The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 22

February 16, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 5 Features Hostile Architecture: How our cities attack the homeless BHM: Trailblazers you haven’t heard of There is a tendency during Black History Month to hear the stories of popular figures in history such as Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama -- but that leaves out some incredible contributors such as Lewis Latimer, who patented the filament for the lightbulb and worked on the first telephone, Gwendolyn Brooks, a Pulitzer prize winning poet, or Dorothy Height, who earned the Presidential Medal of Freedom for civil rights activism. Although it is impossible to mention all of the incredible contributors to our history, here are just a few trailblazers that left their mark. Shirley Chisholm (1924- 2005) First African American woman in Congress in 1968 She was known as an advocate for racial and gender equality and was a member of the NAACP and the Urban League among others. In 1964, she became the second African American in the New York State Legislature and in 1968, she won a seat in Congress. While in Congress, she introduced legislation that supported racial and gender equality, poor communities and ending the Vietnam War. In 1972, she campaigned for the Democratic Party presidential nomination. She was only legally permitted to make one speech because of discrimination. However, she went on to earn 10% of the total delegate vote in her campaign. She retired from Congress in 1983. Bayard Rustin (1912-1987) The openly gay organizer of the March on Washington In the 1930’s Rustin moved to NYC and joined the Young Communist League but quit after he was unable to protest racial segregation in the armed forces. Rustin then joinedReverend A.J. Muste’s Fellowship of Reconciliation and traveled the country calling for racial equality. Because he refused his draft service, he served 26 months in jail in a high-security prison due to desegregation protests and being openly gay. Once released, he continued his commitment to nonviolent protest and attended a world pacifist conference in India to learn the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. In 1956, he met with Martin Luther King Jr. for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and shared Gandhi’s teachings with King. In 1963, Rustin brought forth the idea of the March on Washington to focus on jobs and freedom. Rustin led the planning coalition with large civil rights organizations of the time including the SNCC, CORE, NAACP and National Urban League. However, because of his past, he was forced to stand in the shadows and allow the organizers to represent the March on Aug. 28, 1963. Bessie Coleman (1892-1926) First African and Native American female pilot When she was 23, Coleman lived in Chicago and worked as a manicurist. Her brothers served during WWI and teased her about how French women were allowed to fly airplanes but Coleman was not. She then applied to flight schools but was denied due to her being African American and a woman. She decided to take French classes and later travel to France to make her dream come true. She was accepted to the Caudron Brothers’ School of Aviation in Le Crotoy, France and received her international pilot’s license in 1921. The next year, she performed the first public flight by an African American woman. She was famous for her aerial tricks such as loops and “figure eights.” She traveled the U.S. giving flight lessons and performing in flight shows but refused to travel anywhere that was segregated or discriminated against African Americans. She soon earned enough money to purchase her own plane, a Jenny JN-4 with an OX-5 engine. For more remarkable stories of Black trailblazers visit our website nsucurrent. nova.edu. PHOTO OBATINED FROM GOOGLE PHOTO SPHERE A scene from Miami Beach showcasing hostile architecture. You have probably seen it before and never even noticed. Metal bars dividing public benches. Perhaps tiny spikes sticking out of a railing or half wall. These are examples of a form of city planning that the general public has coined as hostile architecture. Hostile architecture, sometimes called defensive architecture, is a method of urban design that generally discourages the use of spaces in any other way than the intention of the owner. While at first glance this type of space design might seem logical it has a deep-rooted hatred underneath. The problem with hostile architecture, and the source of its negatively connotated name, come from its impact on the homeless community in the area. This type of architecture targets the homeless community, who are often looking for places to sleep or rest in public, by purposefully restricting these individuals’ access to an area. A common type of hostile architecture comes in the form of “anti-homeless spikes” or studs that are embedded in flat surfaces to make sleeping, needless to say, difficult, uncomfortable and impractical. However, this is just one example of many that put an already marginalized group in the U.S. at a greater disadvantage. Elliot Sklar, an associate professor of health care science at NSU and subject matter expert on homelessness, was the project director on the only national grant that was created to integrate homeless healthcare education into medical school curriculum. Through this grant, Sklar gained extensive experience in building relationships with local homeless communities and is able to provide some insight on what kind of effect this harmful type of city planning has on homeless populations. “I think the thing with hostile architecture, the design of things created so people can’t loiter outside or appreciate part of the outdoors, has come to light during COVID-19 because we are all sort of looking for places to hang out and lounge outside, but I have to be honest in saying my experience in hostile architecture here in South Florida is more about the high cost of living and housing which is directly related to our high homeless rates in Miami and Fort Lauderdale,” said Sklar. With the debate aroundhostile architecture mostly taking place in cities up north such as New York City or on the opposite coast in Portland, due to the recent rise in occurrence of these harmful architectural techniques in these cities, that does not mean it is not affecting the local homeless population in South Florida. While it may be more of a rarity, Sklar provided a great example of this hostile architecture in full form in nearby Miami Beach. On the corner of 17th St. and Washington Ave. sits Soundscape Park and newly built concrete balls on the benches surrounding the park to clearly prevent the homeless population from resting. “City planning has a lot to do with things but more than city planning real-life things happen. In South Florida, a lot of people rely on the hospitality and tourism industry for their income and to live and we have seen a lot of shutdowns,” said Sklar. With the homeless population in South Florida relying on tourists to survive, COVID-19 makes earning some form of an income tough enough even without these new architectural pieces. Just to add to the turbulent times, this form of city planning has sent the message to our homeless populations that we do not want them here, which I am sure for the majority of South Florida’s population is far from the truth. In some neighborhoods in England, they have even begun placing spikes on trees to prevent birds from landing. How far will this hostile architecture go? First other humans and now even wildlife cannot enjoy public spaces. At this rate, I would not be surprised to see cities around the U.S. employing this type of architecture to prevent our native wildlife from existing in public areas. Simply existing is not something that should be punished -- by creating this hostile architecture and sending the message that homeless populations cannot exist here is just putting one big poorly made band-aid over the true problem of homelessness in the U.S. To our cities governments: do better. By: Rick Esner News Editor Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging opens The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) will officially open on Wednesday, Feb. 17 with an opening celebration at 12 p.m. at the Shark Fountain. The opening celebration will feature music, food, giveaways and tours of the new office’s location. According to Adler Marchand, coordinator of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, “The office serves as a catalyst for the recognition and coordination of celebration for our diverse student body. We offer resources support, inclusive programs and activities for our diverse student populations. Anything from heritage history to cultural awareness and celebrations, to educational awareness, activism [and] all of those clippings that encompass diversity would kind of branch out of our office.” The Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging is located on the first floor of the Rosenthal Student Center. “This office would definitely give students a sense of belonging. With our diverse population, I feel like this office will one help students to feel like they’re celebrated, they’re acknowledged, they feel a part of the community. I think it will give us the opportunity to be educated and learn through the different programs, trainings and initiatives that come out of our office, as it relates to diversity,” said Marchand. “So, students can take that information, learn how to embrace it and ... become global citizens. So that way when they graduate, and go into the real world, where they are also experiencing diversity issues or diversity, they know how to approach [it].” One of the programs that the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging offers is the Diversity Student Council. The Diversity Student Council, according to Marchand, offers programs and trainings on topics like diversity and multicultural competency to students, as well as offering volunteering and counseling opportunities. Students that are interested in joining the Diversity Student Council should reach out to the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for more information. “We are excited to be able to make the foundation to where we see this thing growing. So, this year, we have been very intentional with that kind of voice and around the table with a decision that we made for the office. So, students have been very involved with the creation of the logo, or the Diversity Student Council [and] setting out to share what they would like to get out of the office” said Marchand. “So, as we continue to make our foundation and create this office, we definitely want to make sure that students understand that this is coming from the student body. I know we’re excited to be there.” By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor By: Christina McLaughlin Co-Editor-in-Chief