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Friday, 17 June 2011

So... Black Women Are Ugly?

Chances are, if you're reading this blog, you're already aware of this debate.

I recently came across a really contentious debate that may or may not result in an LSE professor being dismissed. Dr Kanazawa published an article in Psychology Today in which he described and discussed a method by which he was able to rank the beauty according to race. Black women were placed last in all his 'findings,' while black men came out at the top. If you want to find out more, go to the Times Higher Education website. I think the original article has since been removed, but suffice to say, it was... interesting. I don't usually entertain this sort of thing, but the issue has been given so much fire, it would be irresponsible not to bring it up.


A graph from the original study


Now, as you can imagine, there has been a huge outcry from black students in particular. A protest is being held next week with the aim of putting pressure on LSE to dismiss Dr Kanazawa. I can't speak on behalf of anyone else, but I personally was not offended by the article. At the end of the day, I know who I am and a graph is not going to tell me I'm ugly. One LSE student even says on the events page of the protest:

"Moreover, our students pride themselves on being able to question what we're told and form our own views."
However, I can understand why people are angry.

The problem is: where do we draw the line between acting against racist views and suppressing one's freedom to express what they believe to be scientific findings, no matter how unpopular the opinion? Both sides of the debate seem to make some very good points, but I suppose we will just have to await the outcome.

 ...

As always, what are your views? COMMENT COMMENT COMMENT! 



º•º IC ACS Love º•º

Operation Black Vote

Hello ACS!


Hope you've bought  YOUR TICKET FOR THE BIG CHILL. Only 8 days left!


Make sure you check out this amazing opportunity and become part of a movement to see more ethnic minorities represented in Parliament.



Operation Black Vote and the Department for Communities and Local Government are hosting an upcoming Parliamentary Shadowing Scheme.  The aim of this cross party project is to address the deficit of BME individuals in politics and nurture a new generation of BME leaders.


For more information, click here and download the pdf file at the bottom of the page.

Friday, 27 May 2011

The Silver Lining

No matter where you step on campus these days, you're sure to pass by familiar faces sporting either a bleak look of despair, or that pained expression of concerted determination.

Either way,
you know without saying that it's exam season... 
Don't worry; we're in the same boat.

But worry not! There is still something to look forward to beyond the endless nights in the library and the formulae that just won't stay put in your head:


• The Big Chill - IC ACSs end-of-year beach sesh



• Add me on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002438781155

• Make sure you follow us on Twitter!
http://twitter.com/#!/ic_acs

We're hoping the Twitter and Facebook will encourage more two-way communication between us and you... we want to hear what you think!

Good luck for exams!

Tuesday, 5 April 2011

Team Brown-Skin vs Team Light-Skin


"Crust, dirt, ash... nasty... disgusting... pitiful..."

These are some of the words used to describe dark-skinned black people by some young black people in this video.

"Cocky, arrogant..."

Words used to describe light-skinned black people.

First off, these kids have been hanging around with the wrong kind of people. They should venture to Africa... they will be shown flames.
Taye Diggs, anybody?  [from http://www.livitluvit.com/]

Anyway, the purpose of this blog is not to prove that dark-skinned people are beautiful, because quite frankly, it isn't necessary. "Colourism" isn't an issue that's isolated to black communities (think South Asia), but it's sad to see that so many young black people are so ignorant about it. It's this kind of self hatred that will be our downfall as a race. The media is not blameless at all. Think about it: when was the last time you saw a dark-skinned girl in an American music video? I'll speak for myself, but it has become somewhat of an event when I spot one.

Oh look, there's one! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SIetxPjTBs]


This is nothing new. The opinion that light skin is better and more desirable than dark skin has been historically perpetuated throughout slavery and colonial times. Here we are singing the 'End Racism' song, yet we're perpetuating the very same mentalities. So, it would seem we have separated ourselves into "Team Lightskin" (a.k.a Team Yellowbone) and "Team Brownskin." Each claims the other think they're too good for everyone else. Is that really the case, or is it just a knee-jerk defense from what each group perceives as persecution from the other? Basically, we just keep trying to find more reasons to hate each other.

When are we going to realise that beauty doesn't know a skin tone? The world is not going to see us as beautiful until we see ourselves so. We won't get past any kind of oppression until we stop oppressing ourselves. Of course, if we keep putting down our own, there will never be a reason for others to regard us with any less disdain than that with which we regard our own people. 

Anyway, I've said my piece. Let me know what you think in zee comments, pliz!

So, to avoid the risk of sounding cliche, I'm going to end off by adapting a quote from one of the students in this video: 

"Black people are black people."

º•º ACS Love º•º

Thursday, 24 March 2011

NEW ICACS COMMITTEE!!

Congratulations to the newly elected 2011-2012 Imperial College ACS Committee!!!!




<>
Muhammad Yar'Adua - President


Misimi Osekita - VicePrsident

Ada Onwubiko- Vice Presidnt

Toyin Oni- Events Officer

Bola Ajekigbe - Treasurer

Claire Rotich - Secretary

Natallie Ansuh- Welfare Oficer

Ore Bajomo - PR Officer

Joanna Kefas, Bayo Ibirogba and Zeme Olutu - Marketing Officers

Seshane Mahlo - IT Officer

We look forward to and are v v v excited for an even more amazing year of ACS in Imperial and wish you ALL the best with your endeavors!

With LOTS & LOTS & LOTS of cheesy ACS love 

the 2010-2011 ICACS COMMITTEE!!!! xoxo



I personally see nothing wrong with this collage :P However, to prevent the bodily harm of whichever brave soul uploaded it, I'm appending this one:



Monday, 21 February 2011

ELECTIONS ELECTIONS ELECTIONS!!



Its time for you to send in your manifestos for ICACS Committee!!
Become an important part to what Felix describes as one of the most vibrant and exciting societies in Imperial

In this note, there are 5 points about each role in the committee, containing words of wisdom and a sneak peak into the job.

The positions are:

President (Joram Segendo)

1. A clear Vision of ICACS 2011/2012: What is the society's next frontier? What does he/she see it doing better/more next year? In which direction does he/she intend to lead it in 2011/2012? What vision does he/she have for ICACS 2011/2012?

2. Ability to raise sponsorship funds: Ready to lead sponsorship drive in March-April 2011 and Summer 2011; Imaginative as per avenues through which funds can be raised; Pragmatic as per what shall have to be done to ensure funds are raised in a timely manner.

3. Able to lead the team as a team: Ability to handle the different and often polarised personalities that shall exist in the Committee and within society, such that progress is maintained

4. Ability to inspire the Committee and the ACS: Ability to catalyse the contribution of ideas from all committee members and create a fertile atmosphere in which good, imaginative ideas can blossom; Ability to excite current and potential members to become involved with the society

5. Ability to make good decisions: Required decisions based on clear understanding of their practicality and required commitments, yet still daring and adventurous; Many decisions shall be made under pressure

Vice presients (Amaka Igweze and Michelle Dinsey)

As Vice president you act as a supporting role to the President and must work to help ensure the correct decisions are made to benefit the society. You must also understand that the president is the leader and his/her decisions must be respected; even if you may disagree, it is a case of making it work.

A lot of work takes place over the summer to secure sponsorship for the society; therefore the qualities of dedication and persistence are required from a very early stage

You act as a bridge between all committee members and should therefore have a rough knowledge of each department of your committee and what their delegated tasks/responsibilities are to ensure that they are being undertaken

Qualities that you should have are good communication skills (especially when securing sponsorship), strong support skills, you must be a team player, encouraging to all and a positive attitude

Most importantly be prepared to work ANYWHERE with ANYONE!! Whether it be acts, scholarships, meetings, rehearsals you need to be flexible and willing to help or oversee every aspect of the society


Events Officer (Emma Amoafo)

As events co-ordinator, the committee looks to you to provide ideas for the society’s events. This requires creativity, thinking outside of the box and the confidence to execute your vision, sometimes when others may not see it. You need to find ways to take events to the next level and make them something to remember. ACS’s signature events – Afrogala, Chop Chop, the Big Chill etc should be better in 2011/2012 than they were in 2010/2011!

You’ll need to communicate with many different types of people – staff at Imperial’s union, the Conferences office, other societies (Dramsoc, OSC), external companies, external performers as well the committee and society members. This requires the ability to interact with lots of different kinds of people and know when to bite your tongue in order to get things done.

You should not be afraid of delegating and asking for help, especially during the Afrogala season. Your organisation needs to be at the highest level, as you will be the point of call of the committee, sub-committee and performers. You are by all means supported in your duties by the rest of the committee, but YOU must take responsibility for the execution of the event’s planning.

At times, you need to make unpopular decisions. As the events co-ordinator, you know how each person’s contribution to an event will manifest as a whole, so you sometimes need to disagree with other people’s plans. Don’t be afraid to say no and be critical. In the end, people will appreciate your fire!

A high level of perseverance, patience and a high tolerance for stress is needed! Stay calm and trust in your abilities! Your passion for ACS should carry you through! J

Treasurer (Muhammad  Yar'Adua)

1- organised: to cope with the amount of claims needed to be done and also keeping an eye on the budget requires one to be fairly organised. Dating, filling the budget book, etc

2- Critical: make sure all purchases keep under budget, all big purchases should be passed by you just incase. Also be ready to question and possibly turn down some requests depending on the circumstance.

3- Analytical: questions will pop up and problems regarding events. Solving these problems, financial or not is something everyone in the committee should be able to do.

4-Iinformed & Dedication: It gets hectic at times. When at least 5 receipts come in a day. One has to be willing to dedicate time to not just filling claims but also other requests, internal transfer requests. Also equally important is to have some knowledge about school regulations and types of forms to fill out, etc

5- Team player: be willing to contribute and help others on the committee, and outside the committee. Working with other societies is necessary and we work as a society. Every decision should be made with each member chipping in. Only then will decisions be optimised.

Marketing Officers (Rasheed Rabiu, Tobi Obisanya and Osas Omoigiade)

Being in the marketing team means being directly responsible for maintaining a good image of ICACS to the Imperial student body and beyond. You should be:

Innovative - Be able to bring great ideas to the table & find new and interesting ways of marketing events, sometimes Facebook status updates just won't cut it and you will need to learn how to spread the word like wildfire.  It’s just like making a product that you are going to sell in a shop - you will have to think about what makes my product good, why would someone want to buy it and what can I do make sure they do!

Approachable, confident and a conversation initiator - Marketing membership to Non-Members (white, black, yellow, green - even bacteria should know about ACS!!) + getting people excited about IC ACS & will only happen if you have a passion for ACS and the brute force to let people know about it! You will be surprised how many friends you will make in the process.

Creative and Open minded - Organising tickets sales and promotional material for all events + maybe learning a new skill or two & using all the tools + connections at your disposal to get the job done!

Supportive - Be able to work well in a team and complement the skills of others - really picking up the best in people and knowing how you work best and what you and others are good at in order to produce the best quality marketing.
Expect to do more than Market! As a team you are part of a unit so expect to do a bit of PR in writing emails to companies, expect to do some treasurer work and collect and count up gains. Expect to carry coolers of rice and generally running from here to there, and be able to do it with an honest smile on your face whilst you simultaneously sell the ACS to everyone around you.


Secretary (Alexis Nelson)

A secretary needs to be On hand!! - When it comes to being in a committtee like this, you need to be able to use many talents in doing jobs for the committee. As someone who can be counted on, don't ust expect to be typing and writing emails. You have to be proactive.

A secretary needs to be a People person!! - You need to be able to approach people in a friendly manner whether they may be indusry contacts, union contacs or just friends. You need to have your happy face and manners on because you are the first person other people contact and want to speak to!

A secretary needs to be a Mediator!! - This is not just applicable to the outside envionment in the public eye! This is mainly done within the committee to mke sure everyone knows what job they are doing and to make sure that it is done and then relay thisto the whole team.

A Secretary needs to be Supportive!! - As a secretary it is important that you help out in anyway you can. We count n eachother to bring the enthusiasm but you need to keep it going with emails sent to the Society and to ones sent withtin the commitee!!

A Secretary needs to be Organised!! - Dates, Times, Names, Place ... You need to make sure you have them all at hand (or at least have the contact number of someone who does!!). From little things like keeping the time and minutes of each meeting, to sendig out emails and sending out advertisements within the emails, to helping the committee market and form and event, don't write off the secretary job as a no-brainer!! I've had fun with this job and its amazing committee and i know the next person will do so too!!


Public Relations Offcer (Misimi Osekita)

•         Be able to speak with corporate clients confidently and comfortably. Requires good communication skills and excellent Networking skills.

•         Also requires good interpersonal skills.

•         Be willing to accept tasks delegated by other officers e.g. President, Events officer, Marketing Officers etc.

•         You will need to have good written communication skills especially when writing proposals for external funding.

•         Don’t be afraid to challenge the ideas of others in the team because you could be saving the whole team a lot of future problems!

•         You are part of a team and you need to be willing to cooperate, especially in the Afrogala period; you will be delegated jobs that will be crucial to the success of the show. You need to be confident enough to go and speak to the union people to help out your events officers, who will indeed be extremely busy!


Society Welfare Officer (Sian Mitchell)

Being such a new role, there is still so much that can be done! From my experience this year, I would say you need to.....

•         Be able to communicate with primary and secondary school children, school teachers and the equality department in IC and provide them with any help that you can. Enjoy giving talks to school children

•         Be inspiring to others and have a general passion for ACS and promoting education.

•         Work closely with the charity that ACs is sponsoring. Be able to communicate effectively with them, work alongside them. You are essentially the link between the ACS committee and this charity.

•         Enjoy fundraising and come up with innovative and manageable ways to fundraise

•         Be willing to support your own committee in whatever way possible. Being accommodating and remaining calm will help!!

IT Officer (Kem Onubogu)

·         As an IT Officer, you should have a general understanding of how websites work and be able to adapt to the ways our website can be edited

·         Will be responsible for the updating of the website and Facebook group

·         Should liaise with the marketing officer and events coordinator to promote events

·         Should be readily available to help other members of the committee

·         Should be actively involved in committee meetings and general ACS proceedings so will know what to update on the website or Facebook group


This will all go down at our Annual General Meeting,
4th of March
in RSM G20
at 6pm!!

Come prepared with a speech in hand to show us why you would like your favoured position. This event is for EVERYONE so even if you aren't running do come along!!

Refreshments will also be provided!!

Much ACS Love!!

Sunday, 13 February 2011

Cool like mi wash mi face wid di cake soap



Dunno how many of you have heard about Vybz Kartel bleaching his skin and the controversy around it.. but I just felt to do a blog post (because I'm putting off going through my lectures :D).


Vybz Kartel is probably the biggest dancehall artist at the moment (I think so, at least). This is how much his complexion has changed:


(by the way, the title of the post is a lyric from his song, 'jeans n fitted')
have a look at this interview, fast forward to 3 minutes

"I feel comfortable with black people lightening their skin. They want a different look. It’s tantamount to white people getting a sun tan.”


Call me ignorant, but I had known bleaching had been common in African American women for decades, becoming increasingly common in Asian and African women too, but I was just sooo shocked to hear Vybz Kartel, a successful, male dancehall artist, endorsing it.


I think the world is just getting sadder and sadder! I remember when I was in Ghana this year I noticed a huge billboard advertising skin lightening cream on one of the busiest roads in Tema, then I just kept seeing lightening cream everywhere! The creams aren't cheap and I'm sure the majority of these women aren't educated on the associated health risks. It's like there's always something to be unthankful for - too fat, too skinny, too short, too Westernised, too fresh, too pale, too dark... *sigh*


So yeah, I'm not gonna rant on this blog but I think this was worth a post
He says his skin is smoothed out and the girls love it, so boy.. who am I to say anything different!?


If you're still interested, have a look at this too - some really sad stories on this show! http://www.mwza.com/tyra-banks-show-black-women-their-children-bleaching-their-skin/
ACS love
Emma xx

Monday, 7 February 2011

AG.11: Mission Accomplished






a huge ICACS THANK YOU to everyone involved, either performing, organizing, backstage or supporting in the audience.


Afrogala 2011Beautiful Warfare ✪ was an absolute EPIC night - and it was all because of you!


We are all excited for the OFFICIAL DVD Release and keep your eyes peeled for the annual ICACS AGM as we prepare for another amazing year in 2012!


Till then it is just pure LOVE from everyone here at ICACS