The Dream

I had a dream we were created equal.

Until I woke up and saw I was black, the world ain’t lookin’ so equal.

I was told my history goes as far back as beaches in Virginia.

Never was I told Kings and Queens ran in my lineage.

 

Black is my skin and full is my feature.

Not for shuckin’ and jivin’ or to be the world’s main feature.

I am the definition of beauty, but the world still seeks to rule me.

I am BLACK and proud.

This poem is meant for YOU to scream it loud.

            This poem is meant to show you that you are more then what the world says you are. You are a king. It took me a long time to even comprehend that thought. To even think of myself as more than what I was constantly being told. But when that light came on, it showed me I am more than what any person could dream. 

            Dreams, goals, and success all come from mixing hard work with utter faith. Every day we must get up as men of all ages and begin again in pursuit of who we really are. 

      Who inspires me are those around me: mentors, brothas, and brothas who will come after me. To know that I’m not perfect and I must constantly work to become better in every area of life. What inspires me is the desire to be able to be that hand of help that others are constantly searching for. To be what I was told I could never be.

—Kendall Robinson

Kendall Robinson is a senior communications major at Bowie State University

Manage Your Time Wisely

 

A full time schedule as a student can be very grueling. Manage your time is the best advice I can give to any young male pursuing a degree and career.  The students who earn A’s are no smarter or more talented. They are usually just better at setting time aside for their studies. Be mindful that every second wasted could be spent towards making your future much more promising.

Carlton Holliday Jr.

Keeping Your Identity Amid the Diversity

               

                The university environment is one of extreme diversity. Although Bowie State has a predominately black population, there is still diversity. We have students who identify or are identified and categorized with this latest identity of the black race, hailing from many areas around the globe, in addition to a significant amount students and staff those who fall outside of this racial category. 

                With four colleges and over 18 majors offered, we have undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students with various interests, academic training, and prospective career fields. We have ardent Democrats, Republicans, and Independents as well as those who truly stand independent of major party affiliation. We have Christians of the Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Lutheran, Pentecostal and Seventh – day Adventist denominations as well as Muslims, who are part of Nation of Islam (NOI), and traditional Islam. We have students of all sorts of socio-economic backgrounds. There are those who grew up in two-parent and single-parent homes as well as those who grew up under the watchful eyes of guardians. Of course, we have those students and faculty who are fans of the Redskins, Ravens, and unfortunately, even the Cowboys.

                This diversity is a wonderful asset that can provide excellent insight into other interpretations of the world, and mutually enhance each student’s outlook on life. However, amid this assortment of people, ideas, and lifestyles, each student has a simultaneous need to remain true to one’s own unique identity. The values and morals, beliefs that were instilled in you prior to your matriculation through Bowie State must never be completely abandoned in the name of developing an “open-mind”.  Many things students can participate in to pursue knowledge of and exposure to the foreign, they can likewise do to stay grounded in the mores of their upbringing is to find a club or organization that embodies these values.

— Auburn Mann

Auburn Mann, managing editor of The Spectrum Online web-based student newspaper, is a senior communications major in the print journalism program at Bowie State University.

 

The Juggling Act

                 Imagine a circus juggler managing to effectively manipulate three or four items at once with ease. Skills such as attention to detail, structure, balance, and time management prove to be key.

                In one split second with a faulty move or indecisive decision every ring, ball or knife can come crashing down to the floor at once. Like a domino effect.

                Likewise, for a young man pursuing a degree and career while managing the responsibilities of life while facing the unexpected curve balls.

–Carlton Holliday, Jr.

                Carlton Holliday, Jr. is a senior communications major in the broadcast journalism program at Bowie State University.