NEWS

| Black Students Still Underrepresented at University
St. F-X’s Black Student Advisor

Meghann Jack, The Xaverian Weekly

 

 

ANTIGONISH, N.S. (CUP)—February is African
Heritage Month in Nova Scotia and St. F-X is celebrating
the history and contributions, as well as the commemora-
tion of the resilience and determination of people of
African descent.

“African history is Canadian history—and world histo-
ry,” said Dr. Agnes Calliste, St. F-X’s black student advisor.
“Students, in this global economy, multi-racial, multi-cul-
tural society, need to know more [about African history
and heritage] because they’re not going to work in a

cocoon afterwards.”

St.F-X has been celebrating African Heritage Month
since 1988, however, Calliste feels that African Canadians
are still underrepresented in the university.

“We have to make a greater effort,” said Calliste. “We
need to do more to recruit them, we need more students,
and other than to play athletics. They [black students] tend
to be stereotyped as athletes.”

Calliste also emphasized the importance of retention.
“When they are here, we must provide the support system
that they need to be successful.”

Presently, Calliste works on a budget of $1,000 a year
for supplies, and receives no money for programming. She
feels more support from faculty, campus, and administra-
tion is necessary in promoting African Heritage Month.

“Faculty and Administration have to set the example,”
she said.

Rony Appolon, president of the Brothers and Sisters
of the African Diaspora Society said African Heritage
month is about awareness.

“Its goal is to not only educate, but also to make peo-
ple aware of what black people stand for. It serves to
show appreciation for all those who have paved the way
for black people through the struggles from the upbring-
ing of being the minority,” he said.

“This is our time to pay tribute and appreciate. This
also gives black people a time to remember where they
have come from and what they have overcome, what they
are capable of and who they are, no matter what the oth-
ers may say or think,’ Appolon added.

Professor Michelle Williams, Director of the
Indigenous Blacks and Mi’kmaq Initiative (IBM) at the
Dalhousie University Law program, was invited to speak as
part of the month long events. Her lecture focused on
“African Nova Scotian Resistance: Justice in Action.”

As director of the IBM initiative, Williams helps
“increase the representation of black and aboriginal
lawyers in an effort to reduce systemic and structural

 

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discrimination.”

“The existences, contributions, and successes of
African Nova Scotians have been minimized, sometin
even erased in our educational systems, media—any a
you can think of,’ Williams explained.

“Tt’s critical to take the time to specifically look at
celebrate them, even if it’s only for a month,” she adc

The program, which began in 1989, helps bring
African Canadian and Aboriginal perspectives into th
and encourages scholarship and research for those m:
ty groups. Since its initiation, there have been 90 law
uates. ~

“Presumably, if you increase their [Aboriginal and
African Canadian peoples] involvement across the juc
systems, you’re more likely to end up with a system tl
has no racism as part of it,’ Willams said.

Williams discussed how the law has been both a t
perpetuate racism and white privilege and a tool to re
it.

“African Nova Scotians have always faced racism :
injustice, and have always resisted it. Thereby they ha
always been in the process of creating or accepting ju
tice,” Williams said.

Williams also stressed that everyone can be an ady
for justice in their own life and own way.

“The fact of resistance is in fact itself creating jus
There is merit in the process, merit in the struggle—
never know how powerful your small action can be—
ripple effect it may have,” she said.

“She left some words of wisdom that even thoug]
are faced with obstacles, we should not let it stop us |
becoming who we want to become and not who soci
thinks we are going to become,” said Appolon.

“T’m pleased,” continued Calliste who thought Wi
would be a good role model. “She’ll definitely be bac

“The reality is we’re here to stay. We’re rooted het
won't be pulled up,” she said.

 

Epoching on Our Territory

JJ McCullough, Investigative Reporter.

 

This week Rob Walsh asks “What’s the deal with the Epoch
Times newspaper? They have a box outside of campus, but
I see it all over the place. It seems really amateurishly writ-
ten as well. Is it another student newspaper? And what or
where is “Epoch?”

Though the Osher Press holds a monopoly as far as on-
campus newspapers are concerned, Rob is right to note
that The Epoch Times appears to be trying to muscle in on
our territory with a distribution box right beside ours at
the entrance to the New West campus. They also distribute
at SFU, UBC, and many other colleges, community centers,
and libraries around the lower mainland. So what are they?
Well, they’re certainly not a student newspaper. They’re not
even a BC newspaper. According to their official website
(www.epochtimes.com), the paper is actually headquartered
out of New York and publishes in six countries, including
Canada.

The Epoch Times was founded by Chinese ex-pats, most

of whom were anti-Communist political dissidents. T
paper thus prides itself on presenting “uncensored cc
age of events in China” to Chinese migrant commun:
around the world. As a result, if you read the Epoch 1
you'll often find they devote considerable column spa
venomously denouncing the Chinese government anc
expressing solidarity with various oppressed Chinese
gious movements, like the Falun Gong. It’s thus very
an activist sort of newspaper, though they do a lot of
mundane reporting on local events as well.

What exactly the “Epoch” in their name refers to
remains a mystery, however.

Got a question that needs to be investigated? Email
wart_mamu@yahoo.com