Latest Articles (38 total)
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief, Volume 1, Issue 1
Historical Timeline: Lake Forest College Student Equity Movement
HISTORICAL TIMELINE: LFC STUDENT EQUITY MOVEMENT
By ALICIA MAYNARD ’20
EDITOR
Editor’s Note: This is a snapshot of the student activism during the 2019 Spring semester. Some names have been redacted to protect the privacy of students and Staff members who actively engaged in incidences related bias that have not yet been made public.
70's Art
Editor’s note: In this issue of Black Rap, the Editorial Team has reprinted selected political artwork from the 70’s by the Black Students for Black Action (BSBA) group and Afrikan Students for Afrikan Liberation (ASAL).
Poetry: I Am Who I Am
I AM WHO I AM
By KWASI AKOWUAH’20
CONTRIBUTOR
Features: Faculty Letter to Trustees
Editor’s Note: The email below was written by President Schutt on January 21st, 2020. This letter was signed by Faculty in support of diversifying the faculty body.
Political Youth: What does politics have to do with it anyway?
What does politics have to do with it anyway?
By ELLEN KAZEMBE’20
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jacob Lollis is a student at Furman University in South Carolina. He is currently engaging in Elizabeth Warren’s 2020 presidential campaign in Iowa. During his internship in Washington D.C., he worked with, Jim Clyburn, who is the third-ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Kazembe interviewed him to learn more about his interests, motivations and to find out his thoughts about youth involvement in politics.
Political Youth: Is it time for youth to talk more about political engagement?
Is it time for youth to talk more about political engagement?
By ELLEN KAZEMBE ’20
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Daniel Di Martino recently graduated from Indiana University in the 2019 fall semester. He has been featured on various TV networks and radio stations including but not limited to; Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and i24 News English. According to FOX59, he met with President Trump in 2019 to discuss political issues pertaining to Venezuela. He has used the media as a platform to raise more awareness about political issues that matter to him. Kazembe interviewed him to learn more about his interests and his political involvement.
Study Abroad
Have you Heard? Studying Abroad Is Your Best Bet To Grow
By NOMBUSO DLAMINI’20
CONTRIBUTOR
Before I embarked on my journey, people used to ask me where I was going to study abroad. And I would respond, “The United Arab Emirates (UAE).” Most times I would get the same puzzled response, “Where is that?” And I would give one of two responses, “You know Dubai?” And then a light bulb would go off - “Oh! That sounds awesome.” Or I’d say, “In the Middle East” and most often I’d sense the puzzlement in people’s response - Why would I want to go to a region that’s a big, dry desert where women wear hijabs?
Opinions: Recalling the Pan-African Ideology
Recalling the Pan-Africanism ideology
By DENZEL MARUFU’23
CONTRIBUTOR
One Africa is often the slogan used to embody the togetherness that African nations aspire to reach, and it provides a simplified understanding of what Pan Africanism entails. Pan Africanism is the idea that those of African diaspora should unite and form a single African nation in which the inhabitants of this nation should develop in accordance with African values as opposed to Western ideals of development.
Kulture: 你好!
你好!
By Nathalie Mintjens’21
CONTRIBUTOR
The question ‘Where are you from?’ should be fairly easy to answer. However personally, it has always been a very conflicting question; are they asking for my race, my ethnicity, my nationality, where I was born, or where I grew up? For me, the answer to all these questions are different.
Alumni Spotlight: Barbara J. Holden-Smith
What Everyone Ought to Know About Barbara J.Holden-Smith ‘73
By ELLEN KAZEMBE’20
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Barbara J. Holden-Smith is a Professor of Law at Cornell Law School in Ithaca, New York. She graduated from Lake Forest College in 1973, and she is well-renowned for her groundbreaking work in Supreme Court history and practice. According to her former Cornell Law School student, Alec D.Smith’16, “Professor Barbara Holden-Smith is one of the sharpest and smartest people” he has “ever had the pleasure to learn from. During class she makes it obvious that she cares about her students’ development not because she cuts them slack, but because she pushes them to and beyond their limits unlike any other professor can.”
Alumni Spotlight: Bill Lowry
The pathway to success: Bill Lowry ’84
By ELLEN KAZEMBE’20
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Bill Lowry ’84 is the Cook County Board Commissioner for the 3rd district in Illinois. He is a member of many Cook County Board Committees that include: Contract Compliance, Criminal Justice, Business and Economic Development,Environment and Sustainability, among others. He is also the President and Managing Shareholder at Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry P.C. and a Lake Forest College Trustee. In 2009, he won the Lake Forest College Outstanding Alumni Leadership Award.
Editorial Team Note, Volume 1, Issue 1
We, the Black Rap Editorial Team, dedicate our efforts to embrace and celebrate the diversity of students, faculty, and alumni of African descendent.
Photography Gallery
Editor’s Note: In this issue of Black Rap, the Editorial Team has reprinted selected photographs of different Black student organizations at Lake Forest College from the 60s to the 90s. The featured student organizations include: Sisterhood, Afrikan Students for Afrikan Liberation (ASAL), House of Soul, Black Ensemble, Black United and Concerned Students (BUCS) and United Black Association (UBA). This issue also features some of the events that were hosted by Black Student Leaders including Soul Week. It also features the Lake Forest College Tutorial Project which began in 1963 after the, “Crisis in Race Relations” conference.
Health: TACKLING INFECTIOUS DISEASES WITH DR. MAKADZANGE
TACKLING INFECTIOUS DISEASES WITH DR. MAKADZANGE
By ELLEN KAZEMBE ‘20 and RENEE GORDON ‘22
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and EDITOR
Dr. Tariro Makadzange is a Physician from Zimbabwe. She is also the Director of Biology and Clinical Research at Gilead’s Discovery Virology department. She got her PhD in Immunology from the University of Oxford. Afterwards, she earned her M.D. at Harvard Medical School. She is also an Associate Member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. According to Gilead Sciences, “Tariro and her colleagues are focused on understanding T-cell biology and researching potential ways to harness a patient’s immune system to cure or control HIV.”
Global Perspectives: Coping with the COVID-19 Pandemic Together
COPING WITH tHE COVID-19 PANDEMIC TOGETHER
By ELLEN KAZEMBE ‘20 and ESTHER KIM ‘22
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and CONTRIBUTOR
COVID-19 has affected us all. With schools and businesses shutting down, the virus has significantly changed our lives. The narratives we had planned for our lives were cancelled. Not only have people lost their jobs, many have lost their loved ones. All of a sudden, our daily routines shifted. Graduation ceremonies were cancelled. Health care and grocery store workers were recognized as being essential. Yet, in a new era of social distancing, people are connecting over social media, singing on balconies, and figuring out innovative ways to make masks. Here are 17 different experiences that were shared by global citizens from across the world:
Activism: Empowerment One Word at a Time
EMPOWERMENT ONE WORD AT A TIME
By DENZEL MARUFU ‘23
EDITOR
In an age where “making a change” seems to be an obligation rather than a dream, many wonder how they can make that change in their immediate communities and, possibly, in the wider world. It can be discouraging to think about how much effort is needed to achieve this change but one will never know what it takes until they try to do so first hand. Zimbabwean writer and activist; Isabella Matambanadzo embodies this through her work advocating for gender and women’s rights in her native country, Zimbabwe, and by promoting economic investment in the country. She has worked in over 36 African countries in various capacities for agencies such as The Southern African Economist, Radio One and the Inter Press Service, just to name a few.
Activism Timeline Fall 2019
FALL 2019 ACTIVISM AND EVENT TIMELINE
By ALICIA MAYNARD ‘20
EDITOR
Editor’s note: This is a snapshot of the student activism that took place on campus during the Fall 2019 semester.
Features: United Black Association Timeline
UNITED BLACK ASSOCIATION'S BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2020
By DEJA MCCLELLAN ‘20
EDITOR
Timeline
Features: I Choose the Ladder
I CHOOSE THE LADDER
By ELLEN KAZEMBE ‘20
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Watchen Nyanue is a business strategy leader from Liberia. Not only is she the founder of I Choose the Ladder, but she is also the Vice President of Marketing Partnership for the WNBA Chicago Sky. Additionally, she is the co-founder of Little Doebahyou, a monthly subscription box, which teaches children between the ages of 6-11 to embrace and understand the history and culture of the African Diaspora. Nyanue has been endowed with many accolades. She is a 2018 Chicago Business Journal Woman of Influence Honoree, a Chicago Scholars 35 Under 35 Honoree, and a Biz Women 2018 Headliner. She has also been featured on Windy City Live, WGN-TV and Chi at a Glance.
Ask Feyi
DEAR FEYI
By OLUWAFEYISAYO ADEYINKA ‘22
CONTRIBUTOR
Volume 1, Issue 2
Editor’s note: These are some of the questions that were submitted to the Black Rap Editorial Team by Lake Forest College students that want to learn more about African and African American cultures. The students’ identities have been withheld.
Opinions: Role of Jewish Rabbis During Dr. Martin Luther King's Movement
THE ROLE OF JEWISH RABBIS DURING DR.MARTIN LUTHER KING’S MOVEMENT
By DENZEL MARUFU ‘23
EDITOR
Much has been said about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s industriousness and charismatic pursuit of racial equality in the mid 20th century. The focus has often been on his stance against the discriminatory policies that were in place so as to inhibit the African American community, at the time, from obtaining adequate opportunities to advance in the society.
Opinions: Segregated Thoughts
SEGREGATED THOUGHTS: A BLACK PERCEPTION OF WHITENESS
By KOBENA AMOAH ‘23
CONTRIBUTOR
The popularization of Black History Month among colleges adds to a heightened black consciousness within modern America. Of course this can be attributed to the growing black presence and group solidarity on college campuses. The acknowledgement of a black presence on campus with the celebration of Black History Month not only shows the ethnic pluralism of American diversity but also brings into light the dark and somber chapters of American history.
What is Science Without Diversity and Inclusion?
WHAT IS SCIENCE WITHOUT DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION?
By ELLEN KAZEMBE ‘20
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Matt Wallaert is a Scientist who has applied Behavioral Science to start-up companies, including some that are listed among the Fortune 500 companies, as well as tackled multifaceted social issues to make an impact. He is the first Chief Behavioral Officer at Clover Health where he leads one of the world’s largest behavioral science teams which includes: qualitative researchers, project managers and quantitative researchers. Prior to his role at Clover Health, he worked as Microsoft’s behavioral scientist and he was also a director at Microsoft Ventures.
Diversity and Inclusion: 9 Students Share the Importance of Allyship
9 STUDENTS SHARE THE IMPORTANCE OF ALLYSHIP
By ELLEN KAZEMBE ‘20 and ESTHER KIM ‘22
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CONTRIBUTOR
What is an ally? According to Merriam Webster dictionary, being an ally is defined as, "supportive association with another person or group. Such association with the members of a marginalized or mistreated group to which one does not belong".
Complexity of Identity
THE COMPLEXITY OF IDENTITY
By ODETTE FREDERIK TATANGMO MENO ‘21
CONTRIBUTOR
A simple way to define my identity is that it makes me who I am. For most of my life, my identity has often been a part of three specific categories; Cameroonian, female, and a scholar. I am a born-raised Cameroonian, from a Francophone background. Both of my parents are from the Bamileke tribe; one of the most dominant tribes in Cameroon.
Constructions of Racial Identity: Coconut
A coconut is socially defined as a black or brown (non-Caucasian) person who, in many ways, is perceived to embrace and embody white culture. They’re defined by the way they speak, their friend group, their music playlist, the way they dress, their goals and aspirations, and the kind of education they receive. I’ve learned that in the U.S., these individuals are usually labelled as Oreos. In some Asian countries, they’re labeled as bananas and almonds.
Alumni Spotlight: Standing Out to Make It
STANDING OUT TO MAKE IT
By YANIRA GONZALEZ ’20
MANAGING EDITOR
From having White House meetings under the Clinton administration to talking about small business lending that limited minorities, to overseeing functions at the 12 Federal Reserve Banks during the 2007-08 financial crisis, Craig Marchbanks ’84 has certainly created a name for himself in the professional world.
Alumni Spotlight: Beam Me Up, Hanelle
Hanelle M. Culpepper’92 shattered the glass ceiling by being the first woman to launch the sci-fi Star Trek: Picard series in its long 53-year franchise history. Eighteen years later, the spin-off series features Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, a role which he last starred in Star Trek: Next Generation in 2002.
Letter from the Editor-in-Chief
Letter from the Editor-In-Chief: This one's for you, the visionaries, who shatter glass ceilings.
Editorial Board
As diversity leaders within the community, we dedicate our efforts to embrace and celebrate the diversity of students, faculty, and alumni of African descent.
