Levon Campbell III
Staff Writer

Bob Marley is considered a revolutionary figure in reggae music and the black community. From his iconic anthem “No Woman, No Cry” to his iconic anti-war song “Buffalo Soldier,” Marley’s music has influenced cultures and social movements around the globe.

Nesta Robert Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in a rural Jamaican parish. He was the son of a white Jamaican Marine officer and an 18-year-old back Jamaican girl. After moving to Trench Town, Marley met and befriended other reggae musicians Neville “Bunny” Wailer and Peter McIntosh, who later became known as Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh, respectively. Marley dropped out of school at the age of 14 to pursue a full-time music career.

Marley, along with Tosh and Wailer, found success as a trio known as The Wailers. They made a huge impact in the reggae scene with their albums “Catch a Fire “in 1972 and “Burnin’” in 1973. Their music earned them international recognition thanks to the influence of Island Records and Eric Clapton’s cover of “I Shot The Sheriff.”

The group’s popularity in Jamaica drew many fans, but they struggled to achieve financial success. Some members of the group eventually left the group and Marley moved to the United States where his mother was living. The remaining members drifted apart for some time, but Marley eventually returned to Jamaica and reunited with Wailer and Tosh to reform the group as a trio, known as The Wailers.

According to www.history.com, when he returned to Jamaica, Marley was exploring his spiritual side and developing a growing interest in the Rastafarian movement. The Rastafarian movement blends political and religious aspects and was developed in Jamaica in the 1930s. It draws from many sources, including Jamaican nationalist Marcus Garvey, the Bible’s Old Testament, and African heritage and culture. 

Marijuana, known as the “holy herb,” is considered sacred by Rastafarians because it can produce heightened spiritual states. Marley smoked marijuana frequently throughout his life due to his deep interest in the Rastafarian religion and he was an advocate for its legalization. 

Around the mid-1960s, during the hiatus of The Wailers, Marley married Alfarita “Rita” Anderson. Anderson, who originally hailed from Cuba but moved to Jamaica as a teen, sang in church growing up and was part of the vocal group The Soulettes. 

She met Marley when they were both working together and collaborated professionally with each other while she was with the I-Threes.

The pair shared five children and remained married until Marley died in 1981, despite his extramarital affairs. 

As they say you grunt and bear [the infidelity, “that’s what I had to do because I was so in love with this man and love grew stronger, it’s not that it grew weaker,” Anderson told BBC Caribbean.com in 2004.

After rising to stardom in his native Jamaica, Marley quickly took the international music scene by storm. He made the American charts with the 1976 album “Rastaman Vibration”. 

He made his devotion to his faith and interest in political change clear with “War,” a song based on a Haile Selassie speech. The song was a battle cry for freedom from oppression. It discussed creating a new Africa free of racial hierarchies enforced by colonial rule.

Jeremiah Hartman, a junior journalism and media studies major from Indianapolis, Ind., stated that Marley’s music always tried to give out the message of showing love and peace.

“I think the most important message in his music was for everyone to show love, just be peaceful, and not to judge people and he really just wanted to push people to enjoy life,” Hartman stated.

Julius Render, a sophomore art and studio major from Macon, Ga., was inspired by Marley’s music. 

“His music was about spreading peace, love, and gave off black inspiration,” said Render.

Marley will forever be remembered as a legendary reggae music icon. Billboard reported in 2015 that he had sold over 75 million records, including copies of his albums released after his death. The greatest hits collection “Legends”, released in 2007, went double platinum in the U.S. Marley died from melanoma on May 11, 1981, at the age of only 36 years. 

Cameron Adams
Editor-In-Chief

The community you are raised in will forever be a reflection of who you are. “The Underdoggs”, a  new film released on Jan. 26, 2024, is a prime example of this lesson. 

The film highlighted former football player, Jaycen Jennings, and his journey of realizing that you are never too big for your community. Jennings is on top of the world due to his high school stardom, until his world comes crashing down. 

Jennings is ordered to community service after his unruly ego caused him to get into a devastating car crash. His punishment was something he dreaded for years: giving back to his community. 

Given his football experience, Jennings is forced by the judge to coach a youth tackle football league, which causes him to unlock his new purpose in life: being a role model for kids who grew up just like he did. 

The movie takes you on a rollercoaster ride filled with comedic moments from familiar faces such as George Lopez, Mike Epps, and many others. Another wellknown star who is included in the movie is Tika Sumpter. 

In the film, Sumpter is playing Cherise, the mother of one of the kids on the football team and Jaycen’s past lover. She acts as the anchor that keeps Jaycen’s ego from going back through the roof. 

Before the official release of “The Underdoggs”, the crew of the film hosted a HBCU Media roundtable that allowed students from different Historically Black Colleges to ask Sumpter questions regarding the making of the film and her personal experiences. 

Similar to many characters in the story, Sumpter claimed that her story started from humble beginnings. She stated that she was never able to finish her college education due to lack of support at the time. 

“I didn’t finish school, unfortunately, because I just couldn’t afford it,” claimed Sumpter. “I didn’t have someone helping me figure it out.” 

Despite her inability to finish school, she was able to create her own path in the acting industry in true “Underdogg” fashion. 

While on the topic of college education, she expressed her great interest in the culture of HBCU’s. 

“Everytime I see one of your schools online, I’m just like ‘Oh my Gosh’,” Sumpter expressed. “I was reading an article that said most of the doctors come from Historically Black Colleges. Most of the attorneys come from Historically Black Colleges.”

Sumpter added: “Not only are you guys making it look fun, but you’re also doing the work.”

After her high praise for HBCU’s, she shared her willingness to participate in HBCU activities. 

“I’ve been invited to something once, but I want to go, so have your school invite me to your homecoming!” Sumpter expressed. 

Of course, as a Jackson State Tiger, I had to let her know that JSU is the place to be for homecoming and that we would be honored to have her experience our culture. 

After expressing her willingness to make memories at HBCUs, she then began to share her favorite memory of working with the rap icon Snoop Dogg. 

“I feel like every moment was fun, but for me it was when we got to this scene where Snoop and I start talking about our past [relationship] and we delve into what actually happened opposed to what he thinks happened. It was a scene of realness,” claimed Sumpter. 

With this being one of the more serious scenes of the film, she appreciated the brief moment and their ability to switch back to the comedic setting.

“Just seeing how playful everybody was, especially Snoop, it just made my heart so happy to be there. I just feel like I am such a lucky person to be able to do what I do and to make people like you smile. Just looking at you all on the screen is just making my heart so full right now,” stated Sumpter to all the HBCU students in attendance. 

“The Underdoggs” is available now on Amazon Prime Video.

Antonio Jackson
Variety Editor

On Jan. 26, students who resided in the University Pointe campus apartments were unexpectedly mandated to leave immediately due to the discovery of mold.

The email from Fran’Cee Brown-McClure, Ph.D., Vice President of Student Affairs, read as follows:

A routine inspection of University Pointe apartments resulted in a positive test for mold in some of the units. The university is investigating and will take appropriate measures.

Out of an abundance of caution, the University will reassign all University Pointe residents for the remainder of the semester. Women will be temporarily moved to on-campus residence halls.

Men will be temporarily moved to the Hilton Jackson on County Line Rd. On Saturday, Feb. 10, all University Pointe residents will be relocated to single rooms in a downtown Jackson property until move-out on May 5, 2024. This reassignment does not affect your housing contract and the fees associated with it.

You will receive further details via your JSU student email from the housing office regarding your temporary assignment for the next two weeks and your permanent assignment for the remainder of the semester.

The university is committed to the safety and well-being of the campus community. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding. We apologize for any inconvenience and have provided the best option to mitigate disruption to your higher education experience. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please contact Housing at housinginfo@jsums.edu.

In a statement to The Flash, Brown-McClure elaborated on details of the issue.

“President Marcus Thompson and key JSU administrators, including myself, met to determine the best and swiftest course of action to reassign students while trying to minimize the interruption to their living and learning environment. We quickly reviewed and determined the best residential options for students and logistics, such as transportation, laundry, and dining accommodations,” Brown-McClure stated.

Some students from University Pointe were upset about this sudden change, feeling that they were not properly warned and the situation as a whole was not properly handled by Jackson State.

Kalyn Turner, a senior social work major from McComb, Miss., expressed her frustration. She is currently residing in an Alexander Residence Hall suite and on Feb. 10, she will be moved to a
hotel.

“I feel this situation is not only inconvenient but disrespectful, and has disregard for students and our wellbeing. As a student and a senior, I am very disappointed, because there was no warning.

I feel if a frequent amount of mold occurred year after year, they should’ve been shut the complex down if Jackson State really cared about its students and our well-being.”

Turner continued by stating that JSU has its priorities out of order, never putting students first.

“I feel Jackson State is not accommodating students fairly and if they would stop being money hungry and put their priorities first, we as students, wouldn’t have to go through all these circumstances.”

Regarding how quickly students were notified of the mold in the units, Brown-McClure stated the following.

“First and foremost, we take concerns such as mold and our students’ overall health and safety seriously. This is why we’re having this discussion: Every reported housing concern is reviewed and addressed on a case-by-case basis. In this particular case, the inspection yielded results that prompted a larger response as a precaution. I will emphasize that we took the best course of action to remediate this situation at University Pointe.

Ja’Miyah Stokes, a senior psychology major from Chicago, Ill., was also frustrated with the relocation process.

“This honestly made me feel all types of feelings. I already felt like my senior year was going rocky due to the death of Jaylen Burns. Now they’re saying we have to relocate because of mold that has probably been in these buildings for a while now,” said Stokes. “To give us only a few days to get everything together was very overwhelming. I was placed in the Alexander where I now have a twin-sized bed and a roommate. The room is also smaller and doesn’t have a kitchen
or living room area.”

Stokes however does feel the University has handled the situation as best as they could.

“Based off how fast they got the information out and the fact that they are giving us a place to stay, I think that they are handling it well. But that doesn’t mean I feel like all of this is right. I also think that this was a big inconvenience for them and for us and that this should have been dealt with before we even came to school,” said Stokes.

In other efforts to accommodate students affected by the off-campus relocation, students were notified of a care package provision in an email from Housing & Residence Life.

Auxiliary Enterprises in conjunction with Sodexo Magic would like to provide all impacted University Pointe residents with care packages. Every Tuesday and Friday beginning tomorrow January 30th and ending on March 1st you can pick up a care package on campus.

Please come to the Chef’s Corner in the Legacy during lunch beginning at 11 a.m. for pick up. You will need to show your student ID.

Brown-McClure also stated, “Jackson State University’s 2024 legislative priorities include funding requests for a sustainable water system, renovations for McAllister-Whiteside Hall, and a new residence hall. President Thompson has already begun meeting with our legislators, and they understand the urgency of our needs. We want students to know that we are always working on their behalf to create a better JSU.”

Please check The Flash online at: www.sites.jsums.edu/flash/ for updates to this story.

Jaiden Smith
Managing Editor

The Blue Table Talk, a student led town hall meeting was held in the Jacob L. Reddix Multipurpose Room on November 1. Panelists included various student leaders as they navigated a discussion to address student concerns and questions. 

The discussion, led by Miss Jackson State University Lauren Temple, was deemed successful as students were able to address student leadership directly, bridging the gap between student concerns and administration. 

Jason Johnson, a senior electrical engineering major from Belleville, Mich. who currently serves as Student Government Association President, felt it was very important that this event took place.

“There has been an obvious general feeling of discomfort and miscommunication around campus as of recently,” Johnson stated. “Students have made it known that they feel as though their voice is not being heard and that they have no real outlet to provide their wants and needs.”

Johnson wanted the student body to know that their concerns were important.

“As student leaders, we wanted to give everyone that opportunity to be heard so that we can directly follow up on whatever they need,” Johnson explained. 

JSU NAACP President Elijah Karriem, a senior journalism and media studies major from Columbus, Miss., felt that these conversations needed to be held specifically between students and student leaders because students trust the student leaders.

“Many students fear that since they do not have a seat at the table, their voice does not matter, however during this in person discussion, I felt the trajectory of the student body change in a positive way,” said Karriem.

Karriem takes pride in his position as president and wants to ensure he is always taking student voices into consideration. 

“As president of the Jackson State University NAACP Youth and College Division, I believe my role is important because it helps shed light on many issues on campus and off,” stated Karriem. 

He continued, “I am able to advocate for the student body unapologetically by providing valuable resources and using my various platforms that allow me into rooms that the average student cannot access and speak for those who are not heard.” 

A’sha Branch, a sophomore biology/pre-medicine major from Houston, Texas, was present at the Blue Table Talk and had the opportunity to voice some of her concerns to the panel. Branch, like many students, are experiencing the effects of some of the issues taking place on campus and wanted to know what direction student leaders and administration planned to take. 

“I attended this event because of the things that recently occurred on campus,” said Branch. “I wanted to hear the points of view of the student leaders. I wanted to witness them address concerns from the student body.” 

Branch was among the students who believe student safety issues should be addressed first and is the most important issue currently affecting our campus. 

“Having an open campus is very dangerous, locking up all the buildings at a certain time at night and limiting visitation hours encourages students to spend time together outside,” Branch explained. 

Branch added, “In light of recent events, you can see how dangerous that can be. I would also like to see housing improve the way they go about maintenance issues and filling work orders quicker and more thoroughly.”

The recent events Branch referred to was the passing of Jackson State student Jaylen Burns. An unfortunate shooting took place on campus, which resulted in the untimely death of the senior industrial technology major. His death sent shockwaves of sadness over Jackson State campus as he was a beloved classmate. 

Siruss McLaurin, a sophomore sociology major from Gulfport, Miss., was also among the students who voiced their concerns. McLaurin was curious know if the current student leaders trusted that the current administration would address student concerns.

“It’s Important to attend events such as this one because it’s about showing up for ourselves and others even when it feels like no one’s watching,” McLaurin said. “When we show up to advocate, we are carrying the voices of the people before and after us so it’s important to think about them when it comes to these events.” 

McLaurin believes that accountability needs to be brought into discussion in order for our campus to see real change. 

“I will see to it that there will be changes on campus by spreading the idea of accountability and encouraging my peers to advocate for themselves and others while holding their leaders accountable,” said McLaurin.

On March 30, The Blue & White Flash student newspaper won a total of 10 awards in the Better Newspaper Contest (BNC) during the 25th Annual O.C. McDavid Journalism Summit.

The summit was held at the Mississippi Ag & Forestry Museum in Jackson, Miss. and was sponsored by the Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation (MPAEF).

After the welcome, students were treated to an art presentation by artist Candy Cain.

MPA General Counsel Donna Jacobs then presented a session entitled: Libel Law and Dealing with Defamation.

Jacobs gave the students in attendance several examples of defamation and libel and offered advise on how to avoid lawsuits.

Next, attendees were treated to a panel discussion from newspaper editors and publishers on the impact of community journalism and its future. 

The panelists included: Lyndy Berryhill from The Stone County Enterprise, Jackie Hampton from The Mississippi Link, Peter Imes from The Commercial Dispatch and Stephanie Patton from The Leland Progress.

Hampton weighed in on the Mississippi Link’s designation as one of the few African-American owned outlets in Mississippi.

“Our niche market would be our African-Americans readers. The Black Press, which is the same as the National Newspaper Publishers Association…that organization was started in 1827. This year we are celebrating 196 years. It was established because we needed to tell our own stories as African-Americans. Way back in the day in the 1800s, if you read anything about what was going on in the black community, it was who murdered who. There was never anything published about the successes, or the education or the careers,” said Hampton.

Patton, who began her career at Southern Living magazine, moved to Leland to be closer to family. A piece she did about the son of a friend who was receiving his Eagle Scout badge that was submitted to the newspaper led to an offer to buy the newspaper. She first declined but eventually took over the operation and immediately began to make changes.

“I had a lot of work to do on building relationships in the community with the newspaper. Leland is about 70 percent African-American, but you did not know that by reading the paper. I had a lot of work to do to get those stories about everyone in the community, not just a certain segment in the community,” said Patton. “I rely heavily on connections in the community that I have built over the last decade to send me content and pictures and to let me know what’s going on.”

Imes, who had the largest newspaper and newsroom on the panel, gave the students advice on resumes and portfolios when looking for jobs.

“One thing is how important it is to curate the clips that you send along with your resume when you are applying for a job. (Having) A lot of clips doesn’t necessarily mean good clips. I think you want to send three maybe four clips that show your diverse writing styles and those are the ones that really stand out to us,” said Imes.

He also stated that references, cover letters and appropriate dress stand out to employers.

Berryhill told the attendees why she preferred working with a smaller newspaper. 

“…I had an internship in Washington, D.C. and that’s what I thought I wanted to do. I wanted to work at a big publication, big city, like big news. I got there and I hated it. A lot of the times when you are covering a big area, you’re competing with a lot of other journalists who’ve done it for a lot longer time and it’s almost like resource scarcity because there are so many people trying to cover the same story and the impact you have is so minimal. You might do an important story and you just never see the end results of it. But if I do a story in my local newspaper about a family whose home gets burned down, I’ve got people calling my office the next morning saying ‘How can we help them or I want to do something for them,’” said Berryhill. 

She added, “It is so much more rewarding to be at this level, I would never go to a bigger newspaper or national publication.” 

Universities and community colleges from around the state of Mississippi attend the conference and participate in the Better Newspaper Contest which includes categories like: Best General News Story, Best Feature Story, Best Cartoon, Best Series or Investigative News Package, Best Website and more.

Cameron Adams, the editor-in-chief of The Blue & White Flash campus newspaper, said that one of the things he learned from the conference was that he had a lot more work to do.

“To manage a successful staff, I need to acquire new ways to communicate effectively with my staff, which will take a lot of practice. I also learned that as an HBCU, we must work twice as hard as PWIs to gain recognition.”

Adams said that he plans to institute more meetings and also stress the importance of meeting deadlines to ensure the staff remains focused on producing a high-quality newspaper every week.

“I gained a lot of insight from the panel about how to get the staff to meet deadlines. They advised me to build a stronger staff, who will then contribute consistent and quality work at all times,” said Adams.

He added, “They also advised me to be stricter by having consequences for missing deadlines.”

The highly anticipated BNC awards presentation was next.

The Blue & White Flash won the following awards:

1st Place – Tatyana Ross for Best Graphic 

2nd Place – BWF Staff for Best Editorials

2nd Place – BWF Staff for Best Front Page

2nd Place – Monica McGhee for Best General News Photo

2nd Place – Monica McGhee for Best Feature Photo

3rd Place – Tatyana Ross for Best Cartoon

3rd Place – Tatyana Ross for Best General News Story

3rd Place – Tatyana Ross for Best Sports News Story

3rd Place – BWF for Best Layout and Design

3rd Place – BWF for General Excellence

According to the MPA, since 1999 the O.C. McDavid Memorial Fund, administered by the Mississippi Press Association Education Foundation, has underwritten the cost of the conference to promote journalism education in the state of Mississippi.

The conference is named after the late O.C. McDavid, former managing editor of the Jackson Daily News, who actively pursued a second career as an artist and sculptor after retiring from journalism.

MPAEF always includes sessions dealing with art during the conference. All attendees receive a copy of the autobiography, “My Name is O.C.”