If you are not living in Riverside, simply go to voteforchange.com and it will direct you to a polling place near you! "Vote or you don't have the right to complain"
Every year we get that round of freshman roaming the campus hiding in their rooms but somehow showing up to parties.......Interesting. Look out for "Freshman? Who?"
WARNING: Facebook stalkers please...fall back.
Lucia Leticia Minaya
City: Burbank
High School: Burbank High School
Major: Business
Favorite Event So Far ?: ASA Welcome Back After Party @ 108
Classes: English, Anthropology and Economics
Interests: Culture (meeting people and learning what they are about) and Music
Ethnic Background: Dominican and Guatemalan
What are you Doing This Weekend?: Celebrating my birthday going to the Kappa Aarluu Jump Off.
Aaryn Poche
City: BurbankCA
High School: Burbank High
Major: Business
Favorite Event So Far ?: UDC Block Party After Party
Classes: English, Econ 4 and Sociology Racial and Ethnic Issues In American Society
Interests: Likes To Travel, Fashion and Music
Ethnic Background: African American, French, Native American, Irish and Welsh
What are you Doing This Weekend?: Celebrating her roommate Lucia’s birthday
I once loved all that you had to offer. The artistic beauty with the movement of your rythmic notation and your inspiring words of sexual embrace and life's worthiness. You taught me things that my parents could not like how to love, be in a constructive reslationship, how to worship, how to love myself, and that have obstacles. You showed the world talents of great artists like Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Al Green, Luther Vandross, Whitney Houston, Billie Holiday.
You gave street love a new look with youngsters telling the world their life stories with gangbanging, living in poverty, hood life, new skills in the game came present with artists like Warren G, Tupac, Notorious BIG, Dj Quik, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Nutty by Nature.
Yet over the years music you have changed. The things that were fly, artistic, inspiring, loving, and romantic has become sex orientated, degrading, and irresponsible.. Songs like lets get Jerking, Geeked Up, Pop Lock and Drop It, Pussy Poppin on a Hand Stand, Look Back At It. Artists like Trina and Lil' Kim are telling the world how bad they pussy is and how far down a dick can go down their throats. You have artists like Game degrading women and putting them as whores and easy. Or 50cent with a theme park of sexual activites and how a girl can benefit him.
Women are now not unworthy music especially Black women who either do whatever they are told like bend over girl show me wat u working with or being called whores because they are using sex to get in a man's music industry by wearing damn near nothing on music videos, degrading themselves and their families like vidoe vicines Michelle Ford and Super Head or letting men run them over for the sake of being ran over.
What happened music. Things used to be great when you had meaning and I don't mean the beats and instrumental enhancements of modern technology of computer usage such as T-Pain but the misleading music by the young and the old like Soldier Boy with him singing songs of ejaculation on a female's back and when the speciment is drying you place a sheet on her back and push her off of the bed and let her fly like superman. Like is this seriously music?
Do I honestly want my children listening to this nonsense and call it music? Music is artistic words and creative music coming together for popular view. Yes, economically that song or many of the songs stated are well with high volumes of ring tone sales and single downloads or album sales; but is it music?
Does it having meaning? Does it show character, optimism? Does it show creativity? Does it embrace life's goods and bads that young people cannot learn from their parents?
Or has music become an industry of money and no longer about good music? In which popularity of whatever nonsense can be expressed is beneficial to the public's view?
Damn music I once loved you but now I'm a little scared but there are people who are still trying to hold on to the true music like Musiq Soulchild, Beyonce, Common, Lupe Fisasco, LL Cool J, Mary J. Bildge, Lauryn Hill, Rahyeem Davon, Neyo, Ciara, Ashanti, Mariah Caery, Rhianna, Chris Brown, Ginuwine, Jill Scot, Angie Stone, Keisha Cole
Well I guess ill just keep listening to them because I don't know what's going. But when you get this please respond back,
I'm missing the antecedent ebony crayon of the sexy dark skin that represents our roots. Gazing out into an African/ African American/ Black crowd around the Carillon Bell Tower at UC Riverside, I see beautiful mocha, honey, milk chocolate, chocolate, and ebony shades of black. Why do I only see these mocha and honey shades in the media? Seldom do I see these beautiful darker skinned shades in the media. It is upsetting this day and age to think that society is so concerned with the hues of a person's skin shade that they have consciously and subconsciously convinced us that anything other than light is just not right. On a recent Tyra Show episode, Tyra herself admits that their is a lack of darker skinned role-models within the media to show that beauty can come in any shade. Society subconciously tells us that anything but light skin is not attractive or appealing by idolizing Beyonce, Rihanna, Ciara, Boris Kodjoe, Shemar Moore, and others. Not to say that these celebrities are not beautiful or attractive in their own right, but there is not a proportionate balance of the shades of black represented in the media. Women on this episode of the Tyra Show go as far as to bleach themselves and one mother even bleaches her own children. Please copy and paste this link: http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhXZ154W5R1MAAPLn1
October 23rd, 2008 Thursday pull out your pink outfits to come and show support for Breast Cancer Awareness. Wear PINK! (hats, tshirts, wrsitbands, polos, watches, earrings, pants, dresses)This event is important. Wearing pink can help spread the word about Breast Cancer and that it exists and is hurting our community. Where it to support your mother, sister, aunt or grandma. Wear it to show you care.
I have read a lot of articles about the Sudanese genocide that tell me who is dying, when something happens and where. But a lot of the times articles forget to explain why a government would be working to systematically massacre a whole portion of its population. So I took a little time to read up on the genocide to find out how and why the killing began. The violence in Sudan began with a civil war, which began as a fight between rebel Christian/Animist sects of the Sudanese and the Muslim Central Government. There had long since been a distaste of the animist by the Muslim majority of the country. The President and government then funded an Arab Militia to keep the rebels in check. This militia became known as the Janjaweed or armed horsemen. What began as an insurrection over scarce resources and poor treatment by the Muslim leaders of the Sudan, morphed into a Religious and Ethnic cleansing. The current crisis known as the Darfur Genocide Began in December of 2003 when the peace talks between the Government and the rebel forces now known as the SLM/A, Sudanese Liberation Movement/Army and the JEM, Justice and Equality Movement, fell apart. The Armed Horsemen were then turned loose on the African Masalit, Fur, and Zaghawa people whom the rebels get their support from. A lot of these groups under attack are also Muslims with slight differences in that some have tinges of Animism and Sufismin their practices. Animism being the belief that spirits inhabit and animate the world around us and these spirits are separable from the body; and Sufism is a mystical branch of Islam that deviates from orthodox strictures.
As you read this article the genocide continues. The Armed Horsemen funded by a country with oil Income rain bullets down on civilians. Even those who escape the Sudan to nearby Chad into the refugee camps are allowed no solace pursued by the militia; women being raped and tortured and men killed. At best count to this day 350,000 people have died as a result of this crisis and nearly as many displaced from their home. The violence continues and makes me wonder, how we will be judged by our progeny for letting this atrocity continue with not a thought for human life. Instead our concerns are for the oil/gas prices that partially fuel this human massacre.
Thursday October 23rd - 7 PM Commons 268 General Meeting with Guest Speaker Grey Frandsen
We will be meeting in to prepare and mobilize for the final 10 days of this historic campaign. There is little time left to make sure that you are a part of this movement.
We will be joined by Democratic Assembly District candidate Grey Frandsen, who will be here to speak about the importance of our efforts, the candidacy of Barack Obama as well as his own candidacy. He will be glad to answer any questions you have as well.
Grey is an exceptional candidate and we are excited to have him here on campus to discuss the issues. Grey worked in the State Department as well as serving as chief foreign policy advisor for Senator Russ Feingold.
We will have Obama stickers and buttons available at this event as well. Also, we will have sign ups for a trip for change to Las Vegas.
*Note: This event will not conflict with the Pre-Election Symposium for Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.; one will have the time to attend both if necessary.
Over the weekend, I visited my beautiful family in LA. My mom and I went to the movies to see Max Payne. This is a shout-out to all of those thinking about spending their hard earned money to see the movie:don't.
First off, the movie is like three hours long, has absolutely no point at all, and brings in all these un-related elements, like flying birds and such.
It was so far fetched and abstract, I decided to spend my time wisely and go to sleep, as did my mother.
Writers block, a sudden drop in a writer’s high pressure stream of creative thought,
In the midst of opportunity to drop, knowledge on ones peers it appears that opportunity is going to be lost,
The surplus of words has turned to a lack there of,
I’ve crashed and fallen from the high brought by the pen, my choice drug,
But isn’t this a contradiction, writing on writers block,
Doesn’t this penning of thought indicate some kind of thought?
Has the stream really ceased or am I really the block in my writers block?
So now it’s a race against the clock, to makeup for time lost, keeping my eye on the clock and the door to my third eye shut,
Time to open my third eye, no I’m not sister Patterson, in fact I can’t stand New York,
But I can’t help but see with my third eye too many dolled up black Barbies with attitude like New York,
Complain that they can’t get a decent man, let me give you a tip,
A decent man wants more than just your cover girl, weave, Bath and Body Works and overexposed chest,
He doesn’t want the whole world to know the Victoria’s Secret that’s supposed to be for him,
He doesn’t want a loud math disrespectful “woman”,
He wants someone he can call his equal, the Eve for his Adam,
That thought maybe a bit much for you so let me move on
Now that my third eye is wide open ready to penetrate to yours infinity and beyond,
My people and I don’t just mean those of higher melanin content,
I speak of all people of every nation and continent,
What has become of us as a species?
We are quick to judge on appearance rather than the hearts content,
When in reality we’re no better than a pig wallowing in its own feces,
The notion of love for our fellow man is lost,
Taken by the raging tide of hate and tossed,
Until we have become no better than the black widow that kills her own,
We kill over a difference in ideology; we see those who disagree with our views as subhuman in our eyes,
This makes us no better than the boys turned savages in Lord of the Flies,
We use money as our conch shell thinking it gives us authority to sell,
Our “superior” views while in the real world broken hearts and less fortunate persons are living through nothing short of Hell,
Africans continue to kill Africans like Cain did Abel,
Chinese suppression of their own people’s human rights leaves all thought of hope disabled,
Middle Eastern states continue to put women’s rights on the shelf,
While a European self indulgence and hedonism displays a lack of love for ones self,
All these problems, who or what can possibly help?
I suggest we follow the 2000 year old advice wisdoms of Jesus, to love you neighbor as you love yourself,
We’re all neighbors on the block of this world,
Not rival factions seeking to pillage, plunder, kill, destroy and rape each others girls,
We need love like AIDS needs a cure,
Not more hate dumped on like manure,
Because quite frankly we already stink like a pasture,
I know I may seem like I’m optimistic in asking for change and that’s because I am,
It is because I know at the end of the day we all are capable of loving our fellow man,
So now I descend from my soapbox but leave you with this last bit from my third eye,
Though it’s a battle hard fought, In this war on Hate and campaign for love, though many have and many more will die, we must live like Yoda said: “Do or do not, there is not try...”
It seems like one of the flyest parties brought to you by some of the flyest men is about to hit the I.E.
Get ready for ROUND ONE NOV 14th @ Trilussa 3737 Main St. Riverside CA brought to you by CREW ENTERTAINMENT.
It's time to bring the I.E. to Life!
In connection with the hottest club promoter in the Inland Empire(The Riverside Nightlife); Crew Entertainment presents "Round One"
Located at the infamous Trillussa Nightclub in Downtown Riverside: 1000 capacity 2 Dance Floors 2 Fully Stocked Bars 2 Outdoor dance floors (patios) 2 Djs College ID required 21 and over to get a Lil Loose (Most will come Tipsy) Dress To Impress.. (This is a Grown Affair) Fellas: Absolutely No Hats, White tees, Jerseys, Gang attire, and no beef!! Ladies come sexy but leave the drama at home! The well known Dj TOS is in da buildin!! Security is strictly Enforced! Ladies $3 and Gentlemen $5 b4 10:30p.m Greeks $5 all night!
This is about to be the biggest thing to hit the So Cal. the build up on this has been crazy and has already been promoted and talked about all over the L.A. County for 2 MONTHS!!
This event is guaranteed to sell out before midnight!!!
Special invites: UCR, CSUSB, Cal Poly, CSU Fullerton, UC Irvine, CSULB, CSUDH, USC, LMU, UCLA, RCC, Chafey College, Cerritos, FJC.
And the greeks: A Phi A, AKA, Nupes, DST, Q's, Sigmas, Zeta's, SGRhos!!
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Pi Epsilon Chapter had its latest efforts to increase voter registration with a voter registration drive, held on October 20th in the outdoor commons from 11am to 2pm. The turnout proved to be successful with 35 new registered voters. Good job Pi Epsilon.
Look out for other events on the way....
October 27th Bowling with The Alphas @ Moreno Valley Brunswick 8pm-11:55pm Directions: 1). Take I-215 S 2). Merge onto CA-60 E 3). Exit PERRIS BOULEVARD (Ext #62) 4). Turn Right on SUNNYMEAD BLVD (go 0.2 mi, its on your right hand side)
Any Questions please feel free to contact: Christopher Webb - 818.274.8132 Marco Samaan - 310.933.7356
October 28th Black and Gold Informational 7pm Humanities 1501
"BLAACK is an Acronym for (Brothers Leading African Americans through Consciousness & Knowledge)
This group is founded upon the principals of the Talented 10th by W.E.B. Dubious. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, the talented 10th was written by W.E.B. Du Bois in September of 1903 and was published as the second chapter of a collection of articles by african americans entitled " The Negro Problem". The term talented 10th was created by W.E.B. Du Bois during the Harlem renaissance to describe the phenomenon of every one in ten black people becoming influential in the world, through methods such as continuing their education, writing books, or becoming directly involved in social change. In a nutshell the top 10 percent of all African Americans are responsible for uplifting and developing our entire people.
This is a group designed for EVERY BLACK MALE that attends an institute for higher learning in the state of California.
Men, WE ARE THE TALENTED 10th. It us up to us to uplift our communities, ourselves, our women, and our children. Our mission statement and overall goal is to Develop male leaders, promote unity, and advance and impact our community by social and eduactional awareness programs (e.g. discussion forums, campus programs, update of current events that impact our community, etc.),promoting community involvement, and outreaching to Black males on and off campus."
------ MEETINGS TAKE PLACE WEDNESDAYS at 7:00pm-----------
I love artists that step out of the box to do something completely different and out of this world. For awhile now, I’ve been listening to what I call the “holy trifecta” of badass, Afropunk-esque* females shaking up the industry.
One third of this trifecta is Janelle Monae, an Atlanta-based artist who has often been called “the female Andre-3000.” My fave songs are “Violent Stars/Happy Hunting” and “Metropolis.” She grabbed me with her futuristic sound. The girl has some serious talent.
Another is Jack Davey, one half on the Los Angeles retro-funk duo, J*Davey. Jack Davey is a vixen with a lot of attitude, just listen to any of the sex-filled lyrics over synths and drum machines and you’ll see why. Make sure you check out J*Davey when they perform October 29th at the Barn! 7:30pm.
Lastly, there is Santogold. You may have seen her recently on MTV or have heard her songs in Budlight commercials, but she caught my attention a few years ago while still in the Philly-based punk band, Stiffed. Since then, she has come a long way with her eclectic beats and unapologetic lyrics. Don't Sleep on Ms. White.
* in case you were scratching your head, see previous blog about afropunk here.
If you can sing, act or dance.....Whitley Porter is looking for you. The black community of UCR is going to bringing its first play into production titled appropriately "The Truth". The play will be carried out in the beginning of February for Black History Month
There are so many of you talented dancers who do hip hop, Afro centric, ballet, jazz,lyrical, booty bouncin and other surplus types of dances that should come out and audition. Whitley the director is also looking for singers. Singing in the shower is a plus....Also those of you looking for an acting gig or a place to shine.....
Come and audition....Info below.....
Go back in time with the slaves that created our empire, to the juke joint blacks that got you swingin in the cotton clubs. Oh and lets not forget about the KING that had a dream, or the Hip Hop music that gave us UNITY. All the way to our 1st Black Presidential candidate whose making hisory in America as we speak. If Obama can do it so can you. Come join us and audition for UCR's 1st Annual Black History Play!
Cast List: Characters that I need! Narrator 1 and 2 National Anthem Singer Black National Anthem Singer King Oduduwa-Sef's Father Sef-Main Character Sariyah-Sef's Wife White Auctioneer White Bidder Black Husband Black Wife Black Daughter Harriet Tubman Slave that talks to Harriet 2 slaves to sing-"We cant give up now" by Mary Mary
Intermission Singers/instrumentalists: I am looking for a Live Band!(drums, guitar, etc.) Gospel choir-"Joyful Joyful" Jazz piano/saxaphone player- Ray Charles "I got a Woman" Temptations-"Since I lost My Baby" Gladys Knight-"Midnight Train to Georgia" Diana Ross- "Aint No Mountain High Enough" Stevie Wonder-"If you Really Love Me" Luther Vandross-"Never Too Much" Whitney Houston-"I Wana Dance w/ Somebody" Mary J Blige-"Sweet Thing" MUSIQ-"Buddy" Jasmine Sullivan-"Need you Bad"
Black Soldier Abraham Lincoln Newsboy Langston Hughes Cotton Club Announcer Billie Holiday-"sing strange fruit" Black Panther White Bus Driver Rosa Parks 2 White Kids white Policeman Martin Luther King Jr. LL COOl J Queen Latifah Barack Obama
*If you cant act or sing TRUST ME I still need your help. I will need extras to be slaves, praise dancers, soldiers in the Civil War, dancers in the cotton club, or protestors during the Civil Rights riot. Also, I need ushers for the show, backstage hands, a makeup artist, someone who can make props and anyone else who would like to volunteer. Just email Whitley Porter @ wport001@ucr.edu.*
The Voice is designed to be our (people of African Diaspora at UCR) own newsletter that will address issues that concern us as a people. This group is designed to be a forum for us to exchange ideas and discuss issues that are happening on campus, the community and the world. Leave a comment and let your voice be heard...if you HATE IT VOICE IT...if you LIKE IT VOICE IT......IF YOU DON'T CARE.....THEN BE SILENT.
