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(04/28/23 12:47am)
As the first Gen Z and Afro - Cuban congressman, Representative Maxwell Alejandro Frost of “Florida 10th congressional district”, is a historic figure who has contributed to a new wave of grassroots activist policymakers who use social media and other spaces to advocate for a litany of issues especially gun control and abortion rights. Also, as an activist for voting rights, Frost has been instrumental in bolstering college students’ voter registration and overall participation in both primaries and general elections leading to his own election victory. With the emergence of increased youth activism in the increasingly common wake of school shootings like Parkland and Uvalde, greater public scrutiny must be applied upon our elected officials ensuring sensible gun safety measures are passed preventing the seemingly unending onslaught of gun violence. While political inaction is the symptom of a greater issue of political corruption, there must be greater shame placed on the National Rifle Association which has predominantly levied its immense monetary, social, and political capital to challenge any and all efforts to reform US gun policy. After the tragedy of Parkland in February 2018, Frost and others were instrumental in the formation of March for Our Lives, a student-led organization seeking to end gun violence in schools. Also, as the representative for Florida’s 10th Congressional District encompassing the city of Orlando, Frost’s constituency includes those whose family members perished during the Pulse nightclub killing 50 people and leading to a three hour standoff with authorities. In fact, in the very beginning of 2023 alone (roughly 64 days), there have been alarmingly 80 mass shootings already, outpacing 2022 figures rapidly.
(04/17/23 7:45pm)
Black students only make up 8.65% of American University’s student population, coining the university as a Predominantly White Institution, also known as a PWI. As conveyed through anonymous testimonies, social media posts and scholarly journals, being a person of color at a PWI can pose a distinctive set of challenges. Students of color at PWIs tend to have lower retention rates, consistently face discriminatory behavior, and disproportionately struggle to assimilate to their environment. Many Black students have testified that institutionalized racism on college campuses causes emotional distance between them and their white faculty and peers.
(04/17/23 7:46pm)
If you search up “American University” on Google, you may notice a surprising difference in one important statistic- acceptance rate. As of today, U.S. News and World Report indicates that American University has a 64% acceptance rate, which is almost double what it was reported as a year prior.
(03/27/23 10:19pm)
From the McDonald’s Cardi B and Offset meals in February to the Pride logo temporarily replacing company logos in June, to even the corny commercials only displaying Mexican culture instead of all Hispanic culture, these marketing strategies are used to monetize off the public. Trinidad Aguirre once said that "it's honestly common in my experience. Major brands try to do these things without really attempting to understand our diverse culture, right, and they often miss the mark time and time again." And, he’s right, I think it’s great to have these months where music, food, clothes, history, and culture can be highlighted, celebrated, and revered but instead, major corporations and companies leverage capitalism as a ploy of celebration.
(12/08/22 7:51pm)
Pink Heartz is the second album by Atlanta rapper, SoFaygo. The 21-year-old dominated the underground Soundcloud scene from 2018-2020 with his unique melodic delivery that felt like a breath of fresh air in the rap world. In addition, his collaborations, and his rap feuds, made him a hot topic among fans. He is known for exchanging diss tracks with former Slayworld rappers, Summrs and Kankan. He is also known for his early collaborations with underground alums Lil Tecca. Lil Tecca produced the beat for Knock Knock, a catchy track that gained TikTok attention and pushed SoFaygo into the spotlight.
(12/08/22 7:47pm)
TikTok has established itself as “the giant” of social media video-streaming platforms, as its users are relying on the app to view and participate in hundreds of thousands of trends that have been going viral on the platform. From dancing to cooking videos, Tiktok has become the go-to app for all things trendy.
(12/08/22 3:39am)
“[Celia Cruz] no es una pasa de moda]” sings the legendary Celia Cruz, the iconic Queen of Salsa and arguably, one of the most synonymous singers with Cuban music. Born in Havana, Cuba, on October 21, 1925, Cruz was born of humble beginnings and would become a fixture in dance halls and clubs during her 20s. As an Afro-Latina woman, Cruz was raised believing in the diasporic religion of Santeria which fuses West-African folklore traditions and music orally preserved by African enslaved people in the Caribbean. From her youth onward, Cruz’s music embodies the rich and centuries old customs of Santeria and other African beliefs fused with the Spanish language. Fast forward to the 1950s, when Havana was emerging as a bustling center of Latin music and culture, Cruz started her career as a singer for the orchestra band Sonora Matancera and became its first black lead singer. Cruz would become a common fixture on television and radio across Cuba. Finally, getting her career breakthrough, Cruz starred in various Mexican films and dominated the silver screen. During her tenure with Sonora Matancera, Cruz released Canta Celia Cruz (1956) and headlined at Havana’s Tropicana Club. Despite Cruz’s shining career start, Cruz had to contend with the upheaval of the Cuban Revolution and the authoritarian rise of Fidel Castro, who she vocally criticized through her music and platform. Evidently, as Castro’s power soared and threatened Cruz’s freedom, Havana’s once thriving nightlife and club scene evaporated, forcing Cruz and the Sonora Matancera to flee Cuba for the United States, seeking refuge and greater opportunities for their music and ideas.
(12/08/22 3:35am)
Demons 2 Deluxe is an exciting project by Fort Worth rapper and producer, Iayze (pronounced Jace). The highly anticipated deluxe album arrived on September 19th, bringing many songs that fans had anticipated for months. His first album entitled Demons was one of the nineteen-year-old artist’s more popular 2021 releases and is known for having the lighthearted song, “Day by Day.”
(12/08/22 3:20am)
Recently with many questions of tolerance and ethics rising, people have asked for a change in the education system. With schools in progressive states, like my former high school in California, swapping its current education standards for courses that stray away from Eurocentric perspectives, teachers are forced to create new curriculum to adapt to the changing times. On the opposite end of the political spectrum, with the rise in ethics and comprehensive education, many parents have become opposed to schools’ attempt of disregarding traditional and archaic teaching standards. Whether the education be around comprehensive sexual education, the reading and teaching of literature that revolves around the Holocaust, or the acceptance and share of information towards the LGBTQ+ community, there has been a strong pull against these aspects fo education. The “Don’t Say Gay Bill” Signed by Florida Govenor Ron DeSantis in March 2022 requires schools to not discuss LGBTQ+ subjects to grades kindergarten to third grade. The introduction and media discourse around this law has led other school districts in other states to either loosen or tighten its stance on seemingly “controversial” topics (topics that demote ignorance and White, Chritstian supremacist values).
(12/08/22 3:12am)
Keeping the failed government response to Hurricane Maria in mind, ongoing crises of poor energy policy and crumbling infrastructure remains clear as Puerto Rico was ravaged by Hurricane Fiona, experiencing week-long power blackouts.
(12/08/22 3:06am)
I never liked going to school on 9/11.
(12/08/22 3:00am)
The American University Women’s Soccer team is in the midst of a resurgence, and it is thanks in large part to the culture change brought about by head coach Marsha Harper. Harper is in her third year as head coach of the Lady Eagles soccer team, and the team’s improvement is more evident with each passing year. The proof is in the pudding, as the team went from winless in her first year as head coach to three wins and eighth in their conference this past season.
(12/08/22 2:57am)
For the new school year, AU’s Housing and Residence Life made several updates and changes to dorm buildings to provide more safety for the students living in dorms. These policies include 1) the new swipe and show the system to monitor who comes in and out of dorm buildings, and 2) the new lockout process which replaced temporary cards. What this means is instead of desk receptionists providing students with temporary cards to get students back into their dorm rooms when they lock themselves out, now AUPD performs the new lockout process, which involves AUPD unlocking students' dorm rooms during the day. This new policy was supposed to give students a “reality of the real world,” while invoking responsibility in students to not forget their “keys” at home. But what reality is this?
(12/08/22 3:28am)
The first week of November was a lively one with many expected alumni and events taking place for the 2022 Multicultural Alumni Reunion (MCAR). The Multicultural Alumni Association hosted a myriad of events including the MCAR Celebrate event and the Multicultural Fraternity and Sorority Brunch for AU alumni and current AU students in hopes to celebrate, reconnect, and unify the diverse cultural identities of AU’s community. Additionally, MCAR in conjunction with the campaign for American University called Change Can’t Wait, encouraged people who have a stake in the AU community to donate to AU’s equity-based funds and AU’s commitment to Inclusive Excellence.
(12/08/22 2:51am)
2022 has undoubtedly been a fantastic year for Hip-Hop/Rap. Great releases from artists like Kendrick Lamar, Denzel Curry, Saba, Freddie Gibs, Conway the Machine, LUCKI (I did not like his album, but who am I right?), and Black Thought have dominated the rap scene this year. It is damn near impossible to crown any of these men the prestigious “Rap Album of the Year” award. But for those who don’t know, I correctly predicted Jazmine Sullivan’s 2021 Grammy win for “R&B Album of the Year,” and now that I’m rightfully cocky about my foresight, I’d like to try my hand again at another Grammy prediction.
(12/08/22 2:47am)
age/sex/location
(12/08/22 2:38am)
Remember the smallpox outbreak? Just like COVID-19 showed itself to develop variants of the virus, smallpox resurface with what scientists called, Monkeypox. As of July 23rd, the WHO declared a global health emergency over the outbreak of monkeypox. On August 3rd, the US declared monkeypox a public health emergency, as s means to respond and address the virus as quickly as possible before it spread over the country. Cases was identified amongst men, gay men in specific, according to the WHO, which begin the idea that monkeypox can only be transmitted through “gay sex.”
(12/06/22 4:17pm)
Graffiti is ubiquitous. Driving by abandoned homes, underneath bridges, or even through busy streets, I had passed by graffiti without giving it the time of day. I may have spared a few a glance, and been able to identify a few familiar ones on my everyday drive to and from school, but it wasn’t until I moved to D.C. that I truly started thinking about the graffiti I saw on the streets. I was on the metro subway with a friend looking at the passing scenery when we rode past an intricately done tag, a street artist’s signature, layered with greens, blues, and white. Something about it struck a thought within me; I thought about much time and effort must be put into this kind of expression, and how although it is considered an art form by some, it is considered a crime by all. The seemingly simplistic words spray-painted on buildings and landmarks have such a rich history with complex racial politics surrounding it and provide accessibility to create art for artists of all backgrounds. These factors combined are why instead of brushing graffiti off as vandalism and a crime, it should be recognized as a valid art form.
(12/02/22 9:07pm)
As 2022 approaches its end and we begin to think of things we wish to better for next year, it’s important to take the time to give breast cancer disparities among Black women a platform.
(11/10/22 5:23pm)
Former Notre Dame and National Football League linebacker Manti Te’o is a victim of one of the most infamous catfishing scandals to date. This scandal is so well known, Netflix created a documentary, “Untold: The Girlfriend That Doesn’t Exist”. The documentary gives an amazing backstory on his life leading up to the scandal and the fallout it precipitated.