“Nappily Ever After” is a film many women may relate to. The movie entails the trials and tribulations of Violet (Sanaa Lathan), a middle-aged woman who seems to have the perfect life: a handsome trophy boyfriend, a wonderful career as an advertising executive and most importantly, beautiful, long hair.

Violet has always aimed to present herself perfectly, just as her mother had taught her. As the movie continues, viewers soon learn that Violet’s life is not as perfect as it may seem. The first scene features an 11-year old Violet sitting by the pool, watching the other children play.

Her hair is straightened, and her mother does not dare let water touch her head in fear that her curly natural tresses will reveal themselves to the world. Violet proceeds to jump in anyway, and as she comes up, the white children around her laugh at the “Chia Pet” adorning her head.

This introduces the interesting dynamic between Violet and her mother. Women are socialized from a young age to act and dress according to society’s standards. Director Haifaa al-Mansour seems to use hair as a symbol of gendered oppression.

Black women specifically are conditioned to act in accordance to a predominantly white society. A large part of this ideology includes having hair routinely straightened so that they may be more acceptable. This concept is usually enforced by influential women within the family — just as Violet’s mother does throughout the film.

When she learns that her boyfriend of two years is not proposing to her on the night that she thought he was, she is devastated and faces self-conflict after a heated dialogue. She drunkenly shaves her beloved natural strands.

This was a major spiritual touchstone within the movie. Violet’s internal conflicts surface in this emotionally driven scene. She laughs jubilantly, makeup smeared across her face, as she frees herself of the weight that has been hindering her happiness.

“Nappily Ever After” is divided into hair themed sections that depict different stages of Violet’s self-love journey throughout the film. Stage one is titled “Straightened,” followed by “Bald” and then finally “New Growth.” Violet soon learns to love herself in her natural state, despite what her mother says. With the help of Will, the owner of a hair salon and a single father, she develops a care-free attitude that allows her to enjoy life in its simplicity.

Lathan puts on a strong, emotionally lead performance as Violet James. However, some film critics feel the film failed to portray the true depth and complexity of black womanhood. “The film lacks the texture, intimacy, and warmth to communicate how hair can be art for black women, not just a pathology,” states critic Angelica Jade Bastién for Vulture.

She deems it “a reductive understanding of black womanhood.” Perhaps the film does not fully delve into all that comes with being a woman, but the message that it delivers is impactful and relatable for many black women today. “Nappily Ever After” is a heartfelt romantic comedy that touches on love, family, self-discovery and social awareness.

It’s safe to say that television in some way shape or form has influenced a large majority of the country directly and indirectly. Television both in the 20th and 21st centuries is among the most influential technological mediums due to its profound impact on a variety of topics such as advertising, entertainment, and communication. But if this medium is to be considered among the most influential technological mediums what else and how else could it have had an influence on American culture?

AMST 320: Television in American Culture is a 3 credit course designed around examining the “what else” and “how else” television has affected American Culture. Students in this course will  investigate the economic, social, and artistic implications television has in the United States. This course looks at how this medium’s constant evolution has led to the shaping of United States’ culture in a variety of ways including those listed above. This course will allow you to take deep dive into not only how the television in the past 70+ years has evolved as a medium but also its impact on society as a whole. The course highlights key elements such as a look at the emphasis on rating systems and their influence on production, the philosophies and strategies behind programming, analytical deliberation and much more.

AMST 320’s hybrid format is designed to encourage in-class engagement and participation, as well as strengthen computer literacy and self-management.  AMST 320 also satisfies Arts & Humanities GEP credit towards your graduation.

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Events Planner

I. CLASS DEFINITION

The Events Planner is responsible for office management as well as the planning and implementation of all Donor Recognition Events and Major Donor Cultivation Events. This position will also be involved in gift processing and providing support to the development office by coordinating trustee development based meetings.

The Center for Mississippi Health Policy has commissioned UMBC's Hilltop Institute to estimate the costs to Mississippi Medicaid attributable to tobacco. Using the best available evidence from the research literature, Hilltop will identify conditions associated with tobacco use and the associated ICD-10 diagnosis codes to build a model for estimating tobacco-related costs for Mississippi Medicaid participants. The model will use Mississippi Medicaid administrative claims data. Findings from Hilltop’s study will be presented to Mississippi state policymakers to inform consideration of strategies to reduce tobacco use among Medicaid participants. Hilltop Executive Director Cynthia Woodcock, MBA, is principal investigator and Senior Policy Analyst Charles Betley, MA, is project manager.

Description

Join us to learn more about how students and faculty are empowered to achieve more with the built-in accessibility features in Microsoft technologies. We will demonstrate accessibility features available on Windows 10 and Office 365 you can leverage to support learners inside and outside the classroom with visual, audio, cognitive, and mobility needs.

Targeted Audience

Higher Ed and K-12 Teachers, Faculty, Staff and IT Leadership

Presenter

Zia Hassan, Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert

Teenage girls with bright colored hair and denim shorts scattered the floor of The Metro Gallery, all in eager anticipation of Super Whatevr,  a young indie rock band out of Orange County, California currently on their Happy to be Here tour. Making a stop in Baltimore this past Tuesday, the group rocked out Charm City like superstars.

Led by lead singer Skyler McKee, the band looks to spread a message. Super Whatevr hopes to inspire listeners to move past their struggles in life by confronting them directly instead of pushing their dark feelings away. Motivated by the loss of his cousin, McKee uses his music as a platform to reach people in need of hope.

Super Whatevr mixes passion with their message perfectly even down to the minor details. On the cover of their debut album, Never Nothing, the band’s name is in braille to symbolize the difficulty of recognizing the pain someone is going through on the inside, despite them being out in the world in plain sight.

McKee explained, “The point of all the lyrics is just me going through my own depression and trying to see the positive light in all of it. Making myself vulnerable so that people can understand this is the first step to better days.” While most indie rock bands sing about girls or their glory days, Super Whatevr bravely sings about mental illness and perseverance.

The soft, meaningful lyrics lull listeners into a calm, thought-provoking state which is accompanied by the heavy, passionate guitar and drum play. Switching tempos and tones on the stop of a dime provides a refreshing sound for the indie rock scene. The opposite styles clashing within each song give an auditory asymmetry that balances out perfectly.

After a couple of opening acts, the band strolled from behind the merchandise table up onto the stage. As McKee passionately danced around the stage, his hat flew off occasionally, demonstrating the high energy that the band played with throughout every song. Each guitar note rang through the venue as the drums provided an intensity that pulsed through the audience, consuming listeners in its sound.

Between songs, McKee would casually speak to the fans, spreading his message of perseverance. Each time, he motivated the audience to face their struggles head-on. The crowd received it as if he was speaking directly to them. It was inspiring to see the direct impact McKee’s message had on so many people.

Inexplicably, after fans rallied for a longer performance, the band abruptly ended the concert half an hour in. It came as a surprise to the entire building, as they had waited all night in anticipation for a much longer show. “ For a headliner, I expected way more than a half an hour set,” said Griffin Stanbro, an adoring fan. “I drove three hours for this!” screamed another. This disappointment was shared amongst countless other fans, as they stood dumbfounded, watching the band casually leave the stage.

Despite their short-lived performance, Super Whatevr is an extremely talented band with an important message. It may only be a matter of time before they are a staple in the indie rock community. Hopefully, their next visit to Baltimore will last just a bit longer than this one.