FVSU Blog

BET ushered in Black History Month with an extraordinary awards show, the 3^rd Annual BET Honors.  Each year, the network targeting African-Americans highlights the phenomenal achievements of five individuals in the categories of media, service, entrepreneurship, entertainment and education.  Leaders are presented achievement awards and musical tributes by the most talented performers of our time. Here’s a recap of last night’s event:

Dana Owens, better known as Queen Latifah, the multi-faceted recording artist, model and actress, was honored first for her contributions in the world of media.  Patty Labelle and Jazmine Sullivan paid tribute to the queen singing the classic songs “Unforgettable”, “Rock Steady” and “If Only You Knew “.

Dr. Keith Black, chairman of the neurosurgery department and director of the Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center, received the service award for   contributions to medicine and tumor research.  Take 6 and the legendary Stevie Wonder honored Black with a musical tribute.

Sean “Diddy” Combs received this year’s entrepreneurship award. Now I’m definitely not a Diddy lover, but you have to respect the man’s business savvy. As his friend and business partner Andre Harrell pointed out, Diddy   provides more than 300 young African-Americans with good paying, respectable jobs . Diddy, worth more than $350 million has created a nice empire that consists of a record label, television show, clothing lines, cologne and so much more. Diddy’s long time friend Mary J. Blige  serenaded him with a medley of her hit singles, many of which topped the charts because of him.

The icon that is Whitney Houston was looking as good as ever when she stepped on stage to accept the entertainment honor. For the past decade, Whitney’s talent has been overshadowed by drug addiction, bizarre behavior and a tumultuous relationship with R&B singer Bobby Brown.  Trials and tribulations aside, the audience adores Houston; and her favorite voice, Kim Burrell let her know it with an electrically charged rendition of “I believe in you and me”. As soon as Whitney heard Kim’s name she jumped out of her seat and walked up to the stage, to share a personal moment with her long-time friend. This was definitely the funniest part of the evening because I thought Whitney had caught the Holy Ghost! She was in tears, flailing her arms around and shouting throughout the entire performance. I thought the show would go downhill from there, but Jennifer Hudson came to the stage and wowed the crowd when she sung Whitney’s chart-topping single “I will always love you”. The “dream girl” is the ONLY person I’ve heard do that song justice besides “The Voice” herself.  Whitney began to tear up again as Jennifer belted out the familiar tune, making it apparent that the two divas share mutual respect and admiration for one another.

Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, the president of Brown University was honored for her role as an exemplary leader in the world of academia. Simmons is the first woman president of Brown University and the first black president of an Ivy League institution.

One of my favorite soul sisters, India.Arie paid homage to Simmons with a musical tribute before teaming up with her idol, the legendary, Stevie Wonder and the handsome young crooner, Trey Songz.  Later in the show, the dynamic duo brought humor to the evening with friendly banter and impromptu performance of Stevie’s classic, “That Girl” and Trey’s current hit-single “Invented Sex”. The crowd was shocked to hear 59-year-old, Stevie singing the lyrics “when I get you to the crib, upstairs to the bed, girl you gon’ think I invented….”

It’s beautiful to see BET celebrate African American pioneers from various fields and show appreciation for the courage, tenacity and resilience of our people. We are what extraordinary looks like.

(BET typically rebroadcasts the show.  You don’t want to miss this one)

- Tauheedah Shukriyyah Asad is the public relations specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University

Joseph Lowery is a fiery speaker.  This week, the Civil Rights leader was honored with a Hall of Fame award at the Georgia Trend “100 Most Influential Georgians” luncheon at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta.  He was almost a no show, but the host kept hinting that Lowery was on the way. I wasn’t about to leave.  The MC stalled toward the program’s end and was about to conclude and dismiss guests. But then Lowery arrived in a wheel chair.
 
He grasped the microphone and the atmosphere in the room changed with his first word.  Nobody moved. It was quiet, except for the slight hum of the air handler. In a raspy, worn voice Lowery made us laugh. He explained that his late entry was due to an unscheduled doctor’s appointment caused by shortness of breath.  Then, he made our hearts cry by sharing a dream about the children of Haiti.
 
He described waking up the day after the dream and reading in the New York Times the story about a 14 year old named Daphne Joseph. On the day of the quake, the girl ran to the marketplace in search of her mother who sold beauty products in a place called, Tete Boeuf. Daphne arrived in time to see her mom’s body tossed into a heap on the back of a truck with other dead bodies.
 
The mood in the room changed instantly.  The emotions that swelled within me cannot be described.  I wanted to hold my head in my hands and sob aloud.  Lowery’s message to us, “remember the children. They lost their parents, teachers, schools, hospitals and worst of all, their bearings. They walk around empty-eyed,” he said. Then the preacher made a pledge to give a sum of money.  An impromptu fundraiser began right then and there. Lowery’s few words were so rich, so deep, so heartfelt.  Nobody commanded the audience’s attention as he did - not the lawmakers, the Governor’s cabinet or the corporate executives. Of all the words spoken that day, for me, Lowery’s will be remembered most for their meaning and spirit.  He travels in circles of the rich, powerful and famous, the larger world, but he remains a country preacher, a caregiver of souls. Lowery walks with God in the light of His love is what I sense.

Like many Americans, I was eager to tune into yesterday’s State of the Union address to hear President Obama speak. The broadcasting of any major social or political event is a big to-do with my circle of friends, who consist mostly of recent graduates, young professionals and journalists.

My friends and I are scattered across the nation, but during special occasions such as this, we all sit anxiously in front of our televisions and send comments back and forth via facebook and twitter. I encourage everyone to try this with their network of friends and relatives; it makes the program A LOT more interesting.

Unfortunately, I missed President Obama’s speech on the networks. But when I woke up the next morning and read all the mixed reviews and critiques from my friends, I had to view it on YouTube.

Here are my thoughts after watching the internet broadcast.

Some Barack Obama supporters are disenchanted now that he’s in office. I’ve heard people argue that he is not attacking the issues the way he said he would during the election. Some Democratics feel he’s trying too hard to please Republicans (which he NEVER will), and some people are starting to believe he’s “all talk”. To be perfectly honest, I can understand where they’re coming from, but I think the issue is deeper than that.

As I watched the address I saw before me a man who is doing his best to fix as much as he can in a relatively short amount of time. I saw a man who is trying to “play the game” in order to get things accomplished in a flawed system.  I sincerely believe our president has good intentions, but in the same breathe I don’t think he fully knew what he was getting himself into.  Is he qualified for this position? I believe so. Is he doing a better job than his predecessor? Definitely. Does he have a full grasp on the pressing issues? Yes.

People need to remember that this is his first year in office.  He has a lot on his plate. He has to get acclimated to how Washington politics work, be strategic and understand how things operate behind closed doors.

I applaud President Obama’s address and his leadership methods for several reasons: First, because he has examined the issues of healthcare, credit, education and unemployment from several angles. He is both realistic and optimistic in his approach. Secondly, President Obama knows that he can’t magically solve every problem with the power he has, so he charges his constituents with the task of educating themselves and taking personal responsibility in their everyday lives.  Finally, his constant attempt to strengthen the morals of U.S. citizens and build a better America during these trying times is truly admirable.

Tauheedah Shukriyyah Asad is the public relations specialist in the Office of Marketing and Communications

Despair, numbness, hopelessness and defeat are a few words that could describe the feelings many Haitians are experiencing after the earthquake that devastated their nation on Jan. 12, 2010.  I originally heard the news about the disaster through a friend, but it didn’t effect me as much until I saw the footage on television.  It was unimaginable what had happened.  For the average young adult, it is pretty difficult to even fathom what the Haitian people may be suffering.  My heart cried out for Haitians, as I viewed the destruction.  I could not believe that an earthquake could cause that kind of damage!  I saw thousands of dead corpses lying down on the ground.  What broke my heart was the image of a dead baby lying next to its deceased mother.  For miles and miles, there were not any standing buildings: everything was destroyed!  Houses, schools, companies, even prisons were all annihilated!     

A few years back, I experienced a minor earthquake in my hometown, but that minor ground shake was no comparison to Haiti’s catastrophe!  Just hearing about the stories of families being separated, and not being able to keep in touch with one another reminded me of my experience during Hurricane Katrina.  I have plenty of family in New Orleans, so I could relate to the anxious feelings felt by families who could not contact loved ones.  I can remember one bad weather day while away at college.  My father called.  He was very frantic and explained that no one had been able to get in touch with his sister, my aunt, nor was she with her husband or children.  She had been missing for three days.  That frightened me to the core.  I felt helpless — like I had no control. The thought of not knowing creates so many other anxieties.  Eventually, my aunt was found, safe.

Seeing the faces of Haitian children brought tears to my eyes.  The tears have moved me to help.  I am interning in FVSU’s marketing department where there’s a makeshift drop-off point for relief items, food and water.  I am doing my part by organizing clothes as well as can goods and boxing them up.   As I place each item in the box, I say a prayer for the person who’ll wear the size 6 pants and thank God that this person has clean fresh clothes to put on.  I have also texted the number 90999 to donate $10 through the Red Cross to further help this country get back running.  It is so unfortunate that such a strong country that fought for their independence loses everything that they worked so hard to develop!  I pray that the Haitian people have strength and that people around the globe can find it in their hearts to help out this courageous, beautiful country.  My effort is small, but at least I’m doing something. I encourage others around the world to come together to please help out Haiti.  What if it were you or your mother or your brother?  If you cannot afford to donate items or money then at least volunteer to help pack some items or give your time by spreading the word to those that can help.  Life is short and we as human beings should spend our time on earth showing that we love one another. Please help Haiti!      

Jasmine Singleton is a student intern in the Office of Marketing and Communications at Fort Valley State University.

Members of the University Today Scholars’ Program helped spread holiday cheer to the local community by collecting canned goods and clothing from high schools, churches and neighbors. Dual enrollment students Carmen Nicholson, Shaquina Missick, Terrence Howard, and Zack Miller participated in making the project a success. Donations collected by Tonya Howard of Fort Valley Feed Center Ministries will aid needy families living in Fort Valley and surrounding Middle Georgia communities. “We have a number of outreach ministries and support services including our food bank and free clinic for medical assistance, and drug rehabilitation among others that are designed to assist the public. This donation will help us in our mission to uplift the community and motivate those in a transitional stage in life,” said Howard.

Students in FVSU’s University Today Scholars’ Program finished the fall semester on a high note by earning exceptional grades and high praise from instructors. On a total of 73 college credit hours, they cumulatively posted a 3.73 grade point average. “Clearly, they represent the best of the best at Middle Georgia high schools,” said UTS Coordinator Corbin Stephens. They’ve taken on the additional responsibility of college courses and other extracurricular activities,” he added. The list of UTS are as follows: Tervarus Ages (Peach Co. High School); Carmen Nicholson (Peach Co. High School); Ebony Nottingham (Peach Co. High School); Shaquina Missick (Peach Co. High School); Terrence Howard (Peach Co. High School); Chelsea Jackson (Peach Co. High School); Brittney Brown (Peach Co. High School); Brionte’ McCorkle (Warner Robins High School); Angelia Laulusa (Macon Co. High School); Zack Miller (Macon Co. High School). New members of the dual enrollment program are: Christopher Decker (Peach Co. High School); Chelsi Duncan (Macon Co. High School); Chartrice Jones (Houston Co. High School); Lauren Mitchell (Cook Co. High School).