MORGAN ALSTON
Published Writing Samples
New York Amsterdam News - On April 14, the National Action Network (NAN) convention welcomed Vice President Kamala Harris to deliver a keynote speech to galvanize the fight to protect democracy.
Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of NAN, hosted the annual event, which was the largest in their convention’s history. Held at the Sheraton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, the convention kicked off on Wednesday, April 12, with the traditional ribbon-cutting with New York City and state elected officials. During the week-long event, the civil rights organization will bring together trailblazing leaders in entertainment, business, civil rights, education, and other fields as the nation confronts concerted threats to its democracy. Those figures include Harris and nearly a dozen Biden Administration officials, Tyler Perry, Kerry Washington, Magic Johnson, and more.
The room echoed with cheers as Harris, surrounded by Black civil right activists and other supportive members, prompted the hundreds of attendees to “stand and protect our democracy” from Republicans. She touched on topics condemning the stripping of African American history in school curricula, voting rights, reproductive rights, and the lack of gun laws, while justifying how Biden’s administration has supported Americans, including Black Americans.
“Extremists across our country attack the freedom to vote,” Harris said. “They ban books to attempt to erase America’s full history. They attack the ability of people to love openly and with pride. They attack the freedom of a woman to make decisions about her own body instead of the government. They attack medications that for 20 years the FDA ruled as being safe. Democracy means being heard. However, we are lacking at this.”
Harris recounted recent events that occurred in Tennessee, where Republican legislators removed two Black lawmakers from office after the men led a peaceful protest to reinforce stronger gun control measures after six people lost their lives to gun violence in Nashville. Along with a white third-party legislator, the two legislators—Justin Jones and Justin Pearson—have made headlines nationally that fueled the nickname the “Tennessee Three.” After gaining substantial, vocal support nationally, they were quickly reinstated.
Harris made it clear during her 34-minute speech that extremists cannot be allowed to silence people, and believers in social justice must be more vocal than ever about the social issues affecting the country. “Seven thousand students and parents continued to organize and march and raise their voices, and now Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are back in their seats,” she said as the crowd rose to their feet applauding. “The people spoke.”
Harris invoked the powerful legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., saying the struggle for civil rights includes a fight for economic justice for all: “As Dr. King made clear, freedom includes the ability of all people to fully exercise their rights—rights that generations of Americans bled and died for, rights that the people in this very room continue to march and fight for,” she said. “That is our nation’s freedom blueprint. And that is what we stand for.”
Men’s Basketball Comes Up Empty-Handed On Road Trip
The Outlook - The Monmouth University men’s basketball team (0-1) opened their season against Seton Hall (1-0) at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ on Wednesday, Nov. 9.
The Hawks hung with the Pirates for the majority of the game, keeping things relatively close during the first half. The Hawks were within five points of the Pirates about halfway through the first half, but the Pirates proved too much to handle with a 6-0 scoring run and a 15-0 scoring run, propelling them into halftime with a 36-17 lead.
Monmouth was able to keep things much closer in the second half thanks to strong efforts from junior forward Myles Foster and sophomore guard Tahron Allen. Foster led all players in the game in points and rebounds, with 18 and 15 respectively. Allen was the only other Hawk to reach double-digit points on the night.
Seton Hall only outscored Monmouth 43-35 in the second half, but ultimately Monmouth’s slow start in the first half put them in too big of a hole for the Hawks to be able to bounce back. The team mustered up 29.8 percent of their field goals whilst struggling even more from deep, converting just 10 percent of their three-point attempts.
Monmouth (0-2) then traveled down to the John Paul Jones Arena where they faced off against No. 18 University of Virginia (2-0) on Friday, Nov. 11. The Hawks were defeated 89-42. Foster again led the team with 10 points, scoring double-figures for his second consecutive game to begin his season. Monmouth deployed the same starters for the second game in a row with their season opening road trip just kicking off.
The Hawks looked good early, and their efforts allowed them to keep the score close. Things were knotted up during the first seven minutes of the game as Foster made his first five shots for the team. Monmouth scored the first four points of the game, and freshman Jack Collins’ first three-pointer of his career gave the Hawks a 13-10 lead within the first 15 minutes. The nationally-ranked Cavaliers stole the lead and never looked back, taking a 42-21 lead into halftime.
The second half would play out similarly to the first, as juniors Myles Ruth and Klemen Vuga got the Hawks rolling early in the second half, but a 17-0 run for UVA gave the Hawks a mountain too great to climb. Sophomore Jayden Doyle and junior Jakari Spence made their first career baskets later on in the half, while junior Jack Holmstrom and freshman Andrew Ball netted triples for Monmouth for their second game in a row trying to put a dent in Virginia’s lead.
The Cavaliers steadily increased their advantage just like the first half, and UVA secured the win at their home court. Foster was the only Hawk to reach double-digits in scoring in the loss.
Head Coach King Rice lauded the Hawks’ opponents, but was less than pleased with the Hawks’ effort from start to finish. “Virginia is really, really good. Tony Bennett helped me years ago with our defense and he’s always been so, so good to me. Their team is a team and they’re not going to do things that aren’t team like,” Rice acknowledged. “If you try to shortcut it, it could get ugly, and tonight I thought we were good for 10 or 11 minutes. Unfortunately, we had to sub and our subs are young and [Virginia] turned up the heat.”
On Monday, The Hawks (0-3) then stumbled to a third consecutive loss at the hands of No. 23 Illinois (3-0) and concluded their season-opening road trip at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. The game was high-scoring at both ends of the court, as the Hawks scored a season-high 65 points but also allowed a season-high 103 points. Freshmen guards Ball and Collins led the Hawks in scoring, with Ball putting up 13 and Collins right behind him with 12.
The Fighting Illini started with the lead and never relinquished it, heading into halftime up 30 at a score of 63-33. Things were a bit closer in the second half with Illinois taking their foot off the gas pedal, only outscoring the Hawks 40-32. The Fighting Illini’s Terrence Shannon Jr. proved to be too much for Monmouth to handle with his electrifying 30-point, 8-rebound performance, and ultimately served as the catalyst to the 38-point loss for the Hawks.
Up next, the Hawks will return home to OceanFirst Bank Center on Thursday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. to take on Norfolk State in their first home game of the year, still seeking their first victory of the season.
​Historic Black fencing olympian is adding diversity to the world of fencing
New York Amsterdam News - Peter Westbrook is breaking down boundaries and creating a fencing dynasty in the city.
Westbrooks, a 13-time national fencing champion, Olympic bronze medalist, and the first African American to win an Olympic fencing medal is showing the world to chase their dreams—no matter how big or small they are.
“I grew up in the housing projects. No one ever said anything good about me. Only thing I heard was from my mother,” Westbrook said. “As soon as I got involved in the sport was the first time I ever heard positive things about me in my life.”
Westbrook’s hard work landed him a scholarship to attend NYU and take his fencing career to the next level. He said he was given the opportunity to be trained by a Hungarian master and was able to represent the United States in a sport that lacked diversity. Now, he wants to teach others how to leave their mark, too. For the past 30 years with the Peter Westbrook Foundation, he’s been dedicated to changing the narrative that the African American community doesn’t fence. Westbrook believes that his job is to show the country—everyone else who watches the program—that no matter who you are, even people of color who have not been exposed to fencing, the Black community can excel. Since 2000, his program has sent 16 athletes to the Olympics. Two secured silver medals at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, and one brought home the bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016, showing the world there is no obstacle we can’t overcome.
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