commUNrooTs

Gucci advertised blackface as high fashion and failed

This year’s Black History Month has been a controversial one. After actor Liam Neeson’s shocking story about wanting to kill a random black man for simply existing, ongoing biased tweets from President Trump and the revelation that several politicians have worn blackface (most notably Virginia governor Ralph Northam), it almost makes me want to ask for a do-over for February.

Mean Green break 12-year 4×400 record

The North Texas women’s 4×400 relay team made history Sunday, Feb. 17 at the Air Force Reserve Indoor meet in Birmingham, Alabama by breaking a 12-year-old record from 2007. Sophomores Aneesa Scott, Lyric Choice and Lauryn McCollum and junior Artesha Richardson all brought home the new record by running a 3:44.03, breaking the previous record of 3:44.16.

commUNrooTs: UNT faculty not reflective of diverse student body

Over the past five years, UNT has moved from being a predominantly white institution (PWI) to a minority serving institution (MSI), which means  50 percent of the student body are students of color. According to the UNT fact book, UNT has moved from serving 43 percent of students of color to 50 percent in the past five school years.

commUN rooTs: Middle school educator inspires students through teaching, nonprofit

Patrick Powers, a 26-year-old UNT alumnus and teacher at Bettye Meyers Middle School, is part of the two percent of teachers in the U.S. who are African-American men and has a passion for helping the future generation of students. He hopes to accomplish this inside and outside the classroom through his different approaches to teaching and his nonprofit called the Lost Generation.

Freshman creates an app for Black Student Union organizations

Alyissa Sanders, a computer science freshman, recently became the first black female to create an app for a UNT student organization as an undergraduate.

Sanders presented the app on Feb. 21 to the Black Student Union’s House of Delegates, which comprises of two student members from each organization.

The beauty in our roots

Former NFL player Matthew A. Cherry and producer Karen Rupert Toliver took the stage to give an acceptance speech after winning the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in February. The animated short film, “Hair Love,” depicts a black father learning how to do his daughter’s hair during the absence of her mother.