Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 3 Issue 2

SPRING 2023

DEAR
BLACK STUDENTS,
You do matter. The numerous achievements and talents
of Black students deserve to be recognized. As of Fall
2022, 11% of students on campus identified as Black or
African American. Black students are disproportionately
underrepresented in various areas on campus. Nineteen
Fifty-Six is a Black student-led magazine that amplifies
the voices within the University of Alabama’s Black
community. It also seeks to educate students from all
backgrounds on culturally important issues and topics
in an effort to produce socially-conscious, ethical and
well-rounded citizens.

Progressive local partnerships and highly experienced
instructors make Shelton State your destination for
affordable, quality education.
Enroll as a transient student today! | sheltonstate.edu | 205.391.2211
It is the policy of the Alabama Community College System Board of Trustees and Shelton State Community College, a postsecondary institution under its control, that
no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, religion, marital status, disability, gender, age, or any other protected class as defined by federal and
state law, be excluded from participation, denied benefits, or subjected to discrimination under any program, activity, or employment.

W R I T E R S
Sophana Norville, Monica Ikegwu, Shamiel
Moore,Morgan Lewis, Theresa Ford, Patrick
Hodge, Keandre Walker, Lyric Wisdom, Alexis
Erby, Ta’Kyla Bates, Dani Brown, Samantha
White, Andrea Tinker, Jeffrey Kelly, Deja Evans
COPYRIGHT
DESIGN & PHOTOGRAPHY
Alexis Day, Ashton Jah,
Tyler Hogan, Dani Brown, Sidney Todd, DQ
Richardson
ENGAGEMENT
Janee Hill, Jordan Strawter,
Morinsola Kukoyi, Asia Smith
FEATURED ARTISTS
Autumn Williams, Drew Merriwether, Osaze Akil
Stigler, Assandre Jean-Baptiste, Monica Ikegwu
Nineteen Fifty-Six is published by the Office of Student Media at The University of Alabama. All
content and design are produced by students in consultation with professional staff advisers. All
material contained herein, except advertising or where indicated otherwise, is copyrighted © 2023
by Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine. Material herein may not be reprinted without the expressed, written
permission of Nineteen Fifty-Six magazine. Editorial and Advertising offices for Nineteen Fifty-Six
Magazine are located at 414 Campus Drive East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. The mailing address is P.O.
Box 870170, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487. Phone: (205) 348-7257.
C
O
N
T
R
I
B
U
T
I
n
g
S
T
A
F
F
Front cover features “Caught up in Myself” (2022) by Autumn Darah.
Back cover features “Kelsey” (2022) by Monica Ikegwu

E
D
I
T
O
R
I
A
L
S
T
A
F
F

E
D
I
T
O
R
I
A
L
S
T
A
F
F

FROM THE EDITOR
I
remember the first parade I went to. I was 4
years old, and I held tightly to my parents’
hands. The parade route came right past
my grandmother’s house. There were floats,
balloons, and cars with pageant queens waving
to the crowd. But then I heard the thunderous
sounds of a marching band. There were
dancers, twirlers, and musicians. Everyone was
in sync and the music traveled for miles.
Ten years after that day, I’m the performer
waving to young kids and playing tunes for the
entire town to hear. But people like me weren’t
always allowed to be in parades, art galleries
or even on stage. For so long, Black people and
their art were systemically suppressed.
Much of the art we see in the world started
in underground rooms during the Civil War,
old cabins during slavery, and the bustling
streets of New York. When creative outlets
were limited, Black people made their own.
Past generations crooned spirituals, danced to
washboards, drew portraits of power. We found
ways to express our thoughts, our feelings, our
pain, and our joy.
Art adds color to our everyday life. The music
we listen to, the shows we watch, the pictures
we look at in museums. Everything around
us can be art and it’s important now more
than ever to honor the art of the past while
protecting the art of the future.
Art saved my life, so it’s important to me to
preserve it. Young Black girls and boys deserve
to see people that look like them not only in
the art, but creating art. They deserve the
chance to become the next Quinta Brunson,
Beyonce, Viola Davis, Wynton Marsalis, Toni
Morrison. The list goes on.
Before the brush has paint, the song has lyrics,
and the dance is created, there is an idea. A
desire to add a little more color to the world.
An artist stares at their blank canvas, not
knowing where this piece will go. “Untitled”
honors the work of the past and highlights the
art yet to be created.
As I end my time as editor of Nineteen Fifty-
Six, I remember all the art we created in our
short time on campus. I think of all the people
who are overjoyed at the work we’re doing.
This magazine is dedicated to those who were
like 4-year-old me, wanting to make people
feel joy but not knowing where to start. I hope
Nineteen Fifty-Six continues to inspire people
to write, take photos, design and create art for
Black people for years to come.
ASHLEE WOODS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
C
U
L
T
U
R
E
AN UNDERGROUND SPACE
PODCASTS: A NEW FORM OF LISTENING
THE IMPACT OF PROTEST ART
PATHS OF RHYTHM
SINS OF A SAINT
SAVE OUR SHIP
12
14
16
18
20
23
24
WOULD YOU?
BLACK GIRL DREAMING
EDITOR’S PLAYLIST
26 L
I
F
E
28
S
30
T
31
Y
L
E

HOW BLACK AMERICAN MUSIC CHANGED THE WORLD
MONICA IKEGWU
AFTER VICTORIA CHANG
KATASTROPHY GLOBAL
KEANDRE WALKER
MYLASHIA’S TOUCH
ASHLEIGH C. HARTNETT
BROWN SUGAR ILLUSTRATIONS
32
34
36
38
39
40
42
43
44
F
E
A
T
U
R
E
S
THERESA FORD
CAUGHT UP IN MYSELF (2022)
A NEW FORM OF THERAPY
THE STREETS OF DETROIT TELL OUR STORY
SAMPLING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
48
52
53
55
58
46
E
X
P
E
R
I
E
N
C
E
S

Fashion and music are two great artistic forms that
can be molded by the youth culture–our taste and our
passion for evolving things in our limited time on earth
allows us to look at things with fresh eyes.
Virgil Abloh
“A Robinhooded Flow” (2023) by Assandre Jean-Baptiste (Hueydynamite)

MORGAN LEWIS
BALLROOM’S RISE IN POP CULTURE
You are scrolling on TikTok and come across a
video of a group of middle schoolers voguing
around their classrooms, school restrooms, and
cafeterias. There are hundreds of comments telling the
middle schoolers they “slayed,” and the thousands of likes
show admiration for their performance.
While many people think this form of dance and culture
is a new phenomenon, it is not. Ballroom culture has
had a reputation for intersecting activism, LGBTQIA+
acceptance, music, fashion, and even film. The long
history surrounding ballroom culture is one filled with
celebration, support, and self-expression. Although
ballroom culture is prevalent today in pop culture, its
history dates all the way back to the post-Civil War era
when drag balls first begun.
People varying in race, gender, and sex came together
to show off their gowns and bodies to a panel of judges
like a pageant. Some women dressed in men’s clothes,
but the main attractions were female impersonators.
Even though drag balls are widely accepted today, back
in the 20th century, drag balls were considered illegal
and taboo. Widespread feelings of homophobia were not
unusual during this time.
It was not until the Harlem Renaissance Era of Black
expression and freedom that drag balls began to blossom
and sexuality was explored like never before. Rolling Stone
discussed the Hamilton Lodge, a colored organization in
New York City, where Black and white people gathered to
dance.
Even though the lodge sought a “racially and economically
diverse audience,” there were still discriminatory issues
like Black queens being expected to whiten their faces to
win prizes. The racial tension in the ball community led
to separation and the formation of “houses.”
Rolling Stone continued to explain it was through the
formation of “houses” that young queer, Black, and Latino
kids who were estranged from their biological families
14

and homeless, now had a family-like support system.
Some examples of these houses would be the House
of Dior, Wong, Dupree, Corey, and many others. The
houses threw their own balls consisting of modeling and
voguing, which was a nonviolent way of fighting at the
balls. Queens would pose to emulate movements from
fashion magazines.
In the 1980s, voguing shifted to become “hyper-effeminate
posturing” with intricate hand movements and dips, also
known as death drops. The underground ballroom culture
in Harlem first made its way to mainstream in the late
1980s when Malcolm McClaren’s song “Deep in Vogue”
was published along with a music video. Willi Ninja,
founder of the House of Ninja, went on to teach runway
walking, coaching students such as Naomi Campbell.
Singer Madonna’s iconic song “Vogue” came out in 1990,
which pushed ballroom culture into mainstream culture.
The makeup, costumes, over the top hair, dance, and high
energy continues to thrive, reaching a new generation.
TV shows like Pose and RuPaul’s Drag Race bring the
current ballroom scene to life by highlighting fashion
and modeling. Ballroom culture has continued to inspire
music today, seeing as the House music genre is described
by Bazaar Magazine as “Black queer music.” Frankie
Knuckles, named the godfather of House music, began his
career DJing at the Warehouse club in Chicago. It was the
queer underground scene in the early 1980s that coined
the term house.
murder and neglect of those in the LGBTQ+ community.
These activists are responsible for overturning New
York’s walking while trans law, while working to end
solitary confinement permanently, and working to halt
construction of new prisons. These activists instead
want to redistribute the funds to housing, healthcare,
and resources that protect Black trans lives. Ballroom
communities also work to spread awareness about HIV
prevention, as the disease has taken the lives of many
trans women.
Black Art comes in many shapes and forms and ballroom
combines several artistic elements. The rise of ballroom in
pop culture reiterates how the founders of the ballroom
community were trailblazers in a society that shunned
their identity and creativity. While new generations begin
to discover ballroom culture, it is important to honor the
Black creators who gave a safe space for LGBTQ+ members
to express themselves.
Rolling Stone highlighted the words of Dorian Corey,
Mother of the House of Corey, saying, “In real life, you can’t
get a job as an executive unless you have the educational
background and the opportunity… Black people have a
hard time getting anywhere and those who do are usually
straight. In ballroom, you can be anything you want.
You’re not really an executive, but you’re looking like an
executive. You’re showing the straight world that I can be
an executive if I had the opportunity because I can look
like one, and that is a fulfilment.”
Ballroom culture has even inspired the slang used
today with words like “muva,” “slay,” “shade” and “it’s
giving.” Social media has also pushed to reveal more of
the ballroom world to the public, and it is easy to see
Generation Z’s support for the community on apps like
TikTok.
Ballroom culture also has a legacy of spreading activism
and awareness. Time Magazine explained that at a Black
Trans Lives Matter rally in New York on June 18th,
2020, voguers danced to express grief for the senseless
15

Podcasts have started taking the world by
storm in recent years. A podcast is where
people can talk about a subject that interests
them or that they are educated on. Podcasts are series
that can be listened to on the internet or through
downloads on your electronic device. One of the good
things about podcasts is that anyone can start one.
As long as you have the right tools and streaming
platform, you can form a podcast. Another good
thing about podcasts is that they are also free. Many
podcasts are available on streaming apps like Spotify .
There are genres that fall under podcasts. Anything
you can think of can be turned into a podcast. From
talking about stocks, dating advice, true crime, selfcare,
college and more. People have found what fits
them best when it comes to podcasts. Listeners can
enjoy their podcast from anywhere and many feel as
though they are having a conversation with the host.
A podcast that has gained popularity over the past
couple years is “Brown Girl Self-Care.” This podcast
was created by a Black woman named Bre Mitchell
from Southern California. Mitchell started her
podcast with the goal of helping women .
On the website “Brown Girl Self-Care,” Bre Mitchell
said, “I’m in this journey with you, healing, learning
to be kinder to myself, listen to my body, and trust
myself again.”
On the podcast, Mitchell talks about Black women’s
experiences, including her personal life stories. Along
with these stories, Mitchell provides insight on how
to cope and heal from the issues Black women face.
She discusses what it was like growing up in a single
parent household, embracing her natural hair, being
an African American woman in school and more.
Certain topics that are mentioned can be sensitive
for listeners. Mitchell covers these issues to let other
Black women know they are not alone and that there
are ways to make it through.
When asked what her favorite podcast is, Madison
Carmouche, a senior majoring in news media at the
University of Alabama said, “One of my favorites is
the Balanced Black Girl. It’s actually really good. It
has a group chat that goes with it and I feel like that
is the case with a lot of podcasts, it creates a sense of
community.”
While you have self-care and personal podcasts there
are also informational ones too. There are podcasts
that tackle current events in this country and around
the world. For those that like true crime stories but
do not know where to find the most current or best
events, “Crime Junkie” is a good start.
Crime Junkie was created by Ashley Flowers and Brit
Prawat, who are two women that have both had their
experience in the criminal justice system. Flowers is
16

the founder of a nonprofit organization called Season of
Justice. The goal of the foundation is to provide funding
for law enforcement agencies solving crimes that have
gone cold. Prawat has experience working with a private
investigator and enjoys true crime documentaries. The
podcast talks about true crime events that have stunned
the world while giving out the most important details.
True crime podcasts can channel that inner detective in
anyone and really make the listener think on a deeper
level. Being able to envision yourself at the scene or try to
find the motive behind the crime is the goal for a podcast
like Crime Junkie.
On the website “Crime Junkie Podcast” it states that, “Every
Monday, Ashley Flowers will tell you about whatever crime
she’s been obsessing over that week in a way that sounds
like you’re sitting around talking crime with your best
friends.”
Ericka Logan, a junior majoring in Fashion Merchandising
at the University of Alabama said, “Podcasts also can be a
safe space for people to talk about personal conversations
that they may not want on a radio show. There’s also so
many different podcasts now showcasing a variety of
topics.”
The difference between radio and podcast is that one is
on a more personal level. Radio stations were solely made
to play music and have some commercial breaks. Listening
to the radio can feel artificial at times because you have
hosts that follow guidelines. With podcasts, it can be
anyone talking behind the microphone, and it gives off
that authentic feeling. Knowing that anyone can start a
podcast makes it more relatable compared to radio, where
it is seen as a professional job.
Podcasts are definitely becoming popular as the years go
by and many people use it as their main listening source.
Even though a study done by Audio Today 2019 reported
that 92% of people here in America still listen to the radio.
Podcasts create a community and a sense of comfortability
that no other listening platform has done yet.
17

Sophana Norville
PROTEST ART
THE IMPACT OF
Throughout history, protests have become a
mainstay in society. Many people have either
participated in one themselves or have seen one.
Protests are one of the ways people come together and
voice their opinions on a certain issue affecting them.
Protests happen at different levels and they can either be
peaceful or end in violence.
In every protest though, you will always see some form of
art being displayed.
For many generations, art has been used during protests
to show history through images. The point of protest art
is to show events happening in the moment. Art has been
displayed during wars, social movements, and political
movements. Art being used during high points in society
has gone back to the early 19th century. Protest art is
made to alter the thoughts of its target audience. It has
the power to create tension or solutions.
“Art itself is a text and can be used [as] a form of
persuasion, even if you don’t say anything at all, it’s still
conveying a message,” Malea Benjamin, a junior majoring
in Communication Studies and Political Science at the
University of Alabama said. “I think protest would be very
different without art because it allows people to view
the message that you’re trying to convey rather than just
hearing what you’re saying.”
Sometimes people are not able to stand up in front of a
crowd with a megaphone and say how they feel, but they
can express it through their art. Just like how words stick
with people, art also makes a significant impression. A
picture or poster can linger in your memory for years to
come because of how it made you feel in that very moment.
When all the voices from the protests are gone and
the issue is settled, the art remains. Protest art can
spread worldwide. It can go from being on the cover of
magazines to being on merchandise. Even protest art
that is displayed on walls or streets can remain there for
years. To see where a protest happened or be at the same
location that sparked the conflict can be moving.
There can be hundreds of protests all for the same issue.
Some happen year after year and each time the voices
change and the art changes. The messages behind the art,
however, never change. The thing about art is that you can
make it your own. However you interpret the protest can
be translated into art. Protest art is so diverse and that is
why it plays such a key role in protesting. Having people
from all different backgrounds come together to display
their work with a common ground can be incredible.
“For some people protest art is the only way that they
could protest, because a piece can speak a thousand
words,” Gabriel Kirk, a sophomore majoring in history
and education at the University of Alabama said. “For
some people, if they don’t really know how to make a
stance on something, they can draw it.”
Art pieces can be very moving as well. Seeing a painting
during a protest can trigger new emotions, and cause one
to feel the artist’s emotions through their work. There is
18

power when it comes to artwork.
Protests that really caught the attention of
the world occurred after the killing of George
Floyd in 2020. There were thousands of protests
being held all over the U.S. as a demand to end
police brutality against Black Americans. Many
people spoke out and used their social media
platforms, while others used their art. Posters
of George Floyd’s face, walls painted with his
name all over, signs expressing people’s outrage
and grief.
Art is made to move people and express feelings
in a way words cannot. When it comes to
protests, those feelings come from a place of
true emotion. With art, people can visualize
what was going on during that time and place
themselves there. Protest art is essentially the
backbone to most protest movements.
19

Shamiel Moore
Paths
of Rhythm
The Image Hip-Hop Culture
has Created for Society
“Pac ain’t make it to twenty-six
Big’ ain’t make it to twenty-five
It’s only right that I gotta get rich.”
This lyric comes from Florida rapper, Denzel
Curry in his track “X-Wing,” where he discusses
his current life as a rapper and the fate of his
inspirations before him. Curry often mentions how
young he is, and how the people surrounding him tend
to end up in the same fate. Whether it be from gun
violence or drugs at a young age, it encourages him to
move differently and avoid the same mistakes.
Within the same song, Curry said, “I don’t want a car/
I want an X-Wing (Yeah)/ I’m just onto the next thing/
Growing up, I didn’t have the best things/ Now my
diamonds on my neck gleam.”
In a song that talks about the traumatic reality of the
hip-hop world we know from news and popular media, it
does not fail to discuss the glamour and drive to improve
in the same sentiment. The beauty of the genre is that a
majority of the songs will have braggadocious lyrics about
money, cars, clothes, sex, and drugs, but also speak on the
real-life issues that are plaguing the Black community and
enlighten many that may be privy to it. From that music
20

comes a diverse identity for Black people, an identity
that revolves around language and phrases, fashion and
material objects, and even a drive to change the political
climate in the United States.
Hip-hop originated in Brooklyn, New York in the 1970s,
soon after the Civil Rights movement in the 50s and 60s.
The genre was a way to express feelings about the recent
economic decline in the city, and how it heavily affected
the less fortunate Black community. Rory PQ from Icon
Collective said the economic issues left non-white
communities in a state of despair.
“The city’s economy was falling apart due to the decline
of the manufacturing industry and construction of the
Cross Bronx Expressway. Much of the white middle class
moved to the suburbs to escape the social and economic
challenges,” PQ said.
As a result of the ever-increasing poverty, many people
resorted to crime, violence, and organized gang activity.
A way to escape the current situation was block parties
and events hosted in abandoned buildings throughout
the Bronx. DJs and MCs would spin records and hype up a
crowd of frustrated, young Black people and thus began
the rise of hip-hop music.
The most prominent rappers of this time were
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, the first rap
group to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
and the Sugar Hill Gang, known for their track “Rapper’s
Delight,” which has become a common sample used in
over 200 songs, from Dr. Dre to 50 Cent to TLC. The 70s
set the standard for how hip-hop should be made and
perceived, and by the time the 90s arrived, hip-hop and
rap became its own entity in the large world of music.
The 90s was an era of hip-hop where the music became so
prominent that it started to bleed into white households,
and eventually caused controversy. This was known as the
golden age of hip-hop, where some of the most influential
artists of all time arrived that you cannot go a day without
seeing on a shirt around campus.
Following the mass incarceration of Black men in the ‘80s,
and racial injustices continuously occurring in the U.S.,
hip-hop was a way to release the emotions of frustrated
Black Americans. But unlike in the ‘70s, hardcore and
aggressive hip-hop was very common. New York had
maintained a heavy presence in the hip-hop scene. For
example the group, Wu Tang Clan that incorporated
rugged instrumentals, samples from martial arts films,
and violent, yet fun, lyrics added an identity to the
northern city. The leader of the group, RZA said he
wanted the group to offer a real look into the lives of the
members and other Black people during the struggling
time in New York.
“To open up the minds of the youth and the people and
become aware of our people, our situation, our community,
martial arts, knowledge of self, and all the things that we
put into those songs,” RZA said.
Also from New York and arguably one of the most
influential rappers of all time, The Notorious B.I.G. made
an enormous impact in music. His subject matter not only
involved the rise to fame lyrics, but reflections on the
environment he came from and his own mortality, which
made him a mature artist to many that is still talked about
to this day.
On the other side of the country, West Coast Rap became
a major staple in the hip-hop community, delivering a
unique sound and legendary producers and rappers. N.W.A.
assembled some of the greatest lyricists in hip-hop, Ice
Cube and Eazy-E, with the production from Dr. Dre. The
group released aggressive “gangsta rap” that talked about
their superiority in the rap game, while also talking about
the cruel lifestyle in South Central Los Angeles. Many of
these songs used samples from soul, R&B, and even gospel
music to accentuate each track, creating cohesive projects
for all black people to enjoy.
“Everything in the world came after this group. ... We
changed pop culture on all levels. Not just music. We
changed it on TV. In movies. On radio. Everything.” NWA
member, Ice Cube said.
By this point, hip-hop had become mainstream, and
grabbed the attention of everyone from young people
of all races, to people who only see the negativity in the
genre.
Modern hip-hop has completely taken over today’s music,
allowing for many Black artists to use their lyrics and
performances to make political statements as well as
21

entertainment. In 2020, Megan Thee Stallion delivered
a memorable performance on Saturday Night Live of hit
her song “Savage”, a track that displays feminine prowess
and confidence. Behind her and her background dancers,
there is a large screen with the words ‘Protect Black
Women’ along with a snippet of Malcom X’s statement
of Black women being the most disrespected people in
America, referencing the murder of Black medical worker
Breonna Taylor that same year.
The Science Star’s, Yamilka Moreno said that hip-hop
goes beyond simple lyrics and performances:
“While performing her hit song “Savage,” it became
apparent that the performance was meant to be more
than just a live show, but rather a call to political action on
an issue that has been ignored for far too long,” Moreno
said.
Hip-hop is one of the most complex genres of music, and
has a very close connection to the Black experience. Rap
is often reduced to simply ghetto and ignorant, but many
Black artists use their own cultural backgrounds to evoke
a feeling in all their audiences.
22

DEJA EVANS
Sins of a Saint
I wish I could do the bad I crave without the guilt I fear
but I’ve got morals of a saint.
and daydreams of a sinner and I can’t find my place in either.
I could play the part of a saint and do it well.
but that’s just it
I’ve been cast and I read my script and make sure my emotions match what was
written for me but that ain’t me.
So maybe sinner is more like it.
It’s not what I want to be but who I am naturally.
I’ve agreed to believe in a God that says I can enjoy the things I want but pay the
price for them later and I refuse to believe that anything else exists.
No way do we get to the end of life, and we won’t have to give an account for our
actions.
Behold a higher presence that demands answers for the creativity we used when
justifying our own decisions against what we knew to be morally just because it
temporarily satisfied us.
23

Lyric Wisdom
S O S
Save Our Ship
After six years from her
freshman album “CTRL,”
SZA released the highly
anticipated album, “SOS.” While she
was not completely silent throughout
the gap between releasing albums, by
being featured on the Black Panther
soundtrack alongside Kendrick
Lamar on “All the Stars” in 2018, SZA
continued to stay on the Billboard Hot
200 for over 260 weeks. At the end of
December in 2020, SZA released the
single “Good Days” and it excited fans
about a possible album release on the
horizon. This was not yet a rollout, as
SZA stepped out of the limelight for
some time.
On June 9, 2022, the 5th year
anniversary of her critically acclaimed
album “CTRL,” SZA released “CTRL
Deluxe” that introduced 7 new songs
to her catalog. These songs were also
said to have been recorded around
the time of making “CTRL” with some
being alternate versions of previously
released songs. Shortly after, “I Hate
U” was released only on Soundcloud,
and after receiving an overload of
positive feedback, that December it
was formally released on all major
streaming platforms. This again
caused speculation of the beginnings
of an album rollout, and they were
correct.
In late October, SZA released the single
“Shirt” and made multiple appearances
for interviews, including Hot 97, SNL,
and Billboard. Then on December 9,
2022, SZA released the long awaited
album “SOS.” There are 23 songs on
“SOS,” nine more songs than “CTRL”
but they each have the same amount
of features, four.
“SOS” similarly to “CTRL” is narrated
by her mother who was previously
featured in the “Garden (Say it Like
Dat)” video.
A major part of the success of “SOS”
besides the wide craving of an album
from the singer, platforms like Tikok
created challenges to different songs
that increased traffic to the album
24

more than if they didn’t exist. Songs like
“Blind,” or “Open Arms” took over popular
sounds on the app. Pair this with clips
from her infamous song, “Big Boys” from
an SNL skit, SOS was everywhere. To go
along with the album, visuals soon started
to follow with music videos for “Shirt,” and
more recently “Kill Bill.” There are also
leaked versions of songs by SZA floating
around the internet, with the solo version
of “Open Arms,” which is noted to be more
favored by her fans than the version on the
album featuring Travis Scott.
“Kill Bill” is inspired from the 2003
Quentin Tarantino movie with the same
title. The song loosely follows the theme
of the movie with the hook starting with
“I might kill my ex, not the best idea.” The
video takes more direct inspiration from
the first Tarantino movie.
She described the album as a whole to show
how chaotic of a place she is in regarding her
love life and shows a deeper understanding
of some of her flaws. In contrast, she also
is more understanding of the unhealthy
habits she may have, and it’s made obvious
in songs like “Love Language” where she
sings, “Bad as I want to be yours, I can’t get
with your program.” She is trying to get an
understanding of where the person this
song is about is coming from, but there
is still a disconnect. In “Blind” she sings,
“It’s so embarrassing, all of the love I see
living inside of me I can’t see, I’m blind.”
She knows her self value and worth, yet
still gets stuck in a toxic cycle. Later in the
song she says,
“I like all that violence,
give me dysfunction”
So, it’s apparent she knows the relationship
is not working. Songs like “Gone Girl” show
a more healthy approach on the flawed
relationships with saying what she needs
from a partner and the world around her,
and what throws her off. A more optimistic
song, “Open Arms,” featuring Travis
Scott gives the feeling of a conversation
between two people who have completely
different perspectives on the relationship
status, and fans were excited to see them
collaborate again after the success of “Love
Galore” from “CTRL.”
Though platforms such as TikTok fell in
love with the album immediately, social
media users sounded off on different
platforms to express their dislike towards
the new project. Many users agreed they
expected better from SZA and were just
simply disappointed. But there were many
fans who defended SZA, saying, “this is an
album you have to sit and let grow on you.
The editors’ favorites from the album are
“Love Language,” “Open Arms,” and “Kill
Bill.”
25

Hopefully my music is medicine, some type
of antidote for something or some kind of
explanation or just to feel good.
Erykah Badu
“Check Ball” (2022) by Glenn Hardy Jr.

Ta’Kyla Bates
Would you?
I
never learned to swim. My mom never learned. My
grandad can’t swim, but that’s probably because he
lived in New York for half his life. Mygranny only kinda
learned but she probably hasn’t touched a pool in decades.
I remember going “swimming” when I was younger. The
smell of chlorine and getting a new bathing suit every
time because I couldn’t swim. Always in the shallow end
until I was tall enough to move up a few feet. Every time
I went swimming, I didn’t want to get my hair wet or I’d
get in trouble.
My hair, something that has been a bother but a blessing
all my life. From barrettes and bows to braids, beads, and
bonnets. A blessing but a curse. Mygranny has a hot comb
sitting on the stove. The hot comb her mother used on
her hair, the hot comb she used on my mom, and the hot
comb she used on me. It’s old and rusty looking but trust
me it works. As the comb glides through my hair, trying
not to touch my scalp, I see the smoke rise into the air. The
same smoke my great grandmother, Mygranny and my
mom saw and now I see, the same heat on our scalp. Next
to the hot comb is a large pot of collard greens boiling,
the strong aroma overtakes the smell of the burning hair.
Fried chicken, collard greens, cornbread, mac and cheese
(the one in the oven of course). The typical Sunday dinner
in my house. Mygranny is preparing dinner. She’s making
everything but the mac and cheese, that’s my mom’s job.
The boiling water fills the room with steam, anticipating
the drop of the elbow macaroni noodles. The Colby Jack,
sharp and mild cheddar cheeses wait in the refrigerator
for my mom. The sound of the canola oil crackling awaiting
the seasoned chicken to be dropped by the white floury
hands of Mygranny. My little sisters and I idly watching
her pour the buttermilk into the flour and cornmeal for
the cornbread. No measuring cups in sight. Seeing what
seasonings she’s putting on the chicken. Watching so one
day our kids will be doing the same.
My mom never learned to swim, but if I was drowning,
she’d jump in to save me. Any of us, my brother and my
sisters. They can’t swim either. And as long as my mom is
there, we can’t drown either. And as long as we’re there,
she won’t drown. I remember in 1803, just off the cost
Savannah, Georgia, a group of enslaved Africans, chained
together walked into the waters of the Dunbar Creek
knowing, in the end, they would die. Sacrifice? Suicide? I
guess it’s all based on the circumstances. Would you save
someone from drowning even if you couldn’t swim?
December 22, 2000, at 5 a.m., I opened my eyes for the first
time. I had dark brown skin, dark brown eyes, and dark
brown hair. I was an existing human being. As children,
we’re not really living, we’re existing, our purpose is yet to
be known. Maybe our purpose is never known from when
we first open our eyes to when we last close them. Think
about it, there are a billion trillion stars in the universe,
trillions of galaxies, and one you. Maybe our purpose in
life is to love or to be loved. Going through life without
love is like floating fathomlessly through the ocean with
no one to save you. I think not being loved or not loving
feels like drowning with no one to save you.
When I was eight, I went on a field trip to the YMCA. My
mom wasn’t there, so I almost drowned. As I went down
the gigantic slide with the deep end awaiting me. I fall.
28

Into an unfamiliar place, an unfamiliar feeling. A white
man’s hand reached to grab me, definitely not my mom,
but a stranger. He yelled at me and asked me why I would
go down a slide into the deep end. Maybe my judgement
got the best of me. Maybe I wanted to sacrifice my
boredom. The funny thing is I never got my hair wet. My
dark brown hair.
I don’t like a lot of things in life. I don’t like large bodies
of water. I don’t like people wasting my time. I don’t like
cornbread, but I have made it before. A sacrifice of my time
for other people’s enjoyment. But also the preservation of
my enjoyment because I love to spend time in the kitchen
with Mygranny and my mom. I love food maybe a little too
much. But remember what I said about love.
I have been to the beach a total of one time. I’ve been to
the forest more than I count. Wanna know why? Nah, I
think you know by now. At 20, I now own two bathing
suits and they have never been worn. They’re “just in
case” bathing suits. Just in case I want to stand in a pool
or just in case I want to stand at the shallowest end of the
ocean. You know the feeling of being in the middle of a
lake in a kayak and you can’t see the bottom of the lake?
That’s what it feels like to not be loved or to not love. If
your kayak partner fell into the bottomless lake, would
you jump in to save them even though you can’t swim?
The tree trunks in the woods remind me of my dark
brown eyes and my dark brown skin. The oak tree reminds
me of my coily dark brown afro. I think of my childhood,
sitting between my mom’s legs while she combs my hair.
I miss those days. Putting my hand in my head to see just
how much more she had to do. She would tap my hand
with the comb, and I would snatch it back fast. Right
next to her sat the “bow box” with beads, barrettes,
rubber bands, ribbons, you name it, it was in there. This
usually happened on Sunday nights so I would have a
fresh hairstyle for the rest of the school week. Coming
to school with a new hairstyle was kinda embarrassing
because people always were curious about how it changed
so fast. In my head, they just sounded really stupid, but I
answered them, anyway. Because it was a nice thing to do.
Literally, bite me.
I don’t know what it is about love and life that makes
people do dumb things. What I do know is throughout my
life I’ve done dumb things for life. And throughout my
journey of love, I missed out on some of my life. But what
I do know is that the answers to the questions I ponder
without a doubt an act of love and a result of life.
Would you save a drowning person, even if you couldn’t
swim? Would you cook cornbread, even though you don’t
like it? Would you let someone touch your hair when
you know it makes you uncomfortable? Did those slaves
commit suicide or sacrifice their lives for the greater
good?
Yes.
29

Dani Brown
Black Girl Dreaming
Dreaming of everything there is to become.
Holding the weight of the world on my
shoulders. Having to fix every issue that lays
ahead of me, my problem or not. Knowing when to speak
and when not to speak. Holding it all in until I burst in
flames. Am I an angry Black woman? I smile and say it’s
okay. No one is going to look into my big brown eyes
and find the pain. I suppress it. I chose the world over
myself. Am I enough? How can I fix it? I can’t fight my
way through life, but that’s all I know. Complacency is
not me. My foremothers and fathers fought for their
lives and mine. What’s the difference?
Dreaming of a love that was not meant for me to find.
Not being enough for who I want in my life. I keep it all
in my mind. I see what I want being taken by another
kind. Are they blind? What is that I’m missing? I embrace
my natural kinky locs. I maintain myself very well. I find
it completely hurtful how my glowing chocolate covered
skin is the beauty standard for a certain kind. But gets
disrespected by the ones I protect with my whole heart.
How can I change it? Not just for me but for every Black
girl like me.
How can I give my trauma and pain to someone to help
me carry it? I think I can handle it. Am I lying to myself?
Dreaming of being successful. Yet I question how so?
How can I be successful in a world where I build myself
up to get knocked down again? Not just by another race,
but my own. Constantly being depended on to be a strong
Black woman. I’d like to see what it’s like to be weak for a
day. A day where I let others carry the burdens that rest
on my heart and mind. I use those burdens to keep me
going. I have to finish school. I have to be wealthy. I have
to make a difference. I have to be the one who shows
little black girls they can win too. But will I truly win?
Dreaming of a person to love. Will they love me? What
is love? How will I find it? I hope I find it soon. Needing
love at the moment, drowning myself in things that
do not love me. Working hard to distract myself from
what I’m missing. What kind of love do I really want?
A love that God is? Unconditional, intentional, gracious,
merciful. But how can I find that if I don’t know if I truly
love myself?
Dreaming of how I want my energy reciprocated. Call
me, I’m there. I’m not going anywhere. But when I call,
are you there? I wished to save the ones closest to me.
Have I failed? How can I change it? Reverse the time? It’s
hard to live with the fact that there was nothing I could
do. I have no more tears. Am I numb or angry? I don’t
want to talk about it but I do. Why is it so hard for me to
just be cool? They say let it go. But once again I suppress
it. I suppress it because my weight is all too burdensome.
30

Editor’s Playlist
• I Wish I Missed My Ex- Mahalia
• BRB-Mahalia
• Sock it 2 Me-LAYA
• Protection- Kiana Ledé
• B***h I’m Nice-Doechii
• F.U.B.U-AMBR
• Indonesian Fantasies -Sonder
• Venom-Ravyn Lenae
• Free Room- Ravyn Lenae
• Hide Out-Mahalia
• Glass Flows- Smino
• Long Nights-6lack
• Bittersweet- Lianne La Havas
• Excited!-Destin Conrad
• We Don’t Funk-KIRBY
• fafo-Zack Fox
• Light Me Up-Rayvn Lenae
• Woah-Snoh Alegra
• Amelda-Solange
• Something In The Water-Tone
Stith
• You Got Me-The Roots
• Cherry Wine-Nas
• The Roof-Mariah Carey
• BP-Summer Walker
• Elevators-OutKast
• Soul Ties- Omb Peezy
• Electric Relaxation- A Tribe
Called Quest
• Roses-VanJess
• Little Giants-Nao
• Woman-Lianne La Havas and Nao
• Found-Tems, Brent Faiyaz
• On & On-Erykah Badu
• Ungodly Hour- Chloe X Halle
• 80/20- Chloe x Halle
• Pray It Away-Chlöe
• ICU- Coco Jones
• Dive-Victoria Monet
• Sandstorm- Mereba, JID
• Tell Me Its Over- Jacquees ft.
Summer Walker, 6lack
• Good Together-Shay Lia
• Beating Down Yo Block- Monaleo
• Summer 2020- Jhene Aiko
• Bed Peace-Jhene Aiko, Childish
Gambino
• Q.U.E.E.N- Janelle Monae, Erykah
Badu
• Like a Tattoo- Sade
• Hurt Me So Good-Jasmine
Sullivan
• Gone- Jorja Smith
• Kimmi-Bathe
• No Lames- Kash Doll Summer
Walker
• Ur Best Friend-Kiana Ledé,
Kehlani
• Stuck-Durrand Bernarr, Ari
Lennox
• Love Songs-Kash Paige
• Backwood-Ari Lennox
• A Long Walk-Jill Scott
• Angel-Anita Baker
• Imagine Me-Kirk Franklin
• Faithful is Our God- Hezekiah
Walker
• Procession of the Levites/
Anthem of Praise- Richard
Smallwood
• Never Too Much- Luther
Vandross
• Here and Now- Luther Vandross
• It’s Love- Jill Scott
• At Your Best- Aaliyah
• He Loves Me (Lyzel in E Flat)- Jill
Scott
• The One I Gave My Heart To-
Aaliyah
• Spring Summer Feeling- Jill
Scott
• Nunya-Kehlani
• Footsteps- Kehlani, Musiq
Soulchild
• HEATED- Beyoncé
• Shea Butter Baby- Ari Lennox
• Pudgy- Smino ft. Lil Uzi Vert
• Switch- Tink
• Don’t Touch My Hair-Solange
• F.U.B.U-Solange
• The Weekend-SZA
• Pro Freak-Smino, Doechii
• Persuasive-Doechii
• 7AM- Mariah the Scientist
• Beetlejuice- Mariah the Scientist
• Mango Butter- Durand Bernarr
• By Your Side-Sade
• Boy Bye-Ari Lennox, Lucky Daye
• How Much Can The Heart Take-
Lucky Daye
• Love You Too Much- Lucky Daye
• Dearly Beloved- Wale ft. Jamie
Foxx
• Can’t Anymore- Shenseea
• CUFF IT - WETTER REMIX,
-Beyoncé
• Fkn Around- Phony Ppl ft. Megan
Thee Stallion
• Treat Me Like Somebody- Tink
• Knuck if You Buck- Crime Mob
• Body Bag- Monaleo
• Don’t Play With It- Lola Brooke
• Boys a Liar Pt.2 - Pink Pantheress
ft. Ice Spice
• Cranes in the Sky- Solange
Listen on Spotify
Listen on
Apple Music
31

You may shoot me with your words, you may cut
me with your eyes, you may kill me with your
hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!
Maya Angelou
“Swim Good” (2023) by Osaze Akil Stigler

LEAH JONES
HOW BLACK
AMERICAN MUSIC
CHANGED THE
WORLD
34
When most people think of Black music,
their first thought is probably hiphop
or Rhythm and Blues. However,
Black Americans are behind the creation of
genres from rock ‘n’ roll to pop music to country
music. This fact can be traced all the way back to
the music sung by enslaved Africans after they
were taken from their motherland and forced
into labor in the 1600s. The songs that were once
sung by these people as the last trace of their
culture are what set the foundation to much of
the music heard in this country and around the
world today.
One of the earliest genres credited to enslaved
African Americans is gospel or the Negro
spiritual. According to the article “The History
of African American Music,” these tunes were
unlike any gospel music that existed previously.
“Neither Black versions of white hymns nor
transformations of songs from Africa, spirituals
were a distinctly African American response to
American conditions,” the article said.
Singing these spirituals and performing
cakewalks were outlets that helped enslaved
African Americans survive and process one the
worst humanitarian crises in history.
Naturally, even after slavery was abolished and
formerly enslaved African Americans were
“freed,” living in America did not get much easier
for them. A period of disappointment in society
and contempt for the unfair treatment they
were facing fell upon most African Americans of
this time. However, music remained a source of
release for these trying times, and it is from this
period America was introduced to the blues.
The blues already existed amongst African
Americans during the time of slavery, but,
according to “The History of African American
Music,” at the end of the 19th century when
African Americans began moving to the north,
the blues evolved, and this music style spread
across the country with them.
The genre combined elements of ragtime and
gospel music (both of which were pioneered by
African Americans) and created a new sound that
America had never heard. As the years went on,
the blues evolved from acoustic to electric, to the
classical blues of Ma Rainey to the country blues,
and much more. The blues took over the country
and became the blueprint behind many of the
later genres that have been loved throughout
American history, especially after the creation of
the Chicago blues.
Black Americans set out on the second Great
Migration from the south to the north in the
1940s, specifically to the city of Chicago. Once
this move happened, the sound of the country

lues was amplified to a new level with the creation
of electronic instruments. A thriving culture of Black
musicians in Chicago was soon born that was reaching
people all around the country.
After considering all this history, some may ask: if
Black Americans were the creators of much of the
music that is heard today, why is this fact not known
by so many people? To understand the answer to this
question, it is important to remember this was still
a time of immense inequality for Black Americans,
despite their music being consumed by white and
other races of Americans.
Dr. John Giggie, associate professor of History
and African American studies at the
University of Alabama, discussed how
the appropriation and exploitation
of Black American music usually
overpowered the voice of the
Black artists that created it.
“I think initially for much
of U.S. history, Black music
has been commodified, sold
and bought less to reward
the artist and more to reward
white producers or record
makers or radio players,” Giggie
said. “Often the cry for freedom
or for justice embedded in that
music was heard but not listened to.”
Giggie has many years of education and research on
the history of the American south, the Civil Rights
Movement, race and more. Additionally, he is director
of The Summersell Center for the Study of the South.
Another factor that contributes to the disconnect
between American music and Black Americans is the
complexity of its chronology. While there is evidence
that much of American music was pioneered by Black
Americans, there is no exact timeline of when this
took place.
“So much of the story of Black music doesn’t begin in
America, it begins in Africa,” Giggie said. “It requires
an appreciation of the way that culture and sound in
multiple ways, in multiple parts of that continent came
together and were then brought to North America
through the minds, the imaginations, and the souls of
enslaved people. So, part of our work, our task is never
to forget that.”
There is an issue when not enough people ask
questions and try to trace the origins of American
music back to its African roots, according to Giggie.
He said this is usually because of the politicalness of
chronology and deciding when these musical genres
began or because many people simply do not try to
trace this music back to its African origins because it
is ‘too complicated.’
Rap, hip-hop, and R&B are the few
undeniably Black musical genres
partly because they were created
during a time when Black
artists could finally create and
distribute music with the
protection of copyright laws
and other factors that could
prevent their music from
being imitated.
“So many ways, the money and
the power that often came from
being a popular recording artist
didn’t translate back to the Black
community. So most Black popular
artists, they died poor,” Giggie said.
“Now the further off you go to the present era, it
changes radically. To the present moment you have
Black recording studios, you have Black labels, you
have infrastructure of Black creative genius for
recording. That’s really new. It developed in part out
of a response to generations of Black music being
taken but not fully paid for.”
Black music is a part of American history and that is
important to acknowledge. For history to accurately be
remembered, credit needs to finally be given to these
Black Americans for gospel, blues, jazz and more.
35

MONICA IKEGWU
“I want my work to highlight the different attitudes of
Black people and point out timely trends that people
follow in terms of their appearance. I aim to produce
work that is a culmination of people, not as subjects to
paint, but as people with their own sense of self.”
Red 7 (2022)
36
Thomas (2020)

My name is Monica Ikegwu and I am a Baltimorebased
oil painter. As of now, I am working as
a full time artist. I earned my BFA in painting
from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2020) and my
MFA at the New York Academy of Art (2022).
I first started painting in high
school when I was fourteen. At
that time, art was more of a hobby
for me. I had actually planned on
stopping art completely after high
school and going into the medical
field to become a pediatrician. By
the time senior year came around,
my painting skills had improved
so much and I was constantly
encouraged by teachers and family
members to continue. I later
applied to the only art college in
Baltimore and once they had sent
me the letter of acceptance, I had
made my choice to fully dive into
art and I haven’t turned back since
then.
When I started making work
that existed outside of school
assignments, I wanted the
paintings to have importance and
be relatable to the audiences that
view them. I was drawn to the
human figure and more specifically,
the Black figure. With a history
of misrepresentation directed
at the Black figure, the main
purpose of my work is to focus
on the perception of individual
people. Perception, meaning the
way that we view others, and the
ways in which individuals would
like to appear. I want my work to
highlight the different attitudes of
Black people and point out timely
trends that people follow in terms
of their appearance.
Freeform (2022)
Full Frontal (2023)
I want to display a variety of people that vary in age,
color, personality, and culture in order to expand on
the representation of Black people. To achieve this, I ask
people I know, strangers, and I am even open to volunteers
who reach out. I create my work in collaboration with the
sitter who directs their own pose and style, thus taking
charge of their image. Following their lead, I customize
the rest of the painting specifically
for them.
My works are large-scale portrait
paintings of Black people. Done
in oil paint, the paintings are
heavily detailed and give off a
graphic quality through the use
of line and color. Depending on
the skin tone, pose, and clothing
the person is wearing, I will then
use those elements to direct the
way that I approach the rest of
the painting. Once the figure has
been painted in, the background
space is then personalized. I tend
to use highly saturated colors that
compliment each person’s skin
tone as well as draw attention.
And instead of replicating an
actual space behind the figures, I
mimic the same colors found in the
clothing and reference the natural
geometry and materials found in
the composition to determine the
final outcome.
Since I have started my journey in
the arts, I have received a grant
from the Elizabeth Greenshields
Foundation, won the young artist
award from the Bethesda painting
competition, and I was recently
named a finalist for the Bennett
Prize. Alongside those, I have
also had the honor to have my
work acquired by the Baltimore
Museum of Art and the Petrucci
Family Foundation. I am hoping
and striving to gain more Museum
acquisitions in the future, but
until then, I will continue to work and trust God with the
rest.
37

JEFFREY KELLY
After After Victoria Chang Chang
Season 2 Episode 12
Rhythm — died on the dance floor of
La Douleur Exquise last night at 1 a.m.
It drowned in “Have Mercy;” no one
bothered to carry it out for a better burial.
They left it on the seafloor of leftoverliquor
and chicken feathers and on they danced. ...
Those mediocre bottle blonde angels, clad in
Calvin Klein tighty whities; Those ganglypale
saints weaved in and out of the dance floor in
hoards. Their flailing limbs reaching for the
sky like passengers of the titanic searching for
life rafts. In the luminescent rays of LED light,
you could almost mistake them for something
holy. Souls spilling in and out of mouths as they
kissed. Queer satisfaction dripping like sweat
down their foreheads; their bodies twinkling
with angeldust as they bumped&grind with
hunger; muscles coiled tight. They were
primed for feasting and fighting and f*****g,
but for now, dancing would be enough. So, on
they danced, while Rhythm’s bulging body
bled under their feet; their bodies blurred like
leftover watercolor in a cloudy mason jar. All the
while, Otherness was shoved to Rhythm’s side
at their feet — memories of Kameny looking
to Black power for change, memories of bricks
shattering windows, memories of the STAR
finding a constellation to call home, — trampled
til it echoed the sparse crunch of fallen ice from
overpriced drinks. On they danced, shoving and
slashing at bodies that felt other; while theirs
expanded and split, on they moved like a stormy
sea. Their hips mechanically swaying to f*****g
noise. There was no other way to describe it. ...
None of them noticed Rhythm drag its bruised
body behind the bar and drop a lighter in the
pool of liquor that splattered below the rows
of bottles. The club was flooded in a Jackson
Pollock of fire, and on they screamed while the
flames danced. Quelle douleur exquise!
38

Katastrophy Global
My name is Patrick Hodge I am a Senior from
Atlanta, Georgia majoring in business
management at the University of Alabama.
My grandma inspired me because once she taught
me more about how to hand sew and work a sewing
machine, I instantly fell in love with the craft itself. My
inspiration behind the pieces that I make comes from
everything else besides clothes that I’ve already seen
made. I refuse to follow any type of “trends” because
I believe in stepping out of the typical fashion norms
and my brand has allowed me to show the world the
different art forms that I’ve learned to love still to
this day.
the architecture of a building which still to this day
sparks my creativity. I knew for a fact that fashion
was the best route for me to choose since I knew I
had the capability to make something that’s never
been seen before and that is the most exciting part
of it all. I view fashion as an artform that I can use to
express myself.
I always knew that I wanted to be unique in my own
way. I strongly believe that Katastrophy Global plays
a big factor in my life. I always catch myself making
clothes that I would have worn when I was 15 years
old. My brand is a lifestyle that I will continue to live
for the rest of my life.
Growing up in Atlanta I was always surrounded by
art whether it’s the graffiti on the walls or even just
“Art should comfort the
disturbed and disturb the
comfortable.”
-Ceasar A. Cruz
39

Ta’Kyla Bates
Keandre Walker
“I actually quite enjoy
capturing beautiful
moments of plays or
something that happens in
the game.”
40

Keandre Walker, also know known by his photography
name FLICKSWITHLADRE, is a 19-yearold
photographer from Baltimore, Maryland.
At the age 14 Walker got into photography but didn’t
start to take it seriously until he turned 17. He used his
iPhone to take pictures of his mother and some of his
friends. One day there was a spark of curiosity to find
out what more he could do with a camera. He worked
hard to navigate the ins and outs of the camera and
photography itself.
Walker now has a successful career in sports photography.
He works with NFL and high school athletes and big
names like NBA star Kevin Durant. He has also worked
with SportsCenter and many other NBA players like
Bradley Beal, Nate Roberts and Carmelo Anthony.
“I’ve met a lot of people and photographers that I’ve
built extremely strong bonds with and unforgettable
moments. I am extremely thankful for photography
because without it I wouldn’t be where I am and who I
am today.” Walker said.
Walkers reasoning for getting into sports photography
was his love for basketball.
“I just loved basketball growing up and my whole family
played and I played as well,” Walker said.
He also wanted to give youth opportunities that he
didn’t necessarily have by showcasing their talents
through photos and hoping it would help them get to
colleges or teams they wanted to play for one day.
Walkers love for sports photography shines through his
work. His biggest inspiration behind why he does what
he does is his Uncle Martez, who helped his start off
his sports photography career with taking headshots
for Baltimore and Washington , DC based grassroots
youth organization called Team Thrill, founded by
Washington Wizards player Will Barton.
“He is one of many of my reasons to keep going and why
I love what I do.”
Walker disclosed that he never had any inspirations
doing photography because he had always wanted to
be his own person and just leave an imprint on other
people.
“One thing I’ve learned about a lot of people is that they
seek help from others and end up becoming others,”
Walker said. “Some advice I’d give some people who are
just now starting out is just be yourself. Don’t worry
about what anyone else thinks and make the best of
what you have.”
41

Alexis Erby
MYLASHIA’S TOUCH
go by Lexi. I am a Sophomore from Montgomery,
I Alabama.
When I first started learning how to do nails, I was
only supposed to be doing my own. I am now a
year in and it was the best decision I’ve ever made
to branch out and do others. It has allowed me to
meet and be a part of so many people’s lives and
learn more about them. People trust me and give
me the opportunity to use my creative skills and
to enhance their beauty.
Mylashia’s Touch means to me that people trust
me to slay their nail sets. People continue to
come to Mylashia’s Touch because they can talk
to me about anything with no judgement, as well
as talking like we’ve known each other for years.
Mylashia’s Touch means that people can come to
me and feel comfortable with me to do their nails
and make a new friend.
42

Ashleigh C.
Hartnett
“I will leave no stone unturned in sharing the
gift of dance with others and showing them the
true beauty of my art form.”
My motivation behind my form of art is to inspire
others to find their passion which will hopefully
lead to them to finding their purpose.
My artistry means the world and more to me. It
is very rare when someone finds something that
they are passionate about and it is even more
rare when someone finds their purpose in life.
Luckily for me, I was blessed to have found both!
My passion for dance keeps me going and along
the way, I have discovered that it is my purpose
as well.
Ashleigh Hartnett, Senior
East Point, GA

44
DREW MERRIWETHER
BROWN SUGAR ILLUSTRATIONS

45

The black person is the protagonist in most of
my paintings. I realized that I didn’t see many
paintings with black people in them.
Jean-Michel Basquiat
“Olivia II” (2023) by Monica Ikegwu

48
Teresa Ford
a hidden musician

If you have ever been to an orchestra performance
on campus for a class, extra credit, or pure
enjoyment than you’ve probably seen me: Teresa
Ford. The only black female violinist sitting in that
large ensemble in Moody Music Building’s Concert
Hall, playing her heart out. Some people even have
stated that because of my color, I stick out like a sore
thumb surrounded by my mostly white colleagues.
The truth is: when I am on that stage I know that
I am supposed to be there because nothing feels
more natural. It’s like a weighted blanket falls upon
me and honestly, I never feel more protected in this
community than I do when I’m on that stage.
This is my third year as a student at The University
of Alabama and my 13th year playing the violin.
Student Teresa and violinist Teresa coexist in a
strange way that is my major: Music Education.
Something to note, is that I am the only string
music education major, and the only Black female
music education major at this school as well. To
go along with my passion for music is my passion
for teaching. Most of what I study here at school,
includes the pedagogical skills that are necessary in
music education, as well as the technical avenues that
are included in learning the science of a stringedinstrument.
These avenues consist of discovering
and relearning advanced techniques, becoming
more musical with phrases, using music theory and
harmonies to understand the science behind music
composition and performance, etc. I know this may
sound foreign, but to me, the improvement of these
elements has meant the reaching of many new peaks
in my career.
Every achievement that I have gained since starting
my college experience is mentally programmed
into just moments. My favorite moment so far has
been leading as second Principal of the Huxford
Symphony Orchestra. Being a solo player is
exceedingly difficult, of course, but orchestra
musicians have the extreme challenge of having to
perform long distance pieces. A great example of
this would be track and cross country. Playing solo
is like running track, and playing in an orchestra
is like running cross country; each have their
own challenges and require a number of mental
strength. Another one of my favorite moments
is becoming an Ambassador for the UA College
of Education. It’s so interesting because at first
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be one of the few
education majors selected. I am glad to say I have
been an ambassador for four months now, and I love
being a model to prove to students, especially Black
students, that they can become more than what the
media or history or even our parents tell us we have
to be. There are many more moments that I can
mention including becoming a guest conductor for
Tuscaloosa Symphony Youth Orchestra, a mentor
and reading literacy tutor for low income children
throughout the state of Alabama, and performing
with some of the top professional musicians in the
country. However, even with all I have done, what I
love most about what I have done and what I will
continue to do is there is always room to grow and
learn in this industry.
Despite all of the positive proclamations I am
writing in this story, it hasn’t at all been easy to get
where I am. It is not always positive and I face many
challenges every day that I walk into the School of
Music. Some include being under the subjugation of
micro-aggressions, offensive stereotypes, passiveaggressive
comments about things like my hair
and clothes, and just an all around lack of trying
to understand who I am as a person. I will say the
School of Music is one of the more diverse and
inclusive institutions on campus; however, it must
be addressed that those grievances to my person
and culture are certainly always being notated
in the front of my mind. In spite of the obstacles,
I have found my own community here on campus
leading me to my next point.
At the heart of who I am is God, family, and
friends. I quite literally wouldn’t be alive without
the sacrifices my mother, Captain Stephanie Ford,
made before, during, and after the birth of me,
her youngest child. I also wouldn’t be a musician
if not for being under the tutelage of my Uncle,
Stephen D. Langford, and my mentor, Dr. Tami Lee-
Hughes. It is because of these three that I can go
on to become a beacon of excellence for the next
generation. Included in that next generation is my
three nieces and nephews who I work everyday to
ensure that in my matured-adult life I can provide
for. My sisters supported my entire journey here,
often picking me up and driving long distances to
49

get me to lessons, buying food after rehearsals, and
chaperoning me in performance gigs. With that
being said, I was glad that I could find some friends
that demonstrated the love and support I received
from my sisters growing up. I wake up without a
doubt in my mind that I am loved by many, which
took a long time to believe.
I was asked recently about my personal code of
ethics and some of the values I include in it. I know
for sure that loyalty and distributing genuine
energy towards everyone is something that I value
inexplicably. But if I could explain how I choose to
live, it is with complete love and appreciation for
myself and for the next person. I think living this
way is easier than choosing to be hateful because I
do believe there is a day where we all have to answer
for our actions and look back at what we have done
for not ourselves but the next person. So I implore
you to continue to reach new highs, and accept any
lows, but also to love justly and fairly to all.
50

AUTUMN DARAH
CAUGHT UP IN MYSELF (2022)

Therapy
A NEW FORM OF
Music and its Many
Therapeutic Uses
Music has been scientifically proven to help
reduce stress. From using it as a personal
means to cope with stressful situations to
going through with music therapy, there are multiple ways
that music can help deal with stressful life occurrences.
Hydeia Averitte, a Miles College alumna, said that music
is a way to cope with certain situations.
“A lot of songs that I listen to, they’re
inspirational or I can relate to the artists
or maybe the artists is relating to me
and whatever I’m going through at that
time... I listen to the lyrics and most
songs are like a story. They tell you how
to overcome something or what happens
at the end of their story,” Averitte said.
Averitte said that she listens to a wide
variety of music, but the artist that she can
relate to the most is rapper, Rod Wave.
“He can be a counselor. And basically, from his words from
his rap music, inspiration. A lot of times, a lot of people
are listening to just beats,” Averitte said. “And it’s more to
that. And right where he brings more things just beats to
a song he brings words he brings wisdom, he talks about
his pain, and it’s also a therapy because [it’s] something I
can relate to.”
Faith Kirkland, a member of the A Capella group, Tunein,
said that music has always been a part of her life and
is something that she cannot really remember being
without.
“When something is that normal to have
around, it definitely drives your thoughts
and feelings more than you think it does,
and I think that music can do more
for you than you can do for yourself
sometimes,” Kirkland said.
She also said that listening to music
helps her thoughts stay grounded and
she realized music could be used as a stress
relief method when her whole life began to
center music. Some of the music Kirkland listens
to on a daily basis is pop, indie rock, classical piano and
jazz. Her favorite artists right now are Bad Suns, Morgan
Wallen, Flatland Calvary and The Lumineers.
53

Music is also used in a professional setting in music
therapy.
Dawn Sandel, the music therapy clinical supervisor at The
University of Alabama, defined music therapy as, “the
evidence-based use of music to achieve nonmusical goals.”
Sandel said that these goals vary across settings but they
include things such as motor skills, communication,
social/emotional needs and cognition.
“Music is very non-invasive and for a lot of people, if
they’re in a medical setting for example, the interactions
they have with the staff can usually have a negative
connotation,” Sandel said. “But music therapy is very noninvasive
and it tends to be more positive of an interaction,”
Sandel also said that no specific genre of music works
best for music therapy and that they use client preferred
music to best help clients reach their goals.
“When we go into a medical setting, we’re going to ask
what their preferred music is or we’re going to have
a song sheet of different genres on it with a few songs
underneath it to prompt an idea of what they might like,”
Sandel said.
Sandel said that they follow trends with music as well.
She said that when they work with older adults, they will
play music from the early timeframe of their life, such as
music from when those clients were in their teens and
twenties because those are the songs they can remember
best.
Overall, music has been proven to help with stressful
situations and because it is so non-invasive, it allows
people to reap the benefits of the therapy they get from
it, whether it be at home or in a medical setting.
54

Samantha White
THE STREETS OF DETROIT
TELL OUR STORY
Based on a true story
It was a Saturday morning when dad decided to head
over to the corner store to buy a pack of cigarettes.
He had gotten up early, and for some reason I was
already awake when I heard him putting on his jacket
to leave. I wanted to go with him, so I asked him to
wait for me. I brushed my teeth, threw on my coat, and
we were on our way. We walked for about ten minutes
before we saw the bright, red sign that said JIM’S
CORNER SHOP in bold letters. Right as we walked in,
Jim’s voice carried from behind the counter.
“Well hello Ben,” Jim said with a flashy smile that
revealed his gold tooth. “And hello to you too, Mandy,”
he looked down and said to me. I grinned back at him,
but I was too shy to speak.
“Mornin’ Jim,” my father replied and gave me a
disapproving glare until I said something back to him.
“Hi, Mr. Jim,'' I squeaked.
Embarrassed, I walked down one of the isles looking
for Better Maid potato chips.
“Do you want your usual? Pall Mall?” Jim asked.
“Mmhmm, that’ll do,” dad responded already pulling
out his wallet.
“How’s Mrs. Roz?” Jim asked my distracted father
counting his change.
“She’s doing alright,” he said. “Probably preparing
breakfast for Beanie and Damon as we speak.”
Jim laughed, “Yeah, those kids are something else,
always keeping her busy.”
“You already know, Jim,” dad chuckled.
Jim grabbed the pack of cigarettes and rang it up. I
quickly snatched the potato chips and scurried up
55

to the counter. Dad sighed, grabbing the chips from my
hands, and giving them to Jim to ring up. Jim bagged our
items and gave them to me to carry.
“You’re growin’ up so fast Mandy, but stay focused on
them studies, ya hear?” Jim said with a serious look in his
eyes.
“Yes sir,” I replied nodding.
“Alright now, you take care Jim,” dad said with a tip of his
cap.
We stepped outside the door, and he lit his cigarette. We
stood there staring at the view from across the street. I
saw the familiar buildings that had spray painted words on
them. The buildings were other local stores, and they were
still in use. The graffiti made them look less welcoming
than before though. The graffiti, some of which read
BLACK POWER and BLACK AND PROUD, stood out in
bold lettering that seemed to lie off the buildings’ cement
bricks reaching those passing by. Another building had
the Black power fist sloppily sprayed on its side with the
paint, although dry, running down the brick.
Looking at the graffiti, its paint cracked with time,
reminded me of why they were there in the first place.
I remember when it all went down, two years ago now,
that being the race riots of ’67. It was during the long,
sweltering hot summer in July that the riots started in
Detroit. They erupted on the west side of town, over
where my Aunt Audrey lived. Since we live in the east, we
didn’t have to deal with the looting or burning buildings.
The rioting started the night that the “blind pig,” an
illegal club on the corner of 12th St. and Clairmount, was
raided by police.
That night the club hosted a party for veterans who’d
recently come back from the Vietnam war. It was a warm,
humid night, and when the police came, those inside were
reluctant to leave the air-conditioned bar. One by one the
patrons were arrested, and as this happened, a crowd
began to gather in the street. 12th street was known for
being a hotspot of inner-city nightlife, and police were
known for raiding there. By then everyone had enough,
and before the last person was put in the patrol car,
a bottle smashed in the street. I’m not sure if it was a
brick or a bottle, but one of the two was thrown at the
car and shattered the window. Thousands of people ran
into the streets from nearby buildings, and just like that,
everything went into flames.
“All these folks, every time you see one of ‘em, he gon’ stop
a brother, he don’t never stop no white, that’s why we out
here riotin.’”
I watched an angry Black man speak these words to
the WXYZ news reporter when asked about the cops.
The news station captured Black people breaking into
buildings, taking any and everything they could find.
TV’s, groceries, and clothes were stolen from the closed
stops nearby. Among the chaos, fire burned to life. My
eyes lit up from the reflection of the tv screen showing
flames growing on the buildings. The thick, heavy smoke
filled the once blue skies. Businesses were burned to the
ground.
I’ll never forget while watching, my throat felt dry
making it hard for me to swallow, and a shiver went down
my spine. Sweat lined my clammy hands as I discovered
what fear truly felt like. My mother, speechless, watched
with embarrassment. She said, “it put our people in such
a bad light.” Momma stuck to her soap operas to pass the
time. Days of Our Lives and Search for Tomorrow kept
her attention the most. Dad wanted us to know the reality
of the city’s streets, so when momma went to sleep, we’d
watch the news on the tv in the basement. Police were
beating and arresting the rioters, and firemen were
trying to battle the flames. In doing so they were attacked;
people were determined to see those buildings go up in
smoke. The second day of looting was when the governor
called the national guard to try and stop the rioting.
My mother would pray at night, praying to God that it
ends. I prayed too.
I say being Black in America means you must live with a
target on your back that police use for practice. With the
few Black officers Detroit had, their lives were in danger
too. Some stayed to serve and protect, while others
56

evacuated. One thing I’ve learned about cops in Detroit
is that they’re going to try to kill as many of us as they
can. At this point, the idea of it doesn’t hurt like it did
before, and not because I’ve become numb to the feeling.
No matter what they do; hate us, beat us, or kill us, they
better believe we aren’t going anywhere. Black resilience
is heavenly, and Lord knows we will come back stronger
in the end.
After five days of riots, the destruction finally stopped, but
the damage was done. Forty-three people dead, over three
hundred injured, and almost two-thousand buildings
burned. Hundreds of families were homeless after that.
My Aunt Audrey ended up being okay, even still, she was
so close to where it went down. Since businesses were
burned, people now had to go out of their way to shop for
what they needed. Some things were rebuilt, but so much
changed.
After a week of the riots being over, dad and I finally went
back to that corner store. There laid the graffiti across the
street. It’s now a constant reminder. It was two years ago,
but still feels like yesterday. I can recall the fear that kept
me up for those five days. I dreamed about the violence,
the handcuffs, and my dimly lit basement. Though silent,
the flashing images on the tv created shadows on the
walls of never-ending flames.
It was over, but in a way, it wasn’t actually over. Even now,
most police aren’t fair to us. Those that might be, we don’t
know if we can’t trust em’ nor do we care to anymore. At
this point, all we want is peace, but more importantly,
justice. Dad keeps talking about leaving Detroit to move
to Alabama and start a new life in the country. I’m not
sure if that will do us any good, but he talks like it will
become our reality someday.
I looked at the BLACK POWER graffiti sprayed on the
building across from us and looked up noticing dad
staring at it too. He finished his cigarette and threw the
butt on the ground, squishing it with his shoe.
“C’mon Mandy, let’s head back,” dad said. “Roz has
probably finished cooking breakfast by now.”
“Okay,” I replied and started walking with him.

ANDREA TINKER
in the
MUSIC
INDUSTRY
From Kendrick Lamar to Beyoncé, artists
around the world and across genres have given
new life to old tracks through sampling. The
evolution of music technology has allowed sampling
to skyrocket.
But some people think that the amount of sampling
being done is ruining the quality of today’s music.
Sampling started in the 1980s in the early days of
hip-hop. When hip-hop became mainstream, so did
sampling.
Aiden Hatfield, a junior at Full Sail University
majoring in music production, said that sampling is
not really an issue in music.
“I don’t think sampling is ruining the music industry
because sampling has always been a part of music
history and the industry and I don’t see it going
away in the near future,” Hatfield said. “There are
always going to be good and bad ways that people use
samples and to say it’s ruining the industry is a bit
overdramatic.”
Hatfield said the reason that people dislike the use of
samples so much is because they feel like it’s a quick
way for an artist to finish one of their songs. But he
said that simply is not the case. Knowing how to use
the sample you have and when to place it in your song
is a skill that many people do not have.
One song that he said uses the art of sampling the
best is “Love Language” by SZA off of her latest album,
“SOS.” The song features samples of Aaliyah’s “I Don’t
Wanna” and her own song “Hit Different.”
Hatfield said that the reason the song is a good
example of sampling done right is because SZA
uses the samples as a way to enhance the quality of
the song, as opposed to building the song off of the
sample.
In a TED Talk from 2014, music producer Mark
Ronson said using samples is not about rapping
over the beat of one song like some artists did back
then. To Ronson, the art of sampling is about taking
the sample, flipping it and turning it into your own
creation.
“When we really add something significant and
original and we merge our musical journey with this,
then we have a chance to be a part of the evolution
of that music we love and be linked with it once it
becomes something new again,” Ronson said.
Kyra Woodall, a student at Calhoun Community
College is another person who thinks that sampling
is not really a bad thing if it is done in a way that is
creative. The reason being because artists can tribute
the artists that have come before them.
One sample that she says was not done well is Drake’s
“Nice For What,” which features a sample from Lauryn
Hill’s “Ex-Factor.” However, she said that overall
sampling is a good tool for newer artists to have in
their arsenal.
“I actually think that sampling is a great tool as far as
nostalgia goes. It also revives the original songs and
introduces them to a new generation. I think sampling
gets a bad rap because some people think it’s lazy or
that new artists can’t come up with new ideas without
taking from others,” Woodall said.
58

READ ISSUES ONLINE AT
1956MAGAZINE.UA.EDU
@1956MAGAZINE
1956 MAGAZINE
@1956MAGAZINE