The News Argus
www.thenewsargus.com
Winston-Salem State University’s Student Newspaper
Nov. 12, 2007
King and Queen are crowned
Tamika Green
NEWS EDITOR
Winston-Salem
State University
formally intro
duced its 2007-2008 king
and queen at the
Coronation Wednesday at
7p.m. in K.R. Williams
Auditorium, Michael
Brown and Amber
Jefferson officially received
their crowns as Mr. Ram
and Miss WSSU respective
ly. The event was titled
"Shades of Red: A Royal
Masquerade."
The Inner Witness Jazz
Band set the mood with a
prelude. WSSU instructor
and director of theater,
Avis Gray, served as the
mistress of ceremony and
implored everyone to
actoowledge the parents of
the kings and queens. The
audience greeted this
request with a loud round
of applause.
Religion and ethics pro
fessor Dr. Cedric Rodney
provided the invocation
asking for favor to smile
upon Mr. Ram and Miss
WSSU, the Royal Court
and aU of the school's kings
and queens.
SGA President Terrell
Stephens followed with a
welcome to everyone in
attendance.
Last year's Mr. Ram,
Jason Lewis, gave the
farewell promenade, set
ting the scene for the for
mal induction of the king
and queen.
His reigning partner.
Tiffany Turner, was unable
to attend due to her
research obligations in
Brazil. To make up for her
absence, she sent a video
postcard expressing her
love for WSSU, its students
and her successor.
The stage was awash in
red and white, adorned
with large masks, massive
white colimms and eight
high-backed seats. A few of
the Association of
Rhythmic Talent dancers
put on a display of poetic
motion to dramatize Mr.
Ram's entrance. Brown
donned a white suit.
The larger-than-life mask
in the back of the auditori
um was raised to reveal
Miss WSSU as she began
her walk down the aisle.
Everyone stood and looked
in awe as Jefferson made
her way to the front of the
room in a red dress.
The female members of
the royal court donned fuU
white dresses with a red
sash around their waists,
while the males wore clas
sic black tuxedos. Gray
and Clyde Caudle, the
master of ceremonies, took
turns reading the biogra
phies of each member of
the Royal Court. Each per
son wore a mask as they
walked down the aisle,
removing it to reveal ffieir
identities upon stepping
onto the stage.
Each organization's king
and queen promenaded
down the aisle before pre
senting Brown and
Jefferson with carefully
chosen gifts. They then
ascended the stairway to
the stage, where they
paused briefly to pose
before bowing to the royal
couple.
Brown's close friend
Jerton Dixon and former
Miss WSSU Kelechi
Anyawu presented a spe
cial poem to welcome and
praise the new royal rep
resentatives of WSSU.
Brandon Ratliff serenaded
the Royal Court with his
rendition of Mariah
Carey's hit song "Hero."
Photos by Floyd Taylor
TOP: Mr. Ram, Michael Brown, and Miss WSSU,
Amber Jefferson, are officially crowned.
BELOW: Brown crowned by Chancellor Reaves.
Coronation participants,
both on stage and in the
audience, seemed to have
thoroughly enjoyed the
event.
"I really enjoyed the
atmosphere, and the ball
was fun," said Miss
Kappa Omicron Tau Trace
Young,a senior education
major.
"Everyone looked really
nice. 1 liked the way that the
dancers came on the stage
and camouflaged Mr. Ram's
entrance," said senior nurs
ing major Charity Merrit.
"That was hot."
The event closed with the
recitation of the WSSU
Alma mater. The Royal Ball
in the McNeil Ballroom fol
lowed immediately after. "
Paul sponsors
laughs at WSSU
Taresh Moore
ARGUS STAFF
M
lore than 1,000 students came out to the
Homecoming Comedy Show on Oct. 25 to
^ experience a taste of Hollywood on the cam
pus of Winston-Salem State. Comedians Alex
Thomas, Damon Williams, and Michael Blackson,
who took the place of Kevin Hart, performed in the
K.R. Williams Auditorium to kick off the
Homecoming festivities. The entire New Orleans
Hornets basketball team also attended, as the show
was sponsored their teammate and Wake Forest
alum Chris Paul and the CP3 Foundation.
"I'm from Winston [Salem] and have family who
attends WSSU," Paul said. "We do so much for
Wake Forest, so we had to support WSSU. 1
enjoyed every bit of it."
The show opened up with Damon Williams com
ing on stage first. He caught the crowd's attention
early and the crowd stayed with him and the other
comedians. "Colleges are always fun, especially
HBCU's. If you're funny, they give it up real big,"
said Williams on the crowd's feedback.
Williams then introduced Michael Blackson.
Blackson appeared unexpectedly as a last-minute
replacement for Heart.
"I didn't realize I was here two years ago until 1
walked through the door and everything looked
familiar," Blackson said.
Many students said they enjoyed the show.
"1 thought it was very nice. It is great we are
bringing different things to campus and it was
pleasing to see students coming together to enjoy
an event just like one big family," said Stanley
Johnson.
"1 was very satisfied at the fact that we had bet
ter comedians than [NC] A&T. It was worth my
money," said Antonia Logan.
"It was nice and the crowd was excellent. The
school showed a lot of support," said Hornets cen
ter Tyson Chandler.
After the show, the comedians got a little serious
and offered advice to the students on
Homecoming.
"Be safe, have fun, and when it's all over, get
back to the books and school. Also, embrace this
opportunity in school and take our race to the next
level. Our forefathers fought hard for us to get
here because it wasn't as easy for them to attend
school, like it is for us now," Williams said.
"Be safe, stay out of trouble," Blackson said to
the Rams football team. "And beat Delaware State."
Sonia Sanchez: Focus your life on action, not negativity
Charlene Wheeler
ARGUS STAFF
Sonia Sanchez, a poet, activist and
lecturer, specializes in national
and international lectures on black
culture and literature, peace and racial
justice. She was the featured speaker
Oct. 24 for the Winston-Salem State's
lecture and assembly series.
The lecture was sponsored by the
department of English and Foreign
Languages. This took place in the Hall-
Patterson building. The crowd of stu
dents and faculty filled the lecture hall.
Sanchez told the audience of her
days as a protester during the Vietnam
War and her experience at a recruit
ment center.
"When we first got there we asked
the people in charge if it was OK if we
spoke to the recruits. And they were
nice about it and said yes, until we
spoke with one recruit and ask him
why was he joining the army and he
said because they told him that he
could become a doctor. I told him he
didn't need the army for that.
"That's when they asked us to leave.
But we didn't and later we were put in
handcuffs. Well, I told them if you
don't go to boot camp we would do
push-ups. That's where the name push
ups for peace came from."
Sanchez was an influential part of the
civil rights movement and black arts
movement in the 1960s. She also was a
member of the New York Core
(Congress for Racial Equality).
"We protested a hospital in New
York because we wanted them to open
up unions for blacks, Hispanics, and
Puerto Ricans. We protested downtown
until 3:00 a.m.," Sanchez said.
Sanchez also told stories about her
life growing up in Birmingham,
Alabama, then later moving to Harlem,
New York.
"Some people called it Bombingham,
where blacks lived in the shadows of
whites. But, in the South, you could
not leave a room until you learned
something. In the North it was like
they expected less. Black boys were
going to be in jail and black girls were
going to have babies," Sanchez said.
Sanchez ended her lecture by issuing
a challenge to the audience:
"For one week I want everyone not to
say anything negative about someone
else. Call me and let me know what
this has done for you."
Photo courtesy of Dr. Rebecca Wall
Winston-Salem State students and faculty pose with revered poet, activist, and lec
turer Sonia Sanchez on her visit to WSSU on Oct. 24.