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 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.

By Kirstin "Kirby" Cheers

Jacqueline Christion, head bowed-chin to chest and arms folded, watched footage of a familiar scene on Wednesday. She had seen this footage before. In fact, she was one of the features in this particular film.  

It was on a day in October of 1961. She along with 12 other black children started their first day of elementary school—at an all-white school.  

"It was exciting, but I was nervous and scared," Christion recounts on the film. 

Christion lifted her head to the screen as she heard the voice of a friend, Sharon Malone, "Once that door closed and our parents walked out of that school, it was us."  

"The Memphis 13" premiered in the Beale Room of the University of Memphis' University Center to a crowd of more than 30 students and 30 university professors and personnel. The documentary accounted the experiences of 13 African American 5-year-olds who were the first to integrate Memphis City Schools. The group was divided and sent to four inner-city elementary schools: Rozelle, Bruce, Gordon and Springdale.  

"That was a part of our childhood that we just wanted to shut out of our lives for the rest of our lives," Malone said on the panel that afternoon. 

By Darnesha Cotton

A crowd gathered at the 7 p.m. in the University Center Theatre Tuesday on the University of Memphis campus as actor, author and activist Lou Gossett Jr. spoke on the importance of education, unity and getting back to cultural roots.

“Although Mr. Gossett is still working in films, with an emphasis on faith-based stories, he is primarily dedicating ‘the last quadrant’ of his life to an all-out conscious offensive against racism, violence, ignorance and social apathy,” said Tori Thompson, a 20-year-old journalism student and host of the event, as she introduced Gossett.
 
The theatre was filled with students, faculty, and community members of all ages. The crowd of approximately 100 welcomed Gossett with a standing ovation.

Gossett was featured as the second celebrity guest speaker for the 2014 Black History Month celebration.  Honored with his own event, Gossett chose to title his speech, “The Education before the Education.”

“Here, lately, I don’t think too many people are teaching you. The manners that you learn at home that you take out into the world with you so that you are able to be teachable,” he said.

By Akilah Speaks

WUMR The Jazz Lover is a non-commercial radio station located on the University of Memphis campus. The station, which has been operating since 1979, is the only jazz outlet in the Mid-South that plays jazz tracks, spotlights community events and broadcasts sports.

Malvin Massey, music director and former jazz musician, is the station's general manager and has been with the station for more than 25 years.  In a recent interview, he shared his love for jazz music, the changes in radio and how his job title has benefited him over the years.  

Known as Le Pilot, Massey is a pioneer in the jazz world and a great mentor to upcoming personalities.

“I love having the opportunity to listen to all the new music first and having a good reputation in the music industry with record promoters and different labels," Massey said. "I stay fresh in the jazz world by keeping up with music. It’s a reassuring job and a great gig.”

His passion for jazz music has earned him a reputation in the music industry, and he has been fortunate to interview some of the greatest legends. For many years, he has worked in the radio business gaining the knowledge of broadcasting, meeting famous musicians and working alongside promoters and other radio executives.

By Dee Reneé

Many University of Memphis students have yet to notice the price increase by 10 cents at the Subway on campus.

Subway brands their products as low-cost but nutritious meals and promotes their fresh vegetables served daily by their motto "Eat Fresh."

However, two weeks ago the Subway on campus increased their prices on all items excluding the value meals.

“I get the value meal so it not that bad but if I was getting something more expensive, I would be upset,” said Victoria Law, a junior business major with a minor in Japanese.

The $5 foot long deals have not increased in price but there is a 10 cent difference in price with all other items.

Patrick Cook, the retail manager for the Tiger Den, also said that the Chick-fil-A on campus will also have a price increase in the upcoming semester.

Aramark, the University of Memphis's dining services provider, is not responsible for the price increase.

By Darnesha Cotton

The University of Memphis African Student Association will be making the world their runways. The student organization is using cultural fashions to unite students of different backgrounds and heritage.

Senior film student Lawrence Shaw and Justin Brookes, a sophomore health and human performance major, are co-directors of the first Multicultural Fashion Show on campus. 

 “We are trying to show the diversity of the world," Shaw said. "The best way to learn about a different culture is through their food or through their clothing."

 The show is set to occur in April during the University’s Multicultural Week, an annual
celebration done by the University to honor the diversity of the students. 
 
“The vision is just to show everybody that although we are all from a different culture, we all
of one body, we are all the same. We can celebrate each other’s diversity,” said Shaw, the creative half of the duo.

By Leah Beth Bolton 

TigerText, the University of Memphis’ emergency alert text messaging service, keeps students, faculty and staff informed and protected, but only if they’re signed up for the feature. 

According to the school’s website, “the optional service is used in the event of an on-campus emergency, an unscheduled university closing, or a delay or cancellation of classes due to, for instance, inclement weather.” 

The service is free to students but standard text messaging rates apply.

The text messaging system was put in place in 2007 shortly after the Virginia Tech massacre and the U of M campus began to focus more on student safety.

Bruce Harber, director of public safety and Police Services, is encouraging students to reactivate their TigerText accounts by signing up online for the service. He said students are unaware that their service deactivates after being enrolled for a certain amount of time. 

“The biggest challenge with TigerText is keeping people signing up,” Harber said. “What happens is the accounts expire, and we’ve never been close to the almost 20,000 licenses we had early on from the people we have on campus being signed up to receive the alerts.”