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Do you have a Vision?

Would you like to contribute to the legacy of black journalism on Penn’s campus?
The Vision wants you!
We are currently in the process of editing our magazine, which will release this spring! The theme of this issue is entitled “Let it Flow.”

What is “The Vision?”
The Vision is an independent, student-run African-American newsletter and blog that seeks to enrich and empower its readers by providing insight into the black diasporic experience at the University of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1989, The Vision was the first multicultural student publication that addressed crucial issues within the black community and African Diaspora at Penn and beyond. It functions as the publication of UMOJA and will primarily be concerned with keeping its readers abreast of events within and affecting Penn’s black community, and encourage black student unity, leadership, and involvement.

How can you get involved?
To contribute to this spring’s publication, “Let it Flow” send your journalistic or creative peace to voiceyourvision@gmail.com.
If you have an insightful vision worth sharing, let it flow with the mighty power of your words! Submissions should be no more than 1,500 words in length and should be submitted no later than March 16th.
*If you are interested in contributing to The Vision as a staff writer and blogger or have any questions regarding submissions, please contact voiceyourvision@gmail.com for more information!

By Tosin Bosede

Umoja Week 2011 closed with the 10th year Anniversary Gala of Makuu: the University of Pennsylvania’s Black Cultural Center. The center, which was founded in 2000, has called the Arts Research and Culture House (ARCH) its home for almost ten years. The evening, which took place in Bodek Lounge followed by a dessert and dance reception in Hall of Flags, was dazzled with the presence of current students and alumni who lent their talents and time to serenade guests through song, body, and word.
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By Malcolm Evans

Sports are redemptive. Whether we like it or not, they have an uncanny ability to make things right, or at least better, when they go wrong. To provide an outlet or a place of refuge, where one can be sheltered from societal scrutiny. There is a certain irony to obtaining refuge through a medium that everyone has access to, but in sports, picturesque performances precede poor life predicaments, blinding society of what once was, and magnifying one’s ability to make jump-cuts and score touchdowns. Is this fair? The answer is up for debate, but there is no doubt that these powers of atonement are certainly unique.
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By: Mimi Owusu

Who said being premed at Penn was impossible? After interviewing Philly native Darryl Powell, a Penn graduate from the class of ’09 and a second-year medical student at Penn Med, I’d like to think otherwise. While at Penn, Darryl majored in the Biological Basis of Behavior with a minor in healthcare management through Wharton. He served on the board of BSL, as the director of the New Spirit of Penn gospel choir, and as the president of Onyx Senior Honor Society while participating as a member of Sphinx Senior Society and IMPACT, a Christian fellowship for Penn students. He didn’t stop there. In his spare time, he managed to work as an RA in Rodin and as a research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania in the pediatric cardiology department. He’s doing even bigger things at Penn Med and definitely has a brilliant future ahead of him, so premed students, take notes as you read this interview!
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What did The Vision Staff do this summer? We’ve decided to dedicate a short series to this very question! Why would we put any particular emphasis on our experiences? The Vision is proud to have an executive board whose interests are broad and span many different fields–and therefore, have resulted in a diverse array of summer experiences. Fair enough, you say–but what does this have to do with the black community at Penn? Our answer: Everything, we hope.
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The "Love" Statue

Welcome back to Penn—especially to the incoming class of 2014 who is commencing one of the most important legs of their life journey; and the class of 2011, for whom the near future holds a different kind of commencement. Freshmen and seniors—take a moment to consider how similar your two years are. Both of you on the frontiers of entirely new realities; both of you doing your best to find ways to prepare yourselves for them; both of you approaching the gradual realization that no matter how much you prepare, there will be an element of the unexpected that you will have to confront, and the best way to prepare is to make yourself well-versed on the resources at your disposal that will be able to help you make decisions in these moments of the unexpected.
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