8 ARTS A PUBLICATION OF THE CHUCK STONE PROGRAM FOR DIVERSITY IN EDUCATION AND MEDIA PICKING WHAT'S 2 Students visit the new DTH office Touring UNC’s true colors 3-6 Profiles of student attendees INSIDE 7 American Dance Festival review forgiveness By Erika Cervantes & Beena Raghavendran VOLUME FOUR / JULY 16, 2010 from tragedy Seven fun-sized people were formed and frozen forever in time By Shannon Murray to serve as a representation of Carolina’s student body. Eleven years measured in birthdays, first days The bronze statues were moved of school, Christmas mornings. Eleven years in One man, one legend, many stories from their original home, in front jail for a crime you didn’t commit. Eleven years of Davis Library, an unavoidable is a long time, but is it a long enough time to place on campus, due to an inci- forgive? –PICKING COTTON dent; the statues were splashed Stone urges students to help others If books were judged by their cover, PICKING with mud and red paint. Two of COTTON would earn a D. Not only is the cover them disappeared. By Lucy Qin & Jeff Shim white, not a blind- The basketball player “got “Be the best. Be No. 1. ing stark white, but knocked over and his basketball He has ridden trains with But I don’t want you to a plain off-white. It was stolen.” Did they die and go Mohandas Gandhi, dined with sports thick, black to heaven? Doubt it. Nelson Mandela, and was on a be No. 1 if you don’t Times New Roman- An entire part of the UNC- first-name basis with Martin Luther help somebody.” ish font. The only Chapel Hill campus is monument- King Jr. and Malcolm X. Professor true color is neon ed and inscribed yet unknown to Emeritus Chuck Stone is a legend CHUCK STONE orange highlighting most of the student population, with astounding humility and self- Professor Emeritus the second “I” in according to Adjunct Assistant lessness that younger generations PICKING. Maybe Professor Tim McMillan, associate Photo by Erika CErvantEs can appreciate. that’s because the chair of the Department of African Tamika Jones and Jeff Shim stroll through McCorkle Place walking past Silent Sam on their jour- Determination to be the best has The Chuck Stone Program, first authors’ favorite and Afro-American Studies. ney towards Old Chapel Hill Cemetary. driven Stone to succeed as a jour- created in 2007, reflects Stone’s life letter is I. Or maybe “A lot of people don’t know nalist. At any job that he takes on, goals of increasing the voices of it’s because the about the things that happen right McMillan said. Stone strives to be on top and he journalism. Students from various plain white pages, where they are,” McMillan said “There’s a black man with a encourages others to do the same. areas of diversity and walks of life as dull as they may during his Tuesday afternoon basketball, whereas you’ve got this “Be the best, be No. 1,” Stone have entered Carroll Hall since the appear, detail the “Black and Blue” tour. “They may overachieving white woman with said. “But I don’t want you to be No. program’s creation. personal stories of two different “I”s, captivating not be lying, they may not be stu- a lot of books,” said McMillan. 1 if you don’t help somebody.” “It’s important to bring people the reader in an inspiring story of forgiveness, pid – they just don’t know, because “There have been a lot of pro- That is his second mantra to together — it impacts our culture love and ultimately error. they’re not taught. Most of the stu- tests over the years,” McMillan live by: making an impact. Stone and society,” Stone said. PICKING COTTON, by Jennifer Thompson- dents who go to UNC don’t know said. encourages everyone to make posi- This year’s program brought stu- Cannino, Ronald Cotton, and Erin Torneo, is [the history of it].” One of the best protest ideas that tive changes on a small and large dents from as far as Puerto Rico, divided into three different parts. Part 1 is dedi- Silent Sam is the armed McMillan has ever seen has been scale. New York and California. cated to Jennifer’s point of view, Part 2 to greeter of McCorkle Place, dedi- when black students “sat around “Nothing’s higher than helping “It was really fun interact- Ronald’s and Part 3 to the exoneration and the cated to the “321 alumni of the the statues reading Chemistry, somebody,” Stone said. ing with different people,” Alicia afterword of their remarkable story. University who died in the Civil Physics and Philosophy, books so His commitment to service is Ramirez said. “I found people out- As Part 1 begins, Jennifer recounts the graphic War and all students who joined that people would have a visual exemplified by his efforts in World side of my hometown with the same and shocking story of her brutal rape and contin- the Confederate Army,” accord- image of black people interacting War II, civil rights activism, volun- interests and aspirations as me and ues through the process of identifying Ronald, ing to the Virtual Tour section with books in an intellectual fash- teer missions in India and the Gaza we all learned something from each going to trial as an eyewitness, and ultimately of the UNC-CH website. Not far ion way.” Strip. Stone’s altruism makes him a other.” condemning him to a life sentence in prison. from Silent Sam rests the Unsung Many university students and peer among world figures. Since the first year, 56 stu- It is not until Ronald’s account in Part 2 that Founders Memorial, honoring faculty are unaware of the history. As a journalist, Stone built a dents have successfully completed we learn how DNA proves his innocence. As “the men and women of color – Assistant Professor Queenie Byars reputation that led others to confide the one-week intensive program. Ronald recounts Jennifer’s story through his own enslaved and free – who helped said knowing the history helps in him. He has been a respectable Students are exposed to online eyes, the reader is trapped in a true nightmare. build Carolina,” also according students better navigate their expe- member of the community that oth- media, print media, television Mistakenly accused as the rapist, Ronald is to the website. However, contro- riences at UNC-CH. ers can easily approach. broadcasting, theater and art. dragged through various prisons, two different versy exists over this section of “History gives you a better “I had people that believed in They also take the infamous trials, family crises he could not be present for, the quad: Lucy Qin, Chuck Stone appreciation for the place that me,” Stone said. “Seventy-one mur- UNC School of Journalism and and ultimately one of the biggest failures of the Program student, said honoring the you’re studying,” Byars said. “The der suspects turned themselves into Mass Communication spelling and judicial system. Through it all, Ronald learns Confederacy means the University more you know about the history, me because they trusted me. The grammar test. to defend his innocence, how to forgive a life- implies its past support for dis- it helps us probably do our best to important thing is that people trust “I think students from this year’s altering mistake, and keep his faith in God. crimination. avoid some of the atrocities and you.” class are the best we’ve had so far,” COTTON was UNC-Chapel Hill’s first-year “By honoring the Confederacy bad things repeating themselves.” Even though Stone is an Professor Napoleon Byars said. student summer 2010 reading book, it also served [with a Confederate soldier], It’s said that where you sit acclaimed journalist, he remains The program wraps diversity a deeper personal meaning for me. My parents you’re kind of saying [that] slavery is where you stand – your level modest about his accomplishments. and journalism into one. Hence, it were alive in 1984! How could a mistake this is OK,” Qin said: “I think [UNC- of knowledge defines you, and After meeting him at Granville is named after Chuck Stone, who big possibly have been made when my parents CH] is honoring its tradition, but at Chuck Stone Program student Towers in Chapel Hill, N.C., many exemplifies diversity more so than were alive? Did it matter that Ronald Cotton was the same time, [Silent Sam] can be Alexis Simmons agrees. students were moved by his humil- any other teaching journalist. black? seen as disrespectful.” “It’s important to be knowl- ity. “Even though the main purpose PICKING COTTON not only shows the need The sculpture, “The Student edgeable about the location that “He constantly repeated that he is diversity, I think the program felt honored to meet us, when it shows how our similar passion in for DNA testing but demonstrates how far in Body,” also brought controversy you are in and it brings an advan- Photo by Erika CErvantEs just a few years, racial progress has come. All to the university; students, espe- tage to you if you are able to spread should have been the other way journalism unites us,” Breeze Riley Chuck Stone students stopped near Hamilton Hall, site hoto by rika ErvantEs men, no matter white or black, are innocent until cially African Americans, felt like it to people,” Simmons said. “With P E C around,” Tamika Jones said. “He’s said.