William Carter

Beyoncé’s #BlackLivesMatter Superbowl Performance & Current Dominating Political Stance

Beyoncé's Super Bowl Performance, via her Instagram

It all started with a performance. Beyoncé, otherwise known to many as "Queen B" performed at the super bowl on Sunday, February 7^th with Coldplay, and took a different approach to the normal leotard dancing and singing. This time Beyoncé performed with a message. She released her new song and video for "Formation", which together has ties to anti police brutality, hurricane Katrina, loving oneself and the culture, and #BlackLivesMatter as a whole.  The song shows a young boy dancing in front of the police, and shows graffiti of the phrase "Stop Shooting Us." She performed at the super bowl with her back up dancers dressed in modified Black Panther outfits, and performed in an all black outfit herself covered with bullets. The song and video was a call from Beyoncé to get more attention on the subject matter and to make it a national topic that maybe the people most hiding from it would have to see or at least hear it for a little bit In between Coldplay and Bruno Mars performance. 

Dr. Teresa Gilliams shared her insight on the Beyoncé’s performance. “It was brilliant,” she said. “We experienced history being made where Beyoncé moved from being this iconic figure to a Black Panther; somebody who is taking a stand about black lives, how much they matter, and her connection to her history. I think the backlash just confirms how incredibly impactful “Formation” is, and how lasting it is…”  

The reason for choosing the Beyoncé Super Bowl performance was because of the controversy surrounding it. There are people who praised it and the need to have something such as that televised, and then it is the other side that states that the lyrics and the performance promote hatred for the police and violence. The performance struck such a nerve, that it was alleged that the Florida police department would not plan on covering security for her concert in Orlando. If the Florida police department did not offer security, then the Nation Of Islam would.

Fox News has a new show called “Tomi”, the host is female news anchor Tomi Lahren. Lahren shared her thoughts on Beyonce’s, and they were not positive at all. Lahren went as far as bringing up her husband’s past as a drug dealer. “First it was [holding hands up] “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot!” then it was burning down buildings and looting drugstores, all the way to “Oscars So White” and now, even the Super Bowl halftime show has become a way to politicize and advance the notion that black lives matter more. This isn’t about equality; this is about ramrodding an aggressive agenda down our throats and using fame and entertainment value to do so… What is the political message here? What is it they’re trying to convey here? A salute to what? A group that used violence and intimidation to advance not racial equality, but an overthrow of White domination?... These privileged Hollywood entertainment types are really something. Beyoncé didn’t reference the Black Panthers to bring about some sort of positive change; she did it to get attention. Good for you, you made headlines! You, just like President Obama, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Al Sharpton and so many others, just can’t let America heal. Keep ripping off the historical Band-Aid. Why be a cultural leader when you can play the victim, right?”

Dr. Gilliams shared her thoughts on Lahren’s perception of the event. “For a bit I was astonished, but then I started seeing the comedy in it. Beyoncé has clearly struck the white supremacist nerve; she got right at the core. They wanted her to stay silent. When you have to go for the jugular, and start talking about Jay-Z’s drug selling past; its very clear that they have no idea how the economic structure of this country works. If there were jobs available and if there ere truly equal opportunity; black people would never be selling drugs in their own communities. She’s really mad that Beyoncé’s impact was as far reaching as it was. What other performer, celebrity could during Superbowl make such a statement? And which one would ever make a statement about race? They want Beyoncé to just do “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” and just sit down and not talk about the fact that she is not going to sit down idly while black people are getting struck down in the streets. Whether they sold drugs or not, we’re still human beings.”

Fans and haters alike were waiting to see if the police would cover her concert on April 27^th, 2016 and the police department did. It was the first date of her “Formation World Tour,” and it kicked off with a success. Beyoncé released her sixth studio album “Lemonade” on April 23^rd, 2016. The album is named after a talking scene featured in her movie to go along with her album. At the end of her song “Freedom,” it features an African-American civil rights leader Hattie White talking about her life and struggles in a brief two sentences.  “I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to cool myself off. I was served lemons, but I made lemonade.”

“Freedom” is a song asking for freedom, having to fight to be treated fairly, how the fight is not over, and no matter what happens we need to continue to fight. The lyrics are powerful, especially in the chorus.“Freedom! Freedom!/ I can't move/ Freedom, cut me loose!/ Singin', freedom! Freedom! Where are you?/ Cause I need freedom too!/ I break chains all by myself/ Won't let my freedom rot in hell/ Hey! I'ma keep running/ Cause a winner don't quit on themselves” “I think she’s making a statement about her blackness, and the entire African-American community,” said Kalia Bethea, current Junior and English/Criminal Justice major. “She calls for a stop to the marginalization of African-Americans, and for acceptance overall.”

Beyoncé Opening Night Of Her Formation World Tour, vis her Instagram

Beyoncé expressed changes of emotions from grief, sadness, anger, hope, and more. While talking about her troubles with her marriage and her mom’s troubles with her father, she was also able to give not just African-Americas, but all people can relate too. “Lemonade” does however, brings attention to issues in the African-American community, while also showing the culture in expressing her thoughts. In the “Lemonade” visual movie, she has images of being in church praying, couples of different races, ages, and genders, and even has a gay couple featured in the video. Each song/video for the movie tells a story, and in the end shows a message of hope for a better day, a brighter future. The songs “Forward” and “Freedom” follow each other in the movie for “Lemonade” with the theme of hope. One scene in the video features the mothers of murdered victims Trayvon Martin, Eric Gardner, and Mike Brown. Another scene features her singing “Freedom” in a plain white dress in front of an audience dressed in all white in the deep south. The scene resembles old slavery times.

From having the “Formation” video, to the Super Bowl performance, to “Lemonade;” Beyoncé has made her stance on anti police brutality #BlackLivesMatter movement, but not everyone has shared delight on her new political stance. Piers Morgan, who is known for controversy, wrote an article about the “Lemonade” album. The first line says “I never like it when entertainers go all political,” says Morgan. “Whether it’s Oscar-winners preaching from the Academy Awards pulpit or Madonna seizing the best-looking babies from African orphanages, it always looks and sounds like they’re using a ‘good cause’ as a fashion accessory.”

Morgan went on to criticize the signer on her “newly found” political views. Needless to say, fans, journalists, and even businesses were entirely too happy with Morgan’s perception of the album. Morgan first shared his thoughts on twitter, but then took to the dailymail.co.uk to write an article. 

Artists are looked up to as role models, many get criticized when they do not speak out when they have the platform. However, when some speak and its not what some want to hear, they get attacked. “Lemonade” demonstrates understanding, and the need to continue to fight to be heard and get understood. The fact that she had to an album dedicated to not only exploring ones self, but also history on the African-American community, as well as the need to be treated fairly; “Lemonade” is something some people need to drink.

The Hide and Seek Game of Millenial Voters

                                         Millennials: The Lost Voting Generation

By: Kendra Wert

With a new primary election quickly approaching and rallies drawing crowds in the thousands one question still remains, where are the millennial voters? Some argue that they aren’t informed enough to vote, others feel like their voice won’t be heard and quite frankly, some just don’t care. Whatever the reason is though political science specialists are concerned with this generations inadequate voting patterns. As the baby boomer generation begins to fade it is up to this new group to ultimately make the decisions that impact their country through local, state, and national elections.

With the millennial population being equal to that of the baby boomer generation having a political voice is crucial



Millennial voter decline is unfortunately not a new phenomenon. For example in 2008, younger citizens (18-24) had the lowest voting rate (49 percent), while citizens who fell into older age groups (45-64 and 65-plus) had the highest voting rates (69 percent and 70 percent, respectively). A recently released study from DoSomething.Org, a website that encourages young people to participate in the voting process found that young voters are more likely to support issues such as legalizing same-sex marriage, supporting a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, and legal abortion than other age demographics. Also it was found that 40% of millennials identify as non-white, making them the most diverse voting generation in history. Since I myself am a millennial voter and I am surrounded by other millennials on a daily basis I wanted to gain some insight as to why young people choose whether or not to vote. In 2008, 62% of youth voters with a college education voted, compared to 36% of those youth without a college education I wanted to see then according to this statistic how Albright compared.

Recently presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders came to Santander Performing Arts Center here in Reading to drum up support for his campaign. Both Sanders and other Democratic hopeful Hilary Clinton have recently been fighting for millennial support at the polls and it appears as though Sanders is winning. According to the Washington Post, the poll of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 finds that Sanders is by far the most popular presidential candidate among the youngest voters. This group's attitudes on a range of issues have become more liberal in the past year.https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/04/25/bernie-sanders-is-profoundly-changing-how-millennials-think-about-politics-poll-shows/.

Junior Stephan Brown and other Albright students attend a rally held by Bernie Sanders at the Santander Performing Arts Center. The millennials who do vote are choosing Sanders over all other candidates.

Junior Communications major Stephan Brown was one of those in attendance at the recent rally and shared "I support Bernie Sanders because he wants to push the agenda for free education and free healthcare which are 2 things this country desperately needs. Also Bernie stands behind students and understands our struggles in the lower middle class, he just gets it." In one of Harvard's polls of young people in 2014, the number who agreed that "basic health insurance is a right for all people" was 42 percent. That figure increased to 45 percent last year and to 48 percent in recent polls. Still even with students turning out for Sanders rallies many still remain politically independent or just don't think that politics affects them in any way. In a study conducted at California Polytechnic Institute of the 19,000 students on campus only 1,400 were registered to vote. That was even lower than the nationwide 1-in-5 rate at which college-age Americans will go to the polls in November.http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2015/01/15/seeking-political-support-colleges-prod-students-to-vote  

But reaching young voters won’t be as easy as sharing videos on Facebook, or talking about the cost of college, or hoping that enough of them have settled down with kids. There’s a far bigger barrier than inattention: Mistrust.Every year, Harvard’s Institute of Politics surveys 18-to-29-year-olds across the country about their attitudes toward politics and public service. This year’s survey asked how much millennials trust a range of institutions to “do the right thing” all or most of the time. The president? 36 percent. Congress? 18 percent. Predictable, maybe; Jon Stewart moaned about those people every night.

Bruce Auerbach, a political science professor here at Albright feels that Students aren't voting because they simply feel they don't have time. He says " Students are worried about classwork, careers, jobs, their social life and more. They really feel like they have time even though many of them hold a strong political voice."

Whatever the reason is that Students aren't voting it is clear that they have a voice and that it should be heard. There are new ways with the development of technology that allow students time to vote from Apps on their phone. To the students who think their voice doesn't matter it does, because we must make the most that we can out of where we live and deciding who is going to represent us as a leader and meet our needs is vital.

Treat Every Day Like Denim Day: a Stand Against Sexual Violence

Treat Every Day Like Denim Day: a Stand Against Sexual Violence

By: Allison Peters

            For the past 17 years, one Wednesday in April has been chosen as Denim Day in support of Sexual Violence Awareness Month.  This year, April 27, 2016, was selected to be that day. At Albright College, people seen wearing jeans flooded the campus in honor of the cause.

            The campaign for Peace Over Violence was originally triggered due to a rape conviction that was overturned by the Italian Supreme Court. The reason was because the victim had been wearing tight jeans at the time lead up to her rape, so she, allegedly, must have had to help her rapist remove them in the first place, proving his innocence by implying consent.

            In the United States, nearly every one in five women has been raped. Almost half of all women have experienced some type of sexual assault. Over the course of their career, around 25 percent of women on college campuses will fall victim to rape.

            “You will barely ever see me wearing jeans. This is a big deal for me to be out and about today not in shorts or leggings, but it’s for a great cause,” Albright College student, Julia Barry, said.

            Barry said it was a very small price to pay to raise awareness.

            “I remember coming to Albright as a senior in high school and having my dad as ask the tour guide, ‘How safe is the campus?’ I was so embarrassed. My guide said something about it being really safe and not to worry,” Barry said.

            Although, Barry said there has been more than a couple times where she’s felt like she was followed or being harassed on campus.

            “Last week I was standing over by one of the campus dorm buildings talking to one of my friends, who is a girl. These guys came by in a car and started mocking us, making ‘kissy-faces’ and even when we asked them to stop they kept going. They almost got into a car accident because they weren’t paying attention,” Barry said.

            When asked if the men in the car were people she knew, she said no.

Photo Credit: Albright College

            “It was a form of sexual harassment and it’s not right. It’s not fair that, as a woman, I have to be afraid of men…I hate running outside because I’m just yelled at by men in cars,” Barry said.

            Last year Albright College took place in a nationwide campaign against sexual assault on college campuses. This campaign was called “It’s On Us.” It encourages students to recognize what sexual assault is, identify situations it could happen, intervene if it does happen, and to further create an environment where it is unacceptable.

            KaitlynRockwell, Vice President of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, helped make a video to spread awareness at Albright and across the internet.

            “To make the video, we asked any student-athlete to help...It ended up being really inspiring…I actually cried a little when I watched the whole thing through for the first time,” Rockwell said.

            The video was published on April 6, 2015 and is titled “Albright Athletics’ It’s On Us,” and can be seen on YouTube.

            “Last time I checked it had almost a thousand views…personally I consider that amazing…The video only took a day to shoot, and a few days to edit and put together…and because of it people are now more aware of sexual assault,” Rockwell said.

            The best part of making the video, she said, was that she likes to think it could make not just Albright’s campus safer, but others as well.

            “I’m really happy to say that I’ve never been the victim to anything horrible like [sexual assault],” Albright student, Samantha Hand, said.

            Hand said she found out this article was being written, and wanted to share a story of one of her close friends.

            “When I was at a party…at another school, my one friend drank too much and ended up nearly passing out on a couch...I was about to take her home when some guy I’d never seen went over to her on the couch and put his arm around her,” Hand said.

            It was someone her friend had never seen before either, Hand said.

            “Luckily I was there to take her home…she still thanks me to this day…she doesn’t know what could have happened and she really doesn’t want to guess,” Hand said.

            Thanks to Hand’s fast thinking and good judgement, she got her friend out of a possibly really bad situation.

            “It definitely reminded me of the video we made…“It’s On Us,” which I got to be in as a student-athlete at Albright…I recognized a situation and intervened…it’s what everyone should do,” Hand said.

Planned Parenthood Controversy Stirs Up College Campuses

By: Lani Panico

In September of 2015, the House of Representatives passed a bill, that would later go into legislation, that would cut off funding from the national reproductive health organization , Planned Parenthood. In January, they voted for an eighth time to defund the family planning provider. These cuts imply that women who use Medicaid and other insurance providers will no longer be able to be reimbursed for their Planned Parenthood visits. It implies that insurance will no longer cover visits to the facility and that women will have to pay out-of-pocket for these reproductive services.

            The House passed this bill to assure that women were not using their government funding to pay for abortions. The House claims that part of their reasoning for defunding Planned Parenthood was because they didn’t want government money to go toward abortions. 

Jennifer Koosed, Professor of Religious Studies at Albright College, replied to that claim. “They do it primarily on the basis of Planned Parenthood providing abortions, even though Planned Parenthood does not use any federal or state monies to provide abortions. All the federal and state monies that they get is to provide other kinds of healthcare services. It’s already illegal for them to use federal or state funds to give abortion services, but that’s still the kind of basis upon which a lot of the calls to defund them are coming. In fact, it’s economically detrimental to defund Planned Parenthood…It’s not economic at all because the economics are quite clear. Unintended pregnancies cost more money, not only to individuals and families, but to society in general. The most cost effective thing we can do as a society is prevent unplanned pregnancies, and the most cost effective way of doing that is simply giving women birth control. And not doing that has cost us way more money. There is no economic argument.”

Another factor that contributed to defunding was the rumor regarding Planned Parenthood selling fetal organs after abortion procedures. The words of a Planned Parenthood director were twisted around to imply this rumor. In fact, fetal tissue is only distributed by request of the patient to benefit the health of others, such as those with Parkinson's. The following video explains this controversy.

Along with these reasons, Representatives also called religion into question to solidify their beliefs that insurance money and the Affordable Care Act should not be used to commit an act such as abortions.

            The defunding of Planned Parenthood added fire to the pro-choice vs. pro-life debate. Religious groups tend to support the decision of the House to prevent abortions. Koosed explains religious standpoints on this issue. “The majority of religious perspectives in this country, both Jewish and Christian, support contraception and abortion and don’t find contraception or abortion to be unethical, and that’s primarily because neither abortion nor contraception is in the Bible. So all positions about abortion and contraception are extra-biblical. As birth control came to be more widely available, the Pope, in 1968, laid out the Church’s official position on contraception. And that’s become the basis for the Catholic position and a particular understanding of the purpose of sex as well of an understanding of something called ensoulment, when the person gets a soul, and from the Catholic perspective, a person has a soul from the moment the sperm hits the egg. And since you have a unique soul, anything you do to prevent the continuing development of it is considered murder.”

            Other groups, such as women who use the services provided by Planned Parenthood and other pro-choice advocates, have stood up against this pro-life movement. Planned Parenthood, while it does provide service for abortions, is one of the only cost-free distributor of condoms, birth control and other reproductive health services such as cancer and sexually transmitted disease screenings. This organization also gives women the opportunity to discuss issues regarding their reproductive health through counseling services. While it does provide abortions, Planned Parenthood as an organization has many other services that women may not be able to receive otherwise.

[The following chart was found online. This chart gathers information regarding Planned Parenthood's services]

            Emily Carey, a student at Albright College, states her belief regarding the defunding of Planned Parenthood. “I was very upset when I found out that Planned Parenthood was defunded because it provides so much reproductive healthcare to families, and especially women, who can’t afford it anywhere else. There are people all over the country who, without Planned Parenthood, wouldn’t have access to birth control and so many other things. A lot of the people who defunded it talked about how abortion is the reason why. But honestly, abortion is just a really small and miniscule amount of what Planned Parenthood does and it provides so much more than just that.”

            Samantha Wesner, Nurse Practitioner at Albright College explains her opinion regarding what the defunding of Planned Parenthood means for women. “Even though the Affordable Care Act is coming into play, there’s still a lot of women who can’t afford healthcare. They can’t afford insurance through the marketplace and there’s a gap of women that don’t have care. So, Planned Parenthood’s funded by Title X funding and they then can provide contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing and annual GYN exams to those women who can’t access care separately.”

[The following chart can be found on Planned Parenthood's web page.]

            The Gable Health Center at Albright College provides some services that Planned Parenthood provides to promote reproductive health in college students. The center provides gynecological exams, birth control pills, condoms and pregnancy tests. Wesner says why she believes it is important to have these services on college campuses. “We’re very lucky at Albright because I’m a woman’s healthcare health practitioner and that’s my specialty. GYN is my specialty. And a lot of college campuses do not offer GYN services, or some offer services sporadically throughout the week. We offer services all week long.”

                        Carey includes her stance on reproductive health on college campuses. “I think it’s really important to have contraception available to students and Albright and just all universities because safe sex is something that is really important and really needs to be discussed more and advertised. Also, birth control isn’t just for sex. Some women use it to help their period and regulate their bodies, so I think it overall is just very important.”

            Wesner concludes with her thoughts regarding the importance of contraception and reproductive care. “I think any woman who’s sexually active should have the right to choose whether or not they want to have a contraceptive method. And I think it’s important for people to know about what methods are effective what methods are available. For the first time in a very long time, we’ve finally seen nationally the teen pregnancy rates dropping, which is major. I think that that is due to providing care and providing the ability for women to get contraceptives. So I certainly don’t want to see that downward slope of those rates go back up again because people can’t access services and if people can’t get to Planned Parenthood, specifically people who don’t have care, including college students, then I think we’re going to have an issue with those rates increasing again.”

Albright Students React to Clinton's Victories

By: Tamara Udowenko

            Hilary Clinton had a sweeping victory in Tuesday’s primary election, winning Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Connecticut’s Democratic vote, leaving Bernie Sanders to claim victory in Rhode Island.

            NBC News writes that on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Clinton brought to light Sanders’ issues like, “curbing big money and economic inequality, addressing climate change” and said that they will be her focus, too. Clinton’s success may come as a surprise to many Albright students who have already pledged their allegiance to Sanders.

Last Thursday, numbers of students showed up to his rally with signs in their hands. Some students have shown their support by placing Sanders stickers on their laptops and posting about him on social media.

 USA TODAY writes that 54 percent of millennials support Sanders and 37 percent are in favor of Clinton. However, more millennial women support Sanders than men. For women, 61 percent are in favor of Sanders and 30 percent are in favor of Clinton. About 48 percent of millennial men support Sanders and 44 percent support Clinton. So why was Clinton so victorious at the polls, despite many millennials being vocal about their support for Sanders?

            Kristen Woodward, Art Professor and the Art Department Chair, thinks that it may have been because of Sanders’ promises. “I think the criticism I have heard of him is that the ideas that he was talking about couldn’t possibly happen. To say ‘College free for everyone’ or to give universal healthcare, I think they thought that it just wouldn’t work,” Woodward said.

            Woodward believes that Clinton’s victory may have partially been because of the absence of millennials at the polls. Woodward said that when she went to her polling station, she did not see anyone there that appeared to be a millennial. “Then when I followed up with my students and asked them if they voted, they said, ‘No, I didn’t register.’ They seemed very apathetic. I think I only encountered two students that had voted and were excited about it,” Woodward said.        

            Angela Cremer, a communications major with a minor is photography, said that she was unable to vote yesterday, but was quite confused with Clinton’s victory. “One of my friends tweeted this morning as a joke, ‘I see all of these GIFs and all these memes for Bernie—where were all of you guys yesterday with the voting? What’s up with all the results?’ So, that’s exactly how I feel. You see all of this talk on social media so like, what’s happening? Is that just what we put forward just because he’s the underdog?” Cremer said.

            Alyssa Francis, a psychology major and Spanish minor, was not surprised with Clinton’s win. Francis voted via absentee ballot and said that a lot of her friends voted as well. However, Francis said, “I think a lot of people were just indifferent and neutral.”

            Francis said that she does not like Sanders because she disagrees with the direction that he wants to take things in. She thinks that Sanders is appealing to millennials because he wants college students to receive free tuition. “We [millennials] are at a disadvantage because we don’t have the experience that the older voters have. They know that if we are getting free college, other people are paying for it in their taxes. I think that’s why so many people our age are leaning that way because we haven’t really seen the full scope of life yet and we are in that position,” Francis said.

            Sophie Huster, an art major who was previously a political science major, did not vote yesterday because she is from New Jersey. Huster said that she supports Sanders because of his humanistic standards, but feels others millennials do not have a reason. “It just seems like the typical thing to do right now. … I think a lot of people are joining the bandwagon and doing what their friends are doing,” Huster said.

            As for Clinton, Huster said that she strongly dislikes her. “I don’t know a single person that wants Hilary to win, whether it’s someone my own age or older democrats. … so I’m really confused as to why that keeps happening,” Huster said.

            Looking towards November, Huster predicts that Clinton will win the Democratic nomination and is fearful because she believes that Clinton will be a bad president. Cremer too thinks that Clinton will win but says that she is an unethical woman and does not like her. “I want to be able to participate in voting but I’m not going to vote for someone “just because” if it’s not someone that I agree with,” Cremer said.

            Woodward said that she does not know what is going to happen in November. “I never could have predicted what happened and I’m kind of speechless as I watch this unfold,” Woodward said. In the meantime, Woodward hopes that more students become interested in the election. “I think it’s easy to say, ‘Oh, nothing is going to change,’ but nothing is going to change if you don’t vote.”