Rebirth: Funk & Soul Playlist curated by Ivan Wambe
When it comes to music, a balance between old and new is a great way to keep things interesting. That being said, here’s a playlist of Soul and Funk gems from the past and present for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!
On September 24, 2018
An incident broke to the students of UMass Amherst that occurred the Saturday before, on the day of a home game tailgate. This incident that occurred was a racially targeted threat aimed at the African American students in a first-year dorm. This is their response to the threat in a dialogical pantoum:
“Silence is Violence”
We’ve been “frightened” and we’ve been terrorized
By a “racial terrorist” who refuses to look us in the eye
We’ve become an “inconvenience,” as we watch our scholars cry
We refuse to let a cover up, hide a “hate crime”
By a “racial terrorist” who refuses to look us in the eye
What do we tell our parents when we “fear” for our lives
We refuse to let a cover up, hide a “hate crime”
We’ve been targeted to be “hanged” with our stereotypes
What do we tell our parents when we “fear” for our lives
We are tired of “violence” and being scrutinized
We’ve been targeted to be “hanged” with our stereotypes
It is “criminalization” to threaten a minority racial type
We are tired of “violence” and being scrutinized
We’ve been “frightened” and we’ve been terrorized
We’ve been targeted to be “hanged” with our stereotypes
Let’s not be silenced, let’s face it, because UMass knows it was racist
By Brie Bristol
In 1969, following the residential dormitory sit-in at Mills House, Black students of the University of Massachusetts, at Amherst, produced the first issue of DRUM magazine as tribute to the Black literary experience. The magazine went on to publish eighteen volumes before their last issue in 1988. Listen to Founder and Editor, Dr. Robyn Chandler, describe the political and social activity which DRUM was born in and the responsibilities of being a publisher at twenty years old.
Pronouns: they/them
Major: PoliSci
Outfit: Izzy sports a colorblock windbreaker with medium washed cuffed denim jeans. They finish it off simple with some black high top vibes. Izzy definitely gives off chill vibes without trying.
Style: For tops Izzy enjoys wearing turtle necks and button ups button all the way to the top. Their style is more on the relaxed side. They are all about wearing looser fitted clothing and paring those with jeans and some type of sneakers like converses. Izzy shows us that relaxed fit can be just as fashion forward as any other style.
Pronouns: they/them
Major: Sociology and Legal Studies
Outfit: Hr makes layering look really fun. They are sporting a blue hoodie layered with a muted green button up layered with a black faux fur lined jacket. Hr kept it simple with very light wash jeans, worn down vans and fun mismatched socks. Also, do you see their fiery orange hair?!
Style: If it’s not comfortable then highly chance Hr is not going to wear it. Being comfy is very important when it comes to how Hr dresses. Along with being comfy, Hr finds the color scheme of their wardrobe to be more muted but it’s still color coordinated. Hr is also really big into thrifting which is apparent in the photo above.
Pronouns: They/them
Major: English
Outfit: Denim on denim is route Sasha took with this minimal yet stylish outfit. They paired two different washes of denim that gives off a nice contrast. Sasha poses in a faux fur lined denim jacket, cuffed denim jeans and some black sneakers. To all those who say you can’t wear denim on denim, we’ll just show them this photo of Sasha and prove them wrong.
Style: Sasha’s style is always changing. They love trying new things and pairing different pieces together. Sasha gets inspiration from people they follow on Instagram and tries out what they are doing. One thing that won’t change about Sasha’s style, is their love for denim.
Cynthia Ntinunu
Despite the gloomy weather these past few days, we hit the “streets” of UMass Amherst to scout out those willing to bring any sort of color to the scene. We were lucky to meet two incredible people. Meet Favorite Irakunda and Sarah Wennemyr. Each of them have unique styles that are striking to the eye.
Favorite Irakunda
Favorite stuns on her birthday with her statement jacket and necklace. Photographed by Cynthia Ntinunu
Favorite is a graduate student at the College of Nursing at UMass Amherst. Her bright red jacket gravitated us towards her and we thought “we have to speak with her.” As we spoke with her, she mentioned how being French and African influences how she dresses. “There’s this idea of elegance intertwined with my culture,” said Favorite while sporting a red long jacket, paired with a cream tank top, black trousers and cute black booties. She also paired this look with a circle pendant necklace, that added a hint of creativity without being over the top. Favorite’s key to achieving great style, is just having a few pieces. She doesn’t believe that you need to have all the expensive clothes to look well. You just need a few good pieces to pair together. We definitely agree with Favorite.
Sarah Wennemyr
Sarah gracefully spins while showcasing her beautiful skirt.
As we walked through the campus center to scout out more people, we heard a group of people asking students if they wanted to join a club. Intrigued, we moved closer and we saw Sarah Wennemyr in action. While reaching out to students to join UMass Ballroom Dance Team, their vibrant floral skirt caught our attention. Interested by the how their outfit was constructed, specifically the pairing of a velvet top with this fun skirt, we asked about their style. They said, “I would describe my style as relaxed vintage. I like skirts and shirts that are comfortable.” We think she captured, the relaxed vintage vibe well. If interested in seeing more of Sarah’s style in action, consider attending the next UMass Ballroom Dance Team meeting.
