Krista Hanson Viewpoints Editor Global warming and protecting the Earth has become a highly political topic. But at the end of the day, the issue seems fairly simple: make big changes to help the Earth and the environment to cut down on the ways we contribute to its destruction before our habits destroys us. There are a couple ways of doingContinue Reading
Mya Melancon Contributing Writer As we reach the end of Women’s History Month, I can’t help but think of all the powerful women who have come before me. Specifically, I would like to highlight the life and work of Marsha P. Johnson, a revolutionary woman whom I consider to beContinue Reading
Krista Hanson Viewpoints Editor The phrase “glass ceiling” was coined by Marilyn Loden in 1978. She described out loud the almost invisible barrier between women and success that many face in their careers. During her own career, she noticed the things that held women back were not personal but placedContinue Reading
Mya Melancon Contributing Writer Dear Class of 2021, Well, we made it. Graduation is finally around the corner. We’ve survived our entire senior year in a pandemic. Some of us have this “new normal” figured out – between planning our last two semesters and prepping for graduation, we are ready toContinue Reading
Dr. Greg Granger Professor of History I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers of the memorial for Dr. Phil Kidd. Phil was a one of kind person and his loss is a great blow to our community and to many individual lives he touched, including mine. TheContinue Reading
Krista Hanson Viewpoints Editor Art has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My dad drew all the time. I have such vivid memories from going out to eat and having the children’s paper menu with its three crayons. My dad would take a crayon and makeContinue Reading
Carly Chandler Contributing Writer Dr. Sarah McFarland is an undergraduate professor of English and is on the graduate faculty at Northwestern State University. I’ve had the pleasure of being one of Dr. McFarland’s undergraduate students since the spring of 2020. In that time, she’s not only shown me that she’sContinue Reading
Kendall Caple Reporter As an English major, one of my favorite things about poetry and literature is how it allows us to venture beyond the realm of our embodied experiences to become more understanding and enlightened individuals. One such poet whose words I find myself thinking about often is Gwendolyn Brooks. Renowned for her poetry which eloquently and angrily condemnsContinue Reading
Serena Bonnette Opinions Columnist Cicely Tyson was a seasoned American actress and model whose career spanned more than seven decades. According to Wikipedia, she received three Primetime Emmy Awards, four Black Reel Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, one Tony Award, a Peabody Award and an honorary Academy Award. She passed on Jan. 28. This year, Hollywood lost a legend. Tyson was mostly known for her roles and portrayals of strong Black women. These roles shattered the stereotypes of the 70s and ultimately made her a star. According to the New York Times, one of the most notable parts of Tyson’s career was her groundbreaking efforts for civil rights in the film industry. Tyson refused parts and roles that demeaned Black people and encouraged others to do the same. This notion alone is so important because even today, refusing any kind of a role in the theater or film industry is a huge risk that can cause actors to get blacklisted. Because of her refusal, early in her career she went without work but with dignity. She was a critic against film and television that only portrayed Black people as criminals and low-lives, and, according to The New York Times, insisted that Black people, even if they are portrayed as poor, should also be portrayed with dignity. Tyson became familiar toContinue Reading
Krista Hanson Viewpoints Editor The portrayal of Black people has become so uniform. This monotonous depiction of the Black community is negative in its effort of boxing in people. It changes how society perceives them. A study from Yale University showed the implicit bias preschool teachers had against their Back students resulted in lower expectations and lower referral rates into gifted programs. Black people begin toContinue Reading