Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 24 October 2003 — Page 9

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The positive aspects ot hip-hop

By Garrett Gammons Cardinal Ritter High School Recorder Intern The definition of hip-hop in Webster’s Dictionary states: having to do with or characteristic of music intended for dancing, with a rap or Latin beat. This definition ' does not state that hip-hop is derogatory, or that it has influenced criminal acts. Hip-hop is a beautiful culture because not only does it have to do with music and dance, but also it’s a clothing style, it’s the way people speak, it’s the way people express themselves. Over the years hip-hop has been

stereotyped as a style of music that is in general bad. Hip-hop has been associated with sex, drugs and violence. It’s been the blame for gang shootings and suicides. No one stops to look between the lines or explore the less hard core rappers. "There are different types of hip-hop," said Christopher Whitelaw, a junior at Cardinal Ritter. "I love hip-hop and it’s my culture.” "Those who down hip-hop are the ones that don’t take the time to really listen to it,” he said. Artists like Mos Def and "the roots" are soul hip-hop artists and the positivity in their music sticks out t a little more.

Some may argue where is the good in someone rapping about taking someone’s life away. Well... there isn’t, but you can flip that lyric around and realize that these people are really telling their audience what not to do. Julian Bently, a student at Northwest High School, said, “I try to realize that these rappers are just speaking about their lives." "I try to see it as a biography of that rapper’s life, like 50 Cent." This past summer hip-hop genius, Russell Simmons, attended the "Youth Summit” where has was interviewed at a community forum. He was asked by an older woman what did he think about

the vulgar lyrics of today’s core rappers? He responded that the rappers did have a responsibility to their younger fans, but he added that the parents also have a responsibility to teach their children right from wrong. Mos Def said the purpose of hip-hop is to unite people. As the world of hip-hop grows each day new aspects and ideas emerge which may cause conflict with those who don’t fully understand the culture. Yes, hip-hop has been marketed as a violent and cruel type of music but the positivity is there, and if critics would open their eyes they would see it as all true hip-hoppers do.

Setting the bar lor African-American students

By Brittany Asam North Central High School i Recorder Intern r . v Afew years ago ifyou had walked i into an accelerated class at North j Central High School you probably , would have seen maybe two Afri-can-American students or none at all. Since accelerated programs -have been introduced to North - Central they have been predomir nantly white and lacking the pres- . ence of minority students. This fact was brought to the , attention of Aaron Shelby, a teacher ,at NC, who developed a program to increase the number of AfricanAmerican students in the acceler-

ated classes. The program was named Cohort program and it would give the group of student's social and academic support, which would guide them through their high school career. Shelby says that. "The impact for our African-American students must take place in the classroom. The African-American students must believe that AP and/or accelerated classes are not reserved for white students. (Black) students must understand that they can do the work and we expect them to be successful in these challenging classes." Shelby monitors the academic progress of each student.

and if the student begins to struggle in a class, he works with the teachers and the student’s counselor to help the student improve. C.E. Quandt, North Central’s principal, also selected 25 teachers that would aid in the help of the students and create classroom environments that the students could excel in. The students in the program are placed in the classes of the selected teachers so that the teachers can better help them. The group of students meets every Tuesday during homeroom where they can get help and discuss upcoming events. Many times during homeroom there will be a speaker, either a teacher to give

advice on how to excel or a student giving motivation. Cohort program was put into use for the freshman during the 2002-2003 school year. The first year there were 35 African-Ameri-can students and their combined GPA was higher than the combined GPA of the freshman class. This year there are 52 students irr the Cohort program and they have gotten a good start and are doing well. Next year the Cohort program students will move on and be placed in an AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) class which will go into much more detail about how to be successful.

Interracial relationships are becoming more accepted

Tasasha Henderson Perry Meridian High School Recorder Intern i People of different races and ethnic backgrounds are dating and marrying in increasing numbers these days. This is called interracial dating and marriage and tis described as the dating or marrying of two people of different races. It can be between African Americans, Caucasians. Asians, and Hispanics. Interracial dating and marriage is on the rise. People of different ethnicity and cultures are turning to an integrated way of life and accepting the idea of a multicultural society while

others are not. More people are attempting to break down color barriers that exist. In a book called Sociology of Marriage and the Family: Gender, Love and Property by a professor of social work named Randall Collins, it says "interracial marriages have increased in the United States since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Southern states laws in 1967 prohibiting such marn-ages." When Casie Merritt, a senior at Perry Meridian High School, was asked what she thought of interracial dating she said, "I don’t think there is anything wrong with interracial dating It is fust skin color It

means nothing. We are all still people. You get to learn new and different things with someone of a different race also " In the 1950s and 1960s racial tensions were higher. Betty Gary. 57, who grew up in the 1950s said, "you did not see people of different races dating each other back then The white people stuck to themselves and the Black people stuck to themselves.” On the flip side, others oppose interracial unions It can be for a number of reasons such as religious, political, or family pude Some people may not enter into interracial unions be-

cause of fear of opposition by friends and family. Others say because they do not want their children to suffer the hardships of growing up biracial. Being in an interracial relationship can be difficult People may not approve and friends and family may even shun the couple Interracial relationships account for I 5 million of the marriages in the U S. The number of interracial marriages is doubling each year. This fact is showing that interracial relationships are becoming more accepted and people are becoming more color blind

The harsh treatment of animals

By TaLette Jones Lawrence Central Recorder Intern What's going on in your neighborhood? Animals are greatly owned by Americans today. Animals have been around for ages and many people agree that now it’s time to return the favor. Animals have been through a lot for humans, but for some reason many people fail to do the same. Animal cruelty is very important to know about because it could include any type of animal and it could have a huge impact on humans as well. Studies show that men/boys are the main perpetrators of mistreating animals. Information from the Humane Society of the United States shows that not all children abuse animals. “If allowed to harm animals, children are more likely to be violent later on in life," according to the Humane Society. Parents should not allow their children to abuse animals, because it could develop into more harsh abuse files. Children do have a record of abuse, but this is more commonly found in the adolescence stage of youth. This is found more in youth that have very low self-esteem and are not as popular in school or have few friends in school. Children who show cruelty to

animals could be characterized as bullies and have probably witnessed similar cases in the past. Also, they could have been a main factor in a previous abuse case involving them. The animals that are mainly abused are cats and dogs. Wild animals also have been abused, but the record is greater in house pets. Animal cruelty affects animals greatly. It can damage any animal physically, or even emotionally. Once an animal gets harmed even once, it could lose its trust and appreciation for humans. Animal cruelty can come in many forms. It doesn’t just mean abusing animals. It could also include overfeeding animals, starving animals, leaving them out in harsh weather conditions, and feeding them or overdosing them with too much of a prescription the animal consumes for medical purposes. When caught mistreating an animal of any sort, you could be fined and/or sent to get psychiatric help. When finding a mistreated or misused animal there are numbers of ways to help the animal. The No. I thing you should do is contact your local Humane Society or animal shelter. You could also take the animal to a nearby emergency pet hospital or medical center. You could also contact (303) 239-4161 to file a complaint on witnessing or seeing animal cruelty taking place.

Artist says be yourself and let your natural self come out

By Tim Jones Lawrence Central High School Recorder Intern “perron was difficult, because I was the only Black girl in my class" says Indianapolis Recorder production manager Jeana Lewis. It felt as if the other students didn’t know where I was coming from with ,my art." Lewis has graduated and her artwork has been on exhibit in museums in Indiana and Ohio. She has also traveled to London to see the sites and to also visit art museums. Lewis majored in photography at the Herron School of Art. She states that even though the other students didn't really understand her type of art, black and white photography or cultural drawings, she just kept doing what she did best. "I like to cook different types of food, but some of it is

mostly soul food," says Lewis. She is currently trying new and different African dishes and spices. The artist has a strong opinion about being yourself and letting your natural self come out. "My sister influenced me to let my hair go locked and natural." She also says letting her hair go natural made everybody notice her skills at work. Her older sister influenced her a lot. She also was the first person to tell Lewis that she should be natural and go with her hair locked Modeling is also one of Lewis' fields of work. She models for different things such as clothing lines and modeling agencies for plus sized women. Her family just encourages her to keep going In the future she wants people to see how she felt when she was going through different experiences, through her ar.t.