The Current | Vol. 31 Issue 24

March 2, 2021 | nsucurrent.nova.edu 4 Features The nine-year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death Last Friday, Feb. 26, marked the nine- year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s death. Trayvon was an innocent 17-year-old African American boy who was shot by a neighborhood watch coordinator. What was done about this heartbreaking situation? Nothing -- because the coordinator claimed he used self-defense, which resulted in a not- guilty verdict. Trayvon Martin was only a high school kid that wanted to see his family, and instead, he faced an unfortunate encounter with a neighborhood watch coordinator. Trayvon was not armed, but he ran from the security guard. It is unfortunate, but people within the Black community have trained themselves and their loved ones to do what law enforcement says for fear of violence. They feel that this world is not safe for them to live in. There are many strides that have been taken today to support the Black community that were not taken back when Trayvon died, going to show how much has changed in nine years. There are organizations, protests and much help from social media when it comes to supporting The Black Lives Matter Movement (BLM). Though it has been nine years, Trayvon Martin has not been forgotten and is one of the many people within the Black community that has contributed to changing the world. BLM has grown tremendously in the past year due to the death of George Floyd. Society is trying to unite and heal from these moments, but history keeps repeating itself. Many people Women’s History Month: A look at female authors who published under male pen names feel that those with authority take advantage of the power they have. People find this especially true when it comes to authority figures who are biased against people of color, as time has shown that these biased authority figures do not know how to compartmentalize and realize that no matter what shape, size or color we are that we are all human. Here at NSU, we have a Black Student Union organization. This organization advocates for people to join the BLM movement and to use their voice to support the Black community. This organization provides support and can serve as an outlet for anyone. Organization president Jamalmash Noel of the Black Student Union has stated their goals are “To support diversity and bring about equitable opportunities for minority students. These students get the opportunity to be put in their own space to be brilliant.” Getting involved can be as simple as “Reposting something or spreading awareness to others about what is going on in minority communities,” Noel said. Noel also mentions that protesting is an option, but, “If you don’t feel safe protesting, you can repost and do grant writing.” To find out more information and get involved, follow @bsu_nsu. Today,itiscommontoseebookspublished bywomen. In fact, according toNPD, “Women authors were responsible for 42% of unit sales for the top 100 books in the overall print book market in 2019.” However, it was not always like this. Before the 18th and 19th centuries, women had to publish anonymously or under male pseudonyms because it was the only way to actually have their works published or taken seriously. Here are some famous women authors who have published under male pen names. The Brontë sisters Considered among the greatest novelists of our time, Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, known for theirworks “JaneEyre,” “Wuthering Heights” and “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall,” respectively, all originally published their books under male pseudonyms. Charlotte Brontë published under the name Currer Bell, while Emily Brontë published under Ellis Bell and Anne Brontë under Acton Bell. According to The Independent, a British newspaper, “The Brontës wrote as men because their novels examined subject matter which was ‘unfeminine’ for their early Victorian readers: sexual passion, slang, alcoholism, domestic abuse and violence.” While the novels may have not had as much success in the 19th century if the sisters had published with their real names, their works todayare regardedas important pieces of literature. Louisa May Alcott Best known for her novel “Little Women” and her children’s books, which she actually published under her own name, LouisaMayAlcott published many other works under the male pen name A.M. Barnard in the 19th century. These works include a dark love story titled “A Long Fatal Love Chase,” which was written two years before Little Women and a novella titled “Behind a Mask.” While Alcott published her books in the 1800s, it was discovered in the 1940s by rare book dealer Madeleine B. Stern and librarian Leona Rostenberg that A.M. Barnard was her pseudonym. Under her pen name, Alcott was known to write many sensational gothic thrillers, which were deemed unladylike at the time. J.K. Rowling While J.K. Rowling is best known for creating the world of Harry Potter in the late 90s and early 2000s, in 2013, she published a crime mysterynovel titled “TheCuckoo’sCalling” under themale pen name Robert Galbraith. To have their works taken seriously, many women throughout history did not have a choice but to publish under male pseudonyms. However, Rowling did so with her crime mystery novel by choice -- and actually received a lot of criticism and backlash when the truth was revealed. On her website, Rowling defended her decision and explained, “[She] was yearning to go back to the beginning of awriting career with this new genre, toworkwithout hype or expectation and to receive totally unvarnished feedback.” Staying green in the days of COVID-19 A year into the COVID-19 pandemic and much has changed in this world. At the beginning of the pandemic, some saw it as an environmental boon. Carbon emissions were down worldwide. Animals returned to places they were driven away from by crowds of people. Yet, as the world gets settled into its new normal, it falls back into a rut of environmental unsustainability. Moving forward, we all must do what we can to minimize the environmental consequences of our actions, and here are some tips to do just that . Reduce Restrictions on dining have led to an increase in take out orders in the last year. So, the next time you order take out, skip on the napkins and the plasticware and try using products that you can reuse. When you go grocery shopping, use your own reusable bags and avoid the plastic bags. Reuse masks as often as you can so you do not keep throwing away disposable masks. Try your hand at a green thumb Growing your own food in a residence hall might be quite difficult, but you can maybe try a small windowsill garden. Creating a little garden inside is a great way of not only clearing out the air in your room, but also livening up your space. If you want more information on dorm gardening, check out The Current’s website for more articles. Buy sustainably Buy used and buy local. This probably is not good advice when we are talking about masks, but when safe and possible, buy used. Buying used and thrifting are great ways of decreasing your carbon footprint and staying within a budget. In the same vein, if you have things that you no longer use but could be useful to others, donate them so they do not end up wasting away in some landfill. Buy from local companies. Not only does this support your local economy, but it will also cut down on carbon emissions from mass transportation that comes along with bigger companies and stores. Join clubs and learn more There are quite a few clubs on campus that teach sustainability and environmentally friendly habits. For more information organizations in this topic, check out SharkHub. Moving forward, we all must do our part to make this planet a better place. As the Lorax said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” By: Briana Ramnauth Contributing Writer By: Flor Ana Mireles Copy Editor By: Alexander Martinie Opinions Editor PRINTED WITH PERMISSION BY F. MIRELESS Today, it is common to see books published by women. .