State v. Mann: History Repeats Itself

In last weeks class two groups went head-to-head presenting a blast from the blast case of State v. Mann, which took place in 1830. The case presented the legal question of should John Mann have to pay the ten dollar fine issued to him for shooting a slave he had leased from someone else, or did this fine violate his rights as a slave owner? In the end, the Supreme Court of North Carolina overturned the prior two courts decision, ruling that John Manns rights were violated.

Todays team of the State sourced arguments from religion, law, and morality. While the team representing Mann argued his right to property above all else, while combating the State's arguments. Ultimately,  The Honorable Judge Smith ruled the same as Judge Tomas Ruffin had in 1830, finding John Manns rights violated, and over turning the issue of the $10 fine. Although history repeated itself in last weeks classroom, it's pretty safe to assume that verdict would be quite different in 2016.

In all, it was a pretty interesting way to learn about the case. This week, the class presents the arguments of Dred Scott v. Stanford.

And since every good blog post should have a link here's a second one, check out this cool article about Yeezus.

In Case You Missed Beyonce Slay (In More Ways Than One)

Superbowl Sunday, this year 111.9 million people watched the Broncos face off against Panthers- but lets face it, the real source of entertainment was the one and only Queen Beyonce Knowles. No only did Beyonce slay the half time show, she slayed critics with a huge statement. In case you somehow missed this momentous performance, you can check it out here.

picture from http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2016/02/08/2970258/

Queen B preformed her new song Formation, which advocates for the Black Lives Matter Movement, during the half time show. If that wasn't enough, the entire performance payed homage to the movement, along with civil rights activists of the past. With her back up dancers clade in black costume extremely similar to the attire of Black Panther Activists, Beyonce was able to make more than art, she made a statement. At one point, the choreography of the dancers formed an X, in honor of civil rights activist Malcolm X. As if the message wasn't extremely clear, some dancers posted a photo on social media in their Black Panthers themed attire holding up a sign and their fists calling for justice for Mario Woods, a black man killed in 2015 for refusing to drop a knife by police.

In fact, Beyonce made such a big statement with her performance that some people are actually planning an anti-Beyonce rally, calling her performance "hate speech and racism". However, whenever you try to point out injustice, even if you are Beyonce, someone is going to call you out for something. But when you're Queen B, it really doesn't matter.

Instagram: +Beyoncé 

How Far We've Come, How Far We Still Have to Go

Earlier this week marked an anniversary. Although it was not a typical milestone,  I believe that it is something worth looking back upon, so that perhaps the future can shine brighter. Fifty-six years ago in Greensboro, a city not far from the University I attend, four young African American men took the seats they deserved at the whites-only lunch counter. The act created a wave of peaceful protests in the form of sit-ins across the South. Joseph McNeil, Franklin McCain, Billy Smith and Clarence Henderson, known as Greensboro Four, were simply four students who one day decided to be civil rights heroes. They would be proud of how far the United States has come on this momentous issue.  However, we still have much farther to go.

We live in a society where a substantial amount of people still posses stereotypical views of danger and inferiority when they see African Americans. Laws may have changed, but ignorance still remains. This has been displayed by numerous occasions, such as the University of Missouri protests and the numerous killings of unarmed African Americans by law enforcement in 2015 alone. In order to truly become the kind of country that the Greensboro Four wanted, instances like those stated before need to stop occurring, mindsets need to evolve and grow.

In 2016, we should be to the point where everyone is not "judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Fifty-three years ago those words rang strong and true out of the mouth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But until every American believes that statement as much as Dr. King did, we have further to go in the battle for equality.