™i HERALD
N
N
“The Hair Proj
ect
Jessica Feltner, co-assistant editor
Students, faculty and community
members filled the seats of Jones Au
ditorium on March 12, when Professor
Sheriy Shapiro, Ed. D. presented “The
Hair Project; Negotiating the Politics
of the Body.” Professor Shapiro’s lec
ture was a part of Meredith College’s
Faculty Distinguished Lecture, a series
started in 1964. After Professor Eliza
beth Wolfinger welcomed the audi
ence, Svi Shapiro, Professor of Educa
tion at UNC - Greensboro, introduced
his wife. Sherry Shapiro, Professor of
Dance.
Shapiro’s lecture, “The Hair Project;
Negotiating the Politics of the Body,”
centered on the topics hair, social
awareness, activism and education. “I
explore how we become ‘some-body’
by investigating how we embody cul
tural values,” Shapiro told the Herald.
In her lecture, Shapiro shared her
experience with the Jikeleza Com
munity Dance Project in South Africa,
the group having given her inspira-
“I explore how we
become ‘some-body'
by investigating how
we embody cultural
values”
tion on how to further her work in
dance education. Shapiro clarified the
lectures background, explaining, “My
scholarly and teaching interests lie
in examining the notion of embodied
pedagogy - that is how we can learn
about ourselves, other cultures and the
nature of the world around us - from
our embodied knowledge.”
As a conclusion to the lecture, the
three act dance “Hair Peace” was
performed by Meredith dance majors
Carrie Barbour, ’14, Lyn Frontin, ’14,
Kathleen Holbrook, ’15, — Continued
on Page 6
Man Exonerated
After 34 Years in
NC Prison
Kim Dixon, staff writer
After 34 years in prison for the mur
ders of mother and daughter Josephine
and Ailene Davis in 1976, Joseph Sledge
may soon be a free man. Sledge has been
unwavering in claiming his innocence.
“ If exonerated, Sledge
will be the oldest
and longest-serving
inmate in
North Carolina found
to be
wrongly convicted."
Since DNA technology became available
in the 1990s, Sledge has been asking
to have testing performed. On Sunday,
the News and Observer reported that
Sledge’s “hand-written letters asking
for help fill four files in the Columbus
County Clerk of Court’s office.”
Chrinstine Mumma, director of the
North Carolina Center on Actual In
nocence, has investigated Sledge’s case
for years. When she had almost given
up, Rita Batchelor, a Columbus County
assistant clerk, called Mumma to tell her
that an envelope had been found on a
top shelf in the evidence room labeled
Joseph Sl^ge
photo via www.newsobserver.com
with the name Joseph Sledge. Batchelor
immediately recognized the name from
the many letters Sledge had written beg
ging for help.
A DNA test performed in December
on the envelope’s contents proved that
head and pubic hairs found on the mur
dered bodies did not belong to Sledge. If
exonerated, Sledge will bfe the oldest and
longest-serving inmate in North Caro
lina found to be wrongly convicted. Four
other men in North Carolina have been
proven innocent by DNA or fingerprint
analysis on misplaced or forgotten
evidence.
Discovery of
Plan to Bomb
University of
Central Florida
Helen Kenney and Lizzie Wood,
staff writers
Oliver Seevakumaran was identi
fied today as the student at University
of Central Florida who committed
suicide before carrying out his plan to
“His attempted at
tack began at 12:20
am when he pulled
the fire alarm
in his dorm'
bomb the school. He was currently not
enrolled for the Spring semester, but
the suicide occurred in his on-campus
dorm room. Police have found a note
and several writings in regards to his
violent plan. The direct target of his
attack is not known. He was found
in his room with a gunshot wound to
the head. Also in his apartment were
several rounds of ammunition, several
guns, and four homemade bombs.
His attempted attack began at 12:20
am when he pulled the fire alarm in
“Police have found
a note and several
writings in regards
to his violent plan.
The direct target
of his attack is
not known.”
his dorm; police believe he did this to
draw people out of the building. When
he ran to get his ammunition, he
crossed paths with one of his room
mate and drew a weapon. The
roommate dialed 911. Police further
evacuated the building, and all 500
residents were unharmed. Police are
still investigating what caused him to
take such violent action.
Malala
Yousafzai Back
in School
Brianna Karmi, staff writer
Malala Yousafzai photo via www.cbc.ca
Malala Yousafzai will be attend
ing her first classes since being shot
in the head. Malala is the 15-year-old
Pakistani teen who was shot by the
Taliban on
October 9, 2012. She was airlifted to
Britain for treatment after the gunman
shot her on her way home from school
in northwestern Pakistan. She was
targeted by the Taliban for promoting
Western thinking and criticizing the
group’s behavior. The shooting ignited
outrage in her home of Pakistan, along
with capturing the attention of the
world.
“she will miss her
Pakistani class
mates, she is excited
to make new friends
and meet her new
teachers at
Edgbaston High
School for Girls.”
Malala was released from the hospi
tal in Februaiy following skull recon
struction and cochlear implant surger
ies. After her release, Malala is excited
to begin school. However, she will be
attending classes in Birmingham (the
United Kingdom), rather than Paki
stan. She is expected to remain in the
United Kingdom for a good period of
time as her father has accepted a post
with the Pakistani Consulate. Despite
finding herself in a new area and cul
ture, Malala remains upbeat and un
daunted by the challenges. She stated
that while she will miss her Pakistani
classmates, she is excited to make new
friends and meet her new teachers at
Edgbaston High School for Girls.