NUBIAN MESSAGEWEDNESDAY | SEPTEMBER 16 | 2009

SENTINEL OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY AT NC STATE SINCE 1992 ISSUE 3 WWW.NCSU.EDU/NUBIAN

The Blue-prinT iii >> pg. 5

Kooley high

>> pg. 7

inside thisedition

nphC WeeK

>>pg. 2

Starr Lewis | News

September 8th 2009 Richard D. Wilson Jr.’s exhibition was opened in the African American Cultural Center Gallery located on the second floor of Witherspoon Student Center on Tuesday the 8th of September 8, 2009. According to Wil-son’s biography his involvement with art started at a very young age. Wilson, a native of Robersonville NC, was known for drawing big trucks, action figures, and cartoon characters for his classmates in the small town. Wilson was mentored by his father who helped and motivated him to continue to develop his artistic skills. He graduated from Southwest Edgecombe High School in Pinetops, NC and then furthered his education at Barton College to pursue his artistic dreams. At Barton College, he studied Communications Art. He later received a degree in Ad-vertising and Graphic Design from Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC where he currently resides.

Wilson had many different paintings at the exhibition but there were a couple that really stood out. While listening to the meaning behind his paintings it is obvious that he uses different things that mean a lot to him in his paintings, like his daughters, black pride and the power of strong traits that make people become individuals. “Being an artist myself, he inspires me to want to be as good and paint as well he does,” said Julie Pitts, a senior in Industrial Design, who was at the gallery opening.

The painting titled “44th” is a painting that shows an old black man sitting on the front step of an old worn down house with his inauguration ticket in his hand and the American flag behind him. Also included in the picture is the shadow is a cross. For many of the audience members, this painting made them think of their own grandparents and the trials and tribulations that they have been through in order to get to where they are today and not only to where they are today but able to live to see the first bi-racial man win the presidential elections and represent African Americans across the country. This portrait was so powerful because it had so much in-depth meaning behind it you can see and feel the pain, beauty, relief, and happiness all at the same time in this painting. Another painting titled “The Writings On the Wall” was originally done to show that anyone could do anything if they put their mind to it. The picture is of a young boy that has knocked out another boy in a boxing match and has “I AM THE CHAMPION OF THE WORLD” written on the back of the wall. Wilson said that his daughter saw the picture and said that she could knock out the boy in the picture herself. Wilson then painted another picture of the past champion being knocked out by his daughter with “THE REAL CHAMPION OF THE WORLD “ written on the wall. After this painting was done,

Richard Wilson>> Continued on Page 3

That Boy Can DrawAfrican American Cultural Center Gallery Features Artist Richard Wilson

Richard Wilson of Greenville, NC, was the artist featured in the Open Gallery reception held by the African American Cultural Center in Witherspoon Student Center on September 8, 2009. Many of his paintings embraced and represented life in the South using a variety of pastels. “It’s a challenge. You really have to strategic,” said Wilson | Kali RogeRs

Darrian Collins, a sophomore in business administra-tion, opens the Gallery Reception held for featured artist Richard Wilson by singing the National Negro Anthem. The event was held in Witherspoon Student Center on September 8, 2009 | Kali RogeRs

2 | September 16, 2009 nubian message

gye nyame“except for God”

A symbol of the supremacy of God. This unique and beautiful symbol is ubiquitous in Ghana. It is by far the most popular for use in decoration, a reflection on the deeply religious character of the Ghanian people.Official symbol for the Nubian Message.

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Members of the panel representing the 9 historically African-American fraternities and sororites at the NPHC Meet The Greeks informational program held on the 31st of August 2009 in Talley Ballroom | Demi Olubanwo

The members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. hosted a relationship talk show outlining the different types of healthy relationships. Here, John York, a senior in Textiles, talks about his relationship with his best friend and roommate | Demi Olubanwo

The brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. hosted a tailgate for the game against USC. Here, Stephen Lilly, a senior in Accounting, cheers for the Wolfpack | Demi Olubanwo

The National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) hosted a week of program-

ming from August 31-September 4, 2009. NPHC comprises of the historically Af-rican American fraternities and sororities and the organization we have represented at NCSU are: Alpha Phi Alpha Fraterni-ty Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., Omega

Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and Phi Beta Sigma

Fraternity Inc.

NPHC Week

nubian message September 16, 2009 | 3Opinions

Kara Lynch | Opinions Editor

A few weeks ago, a story surfaced in the me-dia about Pastor Steve Anderson of Faithful Word Baptist Church in Arizona. In a sermon entitled, “Why I Hate Barack Obama”, Pastor Steve Anderson of Arizona, stated, “... you’re going to tell me that I’m supposed to pray for the socialist devil, murderer, infanticide, who wants to see young children and he wants to see babies killed through abortion and partial-birth abortion and all these different things---you’re gonna tell me I’m supposed to pray for God to give him a good lunch tomorrow while he’s in Phoenix, Arizona? “Nope. I’m not gonna pray for his good. I’m going to pray that he dies and goes to hell.”

Clips and excerpts from this sermon can be found here and there online, but this story was for the most part short-lived in the media. The pastor went on for over an hour, ranting anti-gay themes and proclaiming justified ha-tred of “faggots”. Two major issues have been raised in response to this sermon, the freedom of speech and whether or not Pastor Steve An-derson can be reasonably viewed as inciting vio-lence. Supporters of his views are using religion to soften the blow, but the same was not done for Reverand Jeremiah Wright, former pastor of President Barack Obama. Clips of a sermon by Reverend Wright, pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, caused great controversy during President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, when Reverend Wright reportedly said, “God damn America.”

In no way am I saying one preacher is right and the other is wrong. I am simply questioning the motives of the media in unequal coverage of the two stories. There is still news coverage of last year’s incident with Reverend Wright, but when searching for information about Pas-tor Anderson the leads are fewer and more far between.

This is not an issue of race or religion, but a matter of what is considered newsworthy. Rev-erend Wright was speaking against the country, while Pastor Anderson spoke against not only the views of a person and a party, but against the President of the United States of America. He blatantly stated, “He should die and go to hell.” Both scripturally and politically one could make arguments favoring or opposing either of the statements from these preachers’ sermons, but it is difficult to form an opinion about something you haven’t been informed of.

With declining approval ratings due to the health care debate among other issues, this could potentially be a popular opinion, but when does one go too far in expressing their opinion? A man of the cloth should be praying for the leader of the free world, not praying for his death and condemning him to hell. This not only made question the role of religion in poli-tics, but also the role media plays in politics. The secrecy and broadcast of some issues over others is unfair and damaging to the political climate of our society. We can not always be certain that the media is giving us all of the information, but we can do our own research and create our own opinions more responsibly and effectively.

Dissent and media

discrepancies

<<Richard WilsonContinued from page 1

a third painting was made because his eldest daugh-ter stated that someone should help the boy that got knocked out in the match. In the third painting, the eldest daughter is tending to the little boy on the bench while the youngest daughter’s victory shadow still lin-gers over the little boy’s body. These paintings show the love that he has for his daughters and shows to kids, male and female, that they can do anything if they put your minds to it, but especially shows that females can do the same thing males can do if not better! “I thought he was a great person to bring to campus because of his positive portrayal of young African Americans in his artwork,” said Candace Lee, a senior in Computer and Electrical Engineering. Her favorite piece was the painting titled “Daddy Push” where a little girl is shown on a tricycle. That was a popular painting, especially among the female members of the audience. “I liked that painting because it could be interpreted in different ways, either as her daddy being there of her daddy not being there,” said Teisha Speight, a junior in Biological Sciences about the painting. Going to this exhibition opened the eyes of many students to the deeper and hidden meanings behind the pretty pictures. If you were unable to see the pictures when the artist was here please remember that the gallery is now open for you to go see on your own time as well as his website: http://www.wilsonfinearts.com/index.php?DescOrderBy=DESC. His paintings and biography are included on the web-site as well. Student who were present at the opening had nothing but positive reviews of the artist and his

paintings and hopefully the exhibitions which follow would be as impressive as this one.

Keisha Okafor, a freshman in art and design, speaks with Richard Wilson about his artwork during the Open Gallery Reception held in Witherspoon Student Center on September 8, 2009. “I really like the artwork,” said Okafor. “It’s really pretty and colorful.” | Kali RogeRs

Marlena WilsonIt is not a myth that a large amount of the world’s population is racially mixed. It may not show, but it is still there. Just because a person may appear to be one race does not mean that they are just that. On some occasions you cannot physically tell if someone is mixed. Other times an individual’s mixed heritage can be easily picked up on. Does this mean that they are different or confused?

Decades ago being a “mulatto” (an individual who is equally African America and Causcasion) was seen as a ticket out. If you could pass for a white person you could live the life people could only dream of. Since the years have passed it seems as if we all want to be included and excluded. We want to be included as strong and, upstanding members of society, but then we want to say who’s in and who’s out of our group. This is wrong and can leave devastating scars on someone’s life.

I have had a handful of bi-racial/multicultural friends in my lifetime. I can honestly say that they are some of the most beautiful people, inside and out. The sad thing is that every one of them had identity issues. They were never completely accepted by one group or the other. One friend in particular hap-pened to be African American and Japanese. She was taunted by the black community because she had long hair and they accused her of thinking that she was better than them. On the other hand, she was never accepted into the Japanese side of her family. They did not consider her one of them because she was mixed. I am not trying to step on the toes of Af-rican Americans or the Japanese. I am simply making a point that a person is a person no matter what they look like.

The only reason some biracial/multicultural peo-ple may be confused about who they are is because we as a society are making it that way. It would not be a problem if we didn’t make it a problem. You shouldn’t have to choose one side or the other. Failing to embrace all parts of yourself could have lead to low self-image and self-worth.

My sixteen year old brother is African- American

,as well as Caucasian. The town he lives in is quite traditional in the way it views race relations. On one side there is a black community and on the other side there is the white community and off to the side is a small population of people of Spanish descent. The only places people mix and mingle are the baseball park and the Piggly Wiggly. My brother has recently been interested in dating , but the girl he is interested in cannot date him because he is half African- Amer-ican. Her parents do not approve of it and he was ordered not to call the their house anymore. These people fail to realize that my brother is a person, first and foremost, and that he is half Caucasian. It should not matter if he is blue, he is still a human being just like everyone else. He sometimes gets heat from both sides because of being biracial and it negatively af-fects his development. His teenage years should be fun, not filled with race anxiety.

Biracial people have taken Hollywood by storm. Celebrities such as Halle Berry, Alicia Keys, Derek Jeter, and our own President of the United States Barack Obama are all biracial. They have all em-braced their mixed heritage and set a good example for those who will follow them.

There is no reason for this disconnect between races. Biracial/multicultural shouldn’t have to play “Monkey in the Middle” to be accepted. A prime ex-ample of this is Halle Berry and her current relation-ship with the German model Gabriel Aubry. I have been reading many blogs by black people that have a problem with her dating a white man. The truth is that she is half white and everyone should get over themselves and let her be. She has done a great job of representing biracial people and is well respected for overcoming the barriers of race. She has a beautiful biracial daughter and she will not grow up confused.

Overall, I would like to see people of mixed heri-tage not struggling over which group they need to belong too. There is no need for this ridiculous sepa-ration and it is only making things worse. Embrace your heritage, hold your head high, and show the world just how beautiful you are.

Embrace BeingMulticultural

4 | September 16, 2009 nubian messageCulture

Nicole Machado | Contributing Writer

Hispanic Heritage Month, started in 1968, runs from September 15th to Octo-ber 15th and celebrates the achievements and showcases the plight of Hispanic/Latinos in America. Although the “month” is really half of two different months, there is a reason. September 15th is the anniversary of independence for five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua; Mexico celebrates its Independence Day on September 16th, while Chile celebrates Independence Day on September 18th and Belize on September 21st. Many students have misconceptions about the Hispanic/Latino culture and have limited it to farm workers, reggaeton, and Salsa dancing. There are more than 20 Spanish speaking countries with even more local dialects and native lan-guages. The food varies from border to border, as well as the music, dancing, and traditional dress. There’s so much to learn, even for Hispanic/Latino students!

The Hispanic population in the U.S. has grown tremendously. Hispanics are now the largest minority ethnic group within the U.S. and North Carolina has had a helping hand in that growing number. North Carolina is a state whose Hispanic population has quadrupled since the 1990’s and NC State University’s Hispanic population has also steadily increased through the years. There are more than 700 Hispanic students at NC State, student organizations have become more abundant and campus offices have begun to focus more on the Hispanic population on campus. The six Hispanic/Latino student organizations on campus are: Mi Familia, the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, Destino (Bible study organization under Campus Ministries), Sube Ritmo (Dance team), Lati-nas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc. and LASA (Latin American Student Association). All of these organizations have worked diligent-ly to bring Hispanic/Latino students together at NC State in an effort to provide a forum for all students to learn more about the richness of the culture and to provide a welcoming and comfortable learning environment.

Many students have heard of or attended programs hosted by these organiza-tions such as: Salsabor, Somos, and Pi Chi Week. Salsabor is an annual fall cultur-al show to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month hosted by Mi Familia and SHPE. There are music and dance performances, traditional Hispanic cuisine and dance lessons from Sube Ritmo! Salsabor is going to be held this year on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Talley Ballroom. The organizations on campus like to work together to show a broad spectrum of perspectives and ideas concerning the Hispanic/Latino community. There are many more events going on during Hispanic Heritage Month that showcase the beauty of the culture and you can get a complete listing of the calendar at http://www.ncsu.edu/msa/down-loads/hlhm2009.pdf.

One campus office that has been instrumental in the success of Hispanic/La-tino students on campus is the Department of Multicultural Student Affairs lo-cated in Pullen Hall. The staff members are very supportive of the Hispanic/Latino student population on campus and are always willing to assist in whatever way possible. The Assistant Director for Hispanic Student Affairs, Mr. Abraham Dones, came to campus in the summer of 2008 from Philadelphia, PA by way of proactive students, like Jezzette Rivera, who diligently pushed for a Hispanic/Latino student advisor. The addition has been a great success to the office and the NC State community and many students have been able to build a relationship with Mr. Dones. He has truly been vital in the success of students, programs, and Hispanic Heritage Month.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time when ALL students can learn about the rich culture and history of our ancestors and embrace the diversity on our campus. We hope to see everyone at our future events to support and to meet members of the Hispanic/Latino community. NC State is a diverse group of educated stu-dents that will hopefully take advantage of all the opportunities to learn outside of the classroom.

Hispanic Heritage Month: An Overview

National Society of Black Engineers Carwash

Joshua Blue, a sophomore in computer engineering, participates in a carwash sponsored by the NCSU chapter of National Society of Black Engineers on September 12, 2009 | Kali Rogers

Brandyn Moss, a sophomore in industrial engineer-ing, participated and help coordinated the NSBE Car Wash held on September 12, 2009 off of Avent Ferry Road. | Kali Rogers

Yasha Corbett, a sophomore in mechanical engineering, par-ticipates washing cars during the NSBE Car Wash held on Septem-ber 12, 2009 on Avent Ferry Road. | Kali Rogers

nubian message September 16, 2009 | 5Arts & Entertainment

inspirational quote of the week

“Love is trhe bond between men, the way to teach, and center of the world.”

Jose Martin, Cuban poet & writter

“If you enter this world knowing you are loved, and you leave this world knowing the same, then everyting that happens in bewtween can be dealt with.”

MiChael JaCkson

Jay-Z: The Blueprint 3Martika Rush | Arts&Entertainment

Diamonds in the air for yet another classic CD from the semi-retired Jay-Z that was released on Friday, September 11, 2009.  A legend such as this man can not seem to deliver anything less than perfection. A highlight of the Blueprint 3 is that it features many popular artists. This is a commendable act for Jay-Z  to share his flavor with his fellow icons.

A major highlight track is “Empire State of Mind” featuring. Alicia Keys.  A dynamic duo to say the least, they give us an ode to New York,; the place where dreams are made through streets that make you feel brand new, and where the lights inspire you.  Keys belts out, “Let’s here it for New York” and---I say, “Let’s here it for these two artists.”  With lyr-ics from websites like “killerhiphop.com”, this track will make you breathe deep for the big city.

Take a moment of silence for the death of T-pain---I mean Auto-tune. Unfortunately, the next highlight D.O.A (Death of Auto-Tune) (in which Jay-Z specifically calls out rapper T-Pain), is a source that has suppos-edly upset T-Pain.  T-Pain has responded back by saying, “Jay-Z is 59 years old, what does he know about what’s hot?” at one of his concerts.  The clip can be found on YouTube.  This track does not pose a question as to rath-er it is a hit or not, but the real conflict begins with the reoccurring sense that “real mu-sic”  or raw talent is dead.  Everybody loves T-pain, but are rappers singing too much? More importantly, would people still buy the albums if artists did not conform to “what’s new/hot?”  D.O.A will make you think about the current state of hip-hop which is already up for debate, but every once in a while a track like this one will come along and remind us that true hip-hop is still very much alive.

Next, “Run this town” featuring singer Rihanna & rapper Kanye West is with-out a doubt, the new club anthem.  When this song comes on, hands go up, voices get louder, and people sing-along passionately with Rihanna. If you have

a nightlife, you know what I am talking about.  “Real as it Gets” featuring Young Jeezy is one of those “real recognizes real” cuts.  It gets some airtime in the club and it is one of those songs that everybody loves because it is a “represent where your from” song. 

“On to the next one” ft. Swizz Beatz has an awkward beat that ironically makes the song what it is.  It just makes you want to move, and that is the very core

of what makes a song a hit.  “Off that” featur-ing Drake is upbeat and futuristic. It can’t re-ally be described any other way.     This track is a standout because it  talks about how they are “off ” all the minuscule things in life that do not contribute to having a successful future.  Drake says, “You can’t bring the future back”.   In other words, what you do or have done in the past/present determines your where you get in the future,. If you miss the boat, too bad because it is already gone, and it is not coming back. “A star is born” featuring new and upcoming artist, J.Cole, who will be performing at the “Koncert Talley Party” on September 25th, 2009, is an-other masterpiece.  The lyrics include shout outs to rising icons and successful artists.  It notes that “everyday a star is born”, which does not need to be said to be seen. 

Other tracks are “Venus vs. Mars,”, “Already Home,”, “Hate,”, “Reminder,”, “What we talkin’ about,”,      “Thank you,”, and “Young Forever” featuring Mr. Hudson.  Blueprint 3 ends with the customary “So Ambitious” featuring rapper and singer Pharrell Williams, that inspires peo-ple to thrive on the negativity of people trying to bring you down.  Pharrell sings, “The motiva-

tion for me was them telling me what I could not be.”  It reminds you to continue to be ambitious no matter what hardships you endure. Know that “If you believe it, then you can conceive it.”  The whole album should be highlighted truth be told. It is one of those albums you can enjoy the whole way through…No skips.  You have to love the undeniable style of the great HOV( Jay-Z). The delivery of his cunning lyrics, and his determination to never actually retire.  It is true, the rap game does need him.

Robert Marshall | Arts and Entertainment

The latest release by R&B singer Trey Songz, en-titled Ready was definitely a highly anticipated one. After the June 30th drop of Anticipation, the mix-tape, the countdown began. Trey had been releasing music for years, but his new release featuring the up and coming rapper Aubrey “Drake” Graham, and his non-stop flood of music hitting the mix-tape scene has really created a buzz for himself. The pretty boy’s album follows suit with a barrage of lyrical mood- setters, club bangers, and of course his infamous slow jams.  If you are seriously into slow jams and “baby-makers”, then this is definitely the C.D. for you.

Starting off with the sensual “Panty Droppa,”, Trey weaves his words seamlessly into the mid tempo melody as he tells the story of a late night encounter ending with that trademark “panty droppa.” “Neigh-bors know my name” leaves little to the imagination as Trey reveals his most intimate thoughts over a mix of electric guitar, and a perfect beat that titillates your senses and arouses your imagination. Another favor-ite of mine, “Be Where You Are”, is a familiar story to us all. Seeing that girl or boy for the first time, and all the thoughts that go through your head---From their hair style, the picture of them getting dressed, talking

to their friends on the phone, and building the cour-age to step to them and see if your key fits the lock to their heart. The desire is felt. The thoughts are heard and the questions are answered all in an attempt to be where you are. “Black Roses” fasts forward to the end of a relationship. Trey explains his confusion at the thought of her heart not being his anymore, and all he has to give her is his black rose as a symbol of their dying love. We have all had those relationships that ended with confusion and lingering feelings. We re-main hurt because something about that person just will not let you let them go, and this is the tale of the song “Holla If Ya Need Me.” You know it might not be the best decision, but you want them to know that you will always be there for them and they can simply “holla” if they need you.

Unfortunately, with all of the beautifully written songs, Trey never seems to open up and show his true range and depth as an artist to the audience. His vocals remain almost stationary in that, if you are a Songz fan, it is all too familiar and maybe too comfortable. However, Trey definitely knocked two songs out of the park with the emotion, the lyrics, and surprisingly his range with “Yo side of the bed” and “Jupiter Love.” “Yo Side of the Bed” eerily re-minds us of the late legend Michael Jackson and

builds up to a slow release as the main instrumentals drop out and make room for the powerfully under-stated words of Mr. Songz. I can feel the words and the empty feeling of losing that one, his one. As I listen to the song, I feel as if the pain radiates through his soul, but perfectly flows into the melody. His fal-setto holds the remnant of tearful nights as he re-plays the day she left over and over again in his mind. The track plays perfectly and does not seem forced or planned. Overall a masterpiece, if you take the time to truly feel his words.

Lastly, my personal favorite song of the entire al-bum, “JupiterLove,” is ironically out of this world. The simplicity of the melody falsely lulls you into a sense of security. Your body relaxes, your eyes close, and the bass line becomes your heartbeat as the song enve-lopes you. Oddly the words compliment the beat in-stead of the beat complimenting the lyrics and right as you think the song is ending, he blasts you with a taste of the Trey that I knew could not help but show his face on the album. I feel that this new Trey is just getting warmed up and there will be much more to come. Overall, the album was a huge success sporting amazing lyrics, out of this world music, and of course Mr. Trey Songz.

Trey Songz: Ready

6 | September 16, 2009 nubian message

EXPRESSIONS

Mind, Body, and Soul

Dream…Dream…

And the two who made it re-ality…

Love and its fallacy…Their power struggle to re-

main dominant lovingly lost in a lifeless reality but they….

Two…. Are all the life they need they

fail to see what they could be if just at peace and the archetype

of beauty reached….And they….

Dream…And their beauty is breached

by the barbaric beast and for a flickering moment they are captured by its powerful yet weakly displayed gentleness... Serpent glides and fixes its

eyes on its prize and with the victory in sight he vanishes…

As they dream…The love battles they fight

are their loves reflection and their dream of reality is reality’s

dream of perfection...So they dream…

And dream the night away until the night fades into day and the way that they display

their…Dream…

Of a better place, is seen in the others face so they dance

and fight their life away…And dream…

-Robert Marshall

UNEQUIVICALLY MEI’m not who you wish I was I’m not who u think I cud be I’m not who you believe I is I’m jus plain ol’ Rob...jus me I’m not the freshest or the coolest I ain’t got swag for days I don’t have the perfect vocabulary but I do have heart I’m not the thug every girl wants I’m not the one that u look at 3 times I’m not the one who always knows just what to say I’m not the smartest tallest or fastest I’m not who you wish he was I’m not ur average “brotha” I’m not tryin’ to be who he shulda been I’m not tryna make you “wifey” I’m not the best with words I’m not the first one you think about but I do have love I’m not the one you cant wait to walk past after class I’m not the one you get your hair done up to go see I’m not the one you ready to lay back and give it up to I’m not him or him or him or even him I’m me I’m proud I’m black I’m dark I’m loving I’m passionate I’m loving I’m real I’m genuine I’m silent I’m....blind poetics

-Robert Marshall

Lauren Gayden | Arts & Entertaiment Wrtter

Three years ago, Michael Vick was one of the most dangerous and elusive play-ers that the National Football League (NFL) had ever seen. However, that all changed in the summer of 2007 when three other men and Vick were indict-ed with felony charges for dog fighting. He eventually pleaded guilty and was sentenced to approximately 23 months in a federal prison.

This past April, Vick was released from prison and finished the rest of his sentence under house arrest on July 20, 2009. Once he completed his time, the talk of his possible return to the NFL reached an all-time fervor. From ESPN to CNN, many speculated on whether or not the commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell, would reinstate Vick back into the league and if so, when. Within a week, Goodell reinstated Vick but only on a conditional basis, a concept that stated that he had up until

week six of the season to fully reinstate Vick.; However, Goodell later ruled that Vick could play by week three of the season. On August 13, 2009, in a move that surprised football fans and analysts alike, he was signed to the Phila-delphia Ea-gles on a two-year contract.

Now that Vick has done his time and is back in the NFL to attempt to make a living for himself and his fam-ily (and to get himself out of debt), there are still voices out there who feel that he does not deserve a second chance. Out of the most out-spoken groups that are against Vick,

PETA (People for the Ethical Treat-ment of Animals), have made it clear that they believe that he should not re-ceive a second chance, let alone be able to prove himself. Right after Vick was

done speak-ing at his first c on f e re n c e after being released from federal cus-tody, PETA felt that he was not com-p a s s i o n a t e enough and should take further steps to prove to them that he is truly sorry for what he

did, like taking a psychological test. They have even said that they will be present at the Eagles’ games this season to protest the organization to express

their discontent. But what is even more mind boggling is that an animal rights group in Washington D.C. vowed to donate a bag of dog food to a random animal shelter in Washington DC ev-ery time Vick gets sacked during the October 26, 2009 Eagles vs. Redskins game. The animal rights group also said that it is all fun and games being for a good cause. People seem to understand that the group might be trying to get publicity out of this whole situation, but when it comes to putting another human being’s health and livelihood on the line, it stops being funny.

We will never know if Vick is truly sorry for what he did, but there is one thing that we do know and can do: let the man prove himself first. Before we, as a society, cast the first stone, let Mr. Vick have his shot at redemption so that he can have a chance to turn him-self around and to show himself, and ultimately society itself, that people can change when given a second chance.

A Shot at Redemption

“We will never know if Vick is truly sorry for what he did, but

there is one thing that we do know and can do: let the man prove

himself first.”

nubian message September 16, 2009 | 7

Spotlight: Kooley High

Outside of music, Kooley High has also become the focus of the docu-mentary “One Day: Introducing Kooley High.” “We showed a movie back in January of 2008 called ‘One Day.’ It was sold out in Cary. Just to have support from everybody is just great.”

Some of Kooley High’s biggest inspriations outside of the hip-hop genre include Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Prince, and The Beatles. As Charlie Smarts points out, many of their songs are influenced from many songs heard in their youth.

Though the chemistry of the group is undoubtable, the emcees of Kooley High keep in mind about the individuality of each member. All of the group’s artists are planning on releasing solo projects later on this year and the next. “Kooley High gets bigger based off of the moves each individual person makes,” says emcee Charlie Smarts.

Kooley High has recently done videos for singles such as “Kooley is High” and “Time’s Up” here in the Raleigh-Metropolitan area, which is considered a great achievement. “We did our first music video ‘Kooley is High.’ It was buzzin’ on the internet. I think it’s probably our most seen thing that we’ve done. That was just our first video and it’s surpassed everything,” says Charlie Smarts.

“The biggest achievement to me was getting actually getting on all these blog sites. We were tryinng to get on Okayplayer.com, the holy grail [of hip-hop blog sites] for a minute. It’s hard because people [are] all over the place so to get everyone to know about what you’re doing, come out to your show, and buy your CD is huge for me” - Tab-One

Photos by Kali Rogers

Do you know somoene that deserves spotlight? Let us know at editor@nubian.ncsu.edu.

8 | September 16, 2009 nubian message8 |

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