Center for Multicultural Education

February 7, 2014 VOICES Promoting Diversity in the University Community and Beyond...

Inside this Issue: Women in the

Dr. Blackwell Piece: 2 Dorothy Height If We Must Die

The Crisis in The 3 After completing her Ella Baker was a Dorothy Height’s civil Central African master’s degree at Atlanta prominent leader in the rights career began when Republic University, she accepted a Civil Rights Movement. she joined the National Remembering Pete 4 teaching position at However, she believed the Council of Negro Women. Seeger and Black His- Alabama State College in movement should not Eventually, she was elect- tory Month Preview Montgomery. Here she place emphasis on a single ed president and brought WGS V-Week Preview 5 joined the Women’s Polit- charismatic leader, rather, black and white women ical Council and would on group process and con- together to converse in an later become president. sensus. She started off as a effort called “Wednesdays Her focus was on racist secretary for the NAACP in Mississippi.” New Word Search 6 bus policies. The night of and cofounded In Friend- Height was present at and Crossword Puzzle ship to raise funds to fight most of the major events Answers ’ arrest, Rob- inson stayed up all night against . of the Civil Rights Move- Upcoming Voices and 7 organizing what would be Subsequently, she be- ments. She was at Pres. Student Worker known as the Montgom- came Executive of the Johnson’s signing of the Highlight ery Bus Boycott. SCLC, where she became Voting Rights act in the Although Robinson especially known for her White House in 1965. tried to stay behind the organizational skills. Many of the issues she scenes, she was a victim Baker used those skills to focused on dealt with TRIVIA of several police brutali- help start the Student black women and unem- Nonviolent Coordinating ployment, illiteracy and  What city did Diane ties. She kept moving Committee (SNCC). How voter awareness. In 1994, Nash grow up in? forward though, and helped sustain the boy- the youth in the movement she was awarded the  What year did Fan- cott by providing loved her! Presidential Medal of nie Lou Hammer t r a n s p o r t a t i o n f o r Freedom, and in 2004, attend the Demo- boycotters. she won the Congression- cratic National al Gold Medal. Convention?  Which hall of fame was inducted into in 2009?

Come to CME with Trivia answers to win prizes!

http://www.aaregistry.org/ http://ellabakercenter.org/about/who- http://www.ncnw.org/about/height.htm historic_events/view/jo-ann-gibson- was-ella-baker robinson-was-unsung-activist Page 2

By: Dr. Michael D. Blackwell

If we must die—let it not be like hogs Hunted and penned in an inglorious spot, While round us bark the mad and hungry dogs, Making their mock at our accursed lot. If we must die—oh, let us nobly die, So that our precious blood may not be shed In vain; then even the monsters we defy Shall be constrained to honor us though dead! Oh, Kinsmen! We must meet the common foe; Though far outnumbered, let us show us brave, And for their thousand blows deal one deathblow! What though before us lies the open grave? Like men we'll face the murderous, cowardly pack, Pressed to the wall, dying, but fighting back!

What prompts a person to write a po- and returned to his hometown! the extent of second-class citizen- em such as this one called “If We Must McKay continued to write poetry ship and fiscal decline in black Die”? It seems provocative, over-the- during his stints in Brown’s Town neighborhoods. It was under these top, inciting of violence, and crying of and Kingston. However, the na- inhumane conditions that McKay, foul. Perhaps, a little context is neces- ture of those poems drastically angry as all get-out, summoned the sary to understand what prompted such altered. Instead of writing about courage to write “If We Must Die.” a verse and call to action. the joys of living in beautiful Ja- The poem was a kind of call to The author is Claude McKay (1889- maicaland, McKay began to pen arms, compelling folks to fight their 1948) who was born in Sunny Ville, Ja- poems depicting the miserable own penury by retaliating against maica. He grew up among peasant side of life as urban blacks. In their white oppressors. farmers who inculcated in him a sense 1912, two collections of McKay’s It is a marvelous poem! Beauti- of national and cultural pride. He ex- poems appeared in print: Songs of fully written, direct, and full of pa- pressed an early interest in literature, Jamaica and Constab Ballads. thos and impassioned fury, it defies and had a proclivity for the stories and The former received award recog- its narrow standpoint by transcend- poetry of English masters. Under the nition; the latter painted a dismal ing the minutia of a particular race tutelage of his schoolteacher brother picture of impoverishment in to encourage those who are margin- and a neighbor, McKay started first to Kingston. With the monies he re- alized around the world and rises mimic these writers—for which he had ceived for Songs of Jamaica from above the burgeoning Harlem Re- noticeable skill—until he was urged to the Jamaican Institute of Arts and naissance to encompass and imbue utilize his own Jamaican dialect. Sciences, McKay ventured to the time’s infinitude. It is a poem for At seventeen, McKay moved from : first to Tuskegee in the ages. 125 years after the birth of Sunny Ville to Kingston. While Sunny Alabama, then to Kansas State, this literary giant, the poem re- Ville was predominantly black and ru- and finally to the sleepless city of mains inspirational for countless ral, Kingston was primarily white and New York. advocates for and activists of social urban. It was a sea change for McKay, Yes, you guessed it! The pangs justice worldwide! i.e., a culture shock. It was in Kingston of living in Kingston returned to that McKay was exposed to inveterate, him while living in the squalid multidimensional poverty. From illiter- confinements of Harlem USA. The acy to dilapidated housing and home- good thing for many Harlemites lessness, Kingston shone a light on the and posterity is that he started multiple and cumulative effects of racial writing feverishly again. The rav- discrimination. McKay could not stom- aging and pillaging of modern cap- ach this blight upon humanity, so he left italism reared their ugly heads as his apprenticeship, pulled up stakes, affluent surroundings determined Page 3

By: Diane Ihimbazwe

Capital city: Bangui The Central African Republic (CAR) Bangui, Catherine Samba-Panza, Population: 5,166,510 is a landlocked country, approximate- was elected as interim President on ly the size of Texas. It is one of the January 20. She was the first wom- Government: Republic least developed countries not only in an elected chosen as President of Official Languages: Africa, but also in the world. In CAR. With a well-practiced legal French, Sango and Tribal Languages 2013, rebels called Sekela ousted for- mind, she has inspired others to Total Area: 240,535 (sq. miles) mer Central African Republic Presi- believe she can lift the country out Religion: Indigenous beliefs dent, Francois Bozize. They are most- of the black hole in which they were 35%, Protestant 25%, ly Muslim and originate from the mired for many years.

Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim Northern part of the country. Nevertheless, the struggles in 15% These rebel groups have been en- CAR will continue for some time. gaged in battles with current govern- As a survivor of the Rwandan Geno- ment troops. A peacekeeping deal cide, I am acutely aware that inten- between the government and the re- sive and extensive crises of violence bels was established in 2008; howev- will not disappear overnight, so to er, Bozize broke the agreement and speak. Frequently, support from the rebel group installed Michel the international community is Djotodia as the interim President. slow and token. Current news about By March 2013, Bozize, had been in the situation in CAR is sporadic and power for a decade. Rebel forces took untrustworthy. As a matter of fact, over Bangui, the capital of CAR and for many people around the world, their leader, Djotodia, accused the and particularly in well-developed disgraced former President of crimes countries such as the United States against humanity and incitement to and Great Britain, the situation in Genocide. CAR is completely off their radar. Over the past year, there have been Problems in the Middle East have The Central Afrian Republic map. clashes between the rebels and the continued to seize their attentions, The violence is majorly in Bangui, former President. Violence has esca- so much so that the strife in CAR is the capital city of the CAR. lated and hundreds of civilians have scarcely noticeable. Information been tortured, raped and/or killed. about the tensions there and the Hunger and poverty are rampant in a lack of response to them remind me country that has rich deposits of gold, how cries of “Never Again” quickly diamonds and uranium. diminish and weaken in resolve. As a result, 20% of the population, The above notwithstanding, I still according to the BBC, has fled from have hope that things will get better CAR—seeking refuge in neighboring in CAR, as they have in Rwanda. countries like Chad and Cameroon. Certainly, things are not perfect in Meanwhile, the Sekela army has either country, but I feel that we are forced children to join its ranks. In turning a corner in the former, even true retaliatory fashion, Christian mi- as the people in the latter are on the litias have employed similar insidious verge of turning a page themselves. The Central African tactics since September past as their There is an old Rwandan proverb Republic Flag Muslim counterparts. that says, “Every cackling hen was Promising new developments have an egg at first.” CAR will not sprout recently occurred that might effect into a model democracy just be- positive, constructive change. For cause we want it to do so; it will example, on January 10 of this year, take hard work and the help of Djotodia resigned under international countless others to shape a respect- pressure primarily from other African able republic. So let’s get busy! leaders. Subsequently, the mayor of Page 4

By: Dr. Michael D. Blackwell Mother of Gospel, Mahalia Jack- standing, his greatest attribute was son, the Jamaican crooner, Harry his knack for conveying utmost sin- Belafonte, and folk singers such as cerity and the rightness of the Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul, and Mary, cause. In his honor, let us hammer and Joan Baez must also be the hammer of justice, ring the bell mentioned. of freedom, and sing the song about While in undergraduate school, I love between my brothers and my was thrilled, one day, to encounter sisters all over this land. He will be the guitar-slinging Kate Seeger. At sorely missed! the time, she was still honing her craft; nevertheless, I was mesmer- ized by her presence because she An undeniably central part of social was a niece of renowned sing-along movements is the singing of songs. king, namely, the late Pete Seeger. When reflecting on the Civil Rights He died January 27, 2014. Seeger Movement, it is nearly impossible not to got over on the crowd not because call up a variety of songs. Much of the he had a great voice, but rather be- music from that movement was adapta- cause he had the uncanny ability to tions of gospel and popular songs. Any coax people to join in. He helped historian of the Civil Rights Movement them to embody the songs that he worth one’s salt cannot omit, for exam- was singing: to use their bodies as ple, “” and “Woke Up instruments and their voices to rep- This Morning with My Mind Stayed on licate environmental sounds. He Freedom.” Moreover, singers such as the was a genius! The above notwith-

By: Zach Owens, CME Student Worker

Black History Month showcases the The Divine 9 Stroll Off (February

culture of African Americans and the 22) will be an exciting and fun night. issues they face. The Black Student This year, the Toast for Change Union (BSU) decided three years ago (February 28) is featuring a self- to expand its observance on campus, made millionaire! But we are also and the past two years have gone great! bringing in some new events that will This year we are doing things a little hopefully go over well. We are having bit differently! We are bringing back a a game show that is taking place Feb- couple of events that made the most ruary 6 in the Maucker Union Ball- impact, such as: Disco Skate (January room at 8pm. And we are also having 31) at the Wellness and Recreation a soul food night at the Wesley Center Center in the intramural courts 1-4 at 8 that’s from 3-6 pm. We are hoping to pm; and Teju the Storyteller in the build upon last year’s Black History Coffee House of the Maucker Union on Month. I hope to see you at these February 13 at 7 pm. For movie night, events! we are playing (February 17); we are also reprising Tunnel of *Please see the calendar on the fol-

http://www.impawards.com/2013/ Oppression (February 19). lowing page for a complete listing of butler_ver2.html events Page 5

By: Susan Johnson, WGS Intern

be discussing his film, “Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes.” “Until http://www.uni.edu/csbs/ the Violence Stops,” hosted by the womenstudies/v-week-events. Take Feminist Action League, serves as part in UNI V-Week: end the vio- an introduction to the V-Day organ- lence, and help bring about a victo- ization and the work that it has ry. done over the past ten years to im- pact the lives of women and girls. V-Week Schedule of Byron Hurt will be discussing the On February 14, 2014, the letter V social phenomenon of hip hop and Events will not just stand for “Valentine,” how that particular subculture pre- V-Men Workshop but for “vulva," "vagina,” “violence,” sents stereotypes of sexism, vio- Monday, February 10 and “victory.” During the week of lence, and homophobia. His docu- Valentine’s Day, February 10-16, mentary includes interviews with 3:00 p.m. UNI will be celebrating V-Week, famous rappers and producers, ask- Location: TBA part of a global activist movement ing for their insights about the is- whose goal is to end violence aimed sues pervading the industry. Hip Hop Beats and Rhymes at women and girls. UNI’s V-Week The main event of V-Week will be Tuesday, February 11 events are sponsored by the Wom- held on Saturday, February 15 at en’s and Gender Studies Program 7pm and again on Sunday, February 6:30 p.m. and the Feminist Action League, 16 at 2pm in the Lang Hall Auditori- Lang Hall Auditorium two campus organizations with a um. The Vagina Monologues is a Film and Discussion goal of empowering women and performance created by V-Day putting an end to violence. Daily founder Eve Ensler. It contains in- Until the Violence Stops events focused on violence preven- terviews and monologues by a di- tion will be held throughout the verse group of women who all have Wednesday, February 12 week, culminating with perfor- a story to tell about sexism, stereo- 7:00 p.m. mances of the Vagina Monologues types, and violence. According to Friday, February 14 on Saturday and Sunday. Ensler, the performance uses 12:00 p.m. V-Week begins on Monday, Feb- “humor and grace to celebrate ruary 10, with the V-Men Work- women’s sexuality and strength.” Location: TBA shop, which aims to bring men’s The performance also brings to light Film and Discussion voices into the conversation about a subject that is not commonly dis- violence against women and girls. cussed or performed in public. Ad- Vagina Monologues The workshop will give the men of mission to the performance is $5, Saturday, February 15 UNI’s campus a chance to discuss and all proceeds will go to the Cedar the causes of violence and the ways Valley Friends of the Family, a local 7:00 p.m. that they, as men, can be active in organization that provides assis- Sunday, February 16 ending it. This conversation, led by tance to those facing homelessness, 2:00 p.m. Alan Heisterkamp, Mark Rowe- domestic violence, and sexual as- Lang Hall Auditorium Barth, Michael Fleming, and Harry sault. Cost of Admission: $5.00 Brod will educate men to shift the V-Week gives faculty, staff, stu- social and cultural norms that de- dents and community members the fine manhood and lead to an envi- opportunity to engage in discussion ronment of violence towards wom- about this crucial and frighteningly en. The workshop is free of charge prevalent topic. The purpose of and will be held from 3-5pm on these events is to bring to light the Monday afternoon. issue of violence against women and Other events include a film girls and to empower everyone to screening of “Until the Violence take a stand and do what they can to Stops” and a presentation by special end this violence. For any further guest speaker Byron Hurt, who will information, visit www.vday.org or Page 6

Here are the answers to the January Newsletter Crossword Page 7

3 Featured Female Civil Asian American Heritage Rights Leaders Month Coverage: Diane Bevel Nash:  Ms. Lela Lee Event Ms. Nash was involved with the student wing Look for more puzzles of the 1960’s movement, leading many suc- Preview cessful campaigns. and activities in the next Voices  CME Book Club Highlight : of The Psychological Ms. Hamer was instrumental in organizing Newsletter! Mississippi and the Stu- Health of Women of Color dent Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. by Lillian Coma and Bev-

Coretta Scott King: erly Greene The widow of MLK, Ms. King was not only active in the civil rights movement but also the women’s and LGBT movements.

Meet Parash Upreti!

Parash is a Junior at UNI, studying eco- nomics and mathematics. Parash grew up in Nepal, just outside of Kathmandu, where he lived for ten years before coming to the states. His family comprises of his parents, grandpar- ents on his dad’s side of the family, and his two siblings. All of which live back in Nepal. He chose to come to UNI because of the friendly behavior he experienced when apply- ing and the amazing assistance he received. He also mentions that the scholarships he was Some of Parash’s Favorite Things! awarded were a key factor in helping him afford to attend UNI. Color: Purple and Gold Parash started working at the CME in the Food: Something that fills me up. summer of 2012. His favorite part about work- Movie: They are just for entertainment! ing at the center is getting to know and talk to Store: Walmart/Aldi new people. He also enjoys the staff he gets to Class: The ones where professors care about students. work with including Jenny, Tabby, Dr. Black- TV Show: Same as movies! well and all of the student workers. Parash does Hobby: Meeting new people and talking to them. not have a favorite memory at UNI; instead he Parash will be studying abroad in Turkey this Spring. He tries to make new memories everyday. He feels will be returning to UNI in August! We wish him luck! UNI is a great place to be! Page 8

March March 13 March 24 March 24 March 26 Women’s CME Book Club Reaching for High- WGS: Women’s WGS: Women’s History Month er Ground Film History Month History Month Check out the Asian American Series Event Event Women’s and Gen- Women’s Popular Women’s History Lecturer Dr. Jodi der Studies Web- Literature: Femi- King Corn Month Keynote Eichler Levin site for more ways nizing Genres and 7:00 pm Speaker to celebrate women Neoliberal 7:30 p.m.

this month! Belonging Daisy Hernandez CME Room 2, Sabin Hall http:// 7:00 p.m. www.uni.edu/ By: Pamela Thoma 3:30 pm csbs/ TBA womenstudies/ CME

http://www.genomicron.evolverzone.com/2010/02/valentines-day-cartoons-for-scientists/ Center for Multicultural Education

109 Maucker Union Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0165 Phone: 319-273-2250 Email: [email protected] Website: www.uni.edu/cme Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Our Mission:

We foster success in racial and ethnic minority students, contribute to the cultural competence of all

students, and promote an appreciation of diversity in the university community.

Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Michael D. Blackwell

Co-Editors: Lauren Wypiszynski, Brittni Haag and Diane Ihimbazwe