Black History Month keeps the past alive

By Janee Mitchell - Feature Writer

What would a review of America’s travels show with respect to oppressed African-Americans and the battle for freedom? What we see today is an America that appears to be free, everyone has the right to an education now, there is no more lynching of slaves and everyone is entitled to work regardless of this race. Though these extremities appear to be behind us, we still suffer from the impacts of slavery and racial discrimination in various forms today. Jesse Jackson, civil rights activist known for speaking up on issues of race, even accused the Bush administration of racist motivations.
Many people seldom realize the affects of slavery on the African-American community. The schools teach about slavery during Black History Month and shy away from mentioning the racism left today as a result of slavery. Students learn about slavery for only a month, and are filled with the courageous stories of American history throughout the school year. It is no wonder that the affects are overlooked because many non-African-American students don’t know much about black history and they continue to use subtle forms of racism themselves, even if unknown.
After slavery was abolished, African-Americans still experienced racism and terrorization from organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan and individuals that still viewed them as inferior. The journey has been a long struggle for African Americans that many believe ended with the Brown v. Board of Education decision of 1954 that called for the abolishment of segregation. However, the majority has not drawn that conclusion. Dr. Barnett, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Joe R. Feagin said discrimination is experienced differently today through racism that is ingrained into America’s institutions.
In his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.”
Have African-Americans gained their citizenship rights or has America just returned to business as usual? Some students say that Dr. King’s dream has not fully came to pass. Victoria Brinson said, “I think some of it has, but if you really look at it, it hasn’t.”
Nefra Johnson said, “I don't think people realize their racial tendencies. It is sad that many people have preconceived ideas about what a group of people are like because of their skin color.  I think this campus should have periodic workshops that address racial issues.  In order for people to realize that not all blacks and Hispanics are poor, ignorant, angry and violent, not all people of Eastern descent are terrorists, not all white people live on farms or practice bad hygiene habits, people need to step outside their comfort zone and begin to really get to know people or different races and cultures to appreciate where they come from.  Once this is done, people will see that where it really matters (the heart), many people are very similar.”
Brinson said slavery has “had a deep impact…we are still not equal and I don't think we ever will be.” This is the feeling that many African-Americans share, not because they’re all black but because they’ve experienced continual racism, as other persons of color. There have been too many cases involving racism to cite and Web blogs and newspapers, even music has revealed the sentiment that it is not going away.
Racism has even begun to evolve into other forms or even reverse racism. When a white person wears certain clothes or speaks a certain way they are seen as acting black by society. The assumption is made that they are acting black and their culture and upbringing is not reviewed.

UIS students experience 'Female O'

By Gabrielle Wiegand - Feature Writer

IIt was hard to walk around campus the last few weeks without seeing posters that had the words “female orgasm” on them. The Women's Center and the Student Activities Committee hosted “The Female O” last Tuesday. The program brought the topic of female sexuality out of the shadows and showed people it is not just okay to talk about it, it is important that both men and women become educated on the topic and discuss it.
Marshall Miller and Dorian Solot are sex and relationship educators who have been a couple since 1993. Miller and Solot are two funny, down-to-earth people, who realized that this is a topic people are going to giggle over, and they used that knowledge to further their work.
Solot instructed the audience that it is “not necessary to silence your phones... just put them on vibrate.” She then used the infamous diner scene from “When Harry Met Sally” to introduce the subject of female orgasm. While female sexuality is something people can talk about and laugh about, it is also important for women to be knowledgeable about their sexual health and sexuality. 
Solot began by discussing something very personal that “changes your life forever.” “When I was 26, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.”  Solot found the lump when she was stretching and brushed her hand over her body. Many women are taught from a young age that “it's bad or dirty to touch your own body,” said Solot. In her case, being comfortable with her body saved her life.
Women learn about their sexuality and the female orgasm from a variety of sources, including the supermarket checkout lane and their parents. Fashion magazines often make women start worrying about things they would not normally consider like what their partners think of their “orgasm face.”
Solot said she never experimented with masturbation until college when she went out and purchased a book about sex education and awareness, which wound up being the “best $5.99 (she) ever spent.” After experiencing her first orgasm, Solot thought it was so cool she wanted to share the topic of female sexuality with everyone.
Women have a lot of strikes against themselves when it comes to sex. One major way is how “sex education is taught to girls,” explained Solot. Girls are frequently only taught how to say ‘no’ to sex when it's incredibly important for women to know how to say ‘yes’ to sex in a “positive, healthy and responsible” way.
The program covered a woman's arousal cycle. The first phase in this cycle is the excitement phase, in which a woman begins to breathe faster, her heart rate goes up, her vagina begins to lubricate and blood flows to her genitals. The next stage is when her excitement level begins to plateau, aptly named the plateau phase. This is totally normal and can be frustrating for many women, since as Solot explained, “I'm a busy person! I don't have all day. I have homework.”
Next up is the orgasm phase! An orgasm consists of muscle contractions in the uterus and vagina. No two orgasms are the same and no two women experience an orgasm in the same way. The final phase in the arousal cycle is the resolution phase when your body returns to its normal state.
Miller recommended Kegel exercises in order to have “bigger, stronger orgasms.” Kegel exercises are done by flexing and relaxing the same muscle that stops your stream of urine when you are peeing. “No one can tell you're doing it so you can multitask,” urged Miller. “You can do it in math class!”
Miller feels the major barrier to men's awareness to female sexuality is that while there is a lot of information about the topic “there is a huge problem with accuracy.” Marshall explained, “Some partners are completely oblivious” when it comes to the female orgasm.
Sometimes it's almost necessary for women to hang a sign over the bed that says “Orgasm- I'd like one of those too,” quipped Miller. “Many people sell ‘cure-alls’ and frequently the best ‘cure-all’ or solution is to realize that the number one expert on what your partner likes is your partner.”
Solot said that for women the biggest barrier is that the topic is “so taboo.  Talking about it is only done in whispers with your closest friends.”
Solot said she loves “starting the conversation” since her and Miller's presentation is just the beginning. People from the audience will go home and put into practice what they have learnt and will also continue the conversation.
“This topic is so relevant to people at various points in their lives,” said Solot. “I feel so lucky to travel around and hear stories from the women I meet.”
The program dealt with a lot of popular topics, such as the clitoris, and different myths, such as the simultaneous orgasm. Orgasms rarely happen at the same time for partners said Solot. “It's perfectly fine to have sequential orgasms.” The clitoris is something that not many people discuss openly. Frequently depictions of the female anatomy in health books do not show the clitoris, which is like a depiction of a male anatomy not showing the penis, explained Solot.
She also wowed the audience with some statistics. “25 percent of women have their first orgasm by the age of 15 and only 30 percent of women achieve orgasm through intercourse alone.” Men take about three to five minutes to have an orgasm when it takes women on average 20 minutes.
The seminar even tackled vibrators and female ejaculation. “Some (vibrators) are the size of a tube of lipstick so you can throw it in your purse in case you have an emergency in the afternoon,” joked Solot.
“We really enjoy working together,” said Miller about his partner, Solot. Another rewarding aspect of the job for him is working with audiences such as the one there on Tuesday night.
Miller and Solot both explained that traveling through airport security with their props and teaching tools can be a little interesting. Seeing the reactions of security guards when they see a suitcase full of “I love female orgasm” pins is memorable for them.
Miller said, “It's really great to come to a campus where there is such support from different offices and departments.” At different schools the team has met “administrative officials who are very worried about the program,” said Solot. However, once they get there and the campus finds out what their program is about “people think it is wonderful.” They see the topic “can be discussed in a way that is respectful, not sleazy.”

Black History Month keeps the past alive

UIS students experience 'Female O'