The Crimson White Print Edition - February 29th, 2024

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2024 

VOLUME CXXX | ISSUE VIII 

CREATING CIVIC LEADERS 

Jermaine Ball 

Contributing Writer, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

Fostering active citizenship 

and community 

involvement among college 

students has never been 

more crucial. 

Universities play a vital 

role in addressing these 

responsibilities by offering 

initiatives and programs 

designed to promote civic 

engagement among their 

student bodies. One program 

doing this at the University is 

Crossroads Civic Engagement 

Center. 

According to its website, 

Crossroads’ vision is a 

“University that develops the 

civic capacity of its students 

and its community partners 

in ways that foster a thriving 

democratic society at the 

Capstone and beyond.” 

Lane McLelland, 

Crossroads’ executive director, 

said the center is focused on 

supporting students, faculty, 

staff and community partners 

and continuing to teach the 

civic values, knowledge and 

skills that people “need to be 

good civic actors.” 

McLelland said that voting 

is essential to democracy. 

“People need to not only 

Diversity in STEM 

majors at the 

University is increasing for 

many underrepresented 

groups, which reflects 

similar changes in the 

national workforce. 

UA Crossroads celebrating the launch of their new Civic Learning Lab in October 2023. Courtesy of UA Crossroads’ Instagram. 

UA Crossroads makes an impact on civic engagement 

know how to vote, they need 

to vote, not just register and 

find out, but they need to 

actually do it,” McLelland said. 

Civic engagement among 

all citizens is important, but 

maybe especially among 

young people, even more so 

for those demographics that 

may be underrepresented and 

made to feel that their civic 

contributions are insignificant. 

In 2023, researchers at Tufts 

University reported a national 

student voting rate of 66%, 

and a 2022 study from the 

same university found that 

Black youth are consistently 

underrepresented among 

voters. 

“I just think it is important 

because most of the 

advancement for the Black 

community has come from a 

result of voting,” said Malea 

Benjamin, a senior majoring 

in communication studies 

and political science. 

She said that promoting the 

need for civic engagement on 

platforms that younger people 

frequent could also help to 

encourage their participation. 

“I think the best way to get 

people more civically engaged 

is to meet people where 

they’re at,” Benjamin said. “I 

feel like that’s a great way to 

help target Black people.” 

Benjamin encourages 

utilizing social media and 

methods like canvassing and 

knocking on doors to appeal 

to people who otherwise 

aren’t very invested in civic 

engagement. 

“Especially, I think it’s really 

great to target young people, 

especially young Black people, 

because a lot of election 

campaigning is through 

social media,” Benjamin said. 

“Mostly everyone has a phone, 

computer, or sees anything 

social from a day-today 

basis.” 

One of the main complaints 

about participating in the 

political process for some is 

accessibility. For instance, 

having classes off during 

election days isn’t a luxury 

afforded to all students, 

although there have been 

efforts to combat this in 

recent years. 

However, McLelland said 

voting isn’t the only way to 

take civic action. There’s also 

community problem-solving 

or learning to talk to one 

another. 

Crossroads’ work centers 

on five key components: 

who identify as Black, 

Hispanic/Latino, Asian, 

or female is increasing 

for the main UA campus. 

Meanwhile, the same 

metric for Indigenous 

students is lagging. 

“There is momentum 

across campus as a record 

number of students are 

drawn to the preeminent 

speaking engagements, 

workshops, civic skills 

training, consultation and 

collaboration, and civic 

dialogue. 

McLelland focused 

on sustained dialogue, 

particularly when discussing 

Crossroads’ work. Sustained 

dialogue is a dialogue-toaction 

model utilized to build 

relationships for addressing 

controversial issues and 

making positive changes. The 

model is used in national, 

community, corporate and 

campus settings. 

“One of the things we’ve 

noticed is that people think 

civic discourse looks one way 

and that it looks like what 

we see on TV,” McLelland 

said. “So, while debate is 

important and an analytical 

discussion is important, 

also the ability to dialogue, 

to listen to understand, 

and also to articulate your 

own perspective is really 

important.” 

Sustained dialogue helps 

to encourage these kinds of 

conversations in hopes that 

both parties will come away 

from a discussion with a 

better understanding of the 

opposing perspective. 

Jackson Harris, director 

of Crossroads, stressed that 

graduating from college 

with a healthy desire for 

civic engagement is just as 

important as everything else. 

“We hope that somewhere in 

their university experience, 

they’re thinking about these 

terms, they’re thinking about 

themselves as a citizen or 

what does it mean to have a 

civic life and participate in it.” 

Harris also encourages 

students who may 

be discouraged from 

participating in the 

political process. He says 

that any anxious energy 

spent worrying about 

the significance of their 

contributions should instead 

be channeled into action so 

that it may help us continue 

to have a healthy society. 

“I think that those feelings 

also can inspire action and 

hope and participation, which 

is what we’re shooting for,” 

Harris said. 

Programs like Crossroads 

help inspire people to 

amplify their voices and 

take advantage of the power 

afforded to them, their right to 

a thriving democratic society. 

To stay up to date with UA 

Crossroads, visit its website. 

Diversity increases among UA STEM majors 

Jacob Ritondo 

Assistant News Editor, The Crimson White 

Data from the Office of 

Institutional Research and 

Assessment shows that 

the percentage of enrolled 

undergraduate students 

enrolled in science, 

technology, engineering or 

mathematics departments 

Alabama experience 

that propels them to 

success,” said Alex 

House, assistant director 

of communications for 

the University. “The 

University’s STEMrelated 

programs provide 

outstanding teaching, 

high-quality scholarship 

and distinctive cocurricular 

programs. 

Coupled with that 

academic excellence is a 

commitment to develop 

opportunities for students 

of all backgrounds and 

experiences to thrive.” 

SEE PAGE 2A 

Take classes at Shelton State as a Transient Student. 

Visit sheltonstate.edu to apply and register! 

INSIDE NEWS 2A SPORTS 5A 

CULTURE 1B 

OPINIONS 4B

2A 

continued from 1A — STEM 

news 

The numbers 

In the College of 

Engineering, fall enrollment 

percentages for Black, 

Hispanic/Latino and Asian 

students grew considerably 

from 2019 to 2023. The share 

of women also increased: 

Black students: 8.24% to 

12.42%. 

Hispanic/Latino students: 

3.73% to 6.74%. 

Asian students: 3.29% to 

5.3%. 

Women: 22.6% to 24.4%. 

Indigenous students, 

which the University calls 

“American Indian or Alaska 

Native” students, saw 

relative stagnation, going 

from 1.6% to 1.58% in the 

same period. 

STEM majors in the 

College of Arts and Sciences 

saw similar trends over the 

same period, although 

less pronounced: 

Black students: 13.04% to 

14.79%. 

Hispanic/Latino students: 

5.34% to 7.71%. 

Asian students: 3.58% to 

3.91%. 

Women: 69.1% to 71.4%. 

Indigenous students: 1.85% 

to 1.81%. 

Diversity increases 

in STEM are not only 

happening at the college 

level. 

According to a January 

2023 report by the National 

Science Foundation, the 

national workforce has seen 

a boost in diversity in recent 

years as well. 

“Collectively, 

underrepresented 

minorities — Hispanics, 

Blacks, and American 

Indians or Alaska Natives — 

represented nearly a quarter 

(24%) of the STEM workforce 

in 2021, up from 18% in 

2011,” the report said. 

The proportion of women 

in the STEM workforce 

increased by 3 percentage 

points during this same 

period. 

“A diverse workforce 

provides the potential for 

innovation by leveraging 

different backgrounds, 

experiences, and points of 

view. ... Furthermore, STEM 

workers have higher median 

earnings and lower rates of 

unemployment compared 

with non-STEM workers,” 

the report said. 

Why some groups 

of students are 

underrepresented 

UA student organizations 

like the National Society 

of Black Engineers and the 

Society of Women Engineers 

have been fighting the issue 

of underrepresentation in 

STEM for decades. 

These organizations have 

similar goals, working to 

increase interest in STEM 

fields, promote academic 

and professional success, 

and help the community. 

In general, the groups 

host representatives from 

companies in industry and 

professional development 

workshops, among other 

activities. 

Established in 1975, 

the UA chapter of the 

National Society of Black 

Engineers seeks to “increase 

the number of culturally 

responsible Black engineers 

who excel academically, 

succeed professionally 

and positively impact the 

community,” said President 

Malachi Battle, a Master of 

Business Administration 

candidate who studied 

aerospace engineering as an 

undergraduate. 

A first-generation 

student, Battle said support 

networks like NSBE are 

important for Black 

engineering students like 

him who might otherwise 

have trouble finding people 

they can identify with and 

relate to. He said these 

struggles were what led 

to the formation of the 

national organization 

in 1975. 

“A lot of Black engineers, 

especially in the ’60s, ... 

had challenges successfully 

completing their programs. 

... And why was that so? For 

the exact same reasons that 

numerous Black engineers 

encounter when they came 

here: no support, typically 

first-generation students, 

no community, really, and 

frankly put, not everyone is 

for you,” Battle said. 

The first of similar 

organizations for 

Hispanic STEM students, 

by contrast, appeared 

formally on campus when 

the University recognized 

the Society of Hispanic 

Professional Engineers in 

fall 2022. 

Vice president Sofia 

Estela, a junior majoring 

in civil engineering, 

said that in some cases, 

Hispanic students may 

avoid STEM fields due to 

the internalized stigma 

that Hispanic students are 

“supposed” to take on the 

jobs “nobody else wants.” 

“It's kind of just been 

a matter of debunking 

that stigma and getting 

Hispanics to believe in 

themselves and believe that 

they have the power to get 

what would be considered a 

conventionally white man's 

job or finish a white man's 

degree,” Estela said. 

Asian STEM students 

face slightly different 

challenges, Society of Asian 

Scientists and Engineers 

Vice President Susan 

Xiao said. She said her 

organization, like the SHPE, 

was recently recognized by 

the University. 

Xiao said one of the 

biggest challenges for 

Asian students comes after 

graduation. 

“Once we get into the 

workplace, there's not a 

lot of us who end up in 

leadership positions,” 

Xiao said. 

For some students, 

underrepresentation can 

create impostor syndrome. 

Society of Women 

Engineers President Hunter 

Grace Fairfax, a senior 

majoring in computer 

science, said this is a 

problem faced by many 

women in engineering. 

“I’ve suffered with it. 

I’m sure every woman in 

engineering has. They have 

... the mindset of ... ‘This is 

a hard career,’” Fairfax said. 

“They’re almost waiting for 

themselves to get stuck.” 

Breaking into aerospace 

engineering, where women 

made up only 18.8% of fall 

2023 enrollment, can be 

daunting, said President 

of Women of Aeronautics 

and Astronautics Emma 

Barchus, a senior aerospace 

engineering major. 

“It's very important 

to have resources for 

girls, because it's hard to 

reach out to classmates, 

sometimes, when it's all 

men,” Barchus said. 

For Indigenous students, 

however, representation 

in STEM fields is not 

increasing. Kaytie Colbert, 

co-president of the Bama 

Indigenous Student 

Organization Network and a 

junior majoring in nursing, 

said one potential reason is 

lack of scholarships. 

The College of 

Engineering had a 

9.2% 

increase in enrollment of 

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and 

Asian students 

“There aren’t any 

scholarships available for 

Native students at UA,” 

Colbert said. “I definitely 

am not satisfied with what 

UA is doing, because they 

are not actively trying to 

increase enrollment of 

Native students. Honestly, it 

feels like we’re a forgotten 

race of people. But we are 

not — we are still here.” 

Recently, the University 

discontinued its main 

diversity scholarship, 

the National Recognition 

Scholarship, in favor of a 

competitive scholarship 

that does not consider race 

or ethnicity. 

Colbert said Indigenous 

representation in health 

care is particularly 

important, as Native people 

have different traditional 

approaches to medicine 

than Western medicine. 

House did not comment 

about why Indigenous 

representation in STEM on 

campus has 

not increased. 

Why diversity is 

increasing 

Students from 

underrepresented groups 

cited several potential 

reasons why diversity 

is increasing. 

“More people are 

beginning to believe, 

you know, that they're 

capable,” Battle said. “More 

people have access to 

resources and/or parents or 

prominent figures in their 

life, encouraging them to 

pursue their dreams.” 

Fairfax attributed 

the growth in women’s 

representation partly 

to scholarships that the 

University offers for women 

in STEM. 

Several students said 

that a rise in interest in 

STEM fields is a potential 

factor. 

“Now that...technology 

is really, really growing 

and we realize that we 

really can't live without 

technological literacy, it 

has definitely pushed more 

education about technology 

and engineering to younger 

students,” said Cindy Qiu, 

vice president of outreach 

for the Society of Women 

Engineers and a junior 

computer science major. 

Qiu said that the 

combination of taking 

Advanced Placement 

Computer Science in high 

school and hearing a 

guest speaker who led an 

engineering activity in her 

classroom inspired her to 

pursue computer science. 

“Hispanics, especially 

considering most of them 

come from lower-income 

households, are striving for 

career stability and going 

into big money, and that 

happens to be in STEM, 

and there's a ton of growth 

opportunity in STEM,” 

Estela said. 

While being in a STEMrelated 

field has been 

challenging at times for 

Barchus, the work she is 

doing inspires her to 

keep going 

“It is definitely difficult. 

But if you make the right 

connections, and reach out 

to your professors, just put 

in the work, you can do it,” 

Barchus said. “If all the boys 

in my class can do it, then I 

can, too.” 

Editor's Note: Susan Xiao is a 

staff graphic designer for The 

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news 

Path Forward: DEI Plans impact campus community 

Rachel Seale 

Staff Writer, The Crimson White 

Jeffrey Kelly 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chairperson, The Crimson White 

Writing Editor, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

In 2019, G. Christine Taylor, 

vice president and associate 

provost of diversity, equity 

and inclusion, along with a 

committee of faculty, staff 

and students, released a set of 

recommendations in the Path 

Forward Diversity Report with 

the goal of reaching greater 

diversity, equity and inclusion 

on campus. 

Though there hasn’t 

been a visible update to the 

report since 2020, the report 

still serves as an outline 

for productive diversity 

efforts on campus with 

diversity initiatives within 

departments and colleges 

sharing similar objectives to 

Path Forward’s overarching 

goals of recruiting and 

retaining diverse faculty, 

staff and students; creating 

a more welcoming campus 

community; developing 

cultural competency; and 

expanding diversity, equity 

and inclusion infrastructure. 

Matthew Hudnall, an 

associate professor of 

management information 

systems and the president 

of the Faculty Senate, said 

the multifaceted approach of 

Path Forward has established 

a paradigm and mission for 

influencing change. 

“Each college has increased 

the amount of personnel that 

are devoted to increasing 

diversity within their own 

college,” Hudnall said. 

According to their websites, 

nine of the 12 colleges within 

the University have either a 

committee or individual who 

is focused on diversity, equity 

and inclusion efforts for the 

respective college. 

Path Forward has also 

served as an access point for 

needed conversations about 

individual diversity plans. 

Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, 

the president of the Black 

Faculty and Staff Association 

and a community medicine 

and population health 

professor, said that when 

BFSA talks to administration 

about the need for more 

diversity on campus, as with 

its 2022 retention project 

recommendation, the 

organization goes back to 

the Path Forward report to 

articulate its point. 

However, outside 

of discussions of Path 

Forward, Payne-Foster said 

conversations surrounding 

diversity, equity and inclusion 

aren’t just being raised by 

faculty. She said that last 

year, during a meeting about 

accreditation, there was a 

recommendation made for 

more diversity, especially 

in health care professionals 

since the demographics of 

people seeking health care 

are changing. 

“We feel as professors, 

we have to prepare our 

medical students for that 

demographic shift, and many 

of them are not equipped,” 

Payne-Foster said. “They're 

equipped medically to handle 

patients, but not culturally 

to handle patients who are 

different from them.” 

Hudnall said there’s 

significant value in a diverse 

faculty because it introduces 

students to diverse views and 

creates a better environment 

for recruiting diverse 

students. 

Currently, Hudnall serves 

as the co-chair of the hiring 

subcommittee within the 

Culverhouse College of 

Business’ diversity, equity and 

inclusion committee, which 

is creating a system of checks 

and balances to help recruit 

diverse applicants for each 

department by implementing 

a nontraditional marketing 

of positions and a check 

that helps departments 

examine the diversity of their 

application pools. 

The Faculty Senate’s DEI 

committee also works to 

recruit by highlighting events 

like the DEI Summit on 

Disability Among Faculty in 

March or the DEI Breakfast 

in April. 

However, Payne-Foster said 

when it comes to recruitment, 

it's not just the faculty or staff 

member you’re recruiting; it's 

their family too. 

“Say I’m a professor, but 

my husband's not. They need 

to have a job. There’s not a lot 

of job choices here,” she said. 

“If the spouse can't get a job, 

that's going to keep a person 

from coming.” 

Payne-Foster said many 

factors affect the recruiting 

process, like child care, 

school systems, culture, arts, 

environment, etc. 

Yet Path Forward 

emphasizes that recruitment 

is only half the battle for 

lasting diversity. Once 

someone is accepted, it’s 

important to make sure 

they have a welcoming 

environment, professional 

development, support and 

more to ensure that new 

faculty want to stay. 

When it comes to staff 

retention, Hudnall said the 

University’s human resources 

department has reimagined 

the hiring process. Changes 

included new staff titles, 

opening different pay grades, 

increasing pay ranges and 

placing a greater emphasis 

on a candidate’s experience 

and capabilities over their 

education. 

“That's still an important 

check mark, education, 

without a doubt, but they're 

more acknowledging what 

the individual brings to the 

table,” Hudnall said. “I think 

that allows greater retention 

of staff, because the HR 

system is now more flexible, 

to actually understand and 

incorporate the capabilities 

and needs of the individual 

into that process.” 

We feel as professors, 

we have to prepare 

our medical students 

for that demographic 

shift, and many 

of them are not 

equipped. They’re 

equipped medically 

to handle patients, 

but not culturally to 

handle patients who 

are different from 

them. 

Dr. Pamela 

Payne-Foster 

Black Faculty and 

Staff Asscociation 

President 

He said the Office of 

Academic Affairs is in the 

infancy stage of creating 

something similar. 

“I think that's an ongoing 

opportunity that will 

hopefully increase faculty 

retention at UA,” Hudnall said. 

In terms of student 

retention, Hudnall said it's 

about ensuring there are as 

many resources on campus 

as possible to help previously 

under-supported students, 

like Legacy Scholars or the 

Alabama REACH program, so 

these students can succeed 

in college. 

“Greater care is needed 

by the University to provide 

support mechanisms 

for them,” he said. “So, 

I know that the central 

administration has been 

[putting] more and more 

programs and effort and 

money into supporting those 

initiatives.” 

André Denham, 

associate dean for graduate 

academic affairs and a 

former member of the Path 

Forward committee, said 

there are several graduatelevel 

programs created to 

support graduate students, 

like GradACTS, a professional 

development program, Tide 

Together, a mentorship 

program for personal and 

professional success, and 

the newly launched Crimson 

Odyssey, which offers 

mentorship training for 

faculty and students. 

While different 

departments work on creating 

programs to recruit and retain 

faculty, staff and students, 

the creation of respective 

faculty/staff and student 

organizations like the Asian 

American Pacific Islander 

Association, the Hispanic- 

Latino Association, and other 

affinity groups are allowing 

diverse people to build 

community and create a more 

welcoming environment 

through their visibility. 

For Julia Dominguez, the 

president of HLA and a junior 

majoring in political science 

and psychology, and Valentina 

Mora, vice president of HLA 

and a sophomore majoring in 

French and communicative 

disorders, increasing visibility 

in their organization has 

meant hosting cultural events 

for students, like Carnaval, to 

showcase that they are more 

than just a demographic. 

She said even though 

Hispanic or Latino students 

make up a small percentage 

of students on campus — 

6.59%, according to the Office 

of Institutional Research 

and Assessment — they 

are present and want that 

percentage of students to 

know that HLA is here to 

support them and make them 

feel at home. 

As the president of the 

AAPIA, Hee Yun Lee, associate 

dean for research and 

endowed academic chair in 

social work and health, said 

this sentiment also rings true. 

She said the creation 

of the AAPIA was a great 

improvement in diversity 

efforts. Although the 

organization has been 

operating for only a year, it 

has still been able to offer 

support, a sense of belonging 

and advocacy for the 

University’s Asian American 

and Pacific Islander faculty, 

staff and student community. 

Lee said that with every 

past and upcoming event — 

3A 

like the AAPI Heritage Month 

celebration in March, the 

first AAPI-specific graduation 

ceremony in May, or social 

events for community 

members to join in fellowship 

— the organization hopes 

to bring joy to the Asian 

American and Pacific Islander 

communities. 

“I see that our visibility is 

still small, but it will become 

a big impact to the UA 

community as well as the 

Tuscaloosa community,” 

she said. 

While these organizations 

have worked independently 

from Path Forward, the 

original pillars have still 

been shown throughout 

the ongoing work. These 

organizations often find 

themselves collaborating 

with the Division of Diversity, 

Equity and Inclusion, because 

many initiatives can’t be done 

in one department. 

Denham said that 

collaboration was an 

important part of the initial 

report because without it, 

leaders found themselves 

doing more, but were 

duplicating efforts. He said 

he doesn’t think this was 

a bad thing; however, it 

showcased how an absence of 

a centralized structure makes 

people think they must figure 

it out themselves. 

“So, I think it was well 

intentioned, but it actually 

wasn’t productive, because 

as we said, we weren’t all 

moving in the same direction, 

but everybody had the same 

end goal in mind,” he said. 

“You get a whole lot more 

economies of scale when 

everybody’s working together 

collaboratively on the same 

thing and going in the 

same direction.” 

Now, as these organizations 

move individually as well as 

collectively toward increased 

diversity across the board, 

many are worried about 

what the future of diversity, 

equity and inclusion will look 

like given a recent “divisive 

concepts” bill, Senate Bill 129, 

that could potentially halt DEI 

programs in Alabama. 

However, despite an 

unclear future for DEI on 

campuses, many hope that 

things will only get better in 

the post-Path Forward 

report era. 

To read the complete version, 

please visit thecrimsonwhite.com 

CW / Shelby West

4A 

news 

Lawmakers push to cut DEI initiatives across Alabama 

Kay Maxwell 

Race and Identity Reporter 

Assistant Writing Editor, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

Emma Brandenburg 

Contributing Writer, The Crimson White 

Alabama is one of 20 states 

considering restrictions 

on diversity, equity and 

inclusion initiatives in this 

year’s spring 

legislative sessions. 

Republican-led legislatures 

around the country are 

considering several bills 

this year that would 

regulate divisive concepts 

in government institutions, 

cut state-sanctioned DEI 

programs and prohibit 

discussion of so-called 

divisive concepts in 

the classroom. 

In 2023, the legislation was 

approved 9-3 in a committee 

of the state House but failed 

to pass in the Senate. 

This legislative session, 

however, Republican 

lawmakers have decided to 

take a different route. On 

Wednesday, Sen. Will Barfoot, 

R-Pike Road, introduced a 

revised version of the divisive 

concepts bill, Senate Bill 

129, in front of the Senate. A 

revised version has passed in 

the Senate and now awaits a 

vote in the state House. 

This is the third 

consecutive year that 

Alabama Republicans have 

proposed restrictions on 

DEI initiatives. In 2022 and 

2023, state Rep. Ed Oliver, 

R-Dadeville, introduced 

legislation banning the 

promotion of “certain 

concepts” related to race, sex 

and religion in public schools 

and universities. 

Students and faculty have 

begun to question how the 

University will adapt the 

legislation if passed. Richard 

Fording, a political science 

professor, believes that the 

legislation being debated at 

all is concerning. 

“I think it’s awful,” he 

said. “I think this is part of a 

national movement coming 

from the right and the 

Republican party, and a lot 

of it is based in ignorance as 

well as some intolerance.” 

According to the original 

version of SB 129, divisive 

concepts are defined to 

include, for instance, the 

belief that any race, color, 

religion or national origin 

is inherently inferior or 

superior; the assignment 

of worth, morality and 

oppression based on race; 

and assertions that slavery 

and racism are aligned with 

the founding principles of the 

United States. 

The legislation would also 

prevent students from using 

a bathroom that does not 

align with the sex they were 

assigned at birth. 

Additionally, the bill would 

prohibit public entities from 

maintaining DEI offices and 

sponsoring DEI programs. 

The section about 

discussion of slavery and U.S. 

history has been removed 

from the version of the bill 

that passed, and some Title IX 

protections have been added 

as well. 

The bill clarified that 

it will not prohibit state 

agencies from promoting 

“racial, cultural and ethnical 

inclusiveness,” so long as 

state agencies do so in a 

way that complies with the 

bill; prohibit the teaching of 

The Intercultural Diversity Center on the second floor of the Student Center. CW / Riley Thompson 

topics or historical events in a 

historically accurate context; 

or bar student, faculty and 

staff organizations from 

hosting DEI programs or 

holding discussions about 

divisive topics. 

However, these 

organizations may not use 

state funds to hold these 

events, and they must 

identify the sponsors of these 

events at the event and in its 

advertisements. 

Oliver believes that the 

changes made to the bill 

will benefit college students 

statewide. 

“I think the farther we 

move away from DEI, the 

more it will help students in 

general. We would like to be 

about two years ahead of a 

fad if we could,” Oliver said. 

“All of the things that are hotbutton 

issues we see today, 

post George Floyd, will start to 

dissipate within the next year 

or two. That’s just the way 

things flow.” 

Kiana Younker, a master’s 

student in theater with 

a concentration in arts 

management, believes that if 

passed, the banning of statefunded 

DEI initiatives could 

harm minority students. 

“This would be an 

incredibly dangerous initiative 

that jeopardizes the safety of 

not only BIPOC individuals on 

campus but also LGBTQIA+ 

and international student 

programs,” Younker said. 

“Some majors might cease to 

exist under that legislation.” 

Fording said that 

this all stems from a 

misunderstanding about 

what DEI is. 

“There are a lot of 

exaggerated claims about 

what it is that DEI means,” 

Fording said. “There is also 

misinformation about what 

critical race theory means, 

and this whole idea of 

divisive concepts. It’s just 

interesting to me that if we’re 

going to be free speech and 

freedom of expression, that 

should include left and right 

at the very least. You can’t 

implement it just for 

one side.” 

Cassandra Simon, an 

associate professor in the 

School of Social Work, 

said the bill reflects a 

misinterpretation of higher 

education and its purpose. 

“The bill, like similar 

legislation, is based on narrow 

thinking,” Simon said. “I view 

it as is a kitchen sink of bias, 

fear, misunderstanding and 

attempt to control education, 

what it entails and how it is 

put into practice.” 

Bryan Fair, a professor 

in the law school, believes 

that the University is not 

doing enough to combat the 

potential legislation. 

“If I were the university 

president, I would be fighting 

for diversity and inclusion 

and honoring a principle of 

equity,” Fair said. “I would 

explain why this university 

has a special obligation 

to do more than perhaps 

other universities in the 

country. And I would always 

be prepared to go to court 

to defend the principle of 

fairness and equity and 

dismantling systemic racism.” 

Fording hopes to hear more 

support from administrators 

for campus diversity. 

“If this legislation passes, 

I really hope there will be 

more vocal leadership from 

the very top of the university 

administration to sort of 

reaffirm their commitment to 

diversity,” Fording said. 

Fording questioned the 

next steps for the University. 

“What can be done about 

it?” he asked. “If enough of 

us on our campus, students 

and faculty, agree that this is 

a problem, what can we do 

about it?”

photo 

Significant monuments and moments: 

Looking at civil rights locations throughout Tuscaloosa 

CW Photo Desk 

5A 

Foster Auditorium 

Now the home of Alabama volleyball and 

women’s basketball, Foster Auditorium 

became a national historic landmark 

in April 2005 as it was where in 1963, 

then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace stood 

to oppose desegregation of the 

university. 

CW/ Hannah Grace Mayfield 

Howard-Linton Barbershop 

Autherine Lucy, the first Black student 

accepted into the University, was 

threatened and attacked by a violent 

mob on only her third day of studying 

library science. Chased by the mob, Lucy 

took refuge in the barbershop until she 

could be escorted out past the mob later 

that afternoon. 

CW/ Michael Davis 

Dinah Washington Cultural Arts 

Center 

The center is named after Dinah Washington, 

a jazz and blues singer born in 

Tuscaloosa. She became one of the most 

popular African American artists in the 

1950s and was inducted into the Alabama 

Jazz Hall of Fame in 1986 and in 

the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993. 

The home was the home of the “Fertile 

Ground”: The Civil Rights Movement and 

its legacy in the Mississippi Delta exhibit 

in October of 2015. 

CW/ Caroline Simmons 

Hunter Chapel A.M.E Zion Church 

The oldest Black church in Tuscaloosa, it 

was founded in 1866 by Shandy Jones, 

Alabama’s first Black legislator who 

served from 1868 to 1870. 

CW/ Caroline Simmons

Color blindness impedes 

progress 

Nnenna Nwannunu 


don’t see color” is a 

"I statement supposed 

to serve as some sort of 

credibility for those denying 

discrimination accusations, 

but it’s really the 21st 

century’s favorite cop-out. 

Having to acknowledge 

racism and how it affects 

the way we function in 

Western society today is 

uncomfortable. Americans 

hate discomfort. 

The root of this cause 

can be blamed primarily on 

white fragility. Scott Proudfit, 

an associate professor of 

English at Elon University, 

defines white fragility as “a 

will to innocence that serves 

to bury the violence it sits 

on top of.” This definition 

reveals how some white 

people might not realize 

the privileges they have 

simply because they're part 

of a system that gives them 

advantages that they don’t 

notice or pretend not to. 

Race affects us in all 

aspects of our life whether 

we like it or not, and trying 

to create a color-blind 

society directly discredits 

any struggles for equality 

that even allow us to be able 

to have conversations like 

this. 

Color blindness shuts 

down any room to have a 

productive conversation 

about the lives of Black 

and brown people in this 

country. According to a study 

conducted by Pew Research 

Center, 76% of Black people 

believe that their race is very 

important to their identity. 

From the music we listen 

to to the food we eat, the 

clothes we wear, and even 

the way we speak in white 

or Black spaces, so much of 

our identity is to validate the 

fact that we are Black. 

If you ignore the color 

of the skin of not only us 

but also our peers, you are 

not only denying us of our 

experience, but also those 

before us, and those who 

will come after them. It is 

just going to continue to 

build upon itself until it is 

finally acknowledged. The 

same can be said for social 

change. 

Simply taking a look 

around The University of 

Alabama’s campus color 

blindness allows the subtle 

segregation of staff to take 

place. Passivity regarding 

race in predominantly 

white spaces allows for 

the absence of minorities 

in various groups and 

institutions. 

When the U.S. during 

the 1970s is compared to 

how things are now, many 

say there's been a lot of 

progress socially, which 

for some creates a lack of 

urgency regarding any calls 

for further improvement. 

Thinking this way suggests 

that while more progress is 

needed, we've already come 

a long way compared to the 

past, so people think things 

are OK as they are. 

This implies that ideas of 

and benefits of things like 

privilege that stem from 

racism should be forgotten 

and ignored. After all, if 

you're blind to color you’re 

also blind to the struggles 

that are attached to it. 

Advocacy and activism 

are two valuable assets 

in social change, because 

they require not only the 

oppressed to be involved, but 

also those who are part of 

the more privileged society. 

The cop-out “I don’t see 

color” directly impedes this, 

all while glorifying ignorance 

and scrutinizing awareness. 

Ignoring problems does not 

make them go away; they’re 

persistent and never ending. 

You can always count on 

them to be there, like bills on 

the first of the month. 

opinion + culture 

1B 

How the Republican debate highlighted a 

politically divided campus 

Kay Maxwell 

Race and Identity Reporter 

Assistant Writing Editor, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

On Dec. 6, 2023, the 

Republican presidential 

primary debate was held at 

the Moody Music Building, 

making some students 

question if the platforming 

of polarizing individuals and 

organizations is painting a 

narrow picture of the campus. 

“The way the campus 

guest speaker process works 

is that any organization on 

campus is allowed to invite 

someone to speak, and the 

University can't tell them, 

‘No, we don't approve of this,’ 

and the reason is because 

of free speech protections,” 

said Richard Fording, a 

political science professor. 

“But then, if left unregulated, 

what does that population of 

speakers look like? And for 

whatever reason, it seems 

that the representation of 

the speakers on campus is 

heavily right wing.” 

Julia Dominguez, a junior 

majoring in political science, 

said she doesn’t think the 

University does enough to 

seem neutral. 

“Even though it's a public 

university, it doesn’t feel like 

a public university in the 

sense of the politics behind 

everything,” Dominguez said. 

The Republican debate is 

one of a few events featuring 

right-wing figures and 

politicians in recent years that 

the University has approved. 

In April 2023, former Vice 

President Mike Pence spoke 

against “wokeism,” which 

proved divisive. In October 

2022, Matt Walsh was 

invited, a man noted for his 

aggressively anti-LGBTQ+ 

views. 

Both men were invited 

by Young Americans for 

Freedom, an organization on 

campus designed to “provide 

conservative students the 

opportunity to both network 

within the conservative 

movement.” 

However, in a statement 

the University clarified its 

stance on political affiliations. 

“As a public institution, 

UA promotes free speech 

and facilitates numerous 

opportunities for civil 

discourse and the exchange 

of ideas,” the statement read. 

“This includes welcoming 

and supporting student 

organizations’ events and 

invitations to guest speakers. 

Requests are not evaluated 

based on content, ideology or 

political affiliation.” 

Fording questioned if that 

is the best way to go about 

allowing speakers on campus, 

and if it could potentially 

make certain students 

uncomfortable. 

“I think it has detrimental 

consequences because we 

have a lot of students on 

campus who aren’t attracted 

to those kinds of speakers,” 

Fording said. 

Fording said this could also 

create an environment where 

minority students do not feel 

safe. 

“I think with some 

student populations that are 

commonly victimized by hate 

crimes or other acts of bigotry, 

it makes them feel even more 

fearful of being victimized,” 

he said. “What makes it even 

worse is that some of these 

people who come to speak 

are explicitly hostile towards 

certain groups of students.” 

Ja’Kobe Bibbs, a freshman 

majoring in political science, 

said that the University 

provides conflicting messages 

1956 / Lyric Wisdom 

to its minority students. 

“In some ways, it’s really 

good, and in some ways it's 

really bad for disadvantaged 

communities, if you look 

at certain communities 

compared to others,” Bibbs 

said. 

Dominguez suggested 

that the University could do 

more to support vulnerable 

students and references 

the multiple chalking's 

that have appeared on 

campus targeting minorities. 

Recently, campus chalkings 

have sprung up ahead of a 

visit Yeonmi Park, a North 

Korean defector who aligns 

with right-wing values. Park 

was also invited by Young 

Americans for Freedom. 

“If we’re thinking about 

everything that they’re 

allowing to happen on this 

campus, like the chalking 

things that have happened in 

the past years. It doesn’t feel 

like the University cares about 

certain students,” Dominguez 

said. 

Fording said he thinks 

a line must be drawn at 

a certain point because 

this presents a conflicting 

message on freedom of 

speech. 

“I think universities need 

to be a place for open, free 

expression, that’s clear,” he 

said. “The question is, can you 

draw a line to separate what 

[is] legitimate free speech and 

what's harmful speech?” 

Black students are the welcoming faces of UA 

Brandon Smith 

Race and Identity Reporter, The Crimson White 

The Avanti orientation 

team is the University’s 

premier group of students 

that welcomes incoming 

students to campus. They are 

some of the first faces that 

students and their parents 

see when they attend Bama 

Bound and register for 

classes. This year, the Avanti 

team is an organization made 

up predominantly of 

Black students. 

Salome Montague, a 

sophomore majoring in public 

relations and Spanish said the 

perceived racial makeup of 

the orientation team depends 

on the year. When she was an 

incoming student, she said, 

the team was a more evenly 

mixed group. 

On the Avanti website, 

where staff members 

are listed, out of 81 staff 

members, most of the 

leaders appear to be Black or 

people of color, providing the 

opportunity to showcase a 

more diverse University. 

“We try to welcome future 

students the best that we can. 

To make sure they feel that 

UA is the place for them,” said 

William Battle, a sophomore 

majoring in accounting. 

Madison Hoffman, a junior 

majoring in public relations 

and creative media, said 

that she has received the 

odd glance from some of the 

white students and parents 

who come to Bama Bound. 

Battle said much the same 

about a mostly Black student 

group representing 

a predominantly 

white institution. 

“I could tell that we made 

some people feel awkward. 

They weren’t expecting our 

team to look like it does,” 

Battle said. 

Montague, Battle and 

Hoffman all agree that being 

a Black student on the Avanti 

team allows them to make 

the orientation experience for 

incoming students of 

color better. 

Montague, the daughter 

of Jamaican immigrants, 

said that her most impactful 

experiences have been 

connecting with and relating 

to incoming students 

who struggle to adopt the 

University as their home 

away from home. 

Her most prominent 

experience was connecting 

with a Jamaican mother 

whose son would be 

attending the University. 

Montague felt that she made 

a genuine connection with 

the mother, beyond trying to 

sell the University to her. 

Battle feels that the team 

has brought more fervor to 

the program, for example by 

creating a chant to the song 

“Swag Surfin’,” by Fast Life 

Yungstaz, featuring Easton. 

New Avanti orientation leaders pose for a group photo. Courtesy of UA Bama Bound via Instagram 

When Hoffman was asked 

by a girl and her mother if the 

Avanti leaders are normally 

predominantly Black, she 

responded, “No, but we made 

history, and it is for right now.” 

Battle and Hoffman agreed 

that their impact as Avanti 

leaders is being a potential 

inspiration to the students of 

color who choose to attend 

this school. 

“We were showing other 

African American students 

and people of color they can 

be in the same leadership 

position we’re in,” Battle said. 

Similarly, Hoffman said, 

“It’s nice to influence other 

Black people. You can be face 

of this school too.” 

Displaying the diversity 

of the University and 

encouraging students 

from Battle, Hoffman, and 

Montague all stressed the 

importance of the diverse 

student population at the 

university. 

For more information 

about the Avanti team, visit 

its website.

2B 

sports 

Rashinda Reed blazes a trail for the future of Alabama volleyball 

Kendal Wright 

Staff Writer, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

Courtney Larrimore 

Staff Writer, The Crimson White 

Rashinda Reed, head 

coach of the Crimson 

Tide volleyball team, made 

history as The University of 

Alabama’s first Black head 

coach after the resignation 

of Lindsey Devine in 

December of 2021. 

“It was exciting to have 

a new venture,” Reed said. 

“I’m a Georgia alum, so 

being able to come back to 

the Southern region was 

something I was really 

excited about.” 

Before coaching at 

Alabama, Reed was the 

assistant coach for the 

University of Illinois 

volleyball team. 

Reed played volleyball 

for the University of Georgia 

from 2002-04 and graduated 

with a bachelor’s degree 

in psychology. During her 

time at Georgia, her team 

took third place in the SEC 

tournament in 2002-03 and 

took second place in the 

Dutch Super Cup overseas 

with Longa ’59 in 2007-08. 

“Her resume speaks 

for itself. ... From our first 

conversation, we were drawn 

to Rashinda and knew she’d 

be an incredible addition 

to our coaching staff,” 

Greg Byrne, UA director of 

athletics, said. 

Having played for 

many programs, Reed has 

combined each unique 

experience into something 

Black athletes turn hair discrimination into empowerment 

Abby McCreary 

Sports Editor, The Crimson White 

Ta’Kyla Bates 

Editor-in-Chief, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

With her long-awaited 

return to the Olympic 

stage, Gabby Douglas, the 

three-time Olympic gold 

medalist, will look to compete 

in the 2024 Paris Olympics. 

Douglas received the allaround 

gold and the team 

gold in both the 2012 and 2016 

Olympic Games. While her 

achievements were making 

headlines, criticism of her 

hairstyle was making 

national news too. 

During the 2012 Olympic 

Games, viewers criticized 

16-year-old Douglas’ 

supposedly “unkempt” 

ponytail. 

Douglas is just one of 

multitudes of Black female 

athletes who face scrutiny 

regarding their hair. 

Black female athletes who 

experience discrimination 

or criticism due to their hair 

are not isolated cases; they 

represent systemic issues 

rooted in societal prejudices 

and stereotypes. 

Ketra Armstrong, 

a professor of sport 

management and director 

she can use to coach each of 

her athletes individually. She 

also played professionally 

for five years overseas 

in Austria, Spain, the 

Netherlands and Finland. 

Diversity has been a 

constant topic for discussion 

as it pertains to collegiate 

sports, especially among 

leadership roles. According 

to the NCAA demographics 

database, in 2023, out of 

the 20,255 head coaches 

active, only 506 were Black 

women. Being the first Black 

woman to hold such a title 

at the University and the 

responsibility that brings is 

not lost on Reed. 

“I’m representing 

something so much bigger 

than myself in addition to 

not just being a woman of 

color, but a female,” Reed 

said. 

During Reed’s first season 

in 2022, the Crimson Tide 

was ranked in the top three 

in the SEC in aces and digs. 

Alabama also had four 

players, outside hitters Abby 

Marjama, Kendyl Reaugh, 

and Alyiah Wells, and libero 

Victoria Schmer, named 

to the CSC Academic All- 

District list in 2022, which is 

a program record. 

As a woman of color in a 

career where she is in the 

minority, Reed hopes to 

inspire and empower young 

people not to be afraid and 

of the Center for Race & 

Ethnicity in Sport in the 

School of Kinesiology at 

the University of Michigan, 

discusses women such as 

Venus and Serena Williams 

who were once criticized 

for their beaded braids. 

People complained that 

the beads violated tennis 

etiquette and served as a 

distraction, resulting in Venus 

Williams losing a point in the 

Australian Open quarterfinal. 

Venus Williams said 

wearing beads in her hair 

added to her identity on the 

court, especially a court that 

is most often played on by 

white athletes. 

Alabama women’s 

basketball guard Loyal 

McQueen said hair plays a 

big part of her identity on the 

court as well. 

“It’s all about standing 

out and letting the younger 

girls know that it’s OK to 

be different and it’s OK to 

have a different style than a 

protective style like twists or 

braids,” McQueen said. “It’s 

OK to stand out in a different 

to keep pursuing whatever 

they put their minds to. One 

of those players inspired by 

Reed was Wells. 

"I think it's trailblazing to 

show that one of the biggest 

schools in the country is 

hiring Black women to be 

head coaches. She's not in 

a supporting role; no, she's 

it," Wells said. "And I feel 

like if people see us doing it 

and setting that standard ... 

it's causing a chain reaction 

in volleyball, because there 

weren't any Black coaches 

hired in SEC volleyball before 

her. So, I feel like it's going 

to lead to just different 

opportunities, not only 

for coaching, but also for 

administrative roles in the 

future." 

way, so that’s my thought 

process with how I wear 

my hair.” 

With Douglas, it wasn’t so 

much about identity as it was 

being expected to uphold a 

Eurocentric standard of hair. 

“We’ve been indoctrinated 

with European standards 

of what it is, how it should 

be, and what should be,” 

Armstrong said. “Because 

sport is that place where 

we all come together. And it 

really shouldn't matter about 

the color of your skin or the 

texture of your hair, but the 

color of your uniform and the 

character of your game.” 

According to the Good 

Hair Study conducted by 

Perception Institute in 2017, 

1 in 3 Black women said that 

their hair is the reason they 

haven’t exercised, compared 

with 1 in 10 white women. 

“When we think about 

the overall health and wellbeing 

of Black individuals 

understanding hair or not 

wanting to sweat, not wanting 

to sweat out a relaxer, a 

perm, for sake of dominant 

societies’ cultural standards 

of beauty,” said Akilah Carter- 

Francique, who serves as 

the dean for the School of 

Education, Health and Human 

Services at Benedict College. 

Alabama guard Loyal McQueen (#0) dribbles the ball against South Florida on Nov. 16, 2023, at 

Coleman Coliseum. CW / Riley Brown 

Alabama volleyball coach Rashinda Reed in a huddle with her players before a game. 

CW / Elijah McWhorter 

Outside of the impact 

Reed has made on the 

volleyball world, she's also 

made impacts a little closer 

to home. Wells detailed the 

close relationship she has 

with Reed and how she 

got not only a coach but a 

mentor when Alabama hired 

Reed. 

Wells also found 

something she never 

thought she'd get in her new 

coach: a coach who looked 

like her. When coming to 

Alabama, she found herself 

as the only woman of color 

on the team and even in 

many of her classes, and 

because of this, Reed very 

quickly became someone 

Wells could relate to. 

"There are certain things 

As a scholar, Carter-Francique 

has studied diversity, equity 

and inclusion and social 

change in the sports world. 

“Having that straight hair, 

having that relaxer has also 

created challenges, and in 

many ways, health issues for 

we as Black people,” she said. 

I want to say to the 

younger girls, especially 

the girls that look like 

me, to just embrace 

their natural hair and 

just encourage them, 

no matter what other 

people say and no 

matter how challenging 

it is, to be themselves 

through their hair, to 

love it every step and 

every process 

Loyal McQueen 


basketball guard 


basketball guard Reychel 

Douglas said learning how to 

do your hair should not 

be a setback. 

“Even if you don’t know 

how to do your hair just yet, 

just taking the time to be 

patient with yourself and 

learning how to do it can 

really help you grow closer 

with yourself and build that 

self-love, so don’t be scared to 

take that time and learn how 

to do it,” Douglas said. 

Several years ago, 

legislation was passed in 

California to help counter 

these Eurocentric hair 

standards. In 2019, Dove 

and the CROWN Coalition 

created the CROWN Act, 

along with state Sen. Holly 

J. Mitchell. This act helped 

“ensure protection against 

discrimination based on racebased 

hairstyles by extending 

statutory protection to hair 

texture and protective styles 

such as braids, locs, twists 

and knots in the workplace 

and public schools,” according 

to a website created by Dove 

and the CROWN Coalition. 

that you look for and a 

certain experience that 

you wish to have as a Black 

athlete. And being coached 

by a Black female is one of 

those things I never thought 

I would have," Wells said. 

"Just because she could 

empathize and understand 

the struggles I went through 

and was going through as 

well." 

Reed's appointment 

has reverberated not only 

throughout the SEC, but 

also across the collegiate 

volleyball landscape, etching 

her name in history as the 

first Black woman to helm 

the Crimson Tide's volleyball 

program. 

The act has played a 

significant role in recognizing 

the importance of 

representation and diversity 

in sports as well as sparking 

conversation about the 

stigma regarding Black hair. 


basketball guard Aaliyah Nye 

chimed in on the topic, saying 

young girls should never feel 

like they must conform to the 

beauty standard. 

“If they see Loyal wearing 

her puff and they want 

to express themselves by 

wearing their puff, then they 

can wear it,” Nye said. “If they 

see me wearing braids and 

they want braids, maybe we 

can just inspire the younger 

people or just anybody 

around us to just be who they 

are and wear whatever style 

they want to wear.” 

The message carries over 

for others on the team as 

well, as freshman teammate 

Essence Cody said she looks 

to all hair for inspiration. 

“I look up to everybody 

that has natural hair, fluffy, 

curly, just any type of hair, 

especially Loyal because her 

hair is so beautiful and I just 

want to get my hair like that 

one day,” Cody said. 

Although Black female 

athletes and their hair have 

come a long way since 

Venus Williams confronted 

discrimination with her 

beads in 1999, there is still 

a long way to go for the 

double standard, the stigma 

and the discrimination to 

become nonexistent. But 

when McQueen and the 

other Crimson Tide players 

and athletes wear their hair 

the way they want, progress 

continues to be made. 

“I want to say to the 

younger girls, especially the 

girls that look like me, to 

just embrace their natural 

hair and just encourage 

them, no matter what other 

people say and no matter 

how challenging it is, to be 

themselves through their hair, 

to love it every step and every 

process,” McQueen said.

culture 

Bama Flava: Brings Southern cooking to campus 

3B 

Frederick Fitch, the owner of Bama Flava, standing by his food truck. CW / Natalie Teat 

Jeffrey Kelly 

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Chairperson, The Crimson White 

Writing Editor, Nineteen Fifty-Six 

Along the side of Oliver- 

Barnard Hall, the 

bright red Bama Flava food 

truck’s engine sputtered 

as Frederick Fitch, its 

owner, parked the vehicle 

and stepped down onto 

the dewy concrete, ready 

to start another day of 

business in his second 

semester on campus. 

Fitch propped a long 

whiteboard, which featured 

the food truck’s specials for 

the day scrawled in marker 

along with the phrase 

“Smile somebody love you,” 

against the truck’s front tire 

and reentered the vehicle 

to continue preparing for 

opening in an hour at 10 

a.m. 

From then, he and an 

employee would work until 

2 p.m. in the truck, serving 

various Southern foods to 

the UA community, like 

smoked cut wings, slabs of 

ribs, pulled chicken nachos 

and what seemed to be 

some students' favorite 

menu item, pulled pork 

sandwiches. 

“I had one person who 

told me, ‘Man, this here 

needs to be in the stadium.’ 

That was something to 

hear,” Fitch said. “That says 

a lot.” 

Often, Fitch likes to 

stand outside his truck and 

give people samples of the 

pulled pork so they can see 

what the fuss was all about. 

Later, around noon, as 

students filed out of classes 

and onto the sidewalks, 

Ashanti Pointer, a junior 

majoring in kinesiology 

and returning customer, 

stood in line at Bama Flava 

waiting to order one of 

today’s specials, spaghetti. 

Usually, Pointer said, 

her go-to choice was the 

pulled pork nachos because 

the pulled pork reminded 

her of her grandfather’s 

cooking back home, but 

when she comes to the 

food truck, she likes trying 

out the different specials 

for 

the day. 

Fitch said it brings him 

joy to know he’s providing a 

good product to 

his customers. 

In a statement, Bruce 

McVeagh, Bama Dining’s 

district manager, wrote, 

"Bama Dining is extremely 

happy to partner with 

such a talented culinary 

professional as Bama Flava 

on the campus.” 

However, Fitch said he 

feels like he’s still getting a 

feel for the University since 

it’s been a long journey for 

Bama Flava 

to campus. 

Bama Flava started 

in July 2016 while Fitch 

was working at a plant in 

Cottondale. He saw a need 

This is our water. 

Help UA protect it. 

Only rain down the drain. 

for a restaurant nearby 

because employees were 

given only 30 minutes for 

lunch, which many found 

impossible if they didn’t 

bring something from 

home. 

“So, when I left the plant, 

I was already in transition 

with the business,” Fitch 

said. 

He returned to the plant 

not long after with a food 

trailer, and since then, 

Fitch has been serving his 

former co-workers and the 

surrounding Cottondale 

and Tuscaloosa community 

for almost eight years. 

Fitch said it’s always 

been a goal to get the 

food trailer on campus, 

but when he began doing 

research into it he realized 

that the University 

wouldn’t allow trailers, so 

he had to spend some time 

regrouping before he tried 

again. 

He said these past few 

years have been a roller 

coaster but a welcome 

journey because the 

challenges made meeting 

his goal feel even better. 

Essie Banks, one of 

Fitch’s employees, has 

been working with him for 

three years and said it’s 

been wonderful working on 

campus and meeting new 

people. 

“All the students out 

there are good people, and 

they always speak to me 

and smile. If I smile or say 

hello, they always respond,” 

Banks said. 

Banks said the positive 

response on campus has 

meant a lot to her because 

the Bama Flava team is like 

a family. 

This bond is also 

reflected in the food Bama 

Flava prepares. Not only 

did both Fitch and Banks 

learn to cook from their 

respective mothers when 

they were young, but many 

of the truck’s recipes are 

adapted from recipes 

Fitch’s and his employees’ 

families created. 

Fitch said his mother 

died before he started the 

business, but the recipes, 

like his banana pudding, 

are a part of his mother 

that is still with him. 

“She’d be, I think, 

overjoyed to see where 

her son has came from to 

where he is now,” he said. 

Along with the banana 

pudding, Fitch said one of 

his favorite things to make 

is the smoked turkey leg 

or “bam bam,” as he likes 

to call it. He said he likes 

smoked turkey when it’s 

cooked right, but if not, it’s 

like throwing money in the 

trash. 

“Over here at Bama 

Flava, I think I got it right,” 

Fitch said. “Most places, 

when you say you want 

some turkey, they think 

it’s dry, but no, not here. 

The turkey is very juicy — 

tender, really falling off the 

bone.” 

Fitch’s favorite part 

of running a food truck 

on campus is building 

relationships with 

customers. He said he’s 

proud to have return 

customers because it lets 

him know he’s doing a good 

job. 

“We are confident that 

this relationship will 

continue to bring both 

memorable moments and 

delicious offerings to our 

students, faculty/staff and 

campus visitors,” McVeagh 

wrote. “We look forward 

to seeing what the future 

holds for this partnership.” 

Fitch said every day 

is trial and error, so he 

strives to be better, and he’s 

thankful to customers old 

and new and anyone who’s 

offered support from the 

beginning to now. 

“Thank y’all from the 

bottom of my heart. It’s a 

dream come true,” Fitch 

said. “Be on the lookout for 

more; we’re coming with 

more, bigger and better.” 

To stay up to date with 

Bama Flava, interested 

patrons can follow the 

business on Instagram or 

find it on campus Monday 

through Friday from 10 

a.m.-2 p.m. Its scheduled 

location can be found on 

the Bama Dining website. 

Shop Boots, 

Jeans, & Hats 

For questions, comments, or concerns 

about Storm Water, contact 

Environmental Health & Safety 

(205) 348-5905 | ehu.ua.edu | @EHS_UA 

at The Wharf 

in Northport 

220 Mcfarland Blvd N (205)-752-2075

4B 

1956 / Lyric Wisdom 

2023 saw an 

unprecedented spike in 

anti-LGBTQ+ legislation 

across the nation, with at 

least 510 bills introduced 

at the state level. At the 

same time, there have been 

attempts to ban critical 

race theory, with 783 

anti-CRT measures being 

introduced across the 

country. 

For Black and queer 

youth, the erasure of Black 

and queer representation 

in education can have 

detrimental effects on 

their self-perception. 

Examples of this can 

be seen in Florida, where 

Gov. Ron DeSantis has 

signed off on various 

bills attacking LGBTQ+ 

individuals and critical 

race theory. These bills 

include banning classroom 

instruction on sexual 

orientation and gender 

identity, and extensive 

book bans, particularly 

of books highlighting 

queerness and Blackness. 

“I do think that it 

creates this mass narrative 

that villainizes people 

that aren’t just straight 

and white, and I hate 

that,” said Isaiah Caldwell, 

community director for 

the Magic City Acceptance 

Center in Birmingham. 

One course being 

banned is Advanced 

Placement African 

American Studies, which 

includes lessons on 

queer abolitionists and 

revolutionaries. 

In an interview with 

the Advocate, Brandon 

Wolf, press secretary for 

Equality Florida, spoke on 

the importance of youth 

learning about Black, 

queer history. 

“It sounds like Ron 

DeSantis would himself 

benefit from taking AP 

African American Studies, 

as he has no knowledge 

of the critical role that 

culture 

A moment in the spotlight: 

Black women make waves in the music industry 

Nineteen Fifty-Six Staff 

Black women have 

seen an uptick in 

the recognition of the 

contributions they have 

made to music. 

The recent Grammy 

wins for singer-songwriter 

Victoria Monét are 

monumental in an 

industry that has not 

always recognized the 

talents of Black women. 

Her award for best new 

artist earlier this month 

served as a culmination of 

a 15-year effort from the 

Atlanta-born singer. 

“I just want to say 

to everybody who has a 

dream, I want you to look 

at this as an example,” 

Monét said in her 

acceptance speech. “I like 

to liken myself to a plant, 

and I feel like today I’m 

sprouting, finally above 

ground.” 

Even in genres not 

dominated by Black 

women, They are still 

heavily involved in the 

process either literally 

or by influence. Many 

mainstream pop stars like 

Ariana Grande have been 

influenced by and work 

with Black women to make 

their music come to life. 

Monét is one of 

Grande’s most frequent 

collaborators, penning 

songs like “7 Rings,” 

“Thank U, Next” and 

“34+35” with the singer. 

She has finally stepped 

into the limelight, creating 

a space in music for 

herself. 

Genres such as R&B and 

hip-hop have been heavily 

influenced by Black 

women, even though these 

genres have historically 

been dominated by men. 

From ’60s artists such 

as Aretha Franklin and 

the Supremes, to ’90s 

hitmakers like Whitney 

Houston, Janet Jackson 

and Mariah Carey, Black 

women have continued 

to emerge as influential 

figures and trailblazers for 

upcoming generations. 

Allisyn Freeman, a 

freshman majoring in 

news media and member 

of the Million Dollar Band, 

has drawn inspiration 

from Black female 

musicians in every aspect 

of her life. She said Black 

women are forced to go 

the extra mile to gain the 

recognition they deserve. 

“I feel like society 

is always praying on 

Black women’s downfall 

because they don’t want 

to see us win or do well,” 

Freeman said. “I think that 

something that’s promoted 

is not our strengths, but 

what can be perceived 

as our weaknesses. But 

honestly, I think that 

makes us stronger as Black 

women, because we’ve 

never had anybody rooting 

for us, we’ve had to do 

it ourselves.” 

While Black women 

may be widely known 

for their contributions to 

R&B, hip-hop and soul, 

their artistry can hardly 

be relegated to those three 

genres. Their presence 

can be found in pop, folk, 

country, punk rock and 

LGBTQ+ youth of color are caught in a web of restrictions 

Angelina Bearden 


many other genres. 

Black female artists 

like Ohio native Tracy 

Chapman, who has been 

a mainstay in the music 

industry for decades, 

mainly known for her folk/ 

blues rock sound, have 

seen a resurgence in the 

last few months. 

Chapman graced the 

Grammys stage this year 

and performed her wildly 

popular song “Fast Car” 

with Luke Combs. The 

35-year-old song recently 

skyrocketed back into the 

Billboard Hot 100 charts 

for the first time since its 

1988 release, sitting at 

No. 42. 

Beyoncé, a pillar of the 

music industry for almost 

three decades, has also 

transitioned into country 

music. With the release of 

her new songs “Texas Hold 

’Em” and “16 Carriages,” 

she has set out on a 

mission to reclaim country 

music as a space for 

Black artistry. 

With speculation of her 

forthcoming album, 

“Act II” — following 

“Renaissance” — being 

a country album, many 

country music enthusiasts 

have spoken out against 

this change. Some have 

even gone as far as to 

exclude her newest work 

from the category of 

country music. 

An Oklahoma radio 

station, KYKC, refused 

to play Beyoncé on the 

airways, responding in an 

email to a fan saying, “we 

do not play Beyonce on 

KYKC as we are a country 

music station,” sparking 

queer people have played 

in Black history in our 

country,” Wolf said. 

Joshua Baker, a graduate 

student in philosophy 

and youth programs 

coordinator for The Knights 

and Orchids Society, a 

grassroots organization 

focused on fighting racial 

and gender injustice, 

personally felt that the 

Alabama education system 

tried to erase his identity 

as a Black, queer man. 

“From a formal 

perspective, there was no 

education as a queer man 

who knew very young, I 

was having to recharge 

myself and look for TV 

shows and have to, like, 

kind of piece together 

these fantasies of what 

your life could be,” 

Baker said. 

Research has 

shown how important 

representation is, 

especially for historically 

marginalized communities. 

Three-quarters of Black 

parents agree that 

representation is important 

in the media that their 

children consume, and 89% 

of LGBTQ+ youth reported 

that seeing their sexuality 

represented in the media 

made them feel good about 

being LGBTQ+. 

“When we’re able to 

see Black, queer joy, we’re 

able to imagine ourselves 

within Black, queer joy, 

right?” 

Baker said. 

According to a study 

conducted by The Trevor 

Project, 44% of Black 

LGBTQ+ youth seriously 

considered suicide in 2023, 

and 2 in 3 youth reported 

that their mental health 

declined drastically after 

hearing about potential 

bans on the discussion of 

LGBTQ+ people in schools. 

backlash from fans. 

Despite this, Beyoncé’s 

“Texas Hold ’Em” has 

reached the top of the 

Billboard country charts, 

making her the first Black 

woman to achieve 

this milestone. 

Beyoncé is determined 

to highlight the roots 

music genres founded by 

the Black community. 

The woes Black women 

face within the industry 

stem from both patriarchal 

and societal norms 

that enforce negative 

stereotypes and ideals 

on artists. Colorism, for 

example, runs rampant 

throughout the industry, 

making it difficult for 

darker-skinned artists to 

gain the success that they 

deserve. However, artists 

“If the only narratives 

we see are around grief, or 

around trauma, that might 

be the only way we think 

about our ability to exist, 

right?” Baker said. 

Erasing Black and queer 

history takes away more 

than just lessons on past 

events; it also takes away 

important connections of 

self-acceptance, identity 

and important experiences 

that aid in personality 

development for youth, 

advocates say. To Baker, 

this erasure isn’t new. 

“The reality is, we’ve 

been very closed off 

from education and 

representations of 

ourselves for years,” 

Baker said. 

While legislation 

changes are sweeping the 

nation, local organizations 

are still providing safe 

spaces and educational 

opportunities for youth 

and adults alike to learn 

about LGBTQ+ and Black 

history. 

Caldwell and Lauren 

Jacobs, assistant director of 

the Magic City Acceptance 

Center, work with LGBTQ+ 

youth, providing history 

lessons, safe spaces and 

fun community events. 

Magic City Acceptance 

Center hosts educational 

forums for both parents 

and youth, adult LGBTQ+ 

events, and proms 

specifically for queer 

youth that may not be 

allowed to show their 

identity in their schools. 

The center hosts inperson 

events and closely 

monitors a Discord chat 

that allows queer youth 

to hold conversations 

about identity and 

self-acceptance. 

“Knowing that you 

deserve that space for 

yourself to be authentically 

such as Coco Jones are 

changing this narrative 

and gaining mainstream 

success. 

“I definitely feel like 

the industry for darkskinned 

Black women has 

gotten better and better, 

especially since I was a 

young girl,” Jones said in 

an interview with People 

magazine in 2023. “And I 

think the more storylines 

and the more positions 

of power that are told 

from a woman of color's 

perspective, the more 

opportunities [there are] 

for women to play those 

roles and to hire women 

that would understand 

those storylines.” 

Victoria Monét won best new artist, best R&B album and best engineered album, non-classical, at the 

2024 Grammys on Feb. 4. Courtesy of Dalvin Adams via Instagram. 

you, regardless if other 

people are able to meet 

you there, you being able to 

build that strength within 

yourself is huge,” 

Jacobs said. 

Both Jacobs and 

Caldwell provide youth 

with advice about 

accepting themselves and 

learning to love who 

they are. 

“It’s more harmful to try 

to be someone that you’re 

not, and not realizing that 

you have to be yourself, 

because there is only one 

you,” Caldwell said. 

Jacobs believes students 

being able to find support 

networks like the Magic 

City Acceptance Center 

is important because it 

shows them that they are 

loved and deserving of joy. 

“You deserve an 

Alabama that’s going 

to not just tolerate, not 

just accept but actually 

celebrate you in your 

Blackness, queerness, 

transness and all of those 

intersections,” Jacobs said. 

Though Black and 

LGBTQ+ history is being 

challenged within 

educational systems, many 

youths are still living 

and learning through 

peers, social media and 

their own experiences, 

creating a new narrative 

for themselves and those 

around them. 

“You can try and clamp 

down on these topics in 

our educational spaces, but 

you are not going to ever 

eradicate LGBTQ people 

and LGBTQ youth. Period,” 

Jacobs said. 

For more information on 

these organizations, visit 

www.tkosociety.org and 

www.magiccityacceptance 

center.org

opinion 

The Capstone should be a home to everyone 

Angel Scales 

Contributing Columnist, The Crimson White 

The University of 

Alabama has nearly 

40,000 students enrolled, 

setting a new record in fall 

2023. Of those students, 

about 23.3% are from ethnic 

and racial minority groups. 

The University’s 

website boasts of its 

“record enrollment of 

9,342 ethnic and racial 

minority students” and 

the “highest number 

of under-represented 

minority students enrolled 

at any university in 

the State of Alabama.” 

However, it still seems 

as if minority students 

aren’t experiencing a fully 

“welcoming” campus. 

What does a welcoming 

campus look like? There 

should be an obvious 

safe and comfortable 

climate. Not safe in the 

way that there is a low 

crime rate (although that is 

important), but safe in the 

way that minorities aren’t 

hesitant to “be a minority 

in a certain place.” In other 

words, there should be an 

increase in overall diversity 

(this includes staff). 

The University has 

notably made efforts to 

try to fix its dark past. In 

2022, the University of 

Alabama System’s board of 

trustees voted to rename 

an academic building after 

facing criticism for the 

original name honoring 

Bibb Graves, former 

Alabama governor and 

leader in the Ku Klux Klan. 

The building is now called 

Autherine Lucy Hall, after 

the first Black student at 

The University of Alabama. 

At first, the University 

sought to combine the two 

names, which was met 

with immediate backlash. 

Other universities, such as 

Troy University, promptly 

removed the former 

governor’s name from their 

buildings as well. The new 

question being asked was, 

“Does his history of racism 

outweigh his positive 

achievements, so much 

so that he should not be 

honored with a building 

named after him?” — for 

Graves, the short answer 

is yes. 

The longer answer 

comes in the form of a 

rhetorical question: How 

would you feel if you were 

a Black student, newly 

enrolled in a predominantly 

white institution that 

claims to promote and 

encourage diversity on 

its campus, but you had 

to enter buildings named 

after people who, if they 

were alive, would be utterly 

disgusted to see you on 

that campus? 

Unfortunately, this is 

still the reality for many 

Black students, as the 

University still has many 

buildings named after 

racists, like B.B. Comer Hall 

and the Gorgas buildings, 

completely ignoring 

the problematic actions 

these people have done 

in favor of honoring the 

good they’ve supposedly 

exhibited. 

Aside from honoring 

racists, the University also 

has noticeable differences 

between its white and Black 

sororities and fraternities. 

The predominantly white 

sororities and fraternities 

each have their own “rows,” 

which showcase their 

large, gorgeous houses. The 

Divine Nine, predominantly 

Black sororities and 

fraternities, aren’t given 

that luxury. 

One could argue that D9 

aren’t given the pretty, big 

houses because there aren’t 

enough Black students 

to fill such houses, but 

that would be a lie. There 

are thousands of Black 

students on campus, many 

of whom are in 

Greek life. 

In 2023, the streaming 

platform Max released 

a documentary on The 

University of Alabama’s 

“rush” process. Rush, 

according to Forbes, is “a 

series of recruitment events 

prospective members must 

undergo to get a ‘bid’ to 

join a collegiate Greek 

organization.” #BamaRush 

trends on TikTok like 

clockwork each year as new 

freshmen come to campus. 

The Greek life culture is 

undeniably a major reason 

why people come to the 

University. Since sororities 

and fraternities are so well 

liked on the Capstone’s 

campus, the D9 should be 

offered the same lavishness 

as their predominantly 

white counterparts. 

The University’s efforts 

to promote diversity and 

inclusion for Black students 

are commendable, as it has 

changed some building 

names, and mySource — 

a website dedicated to 

providing information for 

events and organizations 

at UA — lists a plethora of 

clubs dedicated to minority 

students. The University 

also offers courses 

revolving around minority 

studies, like AAST 375: 

Freedom Beyond Rights. 

However, minority 

students still need more 

representation and 

sensitivity. 

For example, the 

University’s official fight 

song, “Yea Alabama,” still 

includes the line “You’re 

Dixie’s football pride,” a nod 

to the South’s antebellum 

period. Tammy Ingram, a 

historian, said the word is 

offensive because it “evokes 

a very nostalgic and 

romanticized view 

of slavery.” 

This sparked an 

organized campaign in 

2022 as activists on campus 

sought to get the lyrics 

changed. Cassandra Simon, 

an associate professor of 

social work involved with 

the campaign, said she 

had “stopped going to all 

athletic events” once she 

realized how prevalent the 

fight song was. 

Unfortunately, this issue 

was more or less ignored 

as students on campus 

counteracted the petition, 

claiming the lyrics show 

pride about where they 

come from. 

This was just one 

example of Black voices 

being quieted and reduced 

to nothing but a “woke 

agenda,” a term often used 

to minimize the real issues 

minority groups bring up to 

promote a more progressive 

society. 

More recently, in 2023, 

UA decided to rid itself of 

its National Recognition 

Scholarship, an award 

dedicated to minority 

students (and something 

I was awarded when I was 

accepted into this school). 

Reminiscent of the ending 

of affirmative action, all 

minority students are 

affected by this decision, 

and it only hurts us in the 

long run. 

The number of anti- 

Black comments I’ve heard 

is horrific, and I’ve often 

found myself not knowing 

what to do when I’m faced 

with this. Speaking up is an 

obvious solution, but I often 

come to the realization that 

the people saying these 

things are the people who 

are most valued on 

this campus. 

I shouldn’t have to doubt 

that the University would 

take action against these 

5B 

people. But I do. I think I’ll 

be humored for a while, 

but then ignored, and I can 

only assume other minority 

students feel the same way. 

Steps have been taken 

to make up for the school’s 

racist past, and that’s great, 

but I can’t help but feel as if 

I’m still an oddball on this 

campus. Work still needs 

to be done, and there are 

two specific reforms I think 

should be implemented. 

Before freshmen and 

transfer students arrive, 

they’re taken on a two-day 

orientation that tours the 

campus and allows new 

students to be acclimated. 

I think there should be 

a brief talk on diversity 

added to orientation. Not 

the usual “The University 

values all our students and 

promotes diversity” talk, 

but instead a very blunt 

and serious conversation 

about what diversity 

looks like, how minority 

students on campus can 

access different resources, 

and how no behaviors 

emphasizing any “phobics” 

or discriminatory “isms” are 

allowed on campus. 

Minority students should 

also be given a resource 

that will allow them to 

quickly and safely report 

any discrimination (in any 

capacity). We should be able 

to report these instances as 

soon as they happen and be 

taken seriously and 

with respect. 

The University of 

Alabama certainly has an 

ugly past, but if it continues 

to push for a campus that 

reflects a diverse and 

welcoming society, all 

minority students would be 

more comfortable.

The Crimson White Print Edition - February 29th, 2024

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