Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Promoting diversity in the University community and beyond...
By Deana Bolumbu
I had the great opportunity to study
abroad at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan
University in Port Elizabeth, South Africa
for a semester last year. This experience
was truly a personal epiphany in so many
aspects. South Africa is a country where
the aftermaths of Apartheid are still very
relevant; it is seen in the social issues, the
interactions between people, and the government. In honor of Women’s History
Month I would like to talk about a woman I
met who makes an impact on her community.
We called her Mama; she lived in the
black township. South African townships
are very underdeveloped urban living areas
where mostly non-whites live and the conditions are barely basic. There is trash everywhere, no electricity, and homes are
made out of different forms of debris.
Mama provided food for the children from
these townships. Everyday beautiful, innocent, lively children would leave their
homes with one or two bowls and went to
Mama, who is from a
South African black
township.
Mama’s. They knew Mama would have
something for them to eat –enough food
that would hold them over for the day,
maybe even enough to take back home.
Mama would invite these children into her
modest home, lined with chairs for them to
sit while she cooked out of one huge pot.
She mixed together whatever she had or
had gotten from donations in order to feed
the children. These children depended on
her to wake up every day and provide them
with at least one meal a day, more than
that if she could afford it. I watched this
woman cook, laugh, and talk with all the
children. When we got a chance to speak
to her she stated (in broken English) she
would starve before she let the children
starve. I did not understand what she was
saying when she spoke to the children, but
she spoke with such spirit, not like someone who was quick to complain about the
responsibility she had. At the moment, Her
words were profound to me and looking at
all the things I had learned holistically, she
was just one of the many woman who had
this intense drive to serve.
I listened to stories and read many books
about the great women of South Africa who
not only marched and fought alongside
men, but who quietly, yet courageously
stood up against Apartheid. Woman still
continue to fight today, not only for their
own personal rights, but the rights of all
people. Often a woman's influence is overlooked for the more dominant roles. However, women have never taken the back
seat to fighting against injustice. Women
have always been in the forefront, from
South Africa to America. Women’s’ actions
as a whole should not be diminished to
what some see as miniscule daily tasks,
because women strategically have used
those tasks in order to fight back. There is
a famous freedom song which pays tribute
to women who played a role in shaping the
history of South Africa, which was played
Deana Dolumbu poses
for a picture
when women marched on the Union Buildings in Pretoria in order to demonstrate
against the white minority rule in the year
2000. The song goes, “Wathint’Abafazi
Wathint’imbokodo!” and translates to, “You
strike a woman, you strike a rock!” This is
in honor of all women, nameless to some,
but those impacted will always be felt.
In honor of Mama and all those like her
everywhere:
She may be a nameless woman, but her
actions speak words that many do not understand
She may be a nameless woman, but she
works hard and takes care of her community
She may be a nameless woman, but that
does not mean her name is not important,
that her name is not spoken
She is mama to all, caretaker for those
who need her
She may be a nameless woman, but her
footprints are seen everywhere, never
missing a step, leaving an imprint that can
never be erased
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3...
Voices Newsletter
By Kailee Becker
Camelia Rubalcada has worked for the
CME for over a year now as a practicum
student and employee. Camelia is in the
Postsecondary Education: Student Affairs
program here at UNI and will graduate
this May. She received a wonderful job
opportunity and unfortunately, had to
leave the CME a little earlier than expected. So, as newsletter contributors, we
took the opportunity to let readers get to
know Camelia a little bit better though her
column in the VOICES newsletter.
Thank you, Camelia, for your generosity
with this interview as well as making my
time with you at the CME a great experience! I am blessed to have worked with
such an amazing person!
 What is your idea of perfect happiness?
My perfect happiness would be a day
without appointments, phone calls, or kids
running around so I could sleep in as late
as I wanted and watch all my favorite
reality television shows all day.
 Who are the women you admire the
most and why?
I admire strong, independent women who
speak up for themselves and take the
initiative to better their lives.
 What irritates you the most?
Fake people!
 What is your
greatest regret?
Not going to college
right
after
high
school.
 What do you
consider
your
greatest
accomplishment?
My education! No
one can ever take
that from me.
 What empowers
you the most about
being a woman?
Being a strong, independent
Mexican
American
woman
who has acCamelia Rubalcada complished so
Page 2
much after facing adversity and being
able to advocate for other underrepresented women.
 You are currently a student, mother,
and full time employee. How will
you balance everything and what do
you think the major challenges will
be that you will face? How are you
trying to overcome those challenges?
I plan to balance everything by staying
sane. If I do not, then everything will fall
apart right in front of my face. Some of
the challenges that might arise while finishing up my degree and working full time
are: lack of energy, kids having no
school, and an increase of gas prices.
 How do your kids influence you in
your everyday life?
My children are my impetus for pursuing
and completing my education. I want my
children to realize the importance and
impact education will have on their lives.
In addition, I do not want them to make
the same mistakes I did growing up.
 What is the most embarrassing
thing you have done?
The most embarrassing moment is when
I fell flat on my back in the mall three to
four years ago. I was visiting family in
Texas and I decided to wear four-inch
stilettos to the mall: a very big mall. By
the 2nd hour my feet were in agonizing
pain, I decided to take the heels off,
handed them to my boyfriend (Bryan),
and walked without shoes. Well, when I
did that Bryan looked at me like I was
crazy. I yanked my heels from his hand
and when I did that I fell flat on my back.
I was immediately surrounded in a circle;
the sad thing was Bryan was part of the
circle and looked at me like “how embarrassing.”
 What is your favorite food?
I love Pizza! I used to order a large pepperoni and sausage pizza, large order of
fries, and a large sweet tea for lunch and
finish it by myself. I cannot do that anymore but I sometimes still try. My boyfriend hated eating pizza with me because he would say, “I’m on my 1st slice
of pizza and you have already eaten up
most of it.”
 What is your favorite memory of all
time?
Camelia and Kailee.
I have so many and most of them involve
tequila. I would have to say one of my
favorite memories is hanging out with my
friends in Texas at an undisclosed club
and dancing the night away. If they were
to read this article, they would know what
I am talking about; too dirty to discuss the
details but if you know me you get the gist
of it.
 What is your favorite memory of the
CME?
The CME has so many favorite memories
but I would have to say being the assistant director to the play “Come Over
Here” directed and produced by Dr.
Blackwell. Working side by side with Dr.
Blackwell provided me the opportunity to
learn more about him personally and professionally. I also enjoyed working with
the students because each of them
brought different characteristics, attitudes,
and personalities to the play.
 If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be? Why?
It would have to be Ice Cube; he is one
fine, sexy, stocky, brotha.
 What excites you the most about
graduating this May?
I’m excited the most about not having to
do homework.
 What is the thing you’re most looking forward to this summer?
I am looking forward to spending more
time with my family and making more
time for myself without feeling rushed or
guilty.
Page 3
Celebrating Colors:
Women Past, Present, Future
By Gloria Sumpter
One does not have to look far to find
women accomplishing goals which appear to be unattainable. Every day from
the admission recruitment staff to faculty,
staff, our security officers, and Student
Support Services we find women doing
extraordinary work. This year was the first
Celebrating Colors, an event celebrating
women’s achievements from across campus and from the community. The event
took place the first Friday after Spring
Break and occurs to celebrate women
from the past, honoring women in the
present, and encouraging future women.
Its vision is to connect all women regardless of gender, class, age, ethnicity, religion, or status. The gathering of women is
powerful and resources are gained by all
who attend and join in celebrating. For
“This year was the first
Celebrating Colors, an event
celebrating women’s
achievements from across
campus and from the
community.”
those who could not participate this year,
I hope you will put the event on your calendars for next year as a reminder to
encourage people’s celebration of
Continued from page 1
Sister, Grandmother, Cousin, Auntie,
she can be many names or no name at all
it doesn't matter
For she forever transcends the limitations placed on her, many times allowing
women.
Knowing that many women’s stories will
not be published, this becomes a time to
hear their stories and to make connections among themselves and with
younger students. Students research
women from the past and share their stories with the audience: women like Gloria
Anzaldua; most have not heard of her
because she is self-identified as Chicana.
Women of color are typically not taught in
public schools, other than our beloved
Harriet Tubman and Rosa Parks. Scarlett
brought Gloria Anzaldua into focus for
young Latina women and all young
women facing challenges. Anzaldua is an
example of courage and hard work. She
grew up in a migrant working family, but
went on to earn a college degree and
became an advocate for all women everywhere. Her well known book, titled Borderlands/La Frontera, showcases the
experiences of a Chicana, lesbian, and
spiritual presence of her culture.
Here at UNI, we have many women
with experiences within families of migrant workers, but in spite of moving from
state to state, achieved goals that, during
the time, appeared impossible. Anzaldua,
like many students of color, was told to
learn a trade and leave college to the
smart students, which in many cases
meant European American/White students. With courage and hard work she
obtained her degree. But, after obtaining
her degree, she reached back to encourage other minority and poor White students, bringing them to campus and giving them the help needed to succeed, and
inviting them into her home and family.
Celebrating Colors was not only for
women of color, and honoring their
achievements, but also it represented the
commonality of women in spite of race,
class, age, status, religion, and gender
differences. It was at the celebration that
two people of different socioeconomic
backgrounds found they worked a job
uncommon to women during that period
of time. The panelists, in telling their stories of young marriages, transitioning
from heterosexuality, to being the first in
their family to going to college and to earn
a degree, were an encouragement for
students transitioning sexually, spiritually,
academically, and those just needing
encouragement in surviving the college
experience. In bringing together people
with differences, we were able to expand
our knowledge, dismantle stereotypes, as
well as build friendships and partnerships
for the betterment of students across
campus.
herself to be the ladder which we climb to
reach our own potential
Nameless woman, but a strong woman
A humble woman, whose pure presence motivates me
Whose voice elevates me
Who continues to fight diligently, inspir-
ing me
She may be a nameless woman, but
her essence can be seen in all of us for
she birthed us, nurtured us and continues
to uplift us
She may be your nameless woman
But I call her Mama
Gloria Sumpter poses for a picture on a beautiful Spring day.
Voices Newsletter
Page 4
President of UNI’s Freethinkers and Inquirers
By Mukulika Vashistha
April is a month when we celebrate
Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is some people’s religious belief. We also have a
community of people who do not believe
in religion at all. At UNI, we have such an
organization called “UNI Freethinkers and
Inquirers” (UNIFI). I wanted to know their
perspective on Easter and also their beliefs. So, I took it upon myself to interview
the President of UNIFI, Cory Derringer,
who shared many things about himself
and UNIFI.
UNIFI was founded in 2007 by Cody
Hashman and Nick Covington who graduated couple of years ago. The idea occurred to them when they came to campus and saw all the different religious
groups and options available to students
who believe in God, but if you are an
atheist there was no group. So, they built
a community for non-religious students.
Cory became involved with UNIFI in
2009 and held a leadership position ever
since. He was very religious during his
high school years and went to a Pentecostal Church but, after high school,
gradually started concentrating on his
studies and over time, wondered more
Mr. Cory Derringer
about if there really was a God. He came
across a book The God Delusion. Though
it was very convincing, he still tried getting
both perspectives. So, he read about both
the sides and slowly made up his mind.
Finally, he declared himself an atheist
almost four years ago. According to him,
he wants to believe in things that are true.
If he believes in evolution, he wants to
look at the evidence as best as he can. If
someone says, “This book has the answer for the entire supernatural thing,”
then he wants to read the book and decide himself. He believes in many things,
but that belief is contingent upon evidence. It is a matter of never committing
100% to any idea. He never commits so
strongly that he cannot accept the fact
that he may be wrong. According to him,
conclusion is not as important as the
process. He focuses on process more, so
that he does not believe atheism in a dogmatic way.
The mission of the UNI Freethinkers
and Inquirers is to foster a welcoming
environment for skeptics and nonbelievers, to encourage an open and involved dialogue on secular issues and
rational thought, and to reach out to the
community on matters important to all
freethinking individuals. UNIFI has 40-50
active members and over 300 friends on
Facebook.
Freethinking includes rejecting Religious dogma or secular dogma. There is
a misconception, people think that they
believe in secrets and ghosts but, they
are untrue among UNIFI. They are the
people who do not take authority, but
instead, believe in evidences and think
themselves. People, at times, confuse
atheism to be some kind of religion but, “If
atheist is a religion then bald is a hair
color,” according to Cory. They believe,
when it comes to morality, it should be
derived from logic and reasoning in combination with empathy. They also review
moral philosophies and ethics to try to
figure out justifications for everything or
even places where people fall short in
their intuitive moral reasoning.
The main event of UNIFI is brunch that
is their weekly event every Sunday at
11:00 a.m. at Hy-Vee. It is an off-campus
event where they just get together to eat
and hang out for community building. But,
they also do lots of on-campus events:
they do an intellectual event called “Know
Your Arguments” every month where they
discuss in small groups the reasons and
logics behind various issues like gay mar-
“The mission of the UNI
Freethinkers and Inquirers is
to foster a welcoming
environment for skeptics and
non-believers, to encourage
an open and involved
dialogue on secular issues
and rational thought, and to
reach out to the community on
matters important to all
freethinking individuals.”
riages, women rights, interference of religion, etc. in a non-biased way. Their
biggest event is Darwin Week which happen on-campus in the CME multipurpose
room, in which for a whole week they get
faculty speakers and other speakers from
all across the country to talk about science and various areas of human experience. They also hold a diversity day and
sexuality day.
UNIFI tries to make their group as warm
and friendly as possible. Leaders of the
group make sure to jump from one conversation to another so that no one is
trapped into a conversation they do not
want to have or feel isolated.
Every February, during the “Up Close
Day,” high school students visit the UNI
campus along with their parents. In the
morning when freethinkers setup their
booth in order to try to recruit with the
sign, “No God, No Problem” they get odd
looks, especially from parents. At times
when students try to stop and get more
information at the booth, their parents
don’t let them.
As an individual, I do not think there is
any right or wrong belief. The thing which
matters is, “What good our belief is doing
for society”. I would like to thanks Cory for
letting us know more about UNIFI and his
journey to becoming a part of it.
Voices Newsletter
By Dr. B
It was nearly two weeks before I actually heard anything on the news about the
killing of Trayvon Martin. When somebody
finally told me about it, I was livid! Immediately, I retraced the history of brutality
against African Americans since slavery,
and could not help but to remember the
assassinations of Emmett Till, Medgar
Evers, Goodwin, Schwerner, Chaney,
Jimmie Lee Jackson, Reverend James
Reeb, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., among
many others. I could not help but to think
about James Byrd, Amadou Diallo, Abner
Louima, Sean Bell, among others brutally
attacked by race-hate vigilantes, including
police officers.
One of the oldest tricks in the book is to
make yourself look good and to justify
your actions by discrediting somebody
else. So they say that the photos in the
media are old and misrepresent how man
and the boy really look: that Trayvon is
taller, more mature-looking, and more
formidable and that Zimmerman is slimmer and handsomer than the photos
show. That Trayvon is not the proper
honor student and that Zimmerman doesn't have a racist bone in his body!
But you don't have to be a perfect person to avoid being pursued, provoked,
pierced with a bullet, and murdered. You
don't have to be perfect to wonder why
you are being followed with merely a bottle of iced tea, a cellphone, and a bag of
skittles in your hands.
The great scientist, Isaac Asimov, once
said: "Violence is the [last] refuge of the
incompetent."
And certainly George Zimmerman was
incompetent in his self-appointed
neighborhood watch captain's role. He
broke many a rule of the watch manual by
carrying a gun and following a pedestrian. All of his actions were provocative,
Page 5
as he ignored the urgings of the police not
to follow or pursue Trayvon.
One of our greatest presidents asserted: "We have nothing to fear but fear
itself."
It was Zimmerman's preconceived notion that Trayvon was suspicious because
he was wearing a hoodie, was black, and
was enjoying the scenery while talking to
his girlfriend. We know now that he was
not up to no good. Rather, it was the
false presuppositions, presumptions, and
biases of Zimmerman's that endangered
Trayvon's life to the point where he was
scared and asking his girlfriend what
should he do. Zimmerman's mind was
already made up--and the rest, as they
say, is history.
On one occasion, the progressive actor
and activist, Tim Robbins, gave an impassioned plea that: "There are many things
worth living for, a few things worth dying
for, and nothing worth killing for."
“The great scientist, Isaac
Asimov, once said: ‘Violence
is the [last] refuge of the
incompetent.’”
And Martin Luther King, Jr., stated:
"Nothing in the world is more dangerous
than sincere ignorance and conscientious
stupidity.”
A boy of 17 is dead, and it didn't have to
happen if Zimmerman had followed the
watch guidelines. He would be in jail if
the police chief and the district attorney
had acted with integrity. A 17 year old is
dead because it was inconvenient for an
obsessed, wannabe police officer to observe a kid returning from a convenience
store with some snacks and he didn't
want that black kid in his neighborhood!
Dr. Michael D. Blackwell
Janet Coleman got it right: "To solve the
human equation, we need to add love,
subtract hate, multiply good, and divide
between truth and error."
Somehow, we have to remain confidence with our ever-present watchfulness, that justice will be done in this
case. We have to be patient to learn all
the facts and rightly to divide truth from
error, right from wrong.
"Human salvation lies in the hands of
the creatively maladjusted." --Dr. King
So, we must remain vigilant and creatively maladjusted during this period of
time. Though we live 1360 miles from the
Retreat of the Lakes in Sanford, Florida,
where the murder of Trayvon took place,
we must make sure that a Stand Your
Ground law never gets passed in
Iowa. We need to make sure that the
face of substance abuse and illicit behavior no longer has a black complexion in
the media here, because it doesn't resemble the truth. We must make sure
that the detainment and killing of our
black youth stops, and that appropriate
alternatives are instituted to ensure these
things don't happen again! We need to
band together and make sure that justice
rolls down like waters and righteousness
like a mighty stream! We need to be
creatively maladjusted here in the Cedar
Valley to halt the violence in our community as well as in the criminal system. Let
us make sure we practice what that protest song commands: We who believe in
freedom cannot rest until it comes.
Page 6
Trivia:
Who was the first Black
man to play in a major
league baseball team?
First one to answer correctly
wins a snickers bar!
Competition:
When did the original cultural center officially
open its doors?
First one to answer correctly
wins a snickers bar!
*Keep an eye out for more trivia and competitions to come!
Center for Multicultural Education
109 Maucker Union
Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613-0165
Phone: 319-273-2250
Email: cme@uni.edu
Website: www.uni.edu/cme
Our Mission
We foster success in racial and ethnic minority students,
contribute to the cultural competence of all students, and
promote an appreciation of diversity in the University Community.
Editor-in-chief: Dr. Michael D. Blackwell
Co-editor: Kailee Becker
Co-editor: Camelia Rubalcada
Contributors:
Dr. Michael D. Blackwell
Kailee Becker
Mukulika Vashistha
Gloria Sumpter
Deana Bolumbu
We are also on Facebook and Twitter!