Sarah Jane Martinez

Standing tall and proud in the warm, spring weather are two towering ceramic men glimmering from the sun's golden rays. Laughter and screams fill the air as children run around, jumping up and down from the weather-worn pedestal of which the statues stand. The men's heads are turned downwards with the black-gloved fists raised proudly in the air. A concrete ring encompasses them separating the rest of the lawn from the statue. This 22-feet tall statue depicts the memorable moment John Carlos and Tommie Smith, alumni of San Jose State University, won Olympic medals and used their spotlight moment to make a political gesture. Their medals hang on an dazzling brand band around their necks. The deep ocean blue of the ceramic tiles that make up their uniforms contrast against Carlos' green, red and yellow beaded necklace. His track jacket with red and white stripes is left open separating his number in two: 25 on the left and nine on the right. While Smith's ...

The story in the LA Times regarding the Florida students revolves around gun control. I believe this gun control trend is happening due to the increased attention of shootings in the media and due to shootings happening at schools. Mass shootings have always existed, but news media outlets have given this topic the front seat. The story on USA Today regarding social media revolved around social media and privacy. This is a relevant topic due to Facebook's continuing issues of data collection from users particularly in light of all the Russia/Trump scandals. I found the LA Times story to be more interesting because it was more relatable to me. As a student, campus safety is important to me which is what those students are trying to do. I agree with their ideas of stricter gun control laws. On the other hand, the USA Today story held very little of my interest since I could not relate to any of the sources interviewed. They interviewed an older demographic that consisted primaril...

It is 2018 and I still am unable to fathom how people have it in themselves to be racist or have prejudices against specific communities. I am always in such shock when I hear about hate crimes or terror attacks towards minorities on the news in this day and age. Mark Anthony Conditt created homemade bombs and sent them out via packages that killed two people and left five wounded. The victims of these serial package bombings in Austin, Texas were all people of color. I do not understand how someone could harbor a hatred so strong towards people they do not even know that would lead them to murder. While the police are not calling Conditt a terrorist or his actions a hate crime, I feel we can safely assume he had some level of prejudice against the black community. This is just one of many instances that have been appearing in the news where people of color have been targeted or treated differently than the white majority. Another example of prejudice happened in Sacrame...

So what if you posted a message dedicated to the women in your life? How do you strive to empower in all women in your everyday lives? I know International Women's Day and all the other movements going on right now mean well, but seeing all these fake posts on social media takes away from the true meaning. People need to start walking the walk if they're going to talk the talk. Don't just talk about it, be about it.

POLAR BEAR PASSES AWAY UNEXPECTEDLY After living a wonderful 16 years, Midland Zoo is sad to announce Homer the polar bear died early this morning. "Homer was a very curious and playful polar bear and we will miss him terribly," said zookeeper Sara N. Getty. Midland Zoo is working diligently to determine his cause of death. Zoo director Chris P. Bacon said, "animal welfare and preservation of species are our primary goals here at the zoo."

Kaleoaloha Wilson walked in with his typical stylish, yet casual outfit: beanie, wind breaker and jeans. Wilson's sense of style and how he spoke reflected that of an artist dreaming to make a difference. One of Wilson's main goals is to increase representation of POC and LGBTQ+ in the media. He made the drastic decision of switching from a global studies major to advertising to help make that dream become a reality. Wilson came into San Jose State University hoping to learn about the world and how to make a difference, but found the major to be a little too grim for his tastes.  "I want to be a level-headed and educated representative of my community... but still do anything that gets my creative juices flowing," said Wilson.  His current roommate Chloe Agdipa spoke highly about his ambitious, go-getter personality. "He's so hardworking. I always see him in-and-out of the apartment and does everything at 110%," said Agdipa. One o...

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, expert historian about Mormon women living in 19th century Utah, shares her knowledge and perceptions about polygamy on "Fresh Air" hosted by Terry Gross. Throughout the interview, it can be seen that Gross was well researched the topic of polygamy and Ulrich. Gross references Ulrich's work, famous women suffragists such as Susan B. Anthony and more. Ulrich describes polygamy or plural marriage as "an incubator of female activism." Polygamy gave women choices, created communities of women, and strengthened bonds according to Ulrich. Gross' questions seemed very natural and kept the conversation moving forward. "Were there women who chose plural marriage because they didn't really care to have sexual relations? Were the women in plural marriages because they were really lesbians and could maybe be secretly intimate with other women in the marriages?" asks Gross. The multitude of prompts provided Ulrich with ...