Meet the’Jects, a crew of students from various United States housing developments.Their moniker refers to them as being “rejects from the projects” who made itto college. There is Pea Green, a 19-year-old female from Chicago’s CabriniGreen projects, majoring in architecture. Amir Sincere is an 18-year-oldpre-law student from New Orleans’ St. Thomas/Magnolia projects. Last but notleast, there is the “old head” Scott Bluff, a 20-year-old biology student fromthe Perry Holmes housing development in Atlanta.
Q: Why did youdecide to attend SU?
Amir: I got tiredof all the negativity in the hood and wanted to make a difference. I realizedthe project people didn’t have a voice…I wanted to be that voice.
S. Bluff: Well, I sawthe Dancing Dolls on the Bayou Classic airing a couple of years ago and thoughtI could come spit some game, basically. I JUST declared a major; it was time toget serious.
Pea Green: I received ascholarship to be on the basketball team, and it’s just a cool school.
Q: How did youall meet? Seeing that you all are from different places and came to the yard atdifferent times, what was the hook-up point?
Amir: Well, I wasgetting into it with some Sigmas about why I couldn’t sit under their tree.Dudes were tripping. I was like, “Yo’ I have the civil right to sit under thistree, dude.”
Pea Green: I came up onthem, and was like, “What’s the big deal? A tree’s a natural form of shelter.”It was hot as hell out there that day. So, why couldn’t ol’ boy sit under the tree?
S. Bluff: Man, I was onmy way to James Hall for a class, sweating under the sun. But that didn’t stopthe game shawty. And I saw the Sigmas getting crunk with this ‘lil dude and Ijust felt I had something to say, because I was a little more mature than theylooked. What does the Bible say? I need to be a peacemaker. And then Lil’Shawty over there, so I figured I would take complete advantage of thesituation and do good and show I’m a gentleman.
Amir: So, after allof that, we went and found a tree with no paint on it and talked noise abouteverybody else and just clicked. We decided to form our own alliance…we callourselves the ‘Jects.
Q: So, what’sthe purpose of this new alliance?
Amir: Basically,our purpose is to cultivate culture. We, the hip-hop generation, aremisunderstood. We’re trying to let everyone know that our behavior is aculture, not deviance.
Q: What do youhave to say to your fellow students and others out there?
S. Bluff: It’s time towake up Shawty. Let your lights shine. Gleam back, don’t lean back; take astand and be somebody.
The ‘Jectsare a creation of Phawn Slack, a Digest cartoonist.
