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SPOTLIGHT PUBLICATION
Vol. 1, No. 2
Intellectual Framework for the Freethinker
October 2013
A Look at What's Inside:
What to wear for
Homecoming, and
where to get it
pg. 7
A look inside the courts of
Miss Maroon & White and
Miss Spelman
PS-3
How to eat well during
Homecoming
pg- 5
Celebrating UK Black
History Month and LGBT
History Month
pg- 4
Refund checks: Where do
they go?
pg- 5
Artists on the rise in the
AUC
pg- 8
What to think about “black”
names
pg. 8
Happy 92nd Birthday Dr. Joseph E. Lowery!
By: Ko Bragg C’2015
Tyler Perry receives Inaugural Agent of Change Award
On his 92nd birthday celebration
Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery gave us
all the gift of his presence. On Oct.
6, just four days after he attended a
home-going service for his beloved
wife and fellow activist Evelyn
Lowery, at Martin Luther King Jr.
International Chapel at Morehouse
College, he appeared before a star-
studded crowd in that very same
chapel with exemplary poise and
grace, complemented by his witty
charm. His wife had suffered a stroke,
and died shortly after.
“We carry on because that’s
what mama raised us to do,” said
Cheryl Lowery, Dr. Lowery’s daughter
and executive director of the Joseph
E. Lowery Institute for Justice and
Human Rights at Clark Atlanta
University.
The event, hosted by actor
Chris Tucker featured readings
and performances by many black
celebrities such as Derek Watkins
(Fonzworth Bentley), Malcom-Jamal
Warner, and Teri Vaughn just to name
a few. Jamie Foxx closed the night
with his kind words to the civil rights
legend.
From a dance tribute to
the Four Little Girls killed 50 years
ago in the 16th street bombings in
Birmingham, Ala., to a theatrical
tribute to Dr. Lowery’s life as a civil
rights activist and agitator for change,
the program entitled I’ve Known
Rivers: A Legendary Life celebrated
not only Dr. Lowery’s birthday, but
also how far we have come since the
Civil Rights era.
Dr. Lowery is known as the
“Dean of the Civil Rights Movement.”
As the co-founder of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference
(SCLC) with Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr., Dr. Lowery rose to the public eye
as a lead advocate for equality. In
the 50s and 60s he negotiated better
pay rates with many businesses that
either paid African Americans lower
wages, or refused to hire them at all.
Dr. Lowery’s legacy also
includes his leading role in protesting Dr. Lowery surrounded by friends and family during the singing of “We Shall Overcome”
the apartheid in South Africa. Through
his persistence he encouraged
businesses to stop importing goods
from South Africa until they ended the
apartheid, which killed and destroyed
so many black families.
This entire edition of The
BluePrint could be filled with lists of
Dr. Lowery’s lifetime achievement
awards, halls of fame to which he
belongs, honorary doctorates, and
major movements of which he was
a part. He is so widely accomplished
because Dr. Lowery genuinely looks
for the good in others. Even on his
92nd birthday he chose to honor
someone else who had been serving
his community.
Tyler Perry was given the
Inaugural Joseph E. Lowery Agent of
Change Award. Perry started his life
from very humble beginnings as he
fought poverty and homelessness.
His successful films provide jobs for
over 350 Atlanta-based employees.
But even among all of his successes,
he still donates generous amounts to
the NAACP and the National Action
Network, both historic civil rights
groups. He also has initiatives for
the homeless, and supports charities
such as Hosea Feed the Hungry and
Feeding America.
“To have this around my neck
makes me want to keep on running
a little bit further,” said Perry after
receiving the award.
Many students here in the
Atlanta University Center are probably
familiar with Dr. Lowery because they
probably pass by Joseph E. Lowery
Blvd every single day. However,
probably not enough of us really think
about what that signifies. His road
intersects with both Martin Luther
King, Jr. Drive and Ralph David
Abernathy Expressway, all people
who fought tirelessly for people who
look like us to be considered humane,
equal people.
The next time you’re hurrying
off campus to get where you are
going, and you find yourself on Dr.
Lowery’s boulevard keep his words in
mind:
“If you don’t know where you
come from, you won’t know when
someone’s taking you back.”
EDITORIAL
Letter From an Editor
By. Raquel Rainey C’2014
Raquel Rainey C’2014
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As you were
welcomed in the first
edition of The BluePrint,
you were also charged to
always progress towards
greatness. I hope that
with this second issue,
we, the staff, have done
the same. This edition is
not only geared towards highlighting the festivities
of this year’s Homecoming, but it also highlights
the pressing issues of our society that will greatly
impact us once the parties die down.
Before I dive in too deeply, an introduction
would be appropriate. My name is Raquel Rainey
and I am the Copy Editor for The BluePrint. As a
senior English major, I was given the opportunity
to rebuild the student newspaper along with a team
of amazing, creative and talented women.
While growing up in Houston, Texas, I knew
that I wanted to pursue a career in writing. Having
worked with a few magazine publications and
an online human rights blog, I have been able to
share my talents and expose my craft but nothing
prepared me for the work of a newspaper editor.
Countless hours of writing, interviewing, and
editing can make one weary, however my passion
for journalism forces me to persevere. The staff
and I are proud of the work we have put forth these
past two months and we hope to continue on this
road to success.
As you read this issue, be cognizant of current
events and what changes you can make to create
a better tomorrow for yourself, your peers, and
the world. While the BluePrint will serve as the
framework for exposing you to news inside and
outside of the AUC, it is up to you to become critical
thinkers and change agents for our community.
SPELMAN Spotlight
Kiesha Cooper, C’2009
By: Kabrillen Jones C’2015
The “Spelman Spotlight” is an initiative taken
on by the Spelman College Student Government
Association aimed to highlight Spelman students,
faculty, and staff so that everyone can get their
“shine.”
SpelHouse Homecoming is very soon;
Spelman and Morehouse alumni will be back to
enjoy campus and reminisce on their glory days.
But there are some alumnae who are still a part
of the sisterhood everyday. This Spelman Spotlight
highlights one of our very own alumna who never
really left the gates.
Kiesha Cooper
Name: Kiesha Cooper C’2009
Major. Biology
Original Hometown: Smyrna, GA
Current place of residence: Atlanta, GA
Current job: Bonner Scholars Program Assistant;
Spelman College Bonner Office of Community
Service and Student Development
Favorite homecoming
memory: Coming back my
first year out of college to
see how everyone looks so
different and has grown up!
Just being able to reconnect
after not seeing everyone
was really special! I am still
friends with the ladies I hung
out with while in college; we
call each other every week.
Best part of the “Spelhouse” relationship:
When you need a male’s opinion; one is always
there to lend it. I love how anywhere you go, if you
say you graduated from Spelman and there is a
Morehouse Man there, he will give you a hug like a
sister (even if you have never met him).
If you have a Spelman Sister you’d like to
highlight, please submit her name to kjones66@
scmail.spelman.edu.
