4 THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2022
OPINION
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Gashaw: MSA has a vendetta against me, terminated me MARI GASHAW
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
In 2015, Northwestern threatened to take the Black House away from students. So in 2019, I became part of a group of students who passed an Associated Student Government resolution on student autonomy over the Black House. Our resolution was an attempt to make sure Black students had sufficient temporary space and regained autonomy. As outlined in the ASG resolution, Black students wanted more Black representation in the house. When I brought this up, I was told it was inappropriate to ask that Black people work at the Black House. I suggested I could lead a training on anti-Blackness and positionality to support my non-Black coworkers in navigating the space better. Instead, after working for Multicultural Student Affairs for three years, MSA used this incident as justification to start the process of terminating me for advocating on behalf of my peers. A few weeks later, MSA made a post celebrating Veterans Day for Native American Heritage Month because of the high percentage of Native people serving in the military. However, Black students and other community members were confused as to why MSA would honor the very veterans that were complicit in wars that impacted many of our communities here and abroad. Because I had access to MSA’s Instagram, I archived the post so that we could find better language to explain why MSA was honoring veterans. I provided other examples of language that could be used that captured the nuance of Native
people serving in the military and the violence of strikes that killed thousands of people around the US military. Instead, MSA’s Associate Directhe world. He deported more than three million tor Alejandro Magaña and Assistant Director migrants. He let the National Guard suppress Derek Nettingham terminated me for allegedly and harm protesters during the Baltimore Uprising and Standing Rock actions. violating MSA policies. Obama is not meant to be hung up among The day of my termination, I reached out to Black leaders like Malcolm X and Muhamboth parties asking for the specific policies and mad Ali. He is a war procedures I violated criminal and an expanthat justified my termination. It has been sionist of the violent over three months and U.S. empire. Students I haven’t been given requested that the that documentation. portrait not be hung When I raised Black student Many other student up, yet MSA went concerns I raised concerns, MSA dismissed them ahead and did that. In also have not been early October, I told as being irrational or inapproresolved to this day. Nettingham several MSA even failed to times that the portrait priate. Instead of engaging in pay me for the hours to be removed. any form of social justice, they’ve needed I worked. I moved As I gave tours in the forward with an Black House, alumni decided to uphold punitive investigation with the would often comment measures like prohibition and Office of Equity. on how strange it was On Jan. 28, I that Obama was the termination. received notification centerpiece of Black from the Office of Op-Ed Contributor leaders. The portrait Community Stanmade several comdards that I was promunity members feel hibited from using the uncomfortable, including me. Why would I want to steal it? Black House and participating in Black online I did not steal the portrait. In fact, MSA’s spaces such as our Association for Black Leaders group chat. MSA made a report stating that allegations that I stole the portrait were the former President Barack Obama portrait extremely anti-Black. It is not unusual for was missing and provided evidence that pointed Black people to have such false claims be made at me as the culprit. I never stole an Obama against them. MSA claims it wants to “analyze portrait. Why would I? Although Obama is our cultural differences to create a more socially first Black and mixed president, he is also a war just campus community through empathy and criminal. Obama ordered hundreds of drone understanding.” Yet when I raised Black student
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- MARI GASHAW,
concerns, MSA dismissed them as being irrational or inappropriate. Instead of engaging in any form of social justice, they’ve decided to uphold punitive measures like prohibition and termination. In the end, OCS found me not responsible for stealing it. Even though I am innocent and have been let back into the Black House, OCS and MSA have placed other restrictions on my access and made me go through educational programming. MSA staff have not been held accountable for dismissing concerns and being anti-Black to students. MSA would not exist if it weren’t for the organizers of the Bursar’s 100. It would not exist if 100 students did not occupy and defy university rules and structures to demand better for Black students. Those students understood that if the institution was not going to work for us, then we are going to find ways to create the spaces we need. Instead of upholding this legacy of student activism and agency, MSA has decided to shut it all down. MSA has been nothing but violent to me and has yet to apologize for the harm. Black students need a seperate student affairs department that actually supports and listens to them, not one that uses punitive measures to stop student organizing and silence our voices. MSA has proven to me that it’s not interested in how our identities contribute to our success. If MSA and OCS have the power to do this to me, imagine what they could do to you. Mari Gashaw is a SESP fifth-year. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
Cabral: We’re missing queer authors writing queer stories EMILIO CABRAL
OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR
Every avid reader has a book they fell in love with before it became popular. For me, it was Casey McQuiston’s debut novel “Red, White & Royal Blue.” When I pulled it from the shelf of my local Barnes & Noble in 2019, I was expecting a coming-of-age story made palatable for straight audiences. Instead, the book was a beautiful exploration of a Latinx man’s bisexual identity amidst a few international relations disasters. It was unmistakably and unapologetically queer. Unfortunately, stories like “Red, White & Royal Blue” — written for queer people and by queer people — are the exception, not the rule. For example, let’s take Becky Albertalli’s debut novel “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.” It tells the story of Simon, a white teenager who is struggling with coming out to his friends and family while at the same time falling for a stranger he has only spoken to through emails. Its film adaptation was the first mainstream teen romantic comedy to feature a gay lead, but many queer people didn’t see themselves represented in a narrative that tried to pander to both straight and queer people. The problem with “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda” is that it attempts to make blanket statements about being a gay man when its protagonist — and his liberal family — is only representative of a small, privileged portion of the community.
authors should only be allowed to write charStories like this are endemic in an overwhelmingly straight publishing industry, and acters with whom they share identities. Zadie instead of books written by queer authors, read- Smith — an English novelist, essayist, and ers are treated to queer stories and characters tenured professor at New York University — written by straight authors. Rick Riordan, the puts it best in her 2019 essay for The New York author of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review entitled “Fascinated to Presume: In series, is a high-profile example of this. Defense of Fiction.” Riordan is a beloved young adult author The essay rebuked the idea that the only way largely because of his commitment to writing writers can create meaningful and moral fiction diverse characters, and he was one of the first is to have an autobiographical connection with to highlight queer protagonists in an industry a character. that was slow to do Instead, Smith so. But what is often puts forth the idea ignored in the wellthat fiction is centered around poet deserved praise that Emily Dickinson’s Riordan receives is fascination with his status as a straight, presumption. Smith white man. He was Books with queer protagonists explains presumpable to take a “risk” and storylines that have been tion is not about an and portray queer author assuming that characters because watered down — either by their their representation his place in the indusstraight authors or for straight try was secure. As a of a character is correct, but rather about straight, white man audiences — are not just annoydaring to create a he can take risks and ing, they’re harmful. connection between he’s a more palatable the grief, joy and option than an upand-coming queer Op-Ed Contributor experiences they as an author have felt author. and the feelings of Still, it’s worth noting that Riordan has recently recognized his their character. Essentially, the heart of fiction responsibility to uplift queer writers when tellis about comparisons. Writer and character. ing these stories. His new series based around Reader and writer. the queer characters he introduced in earlier But we have to understand that fiction books is being co-written with Mark Oshiro, a doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Books with queer queer, Latinx author who will be able to help protagonists and storylines that have been Riordan tell a more authentic story. watered down — either by their straight However, this is not to say that I believe authors or for straight audiences — are not just
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- EMILIO CABRAL,
annoying, they’re harmful. By only portraying the version of queer identity that straight readers and audiences are comfortable with, these books reinforce an existing system. This system refuses to acknowledge the complex lives and identities of trans people, non-binary people, queer people of color, and more. I have read wonderful queer stories written by straight authors, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t wondered what the story could have been if it were written by someone who was queer. It’s not just about nuance, it’s about the meaning behind the book. What story are you as a straight woman trying to tell by writing a gay romance novel? What do you have to gain by telling stories that are explicitly about an intersection that you don’t occupy? In a perfect world, writers would be able to presume as much as they want. But in a world where the canon of literature itself is inherently exclusive and violent, we can’t continue to pretend that there is not a difference between a straight author writing a book with a gay protagonist, and a straight author writing a book centered around their idea of the queer experience. Especially when the industry is still overwhelmingly devoid of queer authors. If we want queer stories, why not let queer authors write them? Emilio Cabral is a Weinberg sophomore. He can be contacted at EmilioCabral2024@u.northwestern. edu. If you would like to respond publicly to this op-ed, send a Letter to the Editor to opinion@ dailynorthwestern.com. The views expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect the views of all staff members of The Daily Northwestern.
The Daily Northwestern Editor in Chief Isabelle Saraf Opinion Editor Lily Nevo
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