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(02/24/15 5:57am)
In the Penn Archives, there exists an article by Marvin P. Lyon Jr. entitled, “Blacks at Penn, Then and Now.” It describes the stories and experiences of students of color at the University throughout its history. One particularly powerful quote taken from Arthur Huff Fauset, a Penn student in the 1920s, states, “White Penn did not demonstrate ill will (toward black students) ... but rather determined ambivalence.” Lyon continues by saying, “As indicated by these comments, Penn’s environment was not ideal for the success of its black students.” When examining these stories, you can see the parallels between the challenges students faced in the past at this institution, and the challenges that exist today. This is no more evident than when we examine Penn’s stance on its supposed “no-loan policy,” and the indifference the institution shows towards low-income students who have had no choice but to take out loans while at Penn. The existence of these students is proof positive that this institutional policy is a lie — an abominable form of deceit that our institution has been complicit in for far too long.
(02/10/15 4:54am)
The following can be found in the Makuu archives of UMOJA history:
(02/03/15 5:16am)
We tend to lose focus as our perceptions of reality become skewed when tragedies twist within the wavelengths that our nightmares unravel. What seems to be a massacre of American citizens by those paid royalties to serve and protect such citizens puts us in denial of what our nation describes as its “values for the good of the people” and holds us in sheer angst at the theoretical dystopia that our futures hold. These sentiments are not only for what our antagonists have gotten away with in abusing and murdering those who do not pose a threat, but also toward how much more they can get away with, knowing that wearing a badge — for the most part — constitutes invincibility from charges. We feel helpless, because with countless efforts to fulfill the always audible plea for equality and the protection of natural rights, we are no more than “race-baiters” and an unsettling cacophony to misinformed audiences. But I’d like to state that an individual shooting an unarmed individual does not sound like race-baiting, but rather a violation of one’s humanity.
(01/27/15 4:56am)
Last fall was yet another defining moment in America’s long history of contentious race relations. A movement that began in the small city of Ferguson quickly awakened nationwide protests from Oakland, Calif., to Staten Island, N.Y. News broadcasts’ lust for controversy was met as shocking images of protest flooded the media. In the span of six months, any shred of hope that we had finally reached a utopian “post-racial” America was tossed aside as visuals of Ferguson protests surfaced.
(01/20/15 3:27am)
In response to President Amy Gutmann’s participation in the Student Labor Action Project’s (SLAP) and Students Organizing for Unity and Liberation at University of Pennsylvania’s (SOUL) die-in at Gutmann’s holiday party this past December, Eric J. Rohrback, president of the Penn Police Association (PPA), published a guest column that articulated his vehement opposition to the peaceful protest.
(11/19/14 2:15am)
L ast Wednesday, the Black Student League held an important conversation about shifting the culture of the black community at Penn. While the “Black Penn” space can be a source of support and belonging for some, for others it can be elusive and hard to navigate. While I was not able to attend the entirety of the event, I was able to get feedback on how underclassmen felt about that state of leadership within our community. From their perspective, the leadership of our community was shaped in a sort of “hierarchy” with the UMOJA Board at the head.
(11/13/14 2:05am)
O nly just this summer, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel revised United States military regulations. Previously, natural black hair was ruled “unkempt” and unfit for the military. Even after the revision, Jessica Sims, a Navy officer, was discharged from the Navy for refusing to change her hair. For individuals like Jessica Sims, being true to themselves comes at a cost that some do not have to pay. The idea that natural black hair is unacceptable persists even outside the workplace. When photos emerged of Beyonce with her baby, Blue Ivy, with her natural hair, some people started a petition to pressure Beyonce to comb or braid her baby’s “nappy” and “unkempt” hair.
(11/05/14 2:44am)
T he black male is considered the quintessential victim of racial violence and discrimination. This man is usually straight, and he is usually cis. The black community and its allies rally behind images of Trayvon Martin and Mike Brown — we rally behind images of black men being lynched, of black men experiencing extreme forms of violence, of black men being disproportionately incarcerated.
(10/22/14 2:01am)
"Stories matter. Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign, but stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people, but stories can also repair that broken dignity."—Chimamanda Adichie
(10/15/14 2:16am)
“D ear white people, the minimum requirement of black friends needed to not seem racist has just been raised to two. Sorry, but your weed man, Tyrone, does not count.”
(10/08/14 2:46am)
I felt o ut of place from the first tim e I stepped onto Penn’s campus. Being a black male from the South who isn’t affluent and wasn’t given the opportunity to attend an elite private high school, I knew I was different from most of my peers in every aspect. Because of that, I felt alone. I was separated by more than just color — I was different by culture. My culture was foreign and underappreciated. Everything moved faster, from the pace at which people talked to the steps in which they walked.
(09/24/14 2:01am)
T h is summer, I did something a bit unusual. While many students worked at internships and prepared for the upcoming school year, I prepared lesson plans. Hired as a co-instructor for a West Philadelphia school summer program, my responsibilities included creating curricula for college access, career readiness and social-emotional learning while managing a classroom of middle school girls. The role sounded deceptively simple. I soon learned that this would be one of the most difficult experiences of my undergraduate years.
(09/17/14 2:38am)
L ast Thu rsday, editors at The Daily Pennsylvanian contested the use of trigger warnings in the classroom with this declaration: “We have come to Penn because we want to be challenged — to have our perspectives tested and refined. That sometimes requires that we grapple with material that we find disagreeable or even disgusting. Anything less would fall short of a true education.”
