Published Stories

Stories Beneath the Shell

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NAACP’s UMD chapter holds student activist town hall, discusses Maryland football scandal

As part of this year’s Student Activist Awareness Week, the University of Maryland chapter of the NAACP held a student activism town hall Nov. 1 to discuss the benefits of advocacy and the ways in which they can refine their presence on campus.

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Department of Women’s Studies and students address cultural appropriation around Halloween

The Department of Women’s Studies hosted its monthly Social Justice Hangout Oct. 3 to address an issue that tends to surface around Halloween: cultural appropriation.

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New Route 1 restaurant offers Vietnamese-style tacos and hot dogs

Food options on Route 1 in College Park are continuing to expand. Sitting between MilkBoy ArtHouse and Jimmy John’s is one of its newest additions, The Red Boat Viet Fusion Restaurant, which replaced Pizza Mart in August.

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The Black Explosion

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Black Students at University of Maryland Get Silky for First Annual “Durag Day”

Twitter has been flooded with pictures of collegiate black men wearing durags on their campus and calling the event “Durag Day.”Durag Day was first seen at Morehouse College of Atlanta, Ga., and it quickly transformed into a movement at other Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

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When Does Diversity of Opinion Go too Far?

On Sept. 12, the University of Maryland African American Studies Department hosted a town hall meeting, themed “Protecting Our Community.” Panelists Dr. Alana Hackshaw, Professor Robert Choflet, Professor Jonathan England, Dr. Joseph Richardson, Dr. Jason Nichols and student activist Erica Puentes discussed the racial climate on the university campus.

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BSU Freshman Council Make their Stand (or Kneel) on Protesting the National Anthem

In light of Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the National Anthem, the 2017-2018 Black Student Union Freshman Council discussed at their first general body meeting on Oct. 2 their thoughts on his actions and whether NFL players and even us students should “Take a Knee to Take a Stand.”

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Insecure star Yvonne Orji uses her stage to portray the double-conscious experience

Student Entertainment Events hosted on Thursday Insecure's Yvonne Orji as part of their Hear the Turtle series. The event aimed to start conversations about diversity and decrease tensions on campus. With humor and grace, Orji discussed the importance of diversity, being a black woman immigrant in the Trump era, as well as getting her start in Hollywood.

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Juke Joint of a New Generation

The legacy of the Juke Joint still lives on today. The Nyumburu Cultural Center celebrated 20 years of hosting Juke Joint on November 30, 2017. Juke Joint has served the black community on campus as a home of self-expression. Students perform original songs, spoken word poetry, rap and dance.

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The Star Strutters' First Performance Sparks the Controversial PWI vs. HBCU Debate

Every dance team looks forward to their very first performance, and the UMD Star Strutters were no different. After months of practices and technique classes, they would finally take the stage as UMD’s very first band dance team, at the February 16th Date Auction sponsored by UMD NPHC, Black Student Union and The Lunch Table.

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When will the Corporate World Embrace the Natural Hair of African Americans?

One would never suspect that hair could be such a difficult commodity - that certain hair wouldn’t be accepted in particular places. However, the corporate world has proven to make things more and more difficult.