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October 2013 SpelmanPaper@gmail.com The BluePrint %• DOMESTIC & International News Friendship Baptist Church The Significance of History & Profit By: Jasmine M. Ellis C2015 Failing to Protect & Serve: Police Brutality in America By: Kyra Carlisle C’2015, Clark Atlanta University $19.5 million is a lot of money. Friendship Baptist Church made the decision to sell its edifice to the Atlanta Falcons for that amount in September. Flowever, the church was the birthplace of Spelman College in 1881; for some, that piece of history is priceless. Though leaders at the church declined to comment, others have not—this sale has sparked debate across Atlanta. The public has had both positive and negative responses, but Spelman students have a unique perspective on it. “I was genuinely upset,” said Breanna Wilkerson, junior at Spelman College. “As it is a historical site, I do not understand how this decision could be made. I would have thought both Spelman and Morehouse would have had a stronger voice in the way things were played out.” Friendship Baptist Church once served as a mecca for Black History throughout the 1800s and well into the 1960s. Spelman College was founded in the basement of the church. The founding pastor of Friendship Baptist Church, Reverend Frank Quarles, opened up the basement of the church to develop the college. Spelman’s role and relationship with Friendship Baptist Church has come into question. As an institution so deeply rooted in tradition, it’s hard for a lot of people to come to terms with the fact that the place in which Spelman came into fruition will be flattened and replaced with a new stadium. “Legally, since there is no formal relationship between our institution and Friendship Baptist- The United Kingdom celebrates Black History Month in October. It acknowledges the contributions of people from the African Diaspora. The United Kingdom started commemorating Black History Month in October of 1987. According to the Discover Black Heritage website, “the month of October was selected because it coincided with the Marcus Garvey celebrations and London Jubilee.” Different groups within the United Kingdom celebrate Black History Month, and the celebration has spread throughout the boroughs and several other places within the United Kingdom. Delisha Rown, a student from London studying at Spelman College explains more. “Black History Month was celebrated in my primary school,” Rown said. “We were encouraged to celebrate the different cultures within the African diaspora.” Rown remembers presentations in her younger years of poets who performed at the library particularly one Jamaican poet. As her parents are originally from Guyana and Jamaica -which is sad—I can see how [Spelman’s] voice would not have had much power,” Wilkerson said. “I do wish Dr. Tatum would have released a statement to the church addressing their concern with this decision.” Christine Slaughter C’2015, expressed her disdain with the church’s decision and the effects it will have on the neighborhood. “How far are we willing to gentrify our neighborhood? I am not at all pleased with the decision,” Slaughter said. “Friendship Baptist Church is a historical memory in Spelman’s history. Better yet, Friendship was the first African- American Baptist church in Atlanta post- civil war. “What does it say about us that we were willing (or forced) to sacrifice that history for ‘economic development.’ Can we not develop our communities any other way? I believe Spelman should have intervened sooner and been vocal in protest.” As seen throughout the years, financial gain often supersedes historical significance. Slaughter gives insight into America’s economic consciousness. “We should be more conscious in our decisions,” Slaughter said. “Why build a new stadium when there is a growing homeless population in Atlanta? Why not invest that money in a more humane way - such as education? “Development doesn’t always mean profit, we must consider what we lose when we make such big decisions.” respectively, the content of the poem made her appreciate the presentations that represented her own background. Even though her parents did not heavily celebrate Black History Month, she recognizes the need to celebrate black excellence because of racial profiling. Since race relations issues continue to persist in London, Rown described the importance of continuing to have Black History Month “It is important to expose European children [to] the influences of black people,” Rown said. Although the United Kingdom celebrates its own Black History Month, many of the pioneers within the black community are from the United States. Rown explains that London is heavily influenced by America, particularly with the election of Barack Obama in 2008. For more information regarding events during Black History Month, visit http://www. blackhistorymonth.org.uk Being black in America has never been an easy thing, especially for black men. The number of killings of unarmed black males from non-blacks has risen in recent years. Black men in America are killed, beaten, and violated by police officers. One in particular is Jonathan Ferrell, a 24-year- old former Florida A&M football player, who was killed by a police office in September. Ferrell wrecked his car to the point where he had to break the back window in order to escape. He then ran to the nearest house for help. The resident of the house saw him, thought he was attempting burglary, triggered the alarm, and called the police. When Ferrell saw the police officers, he ran to them for help, but was fatally shot. The officer responsible for his death has been charged with voluntary manslaughter. Sean Bell, Amadou Diallo, and Oscar Grant were all unarmed black men murdered by police officers. Adding Ferrell’s completely avoidable murder to that list, it’s safe to wonder if black men Across the nation, LGBT History month occurs each October with individuals focusing in on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender history and the history of the gay rights. The UC Davis LGBTQIA (Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, and asexual) Resource Center has compiled a list of terms related to the LGBTQIA community. No matter where in the rainbow you are Someone cares. Please keep in mind that the terms and definitions below are ever-evolving and changing and often mean different things to different people. They are provided below as a starting point for discussion and understanding. Asexual: a person who generally does not experience sexual attraction (or very little) to any group of people. Asexuality is distinct from celibacy, which is the deliberate abstention from sexual activity. Some asexual people do have sex. There are many diverse ways of being asexual. Androgyny: (1) a gender expression that has elements of both masculinity and femininity; (2) occasionally used in place of “intersex” to describe a person with both female and male anatomy. Biological sex: the physical anatomy and gendered hormones one is born with, generally described as male, female, or intersex, and often confused with gender. Bigendered: Having two genders, exhibiting cultural characteristics of masculine and feminine roles Bisexual: a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction to people of their own gender as well as another gender. Cisgender: a description for a person whose gender identity, gender expression, and biological sex all align (e.g., man, masculine, and male) Coming Out: “Coming out” describes voluntarily making public one’s sexual orientation and/or gender identity. It has also been broadened to include can rely on the police to protect them. Police often see black men stereotypically as threats, and as a result they overcompensate and take preventative actions against them. “I feel like the police should assess the situation before they take action against any person,” said Melvin Hill, a junior at Morehouse College. Hill is absolutely right. American police officers should stop entering situations with a prejudice attitude against black men. They should realize we are all human and should be treated as such. However, some believe that black men in America will always have a difficult time dealing with law enforcement. “I don’t believe police brutality is ever going away,” Morehouse student Xavier Herbet said. “Black men should adapt.” The increasing number of black men who are murdered by police officers will not decrease until police begin to see them as their counterparts and not as a threat to their personal safety. other pieces of potentially stigmatized personal information. Terms also used that correlate with this action are: --’’Being out,” which means not concealing one’s sexual orientation or gender identity. -’’Outing,” a term used for making public the sexual orientation or gender identity of another who would prefer to keep this information secret. Outing [someone]: when someone reveals another person’s sexuality or gender identity to an individual or group, often without the person’s consent or approval; not to be confused with “coming out” This is highly disrespectful and dangerous to the person in the LGBT community. Pansexual: a person who experiences sexual, romantic, physical, and/or spiritual attraction for members of all gender identities/expressions. Drag King: A person (often a woman) who appears as a man. Generally in reference to an act or performance. This has no implications regarding gender identity. Drag Queen: A person (often a man) who appears as a woman. Generally in reference to an act or performance. This has no implications regarding gender identity. FTM (F2M): Female-to-male transsexual/ transgender person. This person does not have to or can undergo medical treatments to change their biological sexto be considered FTM/MTF Gender Identity: the internal perception of an individual’s gender, and how they label themselves. Hermaphrodite: an outdated medical term used to describe someone who is intersex; not used today as it is considered to be medically stigmatizing, and also misleading as it means a person who is 100% male and female, a biological impossibility for humans. Questioning: the process of exploring one’s own sexual orientation, investigating influences that may come from their family, religious upbringing, and internal motivations. Queer: anyone who chooses to identify as such. This can include, but is not limited to, gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex and asexual people. Some people still find this word offensive, while others reclaim it to encompass the broader sense of history of the gay rights movement. (x/ant to djdvQJdti&n ut Jhji filvuLfi/dnl? If you are interested in advertising, please send your advertisement with the appropriate print speci fications and a check payable to Spelman College: The Blue Print to spelmanpaperads@gmail.com. You may also mail your advertisements to: The Blue Print- A Spelman Spotlight Production Spelman College 350 Spelman Lane SW Campus Box 1577 Atlanta, GA 30314 If you have any questions, please contact Marli Crowe at (480) 277-4387 or the Office of the Dean of Students at (404) 270-5133. The Blueprint: Mission Statment It is the mission of The BluePrint to serve as a profound forum that fortifies understanding, unity, and advocacy throughout the Spelman and greater AUC community. The BluePrint strives to produce innovative, fair, and creative journalism that helps its readers understand the nation and world through the lens of African-American and Black Women. Spelman f w in w w 'm JL A SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT PUBLICATION College,, Graphic Design and Prnting Provided by Anna Johnson & Greater Georgia Printers Rely on us for ALL YOUR printing needs! www.GreaterGeorgiaPrinters.com m inc, Greater Georgia printers Piedmont impressions PRINTING ♦PUBLISHING A Division of Greater Georgia Printers, inc. Black History Month in the UK By: Alexis Dulan C’2016 October Marks LGBT History Month By: Afrekete