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Student
Ytasha L. Womack
Staff Writer
About 50 Atlanta University Center
students recently gathered in the Research
Science Center to hear fellow poets share
their work during a Sipr poetry reading.
A new rotation begins and apetite, young
woman comes before the crowd. Calm and
confident, she begins. . .
We are the silent sex
whose screams can't he heard in back
alleys
or through paper thin walls
we are muteswhose heads can ’the heard
hitting walls
whose dignity can’t be seen crawling on
floors
forced to get on all fours
Somewhat surprised by the potency in
her words, the audience is silent. The
power in her soothing voice indicates that
this young woman is serious, so they listen.
And it is their attentiveness, their
anticipation of the next verse, this forcing
of the mind to think, that illustrates the
power of the pen; a power that Mariahdessa
Tallie has known all along.
Tallie, 21, is a writer/poet who seeks to
make people think.
“I’vealwayswrittenpoetry.Whenlwas
little, I wrote a poem about a Christmas
tree when they were going to take it down.
It’s just a way for me to get my feelings
out,” Tallie said.
poet delivers from the heart
Tallie has participated in dozens of
poetry readings throughout Atlanta and
her native New York. Her poetry is
personal.
“I write about sex, sexism, rape,
materialism . . . anything that touches
me,” Tallie said.
It began with some colleagues at African
Voices encouraging her to share her work.
They sponsored several readings and
encouraged Tallie to read.
“At my first reading, I was scared. I
came with poetry but I didn’t want to read
it. It was in New York and all these people
were there. But I got up and read and
people actually clapped,” Tallie said.
Inspired by Langston Hughes and
Ntozake Shange’, Tallie believes that
poetry is her first love. But it’s not easy.
“I’ve gotten rejected lots of times trying
to get my stuff published. But that’s just
a part of the business,” she said.
A Clark Atlanta University senior,
poetry is just a part of her passion for
writing.
Also a journalist, her work has been
featured in several publications including
Black Enterprise, Black Elegance, The
Atlanta Tribune, and YSB. Tallie has a
feature length article that will appear in an
upcoming YSB issue.
“I love to write about music. Most of
the musicians I interview aren’t your
typical bump and grind artists. I want to
know how they feel about the industry. To
make music that you love but that your
people don’t embrace is difficult. I want to
capture that,” she said.
In the future, she wants to cover politics
and its impact on various communities.
What is her advice for aspiring writers?
“Come up with a plan. Figure out what
you want to write and who it’s for.
Challenge yourself,” she said. “If you do
your half, spirit will do the rest."
Photo by Melvin Jackson
MMA Student Mariahdessa Tallie
New century
By Antoinette L. Ross
Contributing Writer
It’s almost the 21st century, and less
than one percent of Clark Atlanta
University (CAU) students participate in
the foreign study program, according to
Dr. Paul Brown, the study abroad adviser.
This low rate of participation shows that
CAU falls behind the nation’s average for
participation of African Americans in
foreign study programs. The latest figures
published by the Institute for International
Education, HE, show that while African
Americans make up 12.1 percent of all
college and university students, only 2.8
percent enroll in study abroad programs.
Brown said there are currently only five
students involved in semester-long foreign
study programs, even though academic
credit is rewarded upon return.
Raymond Giles, director of the
International Education Resource Center
for Research and Study Abroad, said due
to the increasingly global interdependence
of world economies, students will need
the benefits of foreign study just to be able
to compete in today’s job market. His
organization seeks to give students from
Historically Black Colleges and
needs more
Universities, HBCUs, an opportunity for
foreign study and internships in the
Dominican Republic.
Local experts say that the reasons for
low participation by students from HBCUs
are complex.
Brown said “fear of the unknown” is
the greatest obstacle that prevents African
Americans from studying abroad. “I think
students are just scared of what’s out
there,” he said.
Many students believe stereotypes like
“nothing good comes out of Africa,” he
added. These inhibitions hinderstudents
from exploring what is outside the United
States he said.
In addition to the students' fears, parents
may influence a student’s decision to go
abroad Dr. Giles said. “Some parents
actually discourage their children from
going abroad,” he explained.
He added that African American
students “anticipate being rejected when
going abroad.” They worry that the
negative racial attitudes they experience
in the United States will follow them
outside its borders he continued. This is
especially a concern in Europe where the
HE estimates that 67 percent of all study
abroad students go.
international
Money was one of the greatest factors
that prevented African Americans students
from studying abroad, Brown said.
However, he cited two university-directed
programs to Martinique and the Domini can
Republic where all expenses except airfare
are paid, yet he has been unable to fill the
15 available slots for each.
Twelve students have committed
themselves to the program in Martinique,
while only seven or eight may go to the
Dominican Republic, he said.
Brown also added that scholarships such
as the National Security Education Program
(NSEP) Scholarship have made it easier
for students to finance study abroad. This
scholarship awards up to $8,000 per
semester for foreign study.
Although Dr. Brown down-played cost
as a major factor, Giles said that for students
attending the 27 HBCUs he works with in
his organization, money is a major obstacle
to studying abroad. When there are no
scholarships or other economic support,
“foreign study is not an option,” Giles said.
However, he added that many students
are unaware that often the financial aid
they receive at their home institutions can
be transferred for use in foreign study
programs if the students receive academic
exchange
credit.
Despite the obstacles, Brown said there
are some things that can be done to increase
participation in foreign study. University
sponsored functions which promote
interaction between African-American and
foreign students and faculty is one step to
destroying the stereotypes surrounding
foreign cultures he said. Students may
also talk with returning students who have
been abroad Brown said.
However, Giles said that even when all
of the obstacle are removed, many African
American students still do not take
advantage of foreign study opportunities.
“Students must be given incentives to want
to go abroad," he said.
Brown said these incentives include
increased employment opportunities and
personal growth. Yet, showing students
these incentives is difficult he added.
“Since study abroad is not a tangible thing,
it is hard for Americans to grasp,” he said.
“nothing good comes oat of Africa, ”
he added. These inhibitions hinder
students from exploring what k
outside the United States he said.