Author: Nevaeh Schiffhauer

“Pay It No Mind” – Marsha P. Johnson

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

On the last day of BHM, I am excited and proud to introduce you to Marsha P. Johnson.

Marsha was born on August 24, 1945, in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Marsha was an African American transgender woman and revolutionary LGBTQ rights activist.

One of the main events that Marsha was known for was that she was credited for being an instigator in the Stonewall riots. Growing up as a child, Marsha dealt with many challenges due to her Christain upbringing.

After graduating high school, Marsha moved to Greenwich Village in New York City. While in New York, she was homeless and prostituted herself to make ends meet.

Throughout her struggles, she found joy as a drag queen amidst the nightlife of Christopher Street. To save money, Marsha made most of her costumes herself.

She quickly found success and was an influential and inspirational person in the LGBTQ community, where she served as a drag mother. She helped the homeless and struggling LGBTQ youth and toured the world as a successful drag queen with the Hot Peaches.

She was known for her outlandish hats and glamorous jewelry. She was also very fearless and bold.

Despite her difficulties with mental illness and numerous police encounters, whenever she was asked what the “P” in her name stood for and when people pried about her gender or sexuality, she answered back with “pay it no mind.”

Sadly on July 6, 1992, at the age of 46, Marsha’s body was found in the Hudson River off the West Village Piers. The police ruled that she had committed suicide despite claims from her friends and other local community members that she was not suicidal.

However, twenty-five years later, Victoria Cruz, a crime victim advocate of the New York City Anti-Violence Project reopened the case. Johnson’s story is featured in Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson (2012), available free on YouTube, and The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (Netflix) and Happy Birthday Marsha (2017), which is streaming on Amazon Prime.

In 2015, the Marsha P. Johnson Institution was established. Its mission is to defend and protect the human rights of transgender and gender-nonconforming communities. For more information on the institution, check out their website at https://marshap.org/.

To finalize, Marsha is honored as a Stonewall instigator, a drag queen, Andy Warhol model, an actress, and a revolutionary trans activist.

Written by: Emily Vargo

Over the years, there have been many great poets and writers, but one poet, in particular, has an interesting story. She would become the first African-American author to publish a book of poetry. This amazing author is Phillis Wheatley.

Phillis was born sometime in 1753 somewhere in West Africa. When Phillis was around 7 to 8 years old, she was sold into slavery and was taken to Boston on July 11, 1761, a British colony of Massachusetts at the time.

John Wheatly bought Phillis as an enslaved person for his wife, Susanna. Upon her arrival, they renamed her Phillis after the boat’s name that took her to America. The enslavers made her last name the same as theirs, which was a common custom for enslaved people.

John Wheatly was known as a progressive. He allowed his daughter and son to tutor Phillis. Then, by age 12, she was reading Greek and Latin classics in their original languages and challenging passages in the bible. By age 14, Phillis wrote a poem to The University of Cambridge, now known as Harvard.

The family soon saw her literary abilities and let her study while others did other household chores. The family showed her off to their friends and family because of her ability to read and write so well.

In 1773 at the age of 20, Phillis traveled to London with the eldest son to seek medical treatment for her chronic asthma and get her first book published.

The family felt that Phillis would have better luck getting published in London than anywhere else. Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, was fond of Phillis and had her poems volumized and published. After Phillis’s book was published in November 1773, the Wheatleys emancipated Phillis.

Not long after, Sussana and John passed away. Shortly after their death, Phillis met and married John Peters. They would have three children, but unfortunately, all died as infants.

In 1784, John was imprisoned for debt, and Phillis became a maid at a boarding house and died December 5, 1784, at age 31. Even though she spent her later life in poverty and left this earth at a young age, she left behind a fantastic legacy. Her amazing poems are still here for all of us to read,

Written by: Amber Baldwin

Recently there has been much talk about banned books. “Last fall, a Texas legislator launched an investigation into 850 books as he argued “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex,” including The Legal Atlas of the United States and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” according to Vox.com.

Library employees from Wyoming almost had charges against them for putting out the books Sex Is a Funny Word and This Book Is Gay.

The Oklahoma State Senate introduced a bill that would stop public school libraries from carrying books on gender identity, sexual activity, and sexual identity.

The McMinn County Board of Education in Tennessee decided to take the novel, Maus, out of the eighth-grade Holocaust unit.

In Pennsylvania, a school district banned  LGBTQ classic Heather Has Two Mommies from school libraries.

Cita Press stated, “Banning books is dangerous. It is the most common form of censorship in the U.S. The lived realities of young people are varied and complex. Book bans limit access to ideas and information and codify discrimination, which harms students, educators, and communities.”

Books being banned isn’t something new. Hearing about new books being banned happens often. Suzanne Nossel, CEO of the free speech organization PEN America stated, “this year she finds herself hearing from different authors by the day about their books being banned” which is nothing new to her.

However, it seems that instead of controversial topics the focus on the bans is more about “a specific kind of content, seen as teaching children, especially white children, that there’s something wrong with America,” stated Adam Laats, a historian who studies the history of American education.

“And the bans, too, are much more forceful than they’ve been before. Some are an individual school board deciding to pull something from a curriculum or take it out of the library. But there are also much more sweeping pieces of legislation that are being introduced that purport to ban whole categories of books. And that’s definitely something new,” Nossel said in the Vox article.

According to the American Library Association, the top five banned books from 2020 include George by Alex Gino, Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie.

Since it is Black History Month, the top five banned books by Black authors include The Color Purple by Alice Walker, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin, Native Son by Richard Wright, and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

I am excited and proud to introduce you to Nysha Speed. Nysha is currently a senior here at Defiance College and is from Sterling Heights, Michigan. She attended high school at L’Anse Creuse North High School.

Here at Defiance College, she is majoring in Psychology and Social Work. Nysha plays basketball on campus while also being involved in various other clubs and organizations.

“I believe that I’m very underestimated because of my size. So I also want to be like OK, just because you’re bigger than me doesn’t mean anything. Just that kind of thinking and also knowing it would give me the opportunity to play more has allowed me to do more for the team,” stated Speed.

This tough mindset of Speed has allowed her to grab nine rebounds a game this season, along with scoring 12.1 points despite her small size.

As a part of the trio of seniors on the basketball team, including Nysha, Taylor Day, and Briwana Francis, they have been able to race out to their best start since the 2009-2010 campaign. The girls have achieved a family atmosphere that has led to a deep roster full of significant contributors to the team.

When the trio of seniors was recruited to be a part of the team in 2018, they immediately felt some tough losses, including losing their first six games. Those six games were also the first six games for head coach Allan King Jr., who is currently in his fourth year at the helm of the program.

As a result of a big group of upperclassmen, the girls were able to turn it around and go 10-11 the rest of the way and qualify for the conference tournament. They won their first tournament game since 2010 before falling in the semifinals. This season was a good turnaround for DC, and it showed the young players on the squad that despite some of the poor seasons that came before them, winning could be done here at Defiance College.

Flash forward to this season, where the women’s basketball team currently has a record of 14-8 overall. The surge in production stemmed from a change in her mindset coming into this season.

Speed stated,” I’m continuing to work hard just for myself without being fit for basketball just as the main goal but for my own physical and mental health. I just want to stay active and not let my past years define me. I shouldn’t have waited until my senior year, but I’m glad I made the changes I did because that has drifted onto the court as well.

To wrap it up, Nysha has had a significant positive impact on the court and off the court.

Written by: Ryan Imbrock, Director of Marketing and Public Relations

DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College has several events planned to celebrate Black History Month. The College’s Black Action Student Association (BASA) played a significant role in bringing the following events to the campus community.

Saturday, February 19 at 7:00 p.m. – BASA Presents Jocelin Williams Natural Hair Q&A Workshop — students, faculty, and staff are welcome to attend a virtual session to discuss natural hair, natural hair care, and myths surrounding BIPOC hair. Students are welcome to ask any questions
regarding their hair and hair regimen. The event is virtual.

Tuesday, February 22 at 7:00 p.m. – BASA and the DC English Department Present a Poetry Café — students are invited to read their poetry, a work that is already published, or perform a musical/dance piece. Light refreshments will be provided, and prizes will be awarded at the end of the
night. This event is open to DC students, staff, and faculty.

Thursday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m. – BASA and DC’s Visiting Krieger Scholar Present “Slaves of the Saints” — The Krieger Visiting Scholar in Religious Studies, Dr. Kathryn Phillips, will be showing a documentary called “Slaves of the Saints” in Schomburg Auditorium. The film focuses on Afro-Brazilian
religious traditions. Afterward, BASA President Noelani Schmidt will be leading a discussion regarding the film. Light refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.

Friday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. – BASA Presents TTA Healing Studio DMR Session — TTA Healing Studio’s Savannah Schmidt will lead a Divination, Movement, and Reiki session that allows participants to receive information and connect with their mind, body, and spirit. The session will run for90 minutes and consists of three parts: Oracle/Tarot Card divination, Guided Intuitive Movement, and a Reiki meditation. This event is virtual and free to all DC students, staff, and faculty.

Also featured on campus will be an art exhibit in the Women’s Commission Art Gallery titled “Please Don’t Touch My Hair” – a collective art exhibit celebrating the diverse and unique hair types and styles of the BIPOC and multiracial community. This exhibit will be on display from February 23 through March 18, with an opening reception held on February 28 at 3:00 p.m. “Please Don’t Touch My Hair” is curated by Professor Beverly Fanning with assistance from BASA. The exhibit is free, open to the public, and can be viewed from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Monday through Friday and Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to Noon.

Chartered in 1850, Defiance College is an independent, liberal arts-based institution in Northwest Ohio offering more than 40 undergraduate programs of study as well as graduate programs in education and business. Defiance College has received national recognition for its educational
experience of service and engagement. The College is guided by the four pillars of its mission: To Know, To Understand, To Lead, and To Serve.

Written by: Emily Vargo

On November 9, 1923, in Albany, Georgia, an amazing athlete that would make history was born. This athlete is Alice Coachman.

In 1938 Alice enrolled at Maddison high school and joined the track team. She took an interest in the high jump and worked hard every day to develop her skills.

Since Alice was black and a woman, she had to get creative when training. She would run barefoot on dirt paths by her house and practice jumping with whatever materials she could find and make.

In a year of her hard work and dedication, she drew the attention of the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, where she earned a scholarship.

So, at age 16, Alice went to Tuskegee Preparatory School. She worked on campus, trained, and studied. She earned a degree in dressmaking in 1946.

Alice participated in the amateur athletic union women’s national championship, where she competed barefoot and broke the college and national high jump records.

During the years 1939-1948, she won 10 national championships in a row. Besides dominating in the high jump, Alice also won national championships in the 50-meter dash, 100-meter dash, and 4 x 4 relay team for Tuskegee college.

In 1940 and 1944, Alice was supposed to go to the Olympic games, but the Olympics were canceled due to World War II. But finally, in 1948, Alice went to the Olympics in London.

At the Olympics, on her first jump, she reached a high of 5ft 6 1⁄8 inches. Alice was the only American woman to win gold in 1948, and her medal was presented to her by King George VI.

When she returned to the United States, she became a celebrity. She was greeted with parades and met President Harry Truman and former First lady Eleanor Roosevelt.

Alice decided to go to Albany state college, where she earned her bachelor’s in Home Economics and a minor in science. Alice graduated in 1949 and became a teacher and a track and field instructor.

In 1952 she became the first African-American woman to endorse an international product when she was signed as a spokesperson by the Coca-Cola Company featured prominently on billboards alongside 1936 Olympic winner Jesse Owens.

At age 24, Alice decided to leave her athletic career behind and dedicate her life to education and job corps. In 1979 Alice was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.

At the 1996 summer Olympics, Alice was honored as one of the 100 greatest Olympians. Alice was also inducted into the USA Track and Field hall of fame in 1975 and the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. On July 14, 2014, Alice passed away and left behind an inspiring legacy.

Written by: Hailey Krawczyk

The Defiance College campus was buzzing with excitement this weekend, with multiple Yellow Jacket athletic events taking place. The highlight being the on-campus contests for Men’s and Women’s Basketball against fellow Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) opponent, Rose-Hulman Fighting Engineers.

Additionally, Yellow Jacket Wrestling competed at the Mid-States Invite at Ohio Northern University (ONU) in Ada, Ohio. Men’s and Women’s track rounded out the weekend at the All-Ohio Championships at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio.

Women’s basketball hosted the Fighting Engineers of Rose-Hulman on Saturday, February 12, in the Karl H. Weaner Center. Prior to tip-off, the Yellow Jackets honored their three seniors, Briawana Francis, Taylor Day, and Nysha Speed. Each senior has made their mark on the Women’s Basketball Program over the past four years. Shortly after the Senior Day
ceremony, the Yellow Jackets tipped off and started strong, taking a 13-8 lead over the Fighting Engineers. The teams entered the second quarter, fighting tooth and nail with another.

The Yellow Jackets prevailed by using a 7-0 scoring run to take the lead from the Fighting Engineers back. The Yellow Jackets hung on to their lead for the majority of the second half as the Engineers began to test the Jackets. The Yellow Jackets were able to hold on and answered with an 8-0 run to lead with two minutes left in the contest. Key factors in the Senior Day win include Speed leading the Yellow Jackets with 11 points and 3 rebounds, the Jackets leading the way with 16 assists, and the bench outscoring the Fighting Engineers 27-12.

Following the Women’s game on Saturday, the Men’s Basketball team also celebrated their two seniors before tip-off. Seniors Marell Jordan and Tyler Andrew were honored prior to the game. Both seniors have contributed a great deal to the Men’s Basketball program over the past 4 years.

The Yellow Jackets fought hard against the Engineers. Both teams battled every possession. At the end of the half, the Fighting Engineers had taken a one-point advantage over the Yellow Jackets with a score of 32-31. The Fighting Engineers stung the Yellow Jackets during the start of the second half, coming out strong with an 8-point lead. The Jackets held their
composure together and started their run of 16-6 to regain the lead with eight minutes left in the contest. The Yellow Jackets worked together to stay strong the rest of the game, completing the sweep over the Fighting Engineers with a final score of 64-57. Key factors to this win include
a 25-point performance from Jordan, an 8-point performance from Andrew, and an 11-point performance from Junior Dejsani Beamon, who also added 4 assists.

Yellow Jacket Wrestling hit the road this past Saturday to compete in the Mid-States Invite at ONU. The Yellow Jackets placed 6 out of 8 teams competing with a final of 50.5 points. Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN) won the invite with a total of 193 points.

Key performances from the Yellow Jacket Wrestling Squad include Seniors Alex Smith, Cortez Bradley, and Mason Morris, all placing in their respective weight classes. Smith placed fourth in the 141lbs bracket, Bradley placed fourth in the 157lbs bracket, and Morris placed fifth in the 197lbs bracket. Junior Alejandro Castro won two of his matches in the 157lbs contest.

Rounding out key performances includes Senior Rigo Villa, Junior Seth Bowman, and Sophomore Jonah Schlegal each winning matches at 285lbs. You can catch more Yellow Jacket Wrestling on Wednesday, February 16, as the Jackets are hosting an HCAC Dual against Manchester University (Manchester, IN) and Mount St. Joseph University (Cincinnati, OH). The Yellow Jackets will be honoring their seniors before the start of the contest! Be sure to come out and celebrate!

Rounding out the weekend, Yellow Jacket Track and Field traveled to Otterbein University to compete. The Women’s team placed 15th out of 16 teams, and the Men’s team placed 18th out of 18 teams. The University of Mount Union (Alliance, OH) took the contest in both Men’s and Women’s with 187 points and 186.5 points.

Key performances from the Yellow Jackets include Freshman Traci Cross placing seventh in the Women’s 60 meters in 8.12 seconds, earning two points for the Yellow Jackets. Seniors Lisa Markau and Katelyn Smith and Junior Destiney Oshodin placed eighth in the 4×200 meter relay with a time of 1:54:78 to earn a point.

Sophomore Tawon Cannon placed fourth in the 60-meter hurdles, which earned 5 points for the Yellow Jackets. Junior Ja’Qway Janvier finished ninth with a time of 23:06 in the 200 meters.

You can catch more Track and Field on February 19, as the Jackets host the 2022 HCAC Indoor Track Championships at the George M. Smart Center at 1:00 pm.

Written by: Elizabeth Patrick

Did you know that according to 50 Bits of Valentine’s Day Trivia You Probably Didn’t know” states that passing out Valentines is a 600-year-old tradition?

The first known official celebration of Saint Valentine’s Day took place in Paris on February 14, 1400, which is when King Charles VI of France established the High court of love.

The oldest record of a Valentine is a poem by Charles, the Duke of Orleans, written to his wife when he was imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1415, in which he refers to his wife as his “Valentine.”

People believe that there are two different theories about the origin of Valentine’s Day.

The first theory is that some believe that the day derives from Lupercalia, which was a raucous Roman festival on February 15 where men stripped naked and spanked young maidens in the hopes of increasing their fertility.

The second theory is that while the Roman Emperor Claudius II was trying to bolster his army, he forbade young men to marry. In the spirit of love, St. Valentine defied the ban and performed secret marriages, and for his disobedience, Valentine was executed on February 14 around the year 270 A.D.

Americans celebrate Valentine’s Day each year on February 14 by sending cards or letters, giving gifts such as chocolates or flowers, and having meals in restaurants.

In classrooms, Valentine’s Day is a time for children to share Valentine’s day cards with their friends and classmates.

Written by: AD Johnson

With COVID being an ongoing disruption of life, virtual events are becoming more and more available and routine. Here are some interesting ones that are free and can act as a safe and fun activity to treat yourself to on Valentine’s Day or invite others and celebrate the day.

For an event on Valentine’s Day, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/february-free-beginner-belly-dance-class-tickets-229638694517 to join in a beginner belly dance class. The free course will teach students a few basic movements, led by Christina, an official Datura style instructor.

It is recommended that you “wear comfortable clothing that you can move in, make sure you have a strong internet connection, and enough space around you to move a few steps in each direction.” To find more information on Christina and her belly dancing studio and classes, go to her website https://www.easterngroove.com/.

For those interested in Psychics, the Online Spiritual Academy has a free psychic mediumship reading. “Your one-on-one reading will give you clear communication regarding your life’s direction. Please allow an hour of your time for the session.”

If this sounds interesting to you for a fun and entertaining activity, sign up on Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-psychic-mediumship-reading-tickets-233955686757 and have fun spending an hour or so getting a reading from one of the students of the academy.

If psychics aren’t your thing, how about an acting class? Taught by actor/director Tom Mendola, “this free, VIRTUAL acting class, you will learn new skills for confidence in auditioning, how to make an impact through your acting, and new tools for improving your ability to connect in the scene.” Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-virtual-acting-class-with-director-tom-mendola-tickets-254299465547 The class is on Monday from 10:00 pm-12:00 am.

Last but not least, for Valentine’s Day, take a virtual trip along the Nile with Khaled. This “live event from Egypt with KHALED K., Local Egyptologist and licensed tour guide,” will present you and your loved ones an immersive experience learning about ancient Egypt and “will take you back in time to discover the history of this interesting temple and explain the religious significance of this site, which can be seen as a meeting point of three religions: the ancient Egyptian religion, Christianity, and Islam.”

To sign up for this event on Monday from 2:00 pm-3:00 pm, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/free-nile-cruise-episode-4-luxor-temple-ancient-egypt-virtual-tour-tickets-244366074507 to register your spot.

The Defender wishes everyone a great Valentine’s Day!