A new symbol of black pride
By Eric Meckley
■ The Daily Collegian
Pennsylvania State U.
In 1969 -James Brown had a number
one hit single with “Say it Loud — I’m
Black and I’m Proud "
Exultant, direct and powerful
Pennsylvania State U. senior Stephen
Mitchell walked down South Allen
Street and — without speaking a word
— said the same thing. His message
swung at the end of a rope around his
neck — one large black medallion with
the continent of Africa carved into its
leather face.
“Wearing medallions or wearing KofTis
(an African hat) is a way of expressing
African pride and a way of living in the
Special Dorms
Continued from page 8
The concept of special-interest hous
ing was introduced at the university in
the late 70s
"We wanted to experiment with a
dorm where students could speak a for
eign language all the time," said Dick
Romm, residence life director.
“Dunn Hall was called Deutsches
House. An instructor from the German
department ate lunch with the students
once a week The students also had some
German language presentations,” he
said.
The halls have also enjoyed strong
popularity among students They are
open to all students, although two halls,
academic pursuit and cross-cultural,
require essays from potential residents
Schafer, the creative arts hall, is one
of the more successful special-interest
dorms on campus, according to Romm
This dorm has the highest percentage
of returning residents They've done a
great job painting murals in their lobby
and stairways.”
Laura Ennis, a returning Schafer res
ident and an art history major, said,
“Living in a creative arts dorm gives us
a chance to be creative in a family atmo
sphere"
present." Mitchell said “My medallion
lets people know I'm black and I'm
proud "
Mitchell bought his medallion about
one-and-a-half years ago in New York
City, about the time when medallions
and other Airocentnc clothing and jew
elry began appearing more frequently in
cities and on college campuses
That the medallions are now seen
more frequently than gold jewelry
demonstrates a new awareness.
Mitchell said “We're finally listening to
the teachings of Malcolm X. Jesse
Jackson and Minister 'Louis
Farrakhan "
The designs gracing the leather and
wood medallions today range from
images of Africa to figures of black nil
tural advocates such as Marcus (larvey
and Malcolm X Color combinations
vary, but each hue represents something
to the medallion’s owner
Red signifies the blood shed during the
African peoples struggle, black symlxil
lzes unity and consciousness among Un
people. green represents the nature of
the African motherland, and yellow is a
color present in mam African countries
flags
Black Caucus President Walter
Mosley said the cultural awakening
symbolized by the medallions has led to
increased self-respect among blacks
“The medallions serve as an indicator
to a lot of people that there's more to life
than just America There's a motherland
where we all came from " Mosley said
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Medallions displaying African imagery have
become a common sight on campuses
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