By Cormac Parker 

“God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, Thou who has brought us thus far on the way,” sang Breyanna Tillman, a student at the University of Memphis. 

Students gathered in the University Center River Room for the annual Black History closing ceremony on Friday, Feb. 28, at 1 p.m. with close to 75 students in attendance. 

A slight twist occurred when the main speaker, County Commissioner Henri Brooks, was running late due to unforeseen circumstances.

Approaching the stand out of breath, Brooks did not waste time reviewing the prominent history makers of the Civil Rights Movement. Instead, her approach was more thought-provoking. 

“The Civil Rights Movement was led by young people who stepped up to the plate,” Brooks said. “They fought for you to have a seat at the table. Now what are you going to do with it?”

By Charles Gray

A little more than 100 years ago, a budding city in west Tennessee won a state-legislated bid within the region to bring a teacher's college to the outskirts of the city.

Memphis, Tenn., known as the River City, was given the opportunity to house The West Tennessee Normal School in 1909. The school was a portion of a state-wide grant that also developed universities in Johnson City and Murfreesboro, respectively.

The West Tennessee Normal School was initially constructed on land that was previously used as a sweet potato farm, but its opportunistic location and proximity to the country's largest railway made it the ideal choice for the upcoming school.

'The railroad was hugely important and had a major influence on the decision on where to build the college," said Memphis historian Jimmy Ogle. "During its hayday, the railroad had three different stops in the district and was used to both carry goods and people alike... easily helping Memphis get the school."    

Initially, the school was limited to a teaching degree and was contained within a few buildings. It was built on an 80 acre tract of land and serviced a total of 200 students. Though the current campus has far outgrown its initial state and demolished much of the original architecture, Minders Hall and the Administration Building both stand as monuments to the initial 1912 construction, Ogle said.

According to Memphis Heritage, the land became annexed into the city of Memphis in 1929 as the school developed an identity and integrated with the Bluff City. Only 30 years after the University broke ground, it had expanded in size with an enrollment of 1100 students in 11 buildings. In 1941, the school changed its name to Memphis State College.  

As the school expanded, so did the area. Farming land turned into residential neighborhoods, commercial space was built and occupied and students, veterans and families gave life to the blossoming University District.

By Kylcye Bolden

Memphis East High School has long been known for its outstanding athletic programs.  Almost two years go, the linebacker coach of the football team, Charles Smith, approached his administrators with an opportunity to provide the students with an option to participate in a different sport — wrestling.

Though the idea was well receive by administrators, it was too late in the year for the school to start a new wrestling program.  Administrators from Memphis East contacted Kingsbury High School about the possibility to form a co-opt team.  The schools agreed to allow Smith and his wrestlers to participate with the established Kingsbury program.

With Kingsbury, Memphis East was moderately successful. 

“Initially, I thought it would be good for my football players to wrestle,” Smith said.  “I ended up getting a lot of interest from the kids around the school.”  

The school was represented by Jimtarius Hampton at the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) Individual State Tournament for the 2012-2013 season.  This year the team ventured off on their own, grateful of the opportunity the head coach of the Kingsbury team, Ronnie Landau afforded them. 

“Coach Landau is a great guy,” Smith said.  “I learned a lot from Coach Landau.”

Prior to their time with Kingsbury, Smith had no previous experience coaching wrestling.  He wrestled at Fort Lauderdale High School for two years; qualifying each year and placing third his senior year at the Florida state tournament in 1993.  Establishing a new program nearly 20 years later, Smith eagerly anticipated the opportunity to implement his coaching philosophy and style with the Memphis East team.

With several programs throughout the Mid-South shutting down, the establishment of new programs garner a lot of attention. 

By L. Taylor Smith

Despite dreary weather, more than 100 runners turned out to the 16th annual Relic Run 5K at the C.H. Nash Museum at Chucalissa Saturday morning.

The C.H. Nash Museum is part of the University of Memphis and sits on the grounds of a Native American temple mound complex that dates back to the 15th century, according to Director Robert Connolly.

“We primarily interpret the Native American prehistory of the area,” Connolly said. “Most people think of it as being a Native American area primarily, but there was also a plantation at the bottom of the areas around the site as well as sharecroppers farming the area during the 1930s.”

By Akilah Speaks

The National Association of Black Journalists sponsored a panel discussion titled “The N-Word in Sports and Hip Hop: Fair or Foul" for students at the University of Memphis on Thursday night in the UC Bluff Room.

Otis Sanford, the panel moderator and a journalism professor, strived to raise awareness of how the use of the N-word continues to spread throughout generations and what affects it has on black people.

An expert panel, comprised of Ron Tillery, Memphis Grizzlies beat writer, Knowledge Nick, local rapper, Martin Ifedi, U of M football player, and Tatianna Ingram, an active student, to elaborate on their perspectives of the N-word in black culture and to talk about personal experiences within society.

Sanford decided that the best place to have this discussion was among the faculty and students at the U of M because of the diversity on campus. It was a way for all cultures to come together and discuss a word that has been linked to hate and racism throughout history.

“I was very pleased with the outcome,” Sanford said , “and with the N-word being a topical issue, this was a great place to have this discussion. This campus is so diverse and the conversation was good and productive.”

The N-word has been a trending topic within the news, an issue in pro sports, and hip hop culture. In his article, “N-word is wrong for anyone,” written for The Commercial Appeal, he discussed the issues in pro sports, which have sparked feuds in the locker room and even coaches who have penalized players for the usage of the word.

Tillery explained a discussion that Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins had with “only” his black players. In his article “Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins puts focus on life, not just basketball,” he talked about the lecture Hollins had with his players about their use of the N-word and how he felt it was used recklessly on and off the court.