />
When I think of Grandma’s hands I think of a gentle,<br />
kind loving hand, and cooking.”<br />
Breniya Shrieves, Sophomore<br />
Political Science (Pre-Law)<br />
“Growing up I’ve always had two<br />
grandmothers and both of them mean<br />
the world to me. They have taught me what<br />
it is to be a woman and how to be a woman in a<br />
relationship. They’ve taught me about modesty,<br />
self-respect and self-love and that’s something<br />
that I can never say thank you enough for. They<br />
have taught me about confidence, beauty and selflove.”<br />
Tonya Samples, Sophomore<br />
Hospitality Management<br />
“My grandmother Clara M. Purse was<br />
a wonderful lady. Sadly she is no longer<br />
with us, she transitioned August of 2021. Me and<br />
her were very close, I used to take her shopping<br />
and paying bills and we enjoyed being in each<br />
other’s company. Out of everyone in my family I<br />
was compared to her the most. We both shared<br />
interests such as fashion and singing. She was the<br />
glue that brought everyone together at her home<br />
and helped so many people in times of need that it<br />
encouraged me to do the same. She taught me to<br />
remain forever young. Even though she was older<br />
in age she still had spunk and was fabulous. I will<br />
always love her and cherish our memories together<br />
and one day we will meet again.”<br />
Eddie Coats, Freshman<br />
Theater Arts<br />
“[My grandmother’s] hands show her<br />
life and I respect her for that. Also, I imagine a<br />
grandmother sitting on her porch, staring at<br />
children playing, she’s looking at her legacy.”<br />
Keia Ervin, Sophomore<br />
Creative Media<br />
“My Grandmother has a huge part into<br />
shaping me into the person I am today.<br />
She helped raise me, placed meals on the table<br />
(even now she’ll make me a juicy steak), and spoiled<br />
me. She tries to push me to be a better person,<br />
and I know that if I ever need anything she will do<br />
all she can to help. When she’s not making Greek<br />
dogs and burgers for the family, she’s helping me<br />
do my laundry on the weekends. I know if I ever<br />
need advice she is always going to be honest. And<br />
I know that whenever I’m not doing it myself,<br />
she’s praying for me. My grandmother shaped<br />
me into an independent, hardworking, faithful,<br />
disciplined, and supportive young lady. She is part<br />
of the reason I’ve made it to where I am today,<br />
and why I choose to keep pushing. Without her, I<br />
honestly don’t know who I would be today.”<br />
Zariah Orr, Sophomore<br />
Aerospace Engineering & Physics<br />
“My grandmother has grown into one<br />
of my closest friends because the older I get<br />
the more I seek her wisdom. As a child, I loved her<br />
house because she was always cooking and giving<br />
me whatever I wanted. My granny always told me<br />
to believe who someone is the first time they show<br />
me and to not make up in my own mind who I<br />
want people to be. Grandma’s hands remind me of<br />
laying in my grandmother’s lap in church as she<br />
sang along with the choir.”<br />
Deja Evan, Sophomore<br />
Public Relations<br />
15
JOLENCIA JONES<br />
RESPECT<br />
BLACK<br />
WOMEN<br />
Malcolm X once said, “The most disrespected person in America is the Black woman.<br />
The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected<br />
person in America is the Black woman.”<br />
Recently, #protectBlackwomen has been in the headlines to shed light on the constant<br />
disrespect Black women are facing. Misogynoir is the specific hatred, dislike, distrust, and<br />
prejudice directed toward Black women.<br />
Who do Black women need protection from? The shortest answer is the media. There’s no<br />
secret of the limited positive representation of Black women in mass media which reflects on<br />
the reality of Black women being constantly mistreated.<br />
Constant studies have shown Black women being less likely to receive work promotions and<br />
more likely to face discrimination because of their hair. Unfortunately, Black women fall into<br />
stereotypical roles when it comes to their portrayal in movies, television, and music videos.<br />
Although movies are a source of entertainment, it is important to notice the stereotypical<br />
pattern Black women face in certain roles. In 1939, legendary actress Hattie McDaniel was the<br />
first Black person to win an Oscar. However, the role she played was a mammy. A mammy is<br />
described by Merriam-Webster as a Black woman serving as a nurse to white children especially<br />
formerly in the southern U.S.<br />
In 2011, Octavia Spencer won an Oscar for her portrayal of Minny Jackson in The Help which<br />
was another stereotypical mammy role. In 2013, Lupita Nyungo won an Oscar for playing an<br />
enslaved woman in 12 Years a Slave. All of these women deserve their Oscars, but it’s important<br />
16
to recognize the specific stereotypical roles that get<br />
acknowledged in Hollywood.<br />
“We are more visible than ever now but we are very<br />
underrepresented. Diversity has space everywhere and we<br />
don’t see enough of it in the media. We all have different<br />
stories to tell and at the moment we are not seeing enough<br />
of it. I think we have a lot of representation on-screen,<br />
but to get even more we need more Black women off the<br />
screen in the offices or in the director’s chair is how we<br />
can see a more positive light and really achieve what we<br />
want and what audiences want,” said Sydney Ogbogu, a<br />
senior majoring in creative media.<br />
Black sitcoms are some of the most interesting things to<br />
look back on because they represent a time when things<br />
were simpler, like childhood. Common Black sitcoms<br />
include Martin, The Cosby Show, The Jeffersons, Family<br />
Matters, A Different World, The Parkers, Moesha, The<br />
Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and One on One. However, in<br />
the majority of these shows, there’s a misogynistic male<br />
character or constant degrading jokes towards another<br />
female character.<br />
Within The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Will’s character said<br />
something misogynistic or sexual every episode when<br />
speaking to another female character. A lot of scenes<br />
between these male and female characters are a form of<br />
sexual harassment that gets overlooked.<br />
“I didn’t see enough good representation growing up. But<br />
when I did see it, it made me so happy! I remember when<br />
Princess and The Frog came out on Disney for the first<br />
time, it was truly magical seeing someone that looked<br />
like me, like a princess. The media is getting better with<br />
this, but we’ve got a long way to go,” said Breona Winn, a<br />
junior majoring in public relations.<br />
Are Black women worthy of praise and appreciation<br />
outside of stereotypical reminders of a painful past? The<br />
answer is yes, but movies and shows aren’t the only issues.<br />
The media also controls the way women are portrayed<br />
through music.<br />
Hip hop is a steady genre that has captivated the minds<br />
of young people. With hip hop created on the back of<br />
misogyny, it’s hard for women to get the respect they<br />
deserve. From the start of rap music videos, women<br />
have been the center of objectification and disrespect.<br />
Throughout the early 2000s, the objectification of<br />
women through music videos was at a high with video<br />
vixens. These music videos showed a glamorous life to<br />
young girls watching.<br />
In 2003, rapper Nelly received backlash from his infamous<br />
“Tip Drill” video because of the degrading actions towards<br />
women in certain scenes of the video. The lyrics and video<br />
implied women were only good for sexual endeavors.<br />
Although this isn’t the only song in history to objectify<br />
women, the majority of rap songs sexualize women or call<br />
them degrading names.<br />
However, it’s important to notice the things young girls<br />
consume and how this can have a damaging effect on<br />
them as they get older.<br />
“The media does oversexualize women at times especially<br />
in music videos and films. I believe that this comes from<br />
how society has constructed itself. We live in a world<br />
where women are constantly fighting against the male<br />
ego. In the eyes of most men, women are seen for just<br />
pleasure. The media portrays women to only look sexy and<br />
cater to them, and then are constantly criticized for what<br />
they wear and how they wear it,” said Keirra Thomas, a<br />
junior majoring in Advertising.<br />
A study conducted by the American Journal of Public<br />
Health from 1996-1999 on Black teenage girls who were<br />
exposed to rap music videos showed these girls were 2.5<br />
times as likely to have been arrested; 2 times as likely to<br />
have had multiple sexual partners; and 1.5 times as likely<br />
to have acquired a new sexually transmitted disease, used<br />
drugs, or used alcohol over the 12-month follow-up period.<br />
Although the media doesn’t define every Black woman in<br />
America, it is important to acknowledge the weak areas<br />
that need improvement. Black women are often overlooked<br />
and silenced. If you’re a man, use your privilege to listen<br />
and uplift Black women’s voices for others to hear. As a<br />
community, instead of highlighting negative moments<br />
let’s uplift each other to move forward.<br />
17
TONYA WILLIAMS<br />
OLVERA THE EXPLORER<br />
Olvera the Explorer<br />
Isabel de Olvera was born in<br />
Querétaro, Mexico, in the late 1500s<br />
Her Father was African and Mother Indian<br />
As a free Black woman in the 1600ʻs,<br />
she needed permision and protection to<br />
join an expedition to New Spain<br />
She petitioned the mayor to<br />
provide her the documentation<br />
she needed to be a free woman<br />
In her appeal, at the end she wrote,<br />
“I Demand Justice”<br />
18<br />
8 Months<br />
Later<br />
Olvera was allowed to join<br />
the expedition. She traveled<br />
around 1400, but details of the<br />
adventure are still unknown.
SHAMIEL MOORE<br />
BLACK LIVES<br />
STILL MATTER<br />
2020 was a crucial year for<br />
social justice in the United<br />
States. Breonna Taylor was<br />
killed by the police in Louisville on<br />
March 13. <strong>No</strong>t long after, the world<br />
watched as George Floyd was killed<br />
by the police on May 25.<br />
Tension has been built up for years<br />
with the multitude of Black Americans<br />
being killed at the hands of police.<br />
Streets were filled with protestors of<br />
all races throughout the country and<br />
throughout the world and social media<br />
was flooded with #BLM hashtags<br />
and internet performances showing<br />
support.<br />
After months of displays, the<br />
discussion and protests died down<br />
and people slowly stopped talking<br />
about the issues. This is a reminder<br />
that Black lives still matter and must<br />
be a frequent topic for the betterment<br />
of Black Americans’ circumstances.<br />
Black Lives Matter is not simply an<br />
organization or trend, it is a priority<br />
and a mission that must be reinforced<br />
until an actual change in society is<br />
made.<br />
Recent reports have shown that the<br />
support for the Black Lives Matter<br />
movement has slowly declined since<br />
it’s peak in June of 2020. <strong>No</strong>body in<br />
the U.S. was privy to George Floyd’s<br />
murder, as the video showed police<br />
officer Derek Chauvin kneel on his<br />
neck for 8 minutes.<br />
In 1991, Rodney King was assaulted by<br />
police officers on camera. Like Floyd’s<br />
murder, riots spread after King’s<br />
attack. The fact that everyone had<br />
video access to both incidents caused<br />
anger within the Black community,<br />
only with Floyd’s murder, it led to<br />
other nations getting involved.<br />
Protests occurred in countries such<br />
as the United States, England, South<br />
Korea, Italy, Sweden. “I Can’t Breathe”<br />
signs were a global item. Videos were<br />
posted in different languages talking<br />
about this injustice in U.S. history.<br />
For months, there was growing<br />
support.<br />
With all the chaos surrounding the<br />
question, “Do Black Lives Matter,”<br />
young Black people were experiencing<br />
a major shift in their life. UA freshman<br />
Timira Lawson says that the summer<br />
of 2020 was a traumatizing experience.<br />
“I felt like it was extremely harsh and it<br />
could have been handled differently,”<br />
Lawson said. “<strong>No</strong>w we are more afraid<br />
of cops than ever and it was sad to see<br />
people injured and killed.”<br />
As protests died down and people<br />
stopped making posts, the summer<br />
of 2020 became a dark memory for<br />
most people. Soon #BLM was taken<br />
out of celebrities’ Instagram bios<br />
and the cities were being cleaned up.<br />
Many people felt it was no longer their<br />
obligation to openly show support.<br />
UA sophomore Spencer Lott believes<br />
that people didn’t take the protests<br />
and issues seriously and simply wanted<br />
to keep a clean record.<br />
“I do believe that to an extent<br />
people hopped onto it, kind of like a<br />
bandwagon,” Lott said. “Most of it felt<br />
really shallow and not genuine, and<br />
many of the events felt very temporary<br />
and only after tragedies these issues<br />
are talked about.”<br />
People slowly forgot the traumatic<br />
experience of that summer and moved<br />
on with their lives. But for Black<br />
people, 2020 still lingers. The question<br />
‘Do Black Lives Matter?’ provokes<br />
the option that Black Lives could be<br />
worthless, an idea that has emotionally<br />
damaged many Black people in the U.S.<br />
The question became more politicized<br />
than socially relevant. With the political<br />
system not built in Black people’s favor,<br />
they’re forced to tolerate unnecessary<br />
evils. Police brutality happens often<br />
and blatant racism is extremely<br />
prevalent in the modern day.<br />
There are many people still fighting<br />
for justice despite the BLM “trend” of<br />
2020 being over. Black Lives Matter<br />
needs more than just black square<br />
posts, and social media dances, and<br />
catchphrases, but systemic changes for<br />
the benefit of all Black people.<br />
19
20<br />
MISS BLACK ALABAMA USA<br />
TIONNA TAITE
door was opened and I could not be more grateful<br />
A to be the one to walk through it. In <strong>No</strong>vember 2021,<br />
I was officially crowned as Miss Black Alabama USA 2022.<br />
This title grants me with even more opportunities to<br />
serve my community and state. Within this role, I serve<br />
as a spokesperson for my generation by researching,<br />
preparing, and delivering public appearance presentations,<br />
performances, and speeches pertaining to voting, human<br />
rights, mental health, and many other topics. As a state<br />
titleholder, I will also build on the legacy of Miss Black<br />
Alabama USA by sharing my social initiative “Diversifying<br />
Digital Media & Elevating Marginalized Voices.”<br />
I aspire to prove that diversifying digital media benefits<br />
people of all backgrounds because it provides education<br />
on cultural topics and helps produce socially-conscious,<br />
ethical, and well-rounded citizens. I will specifically focus<br />
on three areas: Colleges, High Schools, and Mainstream<br />
Media.<br />
The Miss Black USA Organization is the first and largest<br />
scholarship pageant for women of color. The pageant<br />
empowers women to own their power and celebrates their<br />
unique talents, traits and beauty. Miss Black USA defines<br />
her own standard of beauty and celebrates the whole<br />
woman, mind, body and spirit, all shades of brown, hair<br />
texture and size.<br />
21
LYRIC WISDOM<br />
ALBUM REVIEW:<br />
Ry Ry World<br />
With the arrival of Mariah the Scientist’s second<br />
studio album: Ry Ry World, she immurses us<br />
into her world, literally. This album is much<br />
more personal and captivating than her debut album,<br />
Master, which was presented only two years prior, with<br />
a look and feel to go along with it. It’s evident that her<br />
music is very personal to her because of the details she<br />
incorporates into every song. Ry Ry World is 10 tracks<br />
that have an overall theme of the universe, the stars, and<br />
the atmosphere and tells a story along with its paired<br />
visuals. The 23-year-old from Decatur, Georgia pulls<br />
much inspiration from how and where she grew up, and<br />
it shines through in her music. This inspiration comes<br />
out in various ways, whether it’s references in lyrics or<br />
other topics. This album is for anyone who is looking for<br />
closure from a relationship or an album that tells a story.<br />
But, most importantly the album overall gives an ethereal<br />
feeling when listening to it.<br />
The theme is very consistent throughout the album.<br />
Mariah ties her feelings towards the relationship at topic<br />
with the universe, space, and how these feelings many<br />
times intertwine for women. The instrumentals for all the<br />
songs, especially the key songs, create a dreamy feeling<br />
created by pianos, strings and synths to marry the theme<br />
with the lyrics. With 5 of the 10 songs produced by K. Rain,<br />
it is easy to hear the collaboration and the direction they<br />
wanted the album to go in. Many times when there are<br />
multiple different producers on an album, it can sound<br />
like an assortment of songs pieced together, rather than<br />
a full story composed prior to the album being born. With<br />
Ry Ry World, it is evident in all the elements this is a piece<br />
of art thought out from beginning to end.<br />
23
Track 1- Impalas & Air Force 1s<br />
The opening track on the album kicks off with the<br />
line, “Take me to your leader”, making the listener<br />
aware that Mariah’s mind is elsewhere, possibly not on<br />
Earth at the moment. Being the shortest track on the<br />
album at only 1:39, it serves its purpose of introducing<br />
the main topics of the album, the universe, love and<br />
Atlanta. She transports us elsewhere, but still brings<br />
her world along. She goes on to say, “<strong>No</strong>thing I’ve seen<br />
on the East Side. I wonder what they’ll think of Impalas<br />
& Air Force 1s?” This is a nod to where she’s from,<br />
East Atlanta, where the culture involves the love of<br />
old cars, such as Chevy Impalas, and the most popular<br />
shoes are Air Force 1s, white to be specific. Both are<br />
mentioned frequently in other artists’ songs who are<br />
also from the city. She ends the song with “Who’s your<br />
favorite girl, I wish I could be her” hinting at the fact<br />
the relationship she is referring to in this album is no<br />
longer.<br />
Track 2- Aura<br />
A second single of the album, and rightfully so, starts<br />
with a fairy-like intro and the pre-hook of this song<br />
is, “I can be what you need, maybe more, everything”<br />
as if she’s trying to prove to her previous lover that<br />
they are made for each other, a central theme we’ll see<br />
throughout the album. There is a sample here from<br />
the Isley Brothers, “Make Me Say It Again Girl” which<br />
shows up most prominently as the chorus,<br />
Oh, I believe you are a rainbow,<br />
All the heaven I need to see<br />
You’re the promise everlasting<br />
Where you are, I hope to be<br />
These sample lyrics, “Heaven” and “Rainbow” fit in<br />
perfectly with the theme of the album, and especially<br />
the instrumental here. The lyrics tie perfectly with<br />
the ideas of the universe, the planets, and the ethereal<br />
feelings provoked by the album. The visual for this song<br />
is only 1:57 minutes while the song is 3:13 minutes. In<br />
an interview, Mariah mentioned how there wasn’t any<br />
need for a video. In the whole song, she got her point<br />
across in that short period of time. The visual for this<br />
song is her running from arrows shooting from the<br />
sky. She is wearing all red, the color of passion and love,<br />
running through a field of deep snow. She is eventually<br />
struck from behind by an arrow, implying that she has<br />
been struck by Cupid. Before she can fall, colorful rays<br />
cover the sky, this is where the correlation between “2<br />
You” comes in, because at the beginning of that video,<br />
it looks like you’re traveling through space in the same<br />
sky that is in “Aura.”<br />
Track 4- RIP<br />
The starting lines of this song are, “If we can’t live<br />
forever, baby it is now or never. And if nothing I guess<br />
I’ll see you in Heaven.” Again, the mentioning of<br />
Heaven, and the ideas of time in space are continued<br />
through the songs. The reason this song would be<br />
another key song, is because this is where she narrates<br />
why the relationship ended, with the title of the song<br />
“RIP”. In the verse of the song she mentions how she<br />
could give everything she has and more to this person,<br />
and it still won’t be enough to satisfy them. Mariah<br />
says, “Well I dream to be a fool” so this way she doesn’t<br />
know what her partner is really doing, and she is able<br />
to overlook all the wrongs he is doing. She would<br />
rather focus on the good, but she just can’t, and that’s<br />
why the relationship ended.<br />
Track 7- Maybe<br />
This whole song is a narration of what could have<br />
been. What she thinks could have come from the<br />
relationship. She lists multiple things they could<br />
have done to possibly save the relationship like<br />
praying, being more brave, escaping together and so<br />
many other things. It seems as if it’s an in-real-time<br />
reflection as to how she feels now that the relationship<br />
has ended, and hindsight has started. Based on the<br />
24
lyrics, it is clear Mariah saw more in the person than he<br />
saw in himself, and let the fame get to his head. She said,<br />
“Liked you better for what you could have been” then<br />
later in the verse, “And I know you know I held my end of<br />
the deal.” With the combination of these two lines, the<br />
other person has really disappointed her. She wanted<br />
something real, and it was just something he could not<br />
do for her.<br />
Track 9- All For Me<br />
Arguably the most personal song on the album, All For<br />
Me narrates a feeling she has of missing this person,<br />
specifically after a long night of partying. She goes<br />
through the emotions of the night she first says, “these<br />
feelings get to talking, headed out of the party, and I know<br />
you see me calling.” Then, in the chorus she explains how<br />
she knows most likely he is with another girl, but in the<br />
possible chance he isn’t she wants to spend more time<br />
with him, she wants him all for her, hence the title, “All<br />
For Me.” She then narrates how she isn’t too far from<br />
where he stays and she doesn’t want to spend another<br />
night alone. Then, she compares herself to this new girl<br />
in his life, and she can’t do half of what she is willing to<br />
do for him. It’s a borderline desperate attempt to get him<br />
to give in to seeing her.<br />
Being her most personal album, Ry Ry World narrates<br />
all the emotions of a relationship turned sour that her<br />
audience can relate to. From feelings of sadness, to<br />
regret, to anger, and missing the person, the album as a<br />
whole encompasses these emotions over delicate beats to<br />
match the emotions.<br />
25
LIFESTYLE<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
LIFESTYLE<br />
BLACK IS BEAUTIFUL<br />
Black leather jackets, afros, and black berets were<br />
the unofficial uniform of the Black Panther Party. “The<br />
panthers didn’t invent the idea that Black is beautiful,”<br />
former member Jamal Joseph said. “One of the things<br />
that Panthers did was [prove] that urban Black is<br />
beautiful.”
TIONNA TAITE<br />
BLACK<br />
MENTAL<br />
HEALTH<br />
MATTERS<br />
21.6% (6.5 m)<br />
of Black Americans reported having a<br />
mental illness.<br />
23% (1.2 m)<br />
of Black Americans reported having a<br />
serious mental illness.<br />
Many African Americans with a serious<br />
mental illness did not receive any form<br />
of treatment.<br />
28<br />
Source: 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health<br />
Age<br />
18-25<br />
Age<br />
26-49<br />
58.2% 50%<br />
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<br />
The lack of access to medical and mental health<br />
services leads to mental health disparities that<br />
disproportionately impact Black Americans.<br />
6.5 million or 21.6% of Black Americans reported having<br />
a mental illness. Of the 6.5 million Black Americans, 1.2<br />
million or 23% reported having a serious mental illness,<br />
according to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and<br />
Health.<br />
Dr. Abhishek Allam is a resident of the National Institute<br />
of Mental Health and Neurosciences. Allam is also a<br />
licensed physician at Sunshine Behavioral Health in San<br />
Juan Capistrano, California.<br />
“Lack of insurance and medical access leads to delayed<br />
treatment or many going untreated with serious mental<br />
illness in the African American community,” said Allam.<br />
In 2018, 58.2% of African Americans ages 18-25 and 50.1% of<br />
African Americans ages 26-49 with a serious mental illness<br />
did not receive any form of treatment, according to the<br />
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.<br />
In 2019, 10.1% of African Americans in comparison to 6.3%<br />
of white Americans were uninsured, according to the<br />
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of<br />
Minority Health.<br />
Chief Nursing Officer Willa Hardamon works at Old<br />
Vineyard Behavioral Health Services in Winston-Salem,<br />
<strong>No</strong>rth Carolina. Hardamon has 30 years of nursing<br />
experience in the mental and behavioral health industry.<br />
“African Americans are more likely to not receive treatment<br />
for a serious mental illness,” said Hardamon. “This leads to<br />
substance use disorders in African Americans who attempt<br />
to self-treat with drugs and other substances.”<br />
According to a report by the CDC, 90% of Black Americans<br />
over the age of 12 with a substance use disorder went<br />
untreated.<br />
Stigmas associated with mental illness cause Black<br />
Americans to not get the mental health treatment they<br />
need.<br />
“Mental health stigmas and lack of public awareness<br />
influence many Black Americans to not seek professional<br />
treatment,” said Hardamon. “Shame and embarrassment<br />
also results in the denial of mental illness for some Black<br />
Americans.”
According to a report in the National Library of Medicine,<br />
63% of African Americans said depression is a sign of<br />
personal weakness.<br />
“Growing up in India, I saw prominent members of society<br />
talk about mental health and greatly help break some of<br />
the stigmas in India,” said Allam. “In the same way, I think<br />
prominent figures in the Black community speaking out<br />
and promoting mental health can be one way to break<br />
current stigmas.”<br />
Outreach coordinator Eric Henckel connects community<br />
members to Sunshine Behavioral Health. Henckel also<br />
promotes resources such as a guide that discusses mental<br />
health issues affecting the Black community.<br />
10.1%<br />
of African Americans were uninsured,<br />
compared to<br />
of white Americans.<br />
6.3%<br />
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services<br />
“By sharing this resource and others, we can help start a<br />
conversation about how racism and discrimination affect<br />
the mental health of African Americans,” said Henckel.<br />
“Education and outreach can help reduce the shame and<br />
stigma associated with mental illness and mental health<br />
treatment in the African American community.”<br />
Mental health professionals are taking steps to decrease<br />
the amount of mental health disparities that impact Black<br />
Americans.<br />
Allam said Sunshine Behavioral Health is actively working<br />
to eliminate mental health issues that the Black community<br />
faces.<br />
“Sunshine Behavioral Health is spreading awareness<br />
through well-researched guides, free nonprofit addiction<br />
directories, community presentations and partnerships<br />
with local organizations,” said Allam. “We also provide<br />
scholarships and payment plans for substance abuse<br />
treatment to ensure people of all incomes can access the<br />
best available options with us or another program.”<br />
90%<br />
Hardamon said Old Vineyard Behavioral Health Services<br />
partnered with the National Action Alliance for Suicide<br />
Prevention to positively impact communities and change<br />
the conversation.<br />
“There needs to be more outreach by mental health<br />
providers to the Black community,” said Hardamon.<br />
“Educating the Black community about mental health<br />
and affordable treatment options is a step in the right<br />
direction.”<br />
90% of Black Americans over the age<br />
of 12 with a substance use disorder<br />
went untreated.<br />
29
TA’KYLA BATES<br />
BLACK LGBTQ+<br />
ACTIVISTS & LEADERS<br />
30
Within the Black community, there seems to be<br />
a stigma around having a conversation about<br />
sexuality and gender identity. As a community,<br />
it is frowned upon and this ignorance is justified through<br />
religion and the Bible. Marginalized groups such as Black<br />
people having that intersectionality of being Black and a<br />
part of the LGBTQ+ community is a huge challenge for<br />
some.<br />
When Ose Arheghan was in the 8th grade they came out<br />
as queer. Middle school is a pretty challenging time for<br />
many students. Approximately 20% of students between<br />
the ages of 12 and 18 are bullied in some way. Arheghan<br />
didn’t know this stat but they knew that as a Black queer<br />
non-binary teenager they would be susceptible to such<br />
things and that the children like them would be too.<br />
Throughout high school, Arheghan made it their goal<br />
to be an advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, actively working to<br />
change their school’s discrimination policy<br />
At just 17-years-old Arheghan was honored as GLSEN’s<br />
Student Advocate of the Year in 2017. Creating safe<br />
environments for LGBTQ+ and fighting for the rights of<br />
the community<br />
GLSEN is a nonprofit organization that’s goal is creating<br />
safe learning environments for LGBTQ+ youth, specifically<br />
K-12 students. And that’s exactly what Aheghan’s goal was<br />
and still is today.<br />
<strong>No</strong>w attending Ohio State University, Arheghan still<br />
advocates for the rights and inclusiveness of minority<br />
and marginalized students and groups on the campus.<br />
They also work closely with Know Your IX, a nonprofit<br />
that teaches students about their rights under the Title<br />
IX law.<br />
Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 is a<br />
federal law that states: “no person in the United States<br />
shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation<br />
in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to<br />
discrimination under any education program or activity<br />
receiving Federal financial assistance.”<br />
There are many non-profit organizations and activists<br />
that people don’t see advocating for the LGBTIA<br />
community, but one person that makes sure their voice<br />
is heard is Twiggy Pucci Garcon. Garcon goes by she/they<br />
pronouns and is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.<br />
Garcon is the Chief Program Director of True Colors<br />
United, an organization that strives to find solutions to<br />
homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth.<br />
“I’ve been doing advocacy and social justice work, and<br />
public health work since high school. Most of that work<br />
was centered around public health, for Black and Latinx<br />
communities, particularly queer communities,” Garcon<br />
said.<br />
Garcon has also gone on to make films about LGBTQ+<br />
homeless and young people who have come together to<br />
create a safe space to unapologetically be themselves.<br />
“I feel as much as I fight the urge and desire to be more<br />
low key…I show up unapologetically everywhere all the<br />
time and try to raise the profile and visibility of those<br />
specifically in the ballroom scene along with Black and<br />
brown LGBTQ people globally,” said Garcon.<br />
While also being a part of the LGBTQ+ community and<br />
a person of color, Garcon has a platform by using their<br />
creativity “as a lens by which to open the door for those<br />
conversations to happen.”<br />
31
32
“I think that change and growth happens with many approaches,<br />
and I think the sort of informal, conversational approach that we<br />
can have with our friends and family and loved ones, is something<br />
that any of us could do. And I think that on the flip side of that, it<br />
is still also folks’ responsibility to educate themselves and keep<br />
up with the times and what’s going on,” Garcon said.<br />
Conversations about the intersectionality of Black and LGBTQ+<br />
have to continue to be had. Activists and advocates like Garcon and<br />
Arheghan leave footprints to continue advocating and teaching<br />
about the disparities and struggles of the LGBTQ+ community,<br />
starting with the LGBTQ+ youth. Simply acknowledging these<br />
things is a start to leading the cause.<br />
33
1956MAGAZINE.UA.EDU
LEAH JONES<br />
THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF<br />
AAVE<br />
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) is<br />
not a recent concept but it has been a recent<br />
hot topic in the media. There are already<br />
misconceptions surrounding AAVE, but the idea that<br />
words like “lit,” “simp,” or “periodt” are new “internet<br />
slang” adds even more to these misconceptions. AAVE<br />
is one of the numerous aspects of Black culture that<br />
are misinformed or just not taught, so many people do<br />
not know what it is, where it comes from, and what the<br />
problem of using it (or misusing it) is.<br />
African American Vernacular English or AAVE is a dialect<br />
of English started in the southern states of the United<br />
States by enslaved Africans beginning in the 17th century,<br />
according to The Oxford Handbook of African American<br />
Language. Scholars consider there to be multiple potential<br />
origins of AAVE. Some consider it to be derived from the<br />
British English of the enslaved Africans’ white owners.<br />
Others consider it to be derived from Creole spoken by<br />
West Africans, known to some of the enslaved Africans,<br />
mixed with English. Regardless, they are all connected<br />
in the American south. AAVE spread and evolved as<br />
Black people moved across the United States throughout<br />
history. It became a part of Black American culture and<br />
was passed through generations.<br />
Linguists consider AAVE to have certain grammar rules,<br />
vocabulary, tones, and pronunciations. For example, the<br />
use of the word ‘be’ is used differently in AAVE than in<br />
standard English but it is not used randomly.<br />
According to linguist and Stanford professor John<br />
Rickford, “Many members of the public seem to have<br />
heard, too, that Ebonics speakers use an invariant ‘be’ in<br />
their speech (as in ‘They be goin to school every day’);<br />
however, this ‘be’ is not simply equivalent to ‘is’ or ‘are.’<br />
Invariant ‘be’ refers to actions that occur regularly or<br />
habitually rather than on just one occasion.”<br />
The history of AAVE is important in emphasizing the<br />
legitimacy of it as a dialect, as it has been and still is<br />
considered “slang” or “improper.” Marguerite Rigoglioso<br />
wrote for Stanford news on Rickford’s thoughts about<br />
the discrimation and racism that was inflicted on Rachel<br />
Jeantel during the summer of 2013 trial of George<br />
Zimmerman and the killing of the Black, 17 year old boy,<br />
Trayvon Martin. Jeantel was a friend of Martin and was<br />
on the phone with Martin before and at the time of his<br />
death. Jeantel spoke AAVE during her testimony. Because<br />
of this, she was misunderstood and considered unreliable<br />
by the court and others who do not understand AAVE.<br />
“‘African Americans on the jury – especially fluent AAVE<br />
speakers – would have understood Jeantel, and the<br />
presence of even one such juror could have helped the<br />
others to understand what she was saying,” Rickford said.<br />
35
36<br />
Short caption.
“But the defense did a good job of making sure there<br />
were no African American jurors in this trial,’” Rigoglioso<br />
wrote.<br />
That is one example of how speaking AAVE has caused<br />
prejudice in the lives of Black Americans.<br />
The origins of AAVE and the discrimination Black<br />
Americans have recieved for speaking it is why it is<br />
considered problematic that non-Black people profit from<br />
appropriating it. <strong>No</strong>n-Black singers, rappers, actors, social<br />
media stars and more have been accused of using AAVE to<br />
gain fame, as it makes them seem ‘cool’ or ‘funny.’ These<br />
people are often defended by those who claim they grew<br />
up around people who use AAVE, they are from New York,<br />
or by simply not seeing an issue. The problem with this<br />
is it ignores the history behind AAVE and does not give<br />
credit to the Black Americans it originated from.<br />
Kahlil Greene, a popular social media educator and Yale<br />
graduate, made videos discussing the history of AAVE,<br />
the problematic uses of it by non-Black people, and why<br />
the Black community often “gate-keeps” it and other<br />
aspects of Black culture.<br />
“Black people in America, specifically, have been racialized<br />
on the idea that we are inherently lazy, poor, uneducated,<br />
or criminal. <strong>No</strong>t all people of color are stereotyped in this<br />
way, and thus our use of AAVE has been stigmatized as<br />
sloppy, unprofessional or ignorant. And that is simply<br />
not the case for non-Black people who are seen as funny,<br />
sensational, or cool when they use it,” Greene said.<br />
Greene further talked about the issues that arise when<br />
these non-Black creators profit off of Black culture like<br />
using a ‘Blaccent,’ recreating Black creators work such<br />
as Tik Tok dances, and creating a Black caricature but<br />
do not credit or give back to the Black community that<br />
originated it.<br />
“When you inform yourself about Black American history,<br />
and you look at gatekeeping in context, you will find that<br />
the imitation of Black culture by non-Black people has<br />
more often led to erasure and exploitation than inclusion<br />
and reciprocation,” Greene said.<br />
“In countless cases, Black innovators and creatives<br />
are smudged out for the sake of rewarding non-Black<br />
performers of our culture to the point that if I even point<br />
out that one of these celebrities is using Black culture,<br />
that I get looked at as if I’m irrational even though I am<br />
100% right,” Greene said.<br />
Misconceptions of AAVE and people who do not<br />
understand the importance of it and its history will always<br />
exist as long as there continues to be no education on<br />
the subject. In 1996, the Oakland California school board<br />
passed a resolution that acknowledged the use of AAVE<br />
amongst its over half population of Black students and a<br />
plan to utilize it to aid the students with their struggle of<br />
learning standard English.<br />
According to Alexander Russo for The Grade, Oakland’s<br />
decision was supported by linguists and practices of<br />
using children’s home dialect to help them learn standard<br />
English which has been successful in the past. Despite<br />
this, Oakland’s resolution was disapproved of by average<br />
people, celebrities, and media publications. This included<br />
Black people as well, like Jesse Jackson and Maya Angelou.<br />
Most of the opposition was based on opinions rooted<br />
in racism or misinformation. Oakland carried out the<br />
resolution but did it under a different name for less media<br />
attention. This was the last time a large-scale attempt<br />
was made to incorporate AAVE into teaching standard<br />
English in schools.<br />
Education is a key factor missing in the conversation<br />
surrounding AAVE, as it is in many other aspects of Black<br />
culture that are undermined or misunderstood.<br />
Schools would need to be involved in order to allow the<br />
decades of research done by linguists on AAVE to become<br />
common knowledge. Until then, change can start with<br />
educating oneself on the matter and staying woke on the<br />
history of AAVE.<br />
37
F
FEATURES<br />
FEATURES<br />
FEATURES<br />
A MIGHTY TREE OF REFUGE<br />
The Black Panther Party established more than 60<br />
community assistance programs including medical<br />
services, free clothing and shoes, legal aid instruction,<br />
and a predecessor to Head Start.<br />
“I guarantee that the seed you plant in love, no matter<br />
how small, will grow into a mighty tree of refuge. We all<br />
want a future for ourselves and we must now care enough<br />
to create, nurture and secure a future for our children.”<br />
– Afeni Shakur
40<br />
Alabama’s history can be used as an indicator of the<br />
importance of local politics.<br />
Many are familiar with the state’s long history with<br />
anti-Blackness and civil rights injustices. Alabama, as a<br />
southern, historically conserative state, has a history of<br />
slavery, displacement of Black Americans, segragation,<br />
and police brutality. However, Black Alabamians have<br />
used their voices to fight against the hatred being used<br />
against them. Many of that progress can be attributed to<br />
the work of Black political leaders in Alabama that has<br />
existed for over 150 years.<br />
Benjamin Turner was the first Black American to serve<br />
as a Representative in Alabama. Turner was sold to slave<br />
owners in Selma, Alabama and remained enslaved there<br />
until the city was liberated by the Union during the<br />
American Civil War in 1865. He worked for his owner’s<br />
business where he received payment while enslaved,<br />
so when Selma was liberated and the business was<br />
destroyed, he had to find new work. This is when Turner<br />
started his work in Republican politics. The Republican<br />
party of this time favored more liberal ideals, like social<br />
justice for Black Americans. Turner successfully won a<br />
seat for Alabama in the US House of Representatives 42nd<br />
Congress. The platform he ran with focussed on voting<br />
rights and human rights protections for all. He also<br />
advocated for financial aid for Alabama after experiencing<br />
loss first hand during the Civil War. However, Turner was<br />
considered to be quite conservative.<br />
“I have no coals of fiery reproach to heap upon them now.<br />
Rather would I extend the olive branch of peace, and say<br />
to them, let the past be forgotten,” Turner said, according<br />
to the US House of Representatives archives.<br />
Turner believed in human rights protections for<br />
confederate southerners as well. Turner’s political career<br />
ended in 1872 when Black voters were split between<br />
himself, and another Black candidate named Philip Joseph.<br />
Joseph and many others did not support his moderate<br />
views. However, both Turner and Joseph lost the seat to<br />
a Democratic candidate because of the divide between<br />
Black voters.<br />
Turner was just the beginning of Black political leaders<br />
in Alabama. A Black man named James Rapier was born<br />
in Florence, Alabama and served in the 43rd Congress as<br />
a representative in the House for Alabama from 1873 to<br />
1875. He spent his time in congress with a record of six<br />
other Black representatives of the time advocating for<br />
The Civil Rights Act of 1875. The goal of this bill was to
outlaw discrimination in public places. Rapier and the<br />
Republican party were successful in passing the bill after<br />
he and the six other Black representatives recounted<br />
their experiences with discrimination on The House<br />
debate floor.<br />
“Every day my life and property are exposed, are left to<br />
the mercy of others, and will be so long as every hotelkeeper,<br />
railroad conductor, and steamboat captain can<br />
refuse me with impunity,” said Rapier from the US House<br />
of Representatives archives.<br />
The bill had little effect as the Republican party had<br />
to amend it many times to make it acceptable to the<br />
Democrats. Rapier still remains an important figure in<br />
Alabama’s political history.<br />
In a more local context, Black politicians in Alabama have<br />
shown the importance of mayoral elections. These Black<br />
political leaders struggled to gain mayoral power for<br />
years because of discrimination and anti-Blackness that<br />
prevented them from running for office. That is why it<br />
was not until 1979 that Alabama had its first Black mayor.<br />
Richard Arrington Jr. became the first Black mayor of the<br />
city of Birmingham, Alabama. Arrington is an Alabama<br />
native, born in Livingston, Alabama, and served for 20<br />
years as mayor from 1979 to 1999. He spent his time in office<br />
advocating against police brutality, expanding downtown<br />
Birmingham, improving the city’s economy and lowering<br />
the unemployment rate, instituting affirmative action in<br />
the workplace and more, according to F. Erik Brooks and<br />
Robert J. Robinson for the Encyclopedia of Alabama.<br />
After Arrington, there have now been several other Black<br />
mayors of Birmingham, including the city’s current<br />
mayor, Randall Woodfin.<br />
Woodfin, a Birmingham native, has served as mayor since<br />
2017 and became the youngest mayor of the city in over 120<br />
years at age 36. Woodfin’s administration said its focuses<br />
are improving the 99 neighborhoods of Birmingham,<br />
bettering education, building up the economy and more,<br />
according to his plan to “put people first.”<br />
While all these Black political figures have been Black<br />
men, Black women are vital contributors to politics in<br />
Alabama. The practices and injustices in place that made<br />
it difficult for Black men to gain power in this state made<br />
it even harder for Black women. However, Black women<br />
in Alabama have still made political impact as school<br />
board members, city council members, activists, lawyers,<br />
community organizers and more.<br />
Black female political figures in Alabama include women<br />
like Dr. Sheila Nash-Stevenson, the first Black woman<br />
in Alabama to earn a PhD in physics at Alabama A&M<br />
University. Nash-Stevenson serves as a member of the<br />
Madison school board in addition to being an engineer<br />
with NASA at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville,<br />
Alabama and many other professional achievements.<br />
Another example of Black female leadership in Alabama<br />
politics is Terri Sewell. She is the current representative<br />
of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District since 2011 and<br />
first Black woman to serve in the Alabama Congressional<br />
delegation. Sewell’s prestigious law education and years<br />
of political work have led her to create a distinguished<br />
congressional career creating improvements in her<br />
district, including Tuscaloosa county and Jefferson county.<br />
Sewell is also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus<br />
where she has worked to reform the criminal justice<br />
system, improve health care by preventing racial health<br />
disparities, expanding education and more. Her work in<br />
honoring the civil rights freedom fighters involved in<br />
historic Alabama events like the 16th Street Baptist<br />
41
Church bombing and March from Selma to Wachington<br />
were recognized and supported by President Obama and<br />
Michelle Obama.<br />
The work of Black politicians has been a crucial part in the<br />
change made in this state, but community organizations<br />
are important to acknowledge when discussing political<br />
impact. It is these organizations that bring together<br />
their local community and raise funds for causes that are<br />
important.<br />
An Alabama organization that is working to end racial<br />
injustice is Project Say Something. Founded by Camille<br />
Goldston Bennett, Project Say Something’s mission is “to<br />
confront racial injustice and patriarchal violence through<br />
Black history by using communication, education, and<br />
advocacy, community empowerment to reconcile the past<br />
with the present.”<br />
However, Project Say Something continues to advocate<br />
for the importance of it to be taught in schools as one of<br />
the organization’s values.<br />
“We believe that critical race theory should be understood<br />
and taught in every level of public education and that our<br />
youth should be equipped with the tools to understand<br />
oppressive systems from an early age.” -Project Say<br />
Something<br />
This is just some of the work that has been done by Black<br />
politicians and community organizers in Alabama that<br />
has changed the state’s history. Who knows what change<br />
can occur if more people learn about local politics and<br />
how they can support Black leaders.<br />
The values behind the actions this organization takes to<br />
protect its community include protecting Black mothers<br />
and women, advocating for LGBTQ+ members, uplifting<br />
all Black voices, advocating for better education and<br />
more. Project Say Something considers Critical Race<br />
theory as an important part of improving education.<br />
Critical race theory or CRT is defined as “an academic<br />
and legal framework that denotes that systemic racism is<br />
part of American society — from education and housing<br />
to employment and healthcare,” by The NAACP Legal<br />
Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. CRT was prohibited<br />
to be taught in schools in Alabama in October of 2021.<br />
Terri Sewell<br />
Benjamin Turner<br />
42
RACHEL PARKER<br />
ROYAL<br />
LINEAGE<br />
On May 19, 2018, actress Meghan Markle wed<br />
Prince Harry, the Prince of Wales, amid<br />
fanfare and gossip. Markle, showcased<br />
for Black women the possibility of a fairytale happy<br />
ending told to them as children.<br />
Quickly being addressed as princess from the<br />
announcement of the engagement, gave a sense<br />
of pride and boastfulness of royal representation.<br />
Even though Markle’s presence within the royal<br />
family was new for the then current time, Black<br />
women have royal connections throughout history<br />
as queens and rulers of nations, where they were<br />
the norm and not the exception.<br />
Beginning within biblical times, the Queen of<br />
Sheba (Ethiopia) is mentioned in both the Old and<br />
New Testament. Given different names such as the<br />
Queen of Saba, Makeda, and Queen Bilquis in Arabic<br />
text, she is described as wise with a harmonious<br />
and prosperous rule during her reign in Ethiopia<br />
and Yemen.<br />
The Queen of Sheba’s story spans the texts of<br />
Christian, Jewish, and Islamic, each elaborating on<br />
her story as a generous ruler gifted in commerce<br />
and trade. Her story when discussed in Christian<br />
texts details her interaction with King Solomon<br />
to test his wisdom with three riddles and the later<br />
relationship resulting in a son, Menelik I.<br />
Her reign also speaks about her battle against<br />
King Axum because of his terrorizing of the<br />
northern Ethiopian kingdom. Her victory led to<br />
tales of her strength. Also, according to historical<br />
records she and her son Menelik returned the Ark<br />
of the Covenant to Axum; crediting her with the<br />
lineage of the East African and Nubian kings being<br />
established.<br />
Makeda’s reign is rooted in religious texts and<br />
historical accounts as tales of her rule showed her<br />
abilities and the care she showed when concerning<br />
her people. Her protection and economic mindset<br />
helped to sustain her country and its citizens. Who<br />
she was included more than her relationship — a<br />
detail shown with other Black queens through<br />
history and the unique qualities that made them<br />
memorable and influential.<br />
44
Continuing in the vein of famous queens, Queen Nefertiti<br />
ruled Egypt alongside her husband, Pharaoh Akhenaton<br />
from 1353-1336 BCE. She birthed six daughters during<br />
their marriage, with two of her daughters eventually<br />
becoming queens of Egypt. During her reign, Egypt had a<br />
cultural shift in religion from polytheism to monotheism,<br />
specifically the Sun God, Aton.<br />
Queen Nefertiti’s influence went further with her role<br />
as High Priestess towards the Sun God, Aton, acting as<br />
a direct line to the deity for worshippers. Also, images<br />
depicting her body shape, clothing in the finest of linens,<br />
and even images of her surrounding her husband’s<br />
sarcophagus depict her in battle, conquering enemies<br />
or driving a chariot. Such imagery spoke to a reverence<br />
and admiration about her, showcasing a duality of her<br />
femininity as well as her strength.<br />
Respect towards Nefertiti was also shown with acting<br />
as queen regnant to her husband or acting as co-ruler.<br />
He valued and honored her opinion in political matters<br />
concerning Egypt. Just as her opinion held importance<br />
during her husband’s reign, it only increased after her<br />
husband’s death in 1334 or 1336 BC.<br />
After her husband’s demise, Nefertiti took action to regain<br />
the favor of the Egyptian public along with ensuring the<br />
success of her family. Nefertiti moved the capital back to<br />
Thebes, increasing favor from the public and Egyptian<br />
priests. Along with reinstating the Egyptian old Gods,<br />
Nefertiti raised her children, including her daughter,<br />
Ankhesenamun along with her stepson and future<br />
emperor Tutankhamun in these beliefs to avoid further<br />
strife or separation.<br />
During her reign, Nefertiti changed her name to<br />
Neferneferuaten and spread this to how she was depicted<br />
in imagery as well. The famous Bust of Nefertiti, located<br />
in Berlin’s Neues Museum, showing her with her unique<br />
headdress-a tall, straight-edged flat top blue crown, was<br />
the last image showing her distinctly as a woman. It is<br />
reported she commanded that no more images be made<br />
of her as a woman—but only as a ruler as researched in<br />
the book, When Women Ruled the World: <strong>Six</strong> Queens of<br />
Egypt by author, Kara Cooney.<br />
Nefertiti (Neferneferuaten) ruled strategically, knowing<br />
what moves to make for the good of her people and country<br />
as well as conducting herself to appease other rulers;<br />
when to lower her eyes or make eye contact, seemingly<br />
fitting in to stand amongst other women rulers.<br />
To quote the statement from Cooney’s book, “More than<br />
any other Egyptian queen, it is Nefertiti who represents<br />
the epitome of true, successful female power.”<br />
Being the first woman to hold such power in Egypt is<br />
seen also with Queen Yargoje of Zamfara, a state in<br />
northwestern Nigeria. Queen Yargoje ruled from 1310-<br />
1350, Yargoje was the eldest daughter of the fifth king of<br />
Zamfara, King Dakka, and despite her royal family tree,<br />
she blazed a path of her own accomplishments.<br />
During her 40 year reign, Yargoje was responsible for<br />
strategic moves benefitting her state, such as moving the<br />
kingdom capital from Dutsi to Kuyambana, reasoning<br />
being explained by Hajara Sadiq, formerly of the History<br />
Bureau of Gusau, “There was also the foresight of getting<br />
a greener environment with fertile land and fertile soil.<br />
The new city was located at the confluence of two rivers.”<br />
Along with this move, Yargoje also became the head of<br />
the Bori cult, a pre-Islamic way of worship. Holding both<br />
titles of such importance was attributed to her courage<br />
along with tales of her possible connection to earlier kings<br />
who formed Hausaland (collection of states formed by the<br />
Hausa people in northern Nigeria), claiming women must<br />
have ruled during that time.<br />
Nevertheless, Queen Yargoje made influential strides<br />
during her reign throughout history making firsts with<br />
the appointment of all female chiefs, a move never seen in<br />
the kingdom. Along with strides in gender representation,<br />
there were also technological advancements.<br />
As further explained by Sadiq, “She also encouraged<br />
science and technology. Archaeological excavations<br />
revealed a highly organized society with relative<br />
advancement in technology. In fact, the Yargoje lamp<br />
which she used for council meetings is a beautiful piece<br />
of indigenous technology.” The ruins of her castle are still<br />
visible in Kuyambana village, reflecting her efforts and<br />
imprint upon her state of Zamfara.<br />
Each of these African queens left an impression that<br />
surpasses their individual reigns and remains a part of<br />
history. Their stories are reflections of who they were as<br />
individuals and to their countries, showcasing each of<br />
their unique strengths.<br />
45
JEFFREY KELLY<br />
THE BALANCING ACT OF<br />
BEING A<br />
STUDENT<br />
PARENT<br />
While in college, many students have found<br />
that to survive, one must become a semiprofessional<br />
juggler who can skillfully keep<br />
their education, extra-curriculars, friends, fun and<br />
mental wellbeing aloft at the same time.<br />
However, few manage to do so without dropping the ball<br />
on occasion and for students who aren’t just managing<br />
their lives but the lives of children, this juggling act<br />
becomes even more complex.<br />
According to the United States Government Accountability<br />
Office’s 2019 Higher Education report, more than one in<br />
five undergraduate students are raising children, and<br />
about half of student parents left school without a degree.<br />
Yet, the journey isn’t easy for those student parents who<br />
continue to pursue higher education. Student parents<br />
become master jugglers: juggling academics, daycare<br />
schedules, doctor’s appointments and much more.<br />
Kenneshia Dallas, a freshman majoring in hospitality<br />
management, said parenthood has taught her many<br />
lessons about life, like how it’s okay to ask for help.<br />
“You can’t do everything; you can’t be superwoman, and<br />
that’s okay,” Dallas said.<br />
Dallas began college at the University of Alabama as a<br />
first-generation student in 2015. Yet she was unsure what<br />
she wanted to do, so she joined the military, but a week<br />
before she finished, Dallas found out she was pregnant.<br />
She had her baby in 2018, and from there, she focused on<br />
working and figuring out what options she had for her<br />
future.<br />
It wasn’t until the pandemic began in 2020 that she<br />
decided to pursue her education again. After talking<br />
to a UA advisor, Dallas began taking classes at Shelton<br />
State Community College to increase her GPA; then, she<br />
transferred back to The University of Alabama.<br />
The pandemic was a catalyst for many. While Dallas<br />
decided to start back at that time, Christian Thomas, a<br />
junior majoring in news media, had just had her first baby<br />
and decided that it would be best if she didn’t participate<br />
in the Spring semester.<br />
46
She said she decided not to do the semester because it<br />
was a transitional period for her as a new mother and as<br />
the pandemic swooped in, the semester and following<br />
months became a transition for everyone.<br />
However, when classes began in person again, “it was still<br />
a big change,” and she realized that she preferred online<br />
classes because it allowed for more flexibility with her<br />
schedule than in-person classes offer, whether that’s with<br />
a commute or course schedules.<br />
A need for flexibility with schedules, work and assignments<br />
is an issue many students have, but for students with<br />
children, there’s even more of a need for flexibility and<br />
balance.<br />
“So with also being a parent, I have restless nights, I’m<br />
up late, I don’t get time to do stuff like homework on my<br />
own if I’m at the house, I have to do stuff outside of the<br />
house,” Thomas said. “I feel like there isn’t a way for us<br />
to balance out as mothers; homework assignments, class<br />
times, and also because the child needs your attention<br />
more than anything, especially the older they get. They<br />
want to create a bond with their parent. So it’s been kind<br />
of hard.”<br />
Steven Hood, the University of Alabama’s interim vicepresident<br />
of student life, said as a former student parent<br />
himself during graduate school, balancing the roles<br />
of parent and student, and sometimes even other roles<br />
on top of those, can be difficult. It’s important to give<br />
yourself grace as you navigate that time.<br />
Thomas said the only way she can make it is through<br />
prayer, patience and therapy.<br />
“Even if it was like once a week, I have therapy because<br />
it’s kind of hard finding your own voice sometimes and<br />
figuring out how to balance,” Thomas said.<br />
She said that along with prayer, patience, and therapy,<br />
having a good support system is also important when<br />
finding balance.<br />
“For me being a native of Tuscaloosa, my support system<br />
is all around. I have family and friends that I’ve grown<br />
up with that are around that can help me with my child,<br />
but a lot of other moms don’t have that,” she said. “So I<br />
feel like, for me, that’s been a really good privilege, but I<br />
know if I had gone somewhere else and had to do all this,<br />
it wouldn’t be a balance; it would be extremely hard.”<br />
Hood said the best piece of advice he has for student<br />
parents is to build and rely on a support system, whether<br />
that’s family, a friend group, classmates, anyone who can<br />
encourage you to make progress.<br />
However, a strong support system doesn’t have to be<br />
just family and friends. Many universities offer different<br />
programs and opportunities to help student parents<br />
achieve their goals.<br />
According to UA’s Office for Academic Affairs, the<br />
University’s resources for parenting students include<br />
designated lactation rooms, a parent<br />
resource library in the Child<br />
Development Resource Center,<br />
a parenting assistance line and<br />
graduate school parent support,<br />
an organization whose goal is to<br />
provide support to students<br />
while also connecting them<br />
to the University and local<br />
community resources.<br />
The Child Development<br />
Research Center also has<br />
the Children’s Program,<br />
a childcare service that<br />
serves 114 children from<br />
two months old to five<br />
years old.<br />
Though these<br />
resources are<br />
listed on various<br />
UA sites, Dallas<br />
and Thomas<br />
said they were<br />
both aware of<br />
the Children’s<br />
Program; the other<br />
resources offered<br />
to student parents<br />
weren’t something<br />
they were aware of.<br />
47
48<br />
And though these resources might be at the<br />
University, with a lack of visibility, it has left<br />
Thomas feeling as if students like her are not<br />
considered.<br />
“It feels like they accommodate the students<br />
who are just college students. They don’t<br />
see parents, pregnant women, even elderly<br />
people that go to UA, that aren’t in grad<br />
school,” Thomas said.<br />
Jeremy Henderson, the director of student<br />
care and wellbeing, said there are resources<br />
for all students that student parents might<br />
want to use, like the UA Counseling Center.<br />
There are also other resources for student<br />
parents like the parent assistant line.<br />
Still, the University doesn’t directly offer a<br />
number of those resources so that might be<br />
why they aren’t visible to everyone.<br />
However, Henderson said though some<br />
resources can be helpful, “there may be a<br />
number of unmet needs for” student parents,<br />
and he would love to learn more about them.<br />
While programs themselves are extremely<br />
important, it’s also important to have faculty<br />
and staff who are understanding.<br />
To help encourage that understanding, Hood<br />
said it’s important to communicate quickly<br />
and clearly with professors and advisors<br />
when you’re struggling.<br />
Thomas said she’d had professors who have<br />
been helpful and worked with her; however,<br />
some weren’t as accommodating.<br />
“<strong>No</strong>wadays, in recent terms, I still have some<br />
professors who are understanding,” Thomas<br />
said. “But I still maybe have like one professor<br />
per semester that’s kind of like, ‘well, I still<br />
have this policy here,’ not really caring<br />
thinking their class is more important than<br />
my mental wellbeing and the fact that I have<br />
other needs outside of what they need.”<br />
Dallas said she hasn’t felt any support from<br />
her professors, but she has felt support from<br />
her employer, Darrien Simmons, the UA<br />
student center’s director, who helped her<br />
when she was in crisis.<br />
<strong>No</strong>t only is it important that student parents<br />
feel supported, there’s also a certain level of<br />
isolation that can creep in.<br />
Dallas said she was walking around campus<br />
thinking she was the only student parent<br />
because of a lack of community.<br />
“I don’t feel like women or even fathers on<br />
campus have a support system where they<br />
can go talk about their problems, look for<br />
people who can help them,” Thomas said. “I<br />
feel like it’s just nothing here on campus to<br />
help.”<br />
Hood said in Student Life, they want to<br />
make sure that all students feel welcome and<br />
have the resources and support they need<br />
to succeed and thrive, including student<br />
parents.<br />
While trying to succeed and find community,<br />
Thomas advised student parents not to be<br />
afraid to speak up about being a parent.<br />
“I was ashamed at first, when I was only a few<br />
months pregnant, walking around campus<br />
until I couldn’t hide anymore. I felt like there<br />
were moments where my self-esteem was<br />
really bad,” she said. “Find those friends, ask<br />
them to find support for us, tell them to tell<br />
their friends and other organizations, ‘hey,<br />
we need to do something for moms, they’re<br />
struggling, we need to do something for<br />
dads on campus that are single fathers that<br />
they’re struggling, they need help’.”<br />
For student parents who are interested<br />
in creating support for other student<br />
parents, Henderson said student care and<br />
wellbeing would love to serve as an advocate<br />
for students “who have identified gaps in<br />
resources and problem-solve with students<br />
to create solutions to address those gaps.”<br />
He said he invites any student to contact him<br />
directly at Jeremy.henderson@ua.edu.
WILL ANDERSON, JR.<br />
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE LINEBACKER
ASHLEE WOODS<br />
AN UNLEVEL<br />
PLAYING FIELD:<br />
BLACK ATHLETES IN SPORTS<br />
50<br />
Many young Black athletes<br />
dream of playing in either<br />
the NBA, the NFL, the<br />
WNBA, or some other professional<br />
league. To have your name on the<br />
back of a jersey and hear hundreds of<br />
thousands of fans cheer your name is<br />
something only few get to experience.<br />
That experience is not the same for<br />
everyone and leagues across the board<br />
are consistently failing Black athletes.<br />
The athletic ability and success of<br />
Black athletes are well documented.<br />
From the Williams sisters to Simone<br />
Biles, Black athletes have gone above<br />
and beyond the standard set by the<br />
generation before them. Surprisingly,<br />
many athletes’ started their journey at<br />
the playground.<br />
“In most of the schools I attended<br />
throughout my childhood, my<br />
classmates tended to be a healthy<br />
mix of all races — but at every stop, I<br />
found that Black students consistently<br />
dominated the playground,” Reagan<br />
Griffin Jr, writer for The Guardian, said.<br />
Is this trend because of genetics?<br />
Are Black kids and people just simply<br />
athletically superior to their white<br />
counterparts?<br />
Stereotypes such as these eventually<br />
crept its way into the higher levels of<br />
athletics. Sportswriters, commentators,<br />
and analysts gawk at how Black athletes<br />
have an inherently higher level of<br />
athletic ability.<br />
To spectators, these stereotypes are<br />
supported by the surplus of Black<br />
athletes in major American sports<br />
leagues. In March 2021, Black athletes<br />
made up around 41% of the rosters in<br />
the five major American sports leagues.<br />
Black athletes reach the top of their<br />
respective sports, so genetics must be<br />
the reason why.<br />
But that’s just simply not the case.<br />
According to a 2011 study by Oregon<br />
State University zoologist Josef Uyeda,<br />
rapid changes in a population don’t<br />
continue, stay around or spread through<br />
a certain species.<br />
In other words, just because humans<br />
are faster and stronger now doesn’t<br />
mean they will be 200, 2,000 or even<br />
1,000,000 years from now.<br />
“Rapid evolution is clearly a reality over<br />
fairly short time periods, sometimes<br />
just a few generations,” Uyeda said.<br />
“But those rapid changes do not always<br />
persist and may be confined to small<br />
populations. For reasons that are not<br />
completely clear, the data shows the<br />
long-term dynamics of evolution to be<br />
quite slow.”<br />
It’s only been over 400 years since Black<br />
people were taken from their homes and<br />
sold into slavery in the Americas during
the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Based on the study, that’s<br />
not enough time for Black people to become genetically<br />
and athletically superior to their white counterparts.<br />
In fact, this evolution may not even become reality.<br />
The myth around Black athletic superiority exists because<br />
for many young Black kids, sports are the only way to<br />
achieve success.<br />
The presence of Black people in major American sports<br />
is vast. However, when one looks at the demographics of<br />
sports like tennis, gymnastics, soccer, golf, baseball and<br />
other sports, the Black population begins to dwindle.<br />
So much to the point that it’s clearly evident that Black<br />
people can only dominate the sports they have access to.<br />
Take soccer for an example. The U.S. has been successful in<br />
the international arena, winning World Cups and Olympic<br />
medals. But, it cannot — nor should it — be overlooked<br />
that the rosters of these winning teams are predominantly<br />
white.<br />
Soccer has catapulted several stars from slums and<br />
impoverished neighborhoods into stardom, but that isn’t<br />
the case in the U.S.<br />
“The system is not working for the underserved<br />
community,” Doug Andreassen, former chairman for the<br />
U.S. Soccer Diversity Task Force, said. “It’s working for the<br />
white kids.”<br />
America is only 31 years into its soccer boom, but little has<br />
changed in providing equitable access to the sport.<br />
A 2013 University of Chicago study examined the effects of<br />
the pay-to-play system on American soccer. Roger Bennett<br />
and Greg Kaplan compared the background of every U.S.<br />
national men’s team member from 1993 to 2013 to NBA allstars<br />
and NFL pro bowlers.<br />
The results of this study may be unsurprising to few.<br />
The players came from communities that had higher<br />
incomes, education and employment rankings, and were<br />
whiter than the U.S. average. Basketball and football<br />
players were from places that ranked lower than average<br />
on the same demographics.<br />
Perception is key to the equity gap in soccer. Former<br />
American soccer player Briana Scurry said the sport<br />
is viewed as a “white, Suburban sport.” In fact, Scurry<br />
didn’t even know about soccer until her family moved to a<br />
suburban community.<br />
It’s safe to say little has been done to change that<br />
perception.<br />
Expensive equipment and fees coupled with limited access<br />
and exposure forces Black athletes to play football and<br />
basketball. That leads to a high Black population in those<br />
sports and low Black populations in the others.<br />
From the moment people step foot into the U.S., they<br />
are told about the “American Dream —” the concept that<br />
anyone from any background can achieve success in this<br />
country. However, it’s no secret that Black people in the<br />
U.S. have limited chances to achieve the “American Dream.”<br />
From microaggressions, financial inequalities, pop culture<br />
and the education system, Black people are often forced to<br />
limit their aspirations.<br />
Due to centuries of injustice towards African-American<br />
communities, Black kids grow up believing their options<br />
are limited. Their opportunities seem significantly smaller<br />
than their white counterparts.<br />
It’s ok to dream about playing in the NFL, the NBA or any<br />
other professional sport. White kids dream about that,<br />
too. What’s not ok is how that dream is used — through<br />
systemic inequalities — to force Black kids into a corner.<br />
Black kids, then, become desperate to find a way to the top<br />
and for most, it’s the sport they fell in love with so long<br />
ago.<br />
What’s a choice for white kids is sometimes the only<br />
option for Black kids.<br />
“Whites, being the dominant group in the society, have<br />
access to all means toward achieving desirable valuables<br />
defined by the society,” Dr. Harry Edwards wrote. “Black<br />
[people], on the other hand, are channeled into one or two<br />
endeavors open to them — sports, and to a lesser degree<br />
— entertainment.”<br />
Black athletes aren’t inherently athletically superior.<br />
There are just little options for Black kids and that needs<br />
to change.<br />
Since 2008, the numbers have tightened, but the gap is<br />
still there.<br />
51
ATHLETES IN MOTION<br />
C.J. THOMAS<br />
52
53
EX<br />
E
EXPERIENCES<br />
PERIENCES<br />
XPERIENCES<br />
EXPERIENCES<br />
BLACK POWER<br />
The average age of a Black Panther member was quite<br />
young, around 20 years old.<br />
“Black Power is giving power to people who have not had<br />
power to determine their destiny.” –Huey P. Newton
ASHLEE WOODS<br />
WHEN VOICES ARE<br />
MADE SILENT<br />
56
WHEN VOICES ARE MADE SILENT<br />
It’s no secret that certain stories, voices and groups<br />
have been silenced throughout history. Books have<br />
been banned, stories have been pulled and voices<br />
have been hushed for the comfort of one group.<br />
When the U.S. was first founded, the Founding Fathers<br />
drafted the Bill of Rights, detailing every right<br />
Americans would have while they lived in the States.<br />
One of those rights was the freedom of speech. Every<br />
American would have the right to freely express any<br />
emotion they had through songs, books, poems, and<br />
other forms of art.<br />
Just so long as those thoughts, ideas and feelings didn’t<br />
offend anyone.<br />
America is a country built on the idea of freedom in<br />
every aspect of life. But there have been times where<br />
that freedom is not experienced by every group. When<br />
Black people were removed from their homes and<br />
brought to the Americas, they also brought plenty of<br />
stories, songs, and voices with them.<br />
But by the time those people reached the Americas,<br />
those stories were gone.<br />
Black people were forced to assimilate into American<br />
culture.<br />
Of course, the voices of Black people never completely<br />
went silenced. As slavery and oppression wore on in<br />
America, the cries for freedom got louder.<br />
In August 1831, Virginia pastor Nat Turner led a bloody<br />
revolt in Southampton County, Virginia that lasted<br />
around 24 hours. The revolt killed 55 white people and<br />
led to the execution of 55 enslaved people. However, this<br />
rebellion did more than just violence.<br />
It led to sweeping reform across Virginia and the United<br />
States. Lawmakers wanted to prevent enslaved people<br />
from being able to assemble and become educated.<br />
The very freedoms the Bill of Rights promised every<br />
American were stripped away from Black people.<br />
At the time of this revolt, only 10% of enslaved people<br />
in the South were literate. But this was still too high<br />
of a rate for slave owners. Literacy gave Black people<br />
power. With power came knowledge. With knowledge<br />
came rebellions.<br />
“An educated enslaved person was a dangerous person<br />
[to slave owners],” said Clarence Lusane, a professor at<br />
Howard University.<br />
In April 1831, Virginia lawmakers passed a law that<br />
forbade any gatherings to teach freed African<br />
Americans how to read or write. In 1833, lawmakers<br />
in Alabama stated that any person that tried to teach<br />
a free or enslaved Black person would be fined no less<br />
than $250.<br />
If this law was passed in 2022, the fine would be no less<br />
than $8,367.<br />
It became increasingly clear that the fear of rebellion<br />
and abolitionism fueled these laws. White people could<br />
control illiterate Black people. They could dictate what<br />
Black people learned, what they viewed as right or<br />
57
wrong, what they actually knew about the world around<br />
them.<br />
“Anti-literacy laws were written in response to the rise of<br />
abolitionism in the north,” author Patrick Breen said.<br />
Black people kept learning how to read and write despite<br />
the consequences they would face. Some slave owners<br />
encouraged this as well. The more educated a Black<br />
person was, the more sophisticated jobs they received.<br />
The laws and codes put in place were just a bandage on<br />
a gaping wound. <strong>No</strong>thing could stop enslaved and free<br />
African Americans from becoming literate. Lawmakers in<br />
the South could no longer constrict Black people’s view<br />
on the world.<br />
“Literacy promotes thought and raises consciousness,”<br />
Sarah Roth, professor and creator of The Nat Turner<br />
Project, said. “It helps you to get outside of your own<br />
cultural constraints and think about things from a totally<br />
different angle.”<br />
Literacy became one of the greatest tools in ending<br />
slavery in America. However, it didn’t end racially charged<br />
censorship in America.<br />
With more and more Black people seeking the highest<br />
levels of education and creativity, censorship efforts also<br />
grew.<br />
The rise of the civil rights movement spurred many Black<br />
leaders, writers and teachers to the forefront of change.<br />
Black stories and voices were, once again, an important<br />
talking point in American politics.<br />
Malcolm X was one of the leading voices. His opinions<br />
on non-peaceful protesting, Black nationalism and Black<br />
pride dominated much of the Civil Rights movement. His<br />
words led to him being followed, attacked and eventually<br />
assassinated.<br />
Just like they tried to do during his life, white people<br />
tried to censor Malcolm’s words posthumously.<br />
Malcolm, along with writer Alex Haley, wrote The<br />
Autobiography of Malcolm X. The book detailed Malcolm’s<br />
life, death, political views and the pivotal trip to Mecca. It<br />
was an important piece of Black history and media.<br />
That didn’t stop people from trying to limit the novel’s<br />
significance.<br />
In 2014, teachers at Public School 201 in Flushing, New<br />
York told fourth grade students that Malcolm was a “bad”<br />
and “violent” activist. The teachers also forbade the<br />
students from writing about Malcolm.<br />
About 43% of the 477 students at the school in 2014 were<br />
Black.<br />
Parents were upset about the matter, stating that the<br />
teachers were imposing their personal opinions on the<br />
students. The department of education in Flushing<br />
responded to the parents’ concerns.<br />
“Malcolm X is a historical figure and a hero to many<br />
New Yorkers that we believe should be celebrated in our<br />
schools,” agency spokesman Devon Puglia said.<br />
Erasing pieces of Black history isn’t a new trend, but in<br />
2021, it found a new target: critical race theory.<br />
The term “critical race theory” was created more than 40<br />
years ago by legal scholars Derrick Bell, Kimberlé Crenshaw<br />
58
and Richard Delgado to explore the intersectionality<br />
of race and law in America. It was designed to examine<br />
American liberal approaches to racial justice.<br />
However, CRT rose to mainstream notoriety when<br />
American conservatives began the fight against teaching<br />
it.<br />
Schools stopped teaching certain aspects of Black history.<br />
Chapters about slavery and the civil rights movement were<br />
removed from textbooks. Conservative organizations<br />
criticized the validity of critical race theory.<br />
“When followed to its logical conclusion, CRT is<br />
destructive and rejects the fundamental ideas on which<br />
our constitutional republic is based,” the Heritage<br />
Foundation claimed.<br />
Arguably the biggest issue that has come out of banning<br />
critical race theory is knowing where the line is. That line<br />
being free speech. Where does limiting the teaching of<br />
CRT end and limiting free speech begin?<br />
Or is limiting CRT also limiting free speech?<br />
schools of thought like psychology and research in racist<br />
practices. The crusade to limit CRT has now — whether<br />
intentionally or not — become a crusade of limiting<br />
diverse academia.<br />
“Administrators, among the most risk-averse people in<br />
the known universe, will err on the side of canceling<br />
programs and courses,” Kruse said. “Only the brave and<br />
the foolish will teach ethnic studies in Ohio in the future.”<br />
Despite being almost 200 years apart, the goals of<br />
lawmakers in 1831 and 2022 remain the same: limit<br />
different views of culture and the world. When one takes<br />
a critical lens of the actions of these lawmakers, one thing<br />
becomes clear.<br />
These laws are designed to make white people feel<br />
comfortable and for Black people to have no voice.<br />
Censorship — no matter what form it takes — chooses<br />
what stories are more important. It chooses what voices<br />
matter.<br />
It chooses what race matters.<br />
Timothy Messler-Kruse is a professor of ethnic studies at<br />
Bowling Green University in Ohio. The state legislature<br />
is close to passing House Bill 327. The bill defines several<br />
ideas that shouldn’t be taught in any public school or<br />
university.<br />
Most of the concepts in the bill — like teaching that one<br />
race is superior or inferior to others — are ideas Kruse<br />
teaches against. But, as the bill reads on, the ideas become<br />
increasingly more vague.<br />
The vagueness of the bill reaches over into other<br />
59
JA’QUACY MINTER<br />
WHEN AMERICA CATCHES A COLD,<br />
THE BLACK MAN BREATHES HIS<br />
LAST BREATH<br />
A PERSONAL NARRATIVE<br />
60<br />
I<br />
heard a saying the other day that when America<br />
catches a cold, the Black man catches the flu and I have<br />
never been the same since. After hearing this saying, I<br />
began to dwell on how I got here and the amount of work<br />
that I would put in; trying to run away from that flu, not<br />
knowing that I was running myself into my own casket. I<br />
know you’re probably thinking, “damn is this nigga about<br />
to talk about his near death experience?” Well, don’t<br />
worry, I’m not. But, I will talk about how I was so busy<br />
running from what I had assumed was the flu, the fear of<br />
not succeeding, that I could not see what the real sickness<br />
was. The risks I felt obligated to take in order to succeed<br />
in a society that does everything in its power to stop me.<br />
For most Black men, they experience this “flu-like”<br />
phenomenon in the everyday big boy workforce but for<br />
me, my “workforce” was competitive speech and debate.<br />
This is part of the story where you can laugh if you’d<br />
like because things are about to get really dark from<br />
this point on...no pun intended. Yah know I don’t think<br />
people get it at all, the pressure that comes with being<br />
a Black competitor in speech and debate. The amount of<br />
work it takes to drop your ebonics. The amount of work<br />
that it takes just to walk up in front of a room filled<br />
with mostly white competitors. To pour your heart out<br />
to a panel of mostly white judges and hope to God that<br />
their support is not pseudo and that they are there for<br />
you. That they want to hear your story and not the story<br />
that institutionalized racism has created for them. But<br />
the hard work doesn’t stop there and shit, if i’m being<br />
honest, I don’t quite know where it begins.<br />
I remember the first day I held a balck book in my hand.<br />
The color of its skin reminded me of the weight that the<br />
stories inside of it would carry. A weight heavy enough to<br />
break the stigma; to demolish every building in my path.<br />
My stories carry oppression and pain and power and the<br />
ammunition to shoot bullets through the glass ceilings<br />
that were made to incase me and place me on display to<br />
be the “good Black” the “proper Black” the Black who’s<br />
“not like the rest of them.” But sometimes I feel as if<br />
forensics isn’t the only thing to blame for my assumed<br />
“assimilation.” I received so much backlash for attending<br />
a predominantly white institution and competing on<br />
a predominantly white forensics team Even before<br />
forensics, I wasn’t like the “rest of them.” The other<br />
Black boys wore football cleats, I wore dress shoes. They<br />
spoke like a “nigga” where as I spoke “white” as my peers<br />
would say. I always felt white and I hated that feeling. It<br />
removed so many of my experiences that Black boys are<br />
supposed to experience. There’s a picture of me from my<br />
first speech and debate tournament that always makes me<br />
feel something. I was wearing a purple dress shirt with<br />
a Black suit that was composed of two different Blacks.<br />
What the hell was I thinking? Yes, you can laugh here.<br />
Anyways, when I examine this picture, I regret not being<br />
able to travel back in time to notify younger me about the<br />
amount of work that it will take for a heavyset Black boy
61
to craft himself into a national champion in this event. To<br />
tell him that everything he will endure from that point on<br />
until now, will be worth the endurance.<br />
I was supported by my community but I never felt as if I<br />
were connected to its roots. I was supported by my family<br />
but I never felt as if we shared the same blood. It took so<br />
much work, participating in this event. I had to combat<br />
an identity crisis while taking on other people’s identities<br />
every weekend. For those of you that dont know about<br />
interpretation events, it’s all about character pops and<br />
dramatic page turns. My classmates would call me white.<br />
My teammates were white. My friends were white. My<br />
partners were white. My community was white. Speech<br />
& Debate, when I started winning, allowed me to evade<br />
discrimination and become naive to the very same stories<br />
that I would spread in speech rounds. Police officers knew<br />
who I was so I never fit the “description.” My teachers<br />
would follow my speech success so I was always presumed<br />
to be a “good” kid. When I would put on my speech suit<br />
and rack in speaker points, I lived a cookie cutter life but<br />
when the super suit came off, I was poor, Black, obeese<br />
and queer. It took work to survive the identity crisis that<br />
both the speech community and the Black community<br />
had put me through. Living in a society that makes you<br />
feel as if you are a stain on an all white t-shirt. Where<br />
no bleach products such as, prison systems, glass ceilings<br />
and police brutality can get rid of you made me feel like<br />
being a successful Black man, granted me white privilege.<br />
For me, it was never a glass ceiling, there was never just<br />
glass above me. Glass surrounded me, It trapped me. It<br />
made me feel like an artifact on display, an exhibit in a<br />
museum where my body didn’t matter, only my voice,<br />
because my Black body was never deemed worthy in an<br />
event such as speech, it was only a case containing my<br />
“proper” voice that made me competitive. So here I am,<br />
a beautiful sculpture that is supposed to be happy to be<br />
in one of the most competitive well known art museums,<br />
but I still feel as if society is only fascinated by my voice.<br />
Learning to love your body and the skin that you are in<br />
takes work. It takes overworking yourself to turn the<br />
pages in a Black book that carry your insecurities. It takes<br />
work to pick up the pieces of you that you tossed to the<br />
floor to make room for everything that society takes away<br />
from you.<br />
So I work effortlessly sacrificing sleep and my mental<br />
health and humanity hoping to be heard before seen and<br />
listened to before corrected by society, or supremacy or a<br />
ballot. To be Black and in speech is to be like John Henry,<br />
yes the one from disney. It is to drill every ounce of hood<br />
out of you because presentation is everything.<br />
So I work effortlessly sacrificing sleep and my mental<br />
health and my humanity hoping to be deemed acceptable<br />
into a presumed safe space. When I tell you all that burnout<br />
is real, will you actually believe me? Will you hear me<br />
when I say that I am referring to my mental health, or will<br />
you be like most judges and assume that the only thing<br />
I talk about is my skin? To be Black and a competitive<br />
speaker is to be an artifact, a rarity and in some minds,<br />
white. I worked hard because at a young age I learned<br />
that being Black meant carrying the assumptions of my<br />
people around with me wherever I went.<br />
Whether it be the classroom or the competition,<br />
working hard is never a choice for me, it is a survival<br />
tactic resulting from living in a world that wanted me<br />
uneducated, voiceless, and dead. A world where you<br />
are your generation’s John Henry. Except this time, you<br />
aren’t dying from overusing a tool, you’re dying from<br />
being that overused tool. Except this time, the white<br />
man isn’t peer pressuring you into making yourself out<br />
to be an overused tool. It is the man that you see in the<br />
mirror, that is making you overuse yourself. Day after day<br />
after day, sitting there, on display, inside of a glass case<br />
watching success surround you but never being able to<br />
break through the class to touch it. Most sculptures are<br />
crafted out of marble, but you are different. You are as<br />
black as charcoal and crafted out of obsidian. So sit there,<br />
in a now cold room and bathe in all of your Black beauty,<br />
breathe in and remember, When america catches a cold,<br />
the Black man breathes his last brea-.<br />
62
FARRAH SANDERS<br />
UNDER<br />
PRESSURE<br />
The Strained Relationship between Mental Health<br />
and the Pursuit of Higher Education<br />
As students prepare to enter into the system<br />
of higher education, they are faced with<br />
unprecedented issues. A looming pandemic with<br />
new variants, cultural shifts, civil unrest, and more are<br />
looming over their heads as they navigate new chapters<br />
of life. It’s been generally understood that pursuing a<br />
college degree is no small feat. One’s mental health will<br />
be tested as it’s never been tested before. But it’s time to<br />
get real about the mental health crisis that researchers<br />
have warned us about. We’re in uncharted territory, with<br />
little visible plans.<br />
According to The Healthy Minds Study, 40% of American<br />
college students experienced at least one major depressive<br />
episode that year. 80% of college students reported that<br />
the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted their<br />
mental health in a survey performed by Active Minds.<br />
The COVID-19 pandemic forced everyone in doors and in<br />
a state of concern. Students were asked to go home and<br />
participate in distance learning.<br />
This resulted in self-care routines taking a devastating<br />
hit. According to Active Minds, 76% of students have<br />
trouble maintaining a routine, 73% struggle to get<br />
adequate physical activity and 63% find it challenging to<br />
connect with others. Without adequate exercise or a sense<br />
of community, what can we expect of college students?<br />
The boom of social media usage allowed students to<br />
express just how overwhelmed they are. It was our only<br />
means to participate in a community for some time. Social<br />
media also was the backbone for many social movements<br />
experienced in our time.<br />
The murder of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor placed<br />
the discussion around the value of Black life at the<br />
forefront. <strong>No</strong>t only are Black students having to navigate a<br />
looming pandemic with impending assignments; but, now<br />
they are also tasked with having difficult conversations<br />
about institutionalized racism inside and outside of the<br />
classroom.<br />
Mental health is not a new concern among college<br />
students; but, we are entering an age of transparency. In<br />
2010, the National Survey of Counseling Center Directors<br />
reported 44% of their clients having severe psychological<br />
problems. In 2000, they reported 16%. These numbers<br />
may appear daunting but imagine how many students<br />
didn’t feel safe enough to report their concerns in 2000.<br />
Imagine how rigid the stigma around mental health was.<br />
Students of color weren’t even able to recognize the<br />
intersection of mental health and systemic racism in<br />
the way that we can now. Intersections were not even<br />
recognized until the mid-2000s, let alone researched.<br />
We’re able to have these conversations about the running<br />
list of issues that affect our mental wellbeing but we<br />
always end up asking the same question. What now?<br />
The answer is complex and requires effort from every<br />
community, generation, and governing body. However,<br />
this ultimately boils down to transparency. We have to<br />
make mental health a regular topic of conversation.<br />
<strong>No</strong> one silences the person who screams when they’ve<br />
sustained a bodily injury. So, why are we silencing people<br />
who recognize that they’re struggling mentally?<br />
63
Throw out strength-based narratives such as “the strong<br />
Black woman” and “emotionless men.” Black women are<br />
strong but they are also soft, caring, and whatever they<br />
decide to be. They deserve to be heard in every way.<br />
Men, there is no strength in denying your emotions.<br />
Transparency isn’t weakness but a faith-based act of<br />
courage. It is okay to not be okay.<br />
This also means playing an active role in the lives of<br />
people you care about. Be an active friend, family member,<br />
partner, etc. If you’ve noticed your classmate feeling<br />
sluggish, invite them to come to the Student Recreation<br />
Center with you. Ask your friend if they want to go get<br />
lunch somewhere after class. Let someone do the same<br />
for you.<br />
This can clearly translate into academic practices. Office<br />
hours with professors aren’t only reserved for test review.<br />
Approach them if you need help handling the semester.<br />
Many are open and willing to work with students.<br />
Institutions, be more active and accountable in the role you<br />
play in this issue. We can’t give out t-shirts and stress balls<br />
in student centers while trying to force an unworkable<br />
course load with little to no resources on many students<br />
across the country. Understand that accessible education<br />
and healthy wellbeing practices means placing the student<br />
before the profits. Counseling centers need more funding<br />
and overall backing. We have to treat them as necessary<br />
landmarks on a student’s journey to education. This longstanding<br />
concern will always seem like an unconquerable<br />
mountain, if institutions insist on sitting at the top while<br />
peering down at the rest of us.<br />
The relationship between good mental health and success<br />
in higher education has always been a contentious one.<br />
Transparency is not just a want but an absolute need if we<br />
are ever going to see true progress.<br />
DEDICATED TO CHESLIE KRYST<br />
SUMMER AND FALL<br />
REGISTRATION<br />
<strong>No</strong>w Open!<br />
Visit sheltonstate.edu to apply and register!<br />
It is the policy of the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees and Shelton State Community College, a<br />
postsecondary institution under its control, that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion,<br />
marital status, disability, gender, age, or any other protected class as defined by federal and state law, be excluded<br />
from participation, denied benefits, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or employment.
FARRAH SANDERS<br />
OFF THE<br />
FIELD<br />
Alajajuan Sparks, Jr.<br />
Standing at a towering 6’5” Alajajuan Sparks<br />
Jr. is very accustomed to having a natural<br />
presence. Don’t let this stature fool you,<br />
this sophomore offensive lineman for the<br />
Alabama Crimson Tide Football team enjoys<br />
having fun and being around friends.<br />
“I guess my friends do somewhat regard me<br />
as a ‘life of the party’ type. I love to laugh<br />
and things like that,” says Alajajuan.<br />
He collects a decent bit of his pieces from<br />
local vintage stores and leans strongly<br />
toward the Nike brand, stating that<br />
the majority of his shoes are Nike<br />
and Jordan.<br />
From his very relaxed and friendly<br />
demeanor to his limited-edition<br />
kicks, Alajajuan finds comfort in<br />
being a very authentic version of<br />
himself.<br />
He also recalled his love for music with R&B<br />
being one of his most listened to genres.<br />
Sparks even sang tenor in the choir when he<br />
was younger.<br />
Sparks regards his hobbies as secondary.<br />
If it’s not related to school or football,<br />
it’ll have to wait until the weekend. These<br />
hobbies include playing 2K, Madden, and<br />
Grand Theft Auto franchise games. Sparks is<br />
excited with the upcoming NCAA franchise<br />
and the possibility of adding a virtual<br />
version of himself on his team.<br />
“It’d be cool but we’ll see if that comes<br />
out while I’m still in school,” he said while<br />
looking down at his beige Nike sneakers<br />
with African-inspired print detailing. A very<br />
avid shoe collector, Sparks is proud of his<br />
closet which features streetwear staples.<br />
65
Kolbi Coleman<br />
Kolbi Coleman, a freshman forward on<br />
Alabama’s Women’s Soccer Team, is far more<br />
than just a fierce competitor. Balancing life<br />
can be a bit difficult, she admits. It’s no small<br />
feat but this Chemical Engineering major<br />
has huge goals.<br />
“It can be a struggle to balance. It’s not a lot<br />
of homework but it is a lot of studying. Our<br />
tests are brutal,” Coleman said.<br />
When asked about her passions she<br />
mentioned her hair and art. She picked up<br />
doing her own hair over quarantine and<br />
quickly became skillful.<br />
“I was stuck in the house,” Coleman said<br />
while combing through her long burgundy<br />
braids with her fingers. “This hair needed to<br />
get done so I’m like ‘Why not’.”<br />
Since coming to Alabama, Kolbi has realized<br />
her passion for diversity and representation.<br />
Coleman is a founder of Project ID, an<br />
organization designed for student-athletes<br />
of color at The University of Alabama to<br />
create community, express their thoughts,<br />
and break campus barriers. <strong>No</strong>t to be<br />
mistaken with the Student-Athlete Advisory<br />
Committee, Project ID aims to provide a<br />
space where student-athletes of color can<br />
express their feelings while existing at<br />
several potential intersections of identity.<br />
Coleman speaks of the chance to address the<br />
barrier between non-athletic students and<br />
student-athletes.<br />
“It’s also going to be a platform for us to<br />
show what the student-athlete body really<br />
looks like and just give us a chance to get out<br />
into our communities... even to network,”<br />
Coleman said.<br />
Kolbi has a lot of aspirations for the budding<br />
organization and even more inspiration for<br />
her expanding art portfolio. But one thing is<br />
for certain, she’s confident and determined.<br />
66
RACHEL PARKER<br />
Stereotypes permeate our society through<br />
media depictions and social interactions.<br />
Popular stereotypes are often based on<br />
race, gender, or class.<br />
THE “ANGRY”<br />
BLACK WOMAN<br />
Experiencing both a combination of race and<br />
gender, Black women are faced with stereotypes<br />
of being mean, aggressive, or overly assertive. A<br />
perception that created the “Angry Black Woman,” a<br />
label that stereotypes Black women and manipulates<br />
characteristics about them into a negative light.<br />
In a 2019 NPR interview, Dr. Brittney Cooper<br />
discussed utilizing the power of anger in her<br />
book, Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her<br />
Superpower. Cooper, an Associate Professor of<br />
Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University,<br />
gives reasoning to what this label for Black women<br />
means in broader, societal terms.<br />
“Whenever someone weaponizes anger against<br />
Black women, it is designed to silence them. It is<br />
designed to discredit them and to say that they are<br />
overreacting, that they are being hypersensitive,<br />
that their reaction is outsized,” said Cooper.<br />
Black women’s reactions not being taken seriously or<br />
seen as exaggerations are another way of silencing<br />
them and relegating them to being background<br />
characters in their own narratives. Instead of being<br />
acknowledged as an individual along with their<br />
experiences being seen as valid, Black women are<br />
placed back into their proverbial box with the<br />
stereotypes of overreacting, being too loud, or<br />
taking things too personal.<br />
The emotional response of anger is normal and<br />
should be seen as such when an individual has been<br />
disrespected, but this courtesy is not granted to<br />
Black women. Black women aren’t allowed to be seen<br />
as complex individuals.<br />
“Black women are generally framed as either angry,<br />
strong or both. While anger and rage are a reasonable<br />
response to oppression, the danger is that it<br />
caricatures and dehumanizes Black women, making<br />
them instant memes while refusing to engage them<br />
67
as emotionally intelligent and vulnerable,” said Dr. Robin<br />
Boylorn.<br />
Boylorn, a professor in the Communication Studies<br />
department at The University of Alabama, connects her<br />
comment with the notion that if a woman is not smiling<br />
or in some state of happiness, she is perceived to be angry.<br />
For Black women, this works against them even more in<br />
combating perceptions of being less than and the capacity<br />
to showcase only one emotion.<br />
Digging deeper into this stereotype the history of which<br />
spans into the spheres of academia and popular culture.<br />
The feminist theorist, Patricia Hill Collins, coined a series<br />
of intellectual frameworks that shape the ideas about<br />
Black women, one being “controlling images.”<br />
The controlling images framework encompasses historical<br />
stereotypes from slavery, being labeled as either a mammy,<br />
jezebel, or sapphire. Images showing Black women only<br />
as overworked laborers, hypersexual, or too angry. All of<br />
which expanded into media interpretations, fueling and<br />
framing the public’s view of Black women.<br />
One influential media depiction was the 1950’s television<br />
show, Amos N’ Andy. Friend of the main character, Sapphire<br />
Stevens was shown as an aggressive and demanding<br />
woman. With the popularity of the show, the character<br />
of Sapphire became associated with the image of what an<br />
“angry” Black woman is as this representation acted as a<br />
marker of comparison to be used against Black women<br />
and only grew in different examples throughout time.<br />
The 1970s’show Sanford and Son saw the character of Aunt<br />
Esther inhabiting the “angry” Black woman stereotype as<br />
she belittles the main character, Fred Sanford. Additional<br />
depictions show the character Sheneneh from the 90s’<br />
sitcom Martin, the 2018 Tyler Perry film, Acrimony and<br />
even a meme of former The Real Housewives of Atlanta star,<br />
Nene Leakes.<br />
women become misread. In many ways, who Black women<br />
truly are becomes invisible, all because Americans are<br />
deeply uncomfortable with the idea that Black women<br />
have the right to be outspoken and assertive.<br />
Portrayals and images that have ingrained themselves<br />
into the societal psyche and formulated an idea that is<br />
considered true has affected Black women by having to<br />
walk a proverbial tightrope of how they are perceived,<br />
leading to them negotiating their anger and tempering<br />
their responses.<br />
Black women have been unfairly tasked with carrying the<br />
weight and responsibility of their entire race and must<br />
consider this labor when combating against stereotypes. A<br />
relief is found among fellow Black women in recognizing<br />
these familiar burdens and not reducing one another to<br />
a simplified label.<br />
As explained by Dr. Boylorn, “It is a way other people label<br />
us, not a way we label or understand ourselves. We may<br />
recognize anger or pain, but we understand it is not a<br />
characterization as much as a response to misogynoir and<br />
oppression. We know that our anger is not inherent, it is<br />
prescriptive.”<br />
This stereotype has been one that has and continues to<br />
affect Black women but is also being used as a signifier of<br />
their strength and weaponized to elevate their voices and<br />
concerns to a society that has tried to silence them for<br />
their own benefit.<br />
Black women use their anger through movements such<br />
as Black Lives Matter or pop culture influences such as<br />
Beyoncé’s Lemonade. These examples and others showcase<br />
Black women reclaiming the label of “Angry Black Woman”<br />
to work for and not against them in order to push back<br />
against negative imagery and injustices. Allowing Black<br />
women to showcase their entire emotional spectrum and<br />
individuality.<br />
These portrayals are reinforcements of the “angry” Black<br />
woman trope. They cause Black women to be misperceived.<br />
Any critique becomes seen as hypercritical. And so Black<br />
68
69
WHAT IS A BLACK GIRL’S CHILDHOOD?<br />
Kaia Rolle was listening to a school<br />
employee read her a story when two<br />
officers came into the room to arrest<br />
her. “What are those for?” the 6-year-old girl<br />
asked the police officer who pulled out zip ties<br />
that he would soon fasten around her wrists.<br />
The Orlando Sentinel on February 24, 2020<br />
quotes Kaia pleading, “Please, give me a second<br />
chance.” Kaia was escorted to the police car.<br />
The scene was captured on a body camera,<br />
and the footage offered a glimpse into what<br />
many young Black girls in America have long<br />
experienced.<br />
The world ages Black girls up, which leaves<br />
them unable to access the privileges of<br />
childhood, like the benefit of the doubt in<br />
punishment situations. The childhood of<br />
Black girls looks different when compared to<br />
other kids; therefore, it is essential that we<br />
define and understand exactly what a Black<br />
girl’s childhood is in the first place.<br />
Today, we’ll discuss three main themes<br />
that define a Black girl’s childhood:<br />
aesthetic insinuations, adultification, and<br />
discriminatory barriers in education, followed<br />
by an implication for each theme because<br />
even though Kaia’s case seems extreme, her<br />
experience is as common in every Black girls’<br />
childhood as Sunday morning cartoons.<br />
Black girls should not have to worry about<br />
the clothes they wear because it might invite<br />
unwanted attention. Black girls deserve our<br />
protection and it’s time we give it to them,<br />
so let’s examine the theme of aesthetic<br />
insinuations and its implication.<br />
“We live in a country that loves Black culture<br />
on white bodies but not on the bodies of<br />
those who created these looks,” said the<br />
New York Times. For example, Black girls<br />
are reprimanded for clothing and hairstyles<br />
deemed trendy when sported by white girls.<br />
The Baltimore Sun explains, some schools<br />
have gone as far as banning afrocentric<br />
hairstyles like braids, twists and dreadlocks.<br />
This discrimination of natural hairstyles is<br />
detrimental to the self-image of Black girls.<br />
Dancers from Miami <strong>No</strong>rthwestern Senior<br />
High School wore costumes that included a<br />
long-sleeve cutout leotard and black boots.<br />
The dance instructor, Traci Young-Byron,<br />
questioned if the girls were being called<br />
“strippers in training” only because they<br />
were Black, comparing them to young white<br />
dancers dressed in similar attire. Simply put,<br />
the costumes were never the issue.<br />
Clothing must not be the issue creating a<br />
marginalized viewpoint that is causing young<br />
Black girls to be seen as older. So, what is?<br />
A Black mother informs the Washington<br />
Post it started when Chloe was a toddler,<br />
and people commented on her “curves.” She<br />
combated that by putting her in one-piece<br />
jumpers and shorts at the beach. Meanwhile,<br />
her white niece wore two-pieces and no one<br />
talked about her body.<br />
Likewise, the Huff Post reveals that one Black<br />
girl described an encounter with a police<br />
officer who didn’t believe she was 15. He<br />
insisted she was too old not to carry a driver’s<br />
license. The color of her skin was enough<br />
proof for the officer that she was lying about<br />
her age. In fact, in both situations it seemed<br />
the color of the girls’ skin was the deciding<br />
factor.<br />
Any Black mother could’ve told the researchers<br />
that, from the time they are talking and<br />
walking, little Black girls are deemed “fast,”<br />
a word synonymous with promiscuity, leading<br />
us to examine the theme of adultification and<br />
its implication.<br />
First, the history behind the over-sexualization<br />
of Black women can be traced back to the<br />
1800’s when Sarah Baartman’s buttocks<br />
were paraded across Europe to provide<br />
entertainment for Caucasian Europeans.<br />
70
Even before mainstream media, Black women<br />
were tantalized while Black girls watched and<br />
endured their own adultification.<br />
A Georgetown University report found, Black<br />
girls, particularly ages 5 to 14, are seen as<br />
more sexually mature than white girls. This<br />
prejudiced view leads to Black girls becoming<br />
more victims of sexual violence and disbelief<br />
of their trauma. The Women’s Media Center<br />
reports African American girls comprise over<br />
40% of domestic sex trafficking victims in the<br />
U.S.<br />
While running from danger, Black girls<br />
encounter sexual predators capitalizing on the<br />
lack of collective outrage expressed when they<br />
disappear, causing Black girls to go missing and<br />
stay missing.<br />
Although, it is empowering for Black women<br />
to reclaim their repressed sexuality. When it<br />
is being done through tools that men use to<br />
oppress women’s sexuality, it can be a doubleedged<br />
sword. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<br />
points out the dangerous over-sexualization<br />
views of Black women, girls and femmes that<br />
exist in the classroom to the boardroom along<br />
with in the African-American community.<br />
While songs by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion<br />
can be empowering, some Black girls might<br />
believe this is the only way to take ownership<br />
over their bodies that are adultified, forcing<br />
Black girls to get rid of their childhood even<br />
more.<br />
Teachers, and even parents, expect Black girls to<br />
exceed age-appropriate levels of responsibility<br />
at home or assume they don’t need to be<br />
comforted after emotionally distressing events,<br />
according to researchers.<br />
Discriminatory barriers in education limit<br />
educational opportunities for Black girls.<br />
Black girls are suspended at a rate five times<br />
that of white girls, increasing their chances of<br />
incarceration. This disparity is not based solely<br />
on differences in behavior, even in preschool we<br />
see these dangerous racist reactions hurting<br />
Black girls.<br />
The New York Times on April 17, 2020 reports, at<br />
the ripe age of three, one Black girl was labeled<br />
intentionally disruptive by her preschool<br />
teacher who tried to film her and prove to her<br />
mother she was a problem — the teacher never<br />
got the footage, but accused her of pretending<br />
to behave at the sight of the camera.<br />
The Independent on October 24, 2019 reveals<br />
a police officer pushed a Black 11-year-old girl<br />
into a wall and violently forced her to the<br />
ground after she accidentally brushed past a<br />
teacher. Video shows the school resource officer<br />
roughly handling the student — and falsely<br />
accusing her of assault. As a result, the Black<br />
girl experienced a minor concussion along<br />
with scrapes and bruises. The school-to-prison<br />
pipeline is simply another challenge Black girls<br />
face since they are more likely to face harsh<br />
discipline in schools and be exposed to police<br />
violence.<br />
Black girls do not have a childhood even when<br />
at school. The National Women’s Law Center’s<br />
report concludes, Black girls are predominantly<br />
penalized under dress code rules echoing the<br />
anecdotal evidence that every part of Black<br />
girlhood — from their hair to their bodies and<br />
clothing — has the potential to be penalized.<br />
The report explains punishments send<br />
dangerous messages to the community: how a<br />
Black girl looks is more important than what<br />
she thinks.<br />
From the clothing she is critiqued for wearing,<br />
the adultification of her body, to the ultimate<br />
denial of an uninhibited education, a Black<br />
girl’s childhood is filled with trauma no adult<br />
should even endure.<br />
Simply put, defining a Black girl’s childhood is<br />
actually defining what she does not have.<br />
To this day, Black girls are suffocated by societal<br />
bias that seeps into their households, schools,<br />
jobs, and other aspects of their life. This cycle<br />
will continue to deprive Black girls of their<br />
childhood unless society is informed about the<br />
injustices they encounter. It’s time we let Black<br />
girls be what they have always been: children.<br />
71
Photography courtesy of Caroline Simmons, The Crimson White
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