Omarosa visits campus

The 35th Annual United Black World Month kicked off last night with reality television star Omarosa Manigault Stallworth from "The Apprentice," at the Ohio Union.

This year's theme, "Obtaining Freedom through Unity," was incorporated into her speech as Stallworth told stories of growing up in the projects of Youngstown, and her 39 days on the set of "The Apprentice."

"We live comfortably and we forget about struggles that came before us," Stallworth said.

Stallworth described her childhood home of Youngstown as a place of little opportunity and referred to it as "Crime City." In high school, she said, her one goal was to get out of the town.

She continued her education at Central State University and earned her master's degree from Howard University. The importance of education was emphasized in her speech.

"Education (is) the freedom given to us," she said. "We forget that those that came before sacrificed for us to be here."

Stallworth said she partied her way through college and ended up in the White House working for former Vice President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton unprepared.

Stallworth fielded questions from the audience, mostly about her character on television, which one audience member labeled "the one you love to hate."

"If you dislike me, please keep disliking me," she said. "It's paying the bills."

She said her one regret from the show was not reaching across the board room table and grabbing the toupee off of Donald Trump's head. She said during her first interview with Trump she asked him about his hair and even compared it to an orange Brillo pad.

Stephanie Wilson, a sophomore in criminology, represented the South Area Black Student Association in a dinner with Stallworth before the speech, and said she was down to earth and spent time talking with everyone.

"It's inspiring to see other people that made it," said Wilson, who also grew up in Youngstown.

The program, sponsored by the Multicultural Center and many other student organizations, also included musical performances by the African American Voices.

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