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OPINIONS
BSU’s fashion show sets precedent for student activism
Emmanuel Morgan
Columnist
@EMorgan704
As polarizing a figure as NBA superstar
LeBron James is in the realm of barbershop
conversations and Twitter debates. Presi
dent Donald Trump incomparably proved
this past fall that he is the current “king” of
divisiveness.
Even James agreed, only adding fuel to the
fire of controversy.
Instead of mimicking Michael Jordans
numerous Sports Illustrated covers of either
an action shot on the hard wood or posing
with the Larry O’Brien trophy, LeBron took
a different approach when the illustrious
magazine crowned him the 2016 Sports
person of the Year in December. Donned in
a cream suit, James wore a safety pin over his
lapel, an accessory that symbolizes safety and
protection against minorities and women —
groups Trump had offended during the gritty
campaign season.
James has been outspoken of his disdain
for Trump. He stood with Hillary Clinton
at rallies and even suggested he may not
visit the White House should the Cleveland
Cavaliers win another championship. With
his subtle statement on the cover of one of
the United States most renowned magazines,
he emphasized that strategically wearing
clothing could send a powerful message.
PHOTO BY SUBMITTED BY CAMERON JACKSON
Student models pose during the Black Student Union’s fashion show on April 22.
elements. On a video wall adjacent to the
runway, videos of President Barack Obama’s,
I, too, am America” speech and a #Black-
Two weekends ago, Elon University’s
Black Student Union did the same thing —
and did it masterfully.
Their annual fashion show — themed “A
Different World” — frequently emphasized
the role of African-Americans in today’s
political climate, addressing the many nega
tive stereotypes and offering encouragement
moving forward.
The event was planned by sophomore
Kenneth Brown Jr., the special event coor
dinator for BSU, who said he wanted people
to leave the show feeling empowered and
energized. Dashikis, “My Black is Solid,”
T-shirts and a specific call to action in the
five selective scenes: “For Change,” “Voices of
the Culture,” “For the Culture” and “An Array
of Excellence,” intuitively hammered home
messages of resilience and poise in the face of
adversity. The show also included multimedia
Boyjoy monologue played during the breaks
between scenes. One of the more powerful
moments occurred when models resisted the
urge to raise their fists when “Hands Up” by
Vince Splice played.
The effects were well received by the au
dience. Brown, who changed his major from
communications to human services this year,
said he wanted to do everything possible to
tell a great story.
The show did exactly that.
As someone who’s written frequently on
this topic. I’ve seen a repetitive rut in how
situations revolving around race relations can
be handled. People don’t want to talk about
it. But when people do want to talk about it,
their message is that we need to talk about it
more. It’s a never-ending cycle. No action is
really taken. This fashion show was a breath
of fresh air because it put a creative spin on
how to handle this issue. An unorthodox
showcase with underlying messages added
to the overall effect and made it enjoyable. I
never saw myself going to a fashion show. I
never saw myself writing about one.
But this was different.
College students normally want to take
to social media to exhaust their problems or
frustration. But BSU’s systematic approach
to a problem that can be fiercely debated
was impeccable. In the recent past, students
from across the nation have chosen alterna
tive methods — some that only increase the
divide between the problem. Blaming others,
quickly making assumptions and then acting
impulsively are common.
This wasn’t.
“As a younger generation, we have taken
these concepts and made them our own,”
Brown wrote in the fashion show program.
“We have an obligation to take the world by
storm and, despite the challenges we face, we
make the most out of every situation.”
As an African-American male, seeing
the show made me feel hopeful. It proved
that sending messages can be as elaborate or
as simple as you want — but it can be done
creatively if someone puts their mind to it.
Now, BSU has set a precedent for other
students and organizations in the future.
And like LeBron, BSU did it with a little
more than a few accessories.
Jokes about disabilities are never OK © letter TO THE EDITOR
Alexandra
Schonfeld
Columnist
@aschDnfeld096
A few weeks ago, I visited my boy
friend at University of Illinois for a long
weekend. Months ago, he told me he
got tickets for us to go see Daniel Tosh
on his college tour. I didn’t know much
about him, especially what he was up
to nowadays — neither did my boy
friend — but we both remembered his
popular show that was comedy gold for
adolescent boys. What could go wrong?
We walked into the State Farm
Arena and I looked around and was
immediately struck by the lack of
diversity — not much different from
Elon University— but still of note. The
audience was filled with both students
and locals.
The show began with Tosh himself,
and rU admit he was funny at first. He
definitely made some off-color jokes
that I have grown up knowing were not
okay, but it quickly became evident to
me that not everyone has had the same
upbringing.
Throughout the show he welcomed
up a few guests who were mostly vmt-
ers from his show.
After a succession of pretty funny
acts. Tosh introduced another come
dian who in so many words, he said
“would cross the line.”
And cross the line he did.
“Why does everyone with Down
Syndrome have the same haircut?” he
said.
I looked at my boyfriend and began
to cry.
I cried because I immediately
thought of my five-year-old brother.
Carter, who happens to have Down
Syndrome, sitting at home watching
“Moana.”
That was the beginning to a bit that
lasted for what felt like hours, but in
actuality, lasted about three minutes.
The comedian continued by saying:
“Thank you — all of you who
laughed — for keeping it real. Everyone
who didn’t, you’re going to hell because
you’re kidding yourselves.”
I won’t repeat the entirety of his bit,
because he doesn’t deserve it and nei
ther do I, but as it concluded I turned
my body back to face the stage. Tosh
returned and supported the comedi
an’s decision to tell that particular joke
because he had apparently been hesitant
to do so in past shows.
In that moment, I didn’t know what
do to. Should I stand up and scream?
Should I walk out? I regrettably did
neither, but in an attempt to make up
for that, I decided to vmte about it.
People need to stop using physical
characteristics or, in this case, someone’s
diagnosis as the butt of their jokes.
Why, in 2017, is it still acceptable to
make fun of people who are different?
Why did this man and everyone in the
audience who laughed think this was
funny?
It’s not funny.
Just like it’s not funny to call some
one “retarded.” Using that word is not
only outdated, but it’s also offensive to
anyone who has any sort of cognitive
disability or delay. It discredits the
efforts of so many men and women
who are working every day to prove
themselves in a world that has continu
ally ignored or discouraged them.
Carter is one funny little guy, but it
sure has nothing to do with his Down
Syndrome.
A question I have been asking
myself over the past few weeks is: Why
was this comedian hesitant to do this bit
before? Why did he choose this night
to tell it?
It has seemingly become the norm
to pick on “the underdog” or the voice
less. Whether it be our new president
mocking a reporter v/ith a physical
disability on television, or this comedi
an making a joke at the expense of my
brother and all those like him.
His joke, and the laughter that
followed, was evidence of a deeply
rooted problem in our society where
it has been deemed OK to view people
with disabilities as the “other” or those
worthy of being mocked.
Especially under our current admin
istration, the culture of bullying and
name-calling has become overwhelm
ingly prevalent. This is a problem that
needs to be addressed head on.
I am certain this comedian wouldn’t
say that joke to the face of someone
with Down Syndrome, but he makes
the joke because he sees those men and
women as a group that is weaker than
he is. A group outside of “the norm.”
I am in no way speaking for every
one with Down Syndrome — as they
can certainly speak for themselves —
but I am speaking in defense of my little
brother and the people like him. And I
always will.
Be advocates for one another, and
speak out against hateful and ugly lan
guage that is used to disparage others.
Sigma Phi Epsilon’s
response to ENN’s coverage
of racial slur incident
Dear Elon University
community.
Our fraternity wants
all students at Elon to feel
welcome at our events and
within our membership. We
have worked hard to build
an inclusive fraternity that
is sensitive to one another’s
differences. So when our
former chapter president,
senior Owen Gaffney used a
racially divisive term in ref
erence to another student,
senior Austin Meekins, it
confused and hurt so many
of us.
In a moment of anger,
Gaffney chose the most
hurtful word he could
find, and he unfortunately
succeeded in causing deep
pain. Gaffney has apol
ogized to Meekins, and
he has apologized to our
entire membership. He has
resigned from his position
as president and has faced
a standards hearing within
our chapter. We believe he
is truly remorseful, but we
intend to do all we can to
ensure our chapter is a safe
and supportive environment
for all of our members.
I am serving as president
and will be helping our
brothers continue to address
this head on. This incident
does not represent who we
are as a student organiza
tion and as members of the
Elon community. We are
committed to earning back
the trust of our peers, facul
ty and staff. If any students
have questions or concerns,
I am always available to talk
to them. My email is below.
Additionally, I want to
address inaccuracies about
the story that is being re
ported. Meekins was never
barred from entering a par
ty, and certainly not because
of his race. Gaffney and
Meekins were in an ongoing
disagreement over academic
standards, which Gaff
ney believed would have
prevented Meekins from
attending the function.
We will earn your trust
back, Elon.
William Ellick
wellick@elon.edu