wanna see blk joy, wanna be blk joy, wanna create blk joy
I am proud of me. I sit back and see all that has come from the last four years of college, and I want to take a moment to congratulate me. In the following haiku I will write for me, I will likely be vague, speak in grandiose and soothing metaphors, but I will understand me – and that is enough.
Continue reading “Because You Are Great: A Thank You Letter To Myself”
Black, like BLACK, but also black, and blk.
Black- (n) to live and love in your most sincerest form
Dr. LaWanda Simpkins is the University of Mary Washington’s Post-Doctoral Fellow in Civil Rights and Social Justice. This Spring 2019 semester, she is wrapping up with her fellowship and thus her time at UMW. It is very sad to see a great Black professor leave UMW, my soon to be alma mater. I’m honored to have known her during her three years at the University. I remember first seeing her at the James Farmer Multicultural Center, and being beside myself that I was looking at a Black woman professor. So naturally, I ran up on her and talked her ear off about race, class, gender, transnationalism, and more. Later on when I brought up our first interaction, Dr. Simpkins noted how I was wanting to ask all the questions I had ever wanted to ask another Black woman in academia, but had never gotten the opportunity to do.
Continue reading “& Black & Scholar & Mother: A Profile of Dr. LaWanda Simpkins”By MILEN MEHARI
Staff Writer
Black students at the University of Mary Washington are disproportionately represented in the athletics program. This is clear to see when glancing at some varsity sports rosters. Take for instance the UMW men’s basketball team; more than half of their roster is ostensibly Black. In contrast, Black students make up 6% of the student population. Continue reading “Racial Disparity in UMW Varsity Athletics”
By MILEN MEHARI
Staff Writer
During my three years at the University of Mary Washington, I have declared and switched five different majors and minors. I am not indecisive, just hyper-conscious of my right to curate my academic career. As a rising senior, I am majoring in English and women and gender studies (WGST) and minoring in digital studies. Continue reading “Independent Study Courses Are Just an Excuse For The University Not to Offer Certain Classes”
By MILEN MEHARI
Staff Writer
Recently the University of Mary Washington released the 2018-2019 estimated cost of attendance on the Financial Aid website, and the prices have appeared to increase. Continue reading “Predicted Tuition Increase Causes Worry For Students”
By MILEN MEHARI
Staff Writer
I am a Black student attending the University of Mary Washington, a predominately white institution, so naturally my woes of racial inequity are to be expected. I did not come to this university disillusioned, expecting an experience resembling that of an HBCU, historically Black college/university, because the disparity is quite clear. Consider the 2015 academic year wherein students of color made up 30 percent of the student body while professors of color were only 17.5 percent of the teaching staff. Furthermore, the only significant Black and Brown staff presence is either in the dining hall, cleaning or clerical staff.
Continue reading “Disparity of Race Distribution In University Faculty and Staff”