Letter From the Editor: Even on Life Support, My Nubian Message is Beautiful

The Nubian Message is “The Sentinel of the African American Community at N.C. State.”

Every week, published at the top of each issue of the Nubian Message, are these words which define the purpose of this newspaper.

Of course, those who do not read the Nubian Message would not know this.

Ironically, those who do not read the Nubian Message are often the first to offer up criticism or ask questions such as, “What is the purpose of the Nubian Message?” or “Why does the Nubian Message exist?

Though these are questions that have been answered by many of my predecessors, as current editor I would like to articulate to both readers and non-readers of the Nubian Message, the vital role we serve as a part of our campus community.

Founded in 1992 by Tony Williamson, also known by close friend as “Tony X,” the Nubian Message was created as a result of racial tension on campus surrounding, among other things, the creation of the African American Cultural Center. This tension reached a boiling point when inflammatory columns were published about black students in Technician, a publication that many African American students already felt did not provide adequate coverage of N.C. State’s African American community.

At the time of the Nubian Message’s creation, Tony Williamson made it very clear that the purpose of the Nubian Message was to provide fair and just media coverage of the African American community at N.C. State. He wrote this in his first Letter from the Editor stating, “The Nubian Message has been created to represent the African American community at NCSU totally, truthfully, and faithfully.”

Williamson even went as far as to provide his vision for the Nubian Message, writing “The vision I have for this newspaper, which is shared by everyone involved with it, is ambitious, but not unrealistic. The Nubian Message should and will be the media voice for African Americans at N.C. State. It will be a publication in which people can learn about different aspects of our culture, as well as find useful information about State’s campus.”

Despite his forethought to make both the purpose and vision for the Nubian Message known, it seems that Williamson’s words (although posted on our website and reprinted in both the 19th and 20th anniversary editions of the Nubian Message) have been lost in translation.

While Williamson died in 1993, his words and legacy, despite the efforts of many who try to ignore them, still live on, not only through the Nubian Message, but me- Kiki X.

Simply put, the Nubian Message is the media representation of black students on N.C. State’s campus.

The purpose of the Nubian Message is to provide a media outlet in which black students can have their stories told, in more than a 300-word story buried below the fold or on the bottom of the back page.  The purpose of the Nubian Message is to provide a media outlet that connects the black students on N.C. State’s campus. The purpose of the Nubian Message is to provide adequate and accurate news coverage of stories that are unique to the African American experience, such as racial profiling and white privilege. The purpose of the Nubian Message is to teach and inform members of other racial groups about black culture.

As editor, my vision for the Nubian Message is for it to prosper and flourish, well after I have graduated. My vision is for the Nubian Message to thrive under the leadership of someone who,  like me, has a love not only for journalism and black culture but also has an appreciation and respect for the struggle and strife that birthed this newspaper.

While I cannot guarantee that my vision will come to fruition, I can guarantee that I will work my hardest and put forth the upmost effort to try and ensure that it does.

It is not a secret that I regard the Nubian Message as an extension of myself; it is my baby, my first child.

Oddly enough, I was recently posed the question “Would you be willing to let your baby die?”

Is any parent ever willing to let their baby die?

As long as I’m around, at the least, my baby, the Nubian Message, will remain on life support.

Proud Parent & Editor-in- Chief

2012-2013

 

– Kiki X.