VOICE The Georgetown
The Road to Unionizing D.C. Charter Schools page 8
JT Marcinkowski Pushes the Boundaries of Georgetown Men’s Soccer page 10
August 30, 2017
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AUGUST 30, 2017
THE GEORGETOWN VOICE Volume 50 • Issue 2
staff editor-in-chief Caitlyn cobb Managing editor alex boyd news
executive editor lilah burke Features editor jonny amon assistant features editor caitlin mannering news editor jake maher assistant news editors michael coyne, noah telerski
culture
executive editor mike bergin Leisure editor devon o’dwyer assistant leisure editors brynn furey, ryan mazalatis, mary mei Sports editor tyler pearre Assistant sports editor beth cunniff, jorge deneve
opinion
“strike!” by Aicha nzie
contents
Editorials
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Sexism in the City Sienna Brancato
5
Disregarding Disability Shannon Burke
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Labor Day Reflections: The Impact of Unions Joshua Armstead
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An ACTS to Grind Caitlyn Cobb and Isaiah Seibert
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Making His Mark Tyler Pearre
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The Voice’s Summer Reading List Leisure Staff
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Revival: A Spectacle of the the Unsettling Emily Jaster
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Despite a Strong Lead, Pattie Cake$ is Nothing New Caitlin Mannering
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Executive editor graham piro voices editor cassidy jensen Assistant Voices editors sienna Brancato, rebecca zaritsky Editorial Board Chair chris dunn Editorial Board jon block, caitlyn cobb, Nick Gavio, Alli Kaufman, GRAHAM PIRO, Isaiah seibert, PHillip Steuber
halftime
Leisure editor emily Jaster assistant leisure editors claire goldberg, julia pinney, eman rahman Sports editor jon block Assistant sports editor phillip steuber
design
Executive editor alli kaufman Spread editor jack townsend Photo Editor Isabel lord cover Editor aicha nzie assistant design editors jake glass, keeho kang, lizz pankova, rachel zeide Staff Designers Sam Lee
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copy chief audrey bischoff assistant Copy editors Leanne Almeida, Isabel Paret editors Mica Bernhard, Sienna Brancato, Jack Cashmere, Anna Gloor, Claire Goldberg, Isabel Lord, JuliA PINNEY, Jack Townsend
online
website editor Anne Freeman Podcast editor nick gavio assistant podcast editor Gustav Honl-stuenkel social media editor mica bernhard
business
general manager naiara parker assistant manager of alumni outreach anna gloor assistant manager of accounts & sales karis hawkins
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The opinions expressed in The Georgetown Voice do not necessarily represent the views of the administration, faculty or students of Georgetown University, unless specifically stated. Columns, advertisements, cartoons and opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or the General Board of The Georgetown Voice. The university subscribes to the principle of responsible freedom of expression of its student editors. All materials copyright The Georgeton Voice, unless otherwise indicated.
editor@georgetownvoice.com Leavey 424 Box 571066 Georgetown University Washington, DC 20057
contributing editors emma francois, danielle hewitt, kaei li, isaiah seibert associate editors margaret Gach, amy guay, parker houston, alex lewontin, anne paglia, lindsay reilly
Staff writers MOnica Cho, Brynne Long, Santul nerkar, madelyn rice, Brice russo, Katya Schwenk, Dan Sheehan, Maddie vagadori
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Transportation and Getting Around D.C. Georgetown may not have its own metro stop, but there are still plenty of ways to get around the city. Kenneth Lee explains all things transportation from the GUTS bus locations to local bike routes.
The World of Leo’s and On-Campus Dining
Like it or not, all freshmen are required to purchase a meal plan. Kenneth Lee reports on the tastiest and most efficient ways to use meal swipes and flex dollars.
Mental Health at Georgetown The transition to college is hard on everyone, whether we admit it or not. Each and every person deserves to care for themself. Megan Howell and Eleanor Sugrue explain the resources available at Georgetown and beyond.
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AUGUST 30, 2017
EDITORIALS
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Dear Incoming Students... Welcome to Georgetown. It’s not our habit at the Voice to take ourselves too seriously. We believe in being aware of our own weirdness and our flaws and seeking out the weirdness in others. That’s the advice this Editorial Board gave the last incoming class, but as true as it still is, this year we have something more serious we’d like to say. Nazi symbols, racist and anti-Semitic slogans, and white nationalist rallying cries flooded the University of Virginia and the city of Charlottesville this summer. A culture of hate fought for recognition and validation and received it as we all waited for a presidential condemnation that came late, weak, and insincere. This hate has surfaced in and around our own campus deplorably often over the past year. At the close of last semester, someone hung bananas by nooses around American University’s campus after the student government elected its first female African-American president. Fliers for a white supremacist group circulated Georgetown’s campus in April of this year, and in November of last year racist fliers targeted our Latin American Studies and Spanish and Portuguese language programs. Just weeks ago, anti-Semitic graffiti was sprayed on a D.C. public school building commonly used by our track team. Even with all this, it might still be tempting to try and separate Georgetown from the events in Charlottesville. There is no statue of Stonewall Jackson looming over us on Copley Lawn, and there are no Confederate flags over Healy. But Georgetown as a historical institution and as a modern university is not separate from the legacies of slavery and the Confederacy. One needs to look no further than the 272 slaves sold to pay off the university’s debts in 1838. Our own school colors carry a legacy of the Civil War, as they were chosen to unite the 200 union and 900 confederate soldiers from Georgetown’s student body and faculty who wore blue and gray on the battlefield.
During protests in 2015, students called for Mulledy Hall, whose namesake sold the 272 slaves to pay off the institution’s debts, to be renamed. Today, that building is Isaac Hawkins Hall, named for the first slave listed on the document of sale. Georgetown has also now extended preferential admissions to descendants of those slaves as part of a still ongoing effort of reconciliation. Slavery and racism’s ugly legacies are not just footnotes in our history, and this campus has been and continues to be confronted with them every day. About two weeks ago, University President John DeGioia sent out a letter calling on us all to remember and renew our commitment to our values as we re-enter campus. “This moment in our nation demands the very best of each of us and all of us, and ‘the best’ is what we should demand of ourselves,” DeGioia wrote. We have something less visible than a statue to dismantle, something which spans beyond our campus but has roots here just as it has roots across the country. In his message to campus, DeGioia called on us to remember to care for the whole person, to be men and women for others, to “become a people.” As students, it’s up to us. Our responsibility is to remember that these values mean nothing if we do not bring them to life. The hatred we need to shut out is ubiquitous: White supremacy, islamophobia, anti-Semitism, racism, misogyny, xenophobia, homophobia, and bigotry of all forms are existential threats to our campus. We are here as more than just a school; we are here as a community, the safety and integrity of which depends on our commitment to each other. So as you start your year at Georgetown, of course, reject hate. Reject passivity in the face of hate. And always demand the best. As always, much love, The Voice
Justice Department Makes Troubling Turns on Voting Rights In the seven months that he has been in the White House, it seems as if President Donald Trump and his administration have produced a lifetime’s worth of political news coverage. Much of the turmoil in the administration is simply fuel for the 24-hour news cycle, with the length of the stories’ relevance counted in hours rather than days. Yet for all of the misspelled tweets and new press secretaries, the administration has quietly made a number of moves that have tangible, negative effects on the lives and rights of millions of Americans. One such example is the ongoing assault on voting rights occurring across the country, with Republican-controlled state legislatures from Wisconsin to North Carolina to Ohio working hard to decrease African-American and other minority participation in the electoral process. While many of these tactics have been used by states before the Trump administration, especially following 2013’s landmark Supreme Court case Shelby County v. Holder, this summer, the new administration has overseen a tremendous reversal toward legal support for policies that make it harder for these marginalized communities to vote. Attempts to disenfranchise minorities are as old as the United States itself. AfricanAmerican males were denied the right to vote until 1869, and women could not vote until the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. These constitutional amendments alone were not enough to ensure access to the ballot for all, with reactionaries always seeking new ways to limit who can influence our nation’s most important institutions. From the poll taxes of the Jim Crow era to the ID laws of today, the statutes themselves may be different, but their intent is the same. A federal court in North Carolina recently found that the Republican state legislature enacted voter identification laws and eliminated early voting sites in 2013 that targeted African-Americans with “almost surgical precision.” While the Obama administration fought against unconstitutional voter suppression laws when in office, the Trump administration has taken an entirely different stance. In July, the Justice Department reversed its position to support a voter suppression law in Texas after the Obama administration previously argued that it intentionally discriminated against minorities. On Aug. 7, the Justice Department once again reversed previous policies,
defending an Ohio law allowing the state to purge voter rolls. These are just a few examples of the systematic efforts to disenfranchise minority voters that have gained the support of the highest level of government. Unfortunately, after years of fighting these efforts, the Department of Justice now supports them. Shortly after his inauguration, Trump alleged that three to five million non-citizens illegally voted in the 2016 election, a completely baseless claim. In response, his administration convened a “commission on election integrity” being led by some of the nation’s most notorious vote-suppressors, including Kris Kobach, the Kansas Secretary of State who has made voting in his state significantly more difficult. In late June, the commission requested that states provide voter data that included the names, ages, and party identifications. 44 states refused to comply. It is clear that the intention of this commission is to rationalize the elimination of voting access to historically disadvantaged communities, not to tackle the real issues facing voters across the country. A voting commission should be convened, however it should focus on expanding ballot access, not reducing it. For this editorial board, this means automatic voter registration and making early voting easy and accessible. The United States has some of the worst election participation rates in the world, with only 56 percent of the voting age population casting a ballot in the 2016 presidential election. In a country that prides itself on democracy, this is unacceptable. In the past few months, the Trump administration has moved beyond tacit approval of these laws to a full-on endorsement by the highest levels of government. The Justice Department, once the country’s strongest advocate for civil rights, is now fighting hard to ensure that the federal government is on the wrong side of history. We urge Americans to focus on these issues of voter suppression with the energy and attention they deserve. While stories about amicus briefs and Supreme Court proceedings lack the flash of some of the summer’s other headlines, they are essential to ensuring that all Americans have access to the ballot, something that American citizens, unlike the current Justice Department, must not forget.
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THE GEORGETOWN VOICE
You are most likely to encounter the New York City bitch during rush hour. Lifted chin, overall polished and professional appearance, determined gaze, assertive posture, eyes staring straight forward. This bitch will shove you out of the way for a place in a packed subway car. This bitch is used to having to assert herself at every possible opportunity because this bitch knows she has to fight for every inch of space. This bitch is familiar with wandering hands on subway cars, with humiliation, with violation. This bitch has developed a hardened exterior. This bitch is intimidating. And yes, this bitch is always a woman. Last summer, I commuted with my mom, who has carefully cultivated an unshakeable image and demeanor over more than 20 years traveling from Long Island to the financial district using public transportation. While commuting alone, I learned to see why she acted this way: it doesn’t matter if we’re alone, with a group of friends, or with a significant other. This summer, I rode the train every morning with a female friend my age and then walked to my office, a building across the street from the Empire State Building, alone. On the firstday, I was catcalled seven times during the 10 minute walk from Penn Station. As I said, it was my first day. Feeling unsafe during my commute added one more thing to first-day nerves. Every woman I know can tell me multiple stories off the top of her head of harassment experienced while in the city. A young teenager is groped on the street while walking with a physically imposing male friend. A man tries to grab a girl’s breast while she walks with her mom. A woman’s purse is insistently poked by a man sitting on the subway as a nonverbal signal telling her she’s not allowed to take up space. A girl is bothered repeatedly for her Instagram username by a stranger sitting across from her on the subway. A young woman is followed for 10 blocks by a man into a Starbucks, where she cries and pretends to be on the phone dealing with a family emergency to get him to leave her alone. No one intervenes. A middle aged man approaches me in my favorite crowded pizza restaurant near my office. He immediately begins asking me personal questions about where I live and work, insisting that we share food, telling me I look like a “nice French girl,” whatever that means. He steps too close for comfort and puts his hand on my bag. My hands begin to shake, my heart races, and my palms sweat. No one intervenes. I, the outspoken feminist who wanted nothing more than to give him a piece of my mind, felt my tongue shrink back into my throat. I reverted to the ingrained defense mechanism of smiling and responding civilly, demurely, agreeing with whatever he said because there was no way of knowing what reaction a contrary response might produce. Thankfully, he let me leave without much protest. I was so frustrated with myself in that moment for not being able to speak up. I never went back to that restaurant because even thinking about going in made the feelings of stress and discomfort return.
VOICES
Sexism in the City
CARRYING ON: VOICE STAFFERS SPEAK
Lizz Pankova
“You can deliver my package any day,” says the Wall Street bro sitting across from me on the subway, a stunning display of wit in response to the fact that I was carrying a box. His eyes shift side to side, seeking the approval of the other young men in perfectly tailored suits and sunglasses sitting with him. An immature boy looking for a bit of amusement at the expense of a young woman’s comfort; cue the fist bumps and self-congratulatory laughter. A relatively mild and absurd experience, it was easy to brush off, but encounters like this are not always so mild or non-threatening. There’s this sense among bystanders that because the harassment is taking place in a public space, intervention is unnecessary because there’s no way that men would commit actual violence with so many people around. But verbal harassment is a form of violence. Will the confrontation really end when the girl leaves the store? Don’t the targets of this harassment deserve assistance from people who are able to provide it? As a young woman who had not yet developed the city bitch persona, I rode the subway this summer as women are expected to. We hold our bags as closely as possible to our bodies, wary of taking up more space than is absolutely necessary. We are hesitant to push forward when trying to enter or exit subway cars and meekly say “excuse me” while we worry we won’t make it off the crowded train before the doors close. That’s one of the main differences in the ways in which men and women are socialized: women are taught to take up as little space as possible, physically and verbally, while men are taught they are entitled to it.
That’s what this whole issue comes down to: a woman’s right to take up space. Women have the right to exist just as much as men do, which should be obvious, yet we are constantly told the opposite. Every time a man yells at us from across the street, he is telling us that the sidewalk doesn’t belong to us. Every time a man crowds us, insisting we reveal personal information in a busy restaurant, he is telling us that he owns the space in which we’re simply trying to exist. Every time we are groped or shoved on the subway, it communicates a message of shame and unworthiness. By the end of the summer, I walked down city blocks confidently, headphones in place to drown out the noise, chin slightly elevated, a fledgling city bitch just learning to take flight. But I learned that projecting a hardened exterior doesn’t always work, that all women are subject to harassment regardless. Some days were more intense than others. Some days, I wasn’t bothered at all. But we should not have to feel grateful for the days we are not harassed, and we should not stop talking about the harassment we face. I will keep talking about this until women can commute to their jobs without fearing street harassment, until the city bitch exterior is no longer necessary, until women can claim their fair share of public space as their own.
By Sienna Brancato She is a sophomore in the College.
VOICES
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AUGUST 30, 2017
Disregarding Disability
Throughout my two years at eorgetown, I’ve heard people say countless times that the university does everything in its power to help students graduate in four years. But in my experience, this is only true if you’re able-bodied, able-minded, and you’re, well, on track to graduate in four years. eorgetown preaches about how inclusive the institution is of all community members, in terms of race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ethnicity, citizenship, socioeconomic status, and place of origin. I’m sure that many students could write at length about how eorgetown has failed to make them feel included and safe with regards to their identities, but I want to discuss an identity that people often forget belongs on this list: ability. I have severe Attention eficit Hyperactivity isorder A H , in addition to a chronic disease that has spread near my brain and warranted urgent, serious surgery. My entire life used to revolve around playing soccer, but my disease eroded bones near my brain, and now I can’t engage in physical activity because of the risk of having brain fluid leak into places it shouldn’t. Despite this, I never thought of either of these conditions as part of my identity (or even as disabilities). That is, before I came to eorgetown. The five-course semester is manageable for most eorgetown students, even if they may be stressed out of their minds and unable to shut up about it. But for someone with A H as bad as mine and a disease that almost killed me, rendering me unable to breathe or get out of bed for an entire semester last year, the five-course semester leads to endless all-nighters, a constant feeling of inadequacy, poor results, and an exacerbated attention disorder due to the overwhelming stress. After withdrawing from a course last fall and undergoing serious surgery over winter break, I realized that the only way I’d make it through eorgetown in four years and graduate with my peers is by taking four courses each semester, and subsequently catching up with summer courses. I planned to take four online courses this summer, which would have allowed me to be in Arizona near my doctor and stay on track to graduate on time. I began looking into summer school options in anuary, and learned that the eorgetown online summer school session structure only permits a student to take two courses the entire summer. I was left with no choice but to apply for approval of four non- eorgetown online courses and hope the ean’s Office would sympathize with my situation. Long story short, I applied for 13 courses in total over the course of five months, and I made it clear to the deans that I was open to taking literally any courses from any school that would allow me to get 12 credits with four classes during this past summer semester. However, the deans rejected a multitude of courses that actually met their stated criteria, simply because they “weren’t up to eorgetown’s standards.” The application process lasted from January through the beginning of June, by which time I was enrolled in a UConn
online course that definitely met all of the committee’s standards, and was much more academically rigorous than the other courses they had already approved. The committee requires a certain level of professor-student interaction and student to student interaction, as well as video lectures, regular instructor feedback, and evidence of various deadlines throughout the semester in order to approve the class. Most classes I applied for had all of these aspects, not to mention that all of these classes met the criteria better than the eorgetown online courses many of my friends were taking. After five months of applying for courses and only being approved for three, I decided to stick it out in a history course that met the aforementioned criteria, and simply wait for the committee to approve itthe course. Three days into the course, however, one of the deans informed me that the course didn’t have a large paper or exam, and thus could not transfer in for credit as a eorgetown history course. I informed the course professor of the situation, and he said he was willing to tweak the class and help me in whatever way possible so I could get credit.
I should have been treated on an individual basis, not as a nuisance. After ignoring my attempts at contacting them long past the add drop period, the deans were unwilling to make exceptions for me even though the course could be tailored to meet their standards—treating me rudely and using false reasons to disapprove the class, insinuating that I was just trying to cheat the system by taking another university’s (supposedly easier) classes. Although I called and emailed while the deans were in office and while they met as a committee, I was told the dean I had been in contact with was busy and would call me back, which she never did. Instead, I got one of the rudest, most demeaning emails I’ve ever received, which the dean clearly intended as the final communication with me on the matter. I subsequently sent a thoughtful, personal email explaining my experience and personal circumstances to all of the deans involved, in the hopes that they could improve the process for future students of similar situations, to which I was never graced with a response. I want to share this story because it illustrates how unwilling eorgetown is to accommodate students who do not fit the typical ability mold, largely due to the assumption that anyone who seeks alternative routes to get through eorgetown is sim-
ply trying to game the system. Both the deans themselves and the registration process made me feel absolutely helpless; the obstacles they put in my path made me feel as though there was something wrong with me for not being able to fit into eorgetown’s traditional method of education. I did everything in my power to keep myself on track, but the administration prevented me from doing so. The deans, who are supposed to be our best academic resources, ignored me, forced me to fill out the same time-consuming application 13 times with no guidance or empathy, and never once took into consideration that I, like anyone else, have my own unique set of circumstances. I should have been treated on an individual basis, not as a nuisance. In my experience, the student culture at eorgetown sets ridiculously high expectations for the amount of work students are supposed to be able to balance at once, whether in class, in clubs, or in internships (or in all three), creating a seriously skewed standard. Whenever people accusatorily asked why I was only taking four classes last semester, one of which was oil painting, I felt the need to justify my choice by explaining all of my personal issues, and only then did people stop making false assumptions about my intentions. For those students who are unable to meet this absurd standard, our community assumes they are lazy, deficient, and or skating through college, just trying to find the easiest way out. The only course of action I think can remedy this problem is to engage in more open dialogues, not only about our twisted culture, but also about abilities and disabilities—whether physical, cognitive, or psychological so that eorgetown can become more accepting of people with both learning differences and or physical differences. I ask that anyone who reads this try to recognize that just because a person may look able-bodied and or able-minded, that does not mean that they are. Treat everyone with respect for their unique identities, and take the time to engage in honest conversations with other students who don’t necessarily fit the typical eorgetown mold. If we as a student body start treating others with this kind of compassion, individuality, and open-mindedness, the ean’s Office and others with power will be pressured to follow the students’ lead, and adopt the policies and mentality necessary to make our community more accommodating and accessible. And then no one will feel like there is something wrong with them for not getting a perfect grade on the ability scale.
By Shannon Burke She is a junior in the College.
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THE GEORGETOWN VOICE
VOICES
Labor Day Reflections The Impact of Unions
In the four years that I have been a member of the eorgetown niversity community, my outlook on life has changed profoundly. Becoming involved with my union gave me a sense of purpose and conviction. ITE HE E Local 2 represents 0,000 members across the nited States in various sectors of the hospitality and food industry. For eorgetown that means the dining hall workers in Leo’s, Hoya ourt, the esuit Annex, Bulldog Tavern, the eorgetown atering and eorgetown Hotel and onference enter workers, and last but not least, the parking workers near the hospital. I became active in my union because I did not want to become like my mother, who I watched suffer abuse for years at each company for which she worked. She would come home and tell me story after story about how companies docked her pay, refused to pay her for the hours she worked, humiliated her in public and behind closed doors, and deprived her of dignity. This took an emotional toll on my mother as she gave up on upward mobility for herself and for me, deciding to stick it out at one horrible company after another before being unjustly terminated. I watched hopelessness consume her. I uickly realized that I would fall into the same trap as my mother here at eorgetown working from paycheck to paycheck, feeling stuck in the rat race with no way to better my situation or move up the ladder of society. Instead of waiting for that same feeling of helplessness to wreak havoc upon me, I joined the nion ommittee to fight for respect and a better way of life. The struggle was unionizing Hoya ourt, atering, and the eorgetown Hotel. In 20 , we talked and agitated people around specific issues like respect and wages, bringing workers to realize the truth about the nature of their exploitation and how to fight it. We convinced workers that we could indeed win, brought them out to actions, and fostered willingness to face the company and the university itself, if need be. It took effort, time, and the unity of my coworkers to succeed against a company which we thought was so much larger than ourselves. But in the end, we realized the value of our labor and that we, the workers, are the ones who make the wheels turn and the ones who can bring them to a screeching halt. After those months of organizing, planning, talking, encouraging, and marching, we beat Aramark and secured one of the best contracts in the istrict. Because of that fight, I am proud to say that I have health insurance, which allowed me to visit the doctor for the first time in about two decades and get glasses which enable me to see clearly for the first time in over years. ood raises and benefits give me hope of living well and having a future. The world in which my mother lived was one I knew I could change, so long as I dared to fight. In the two years since that battle, I have had the experience of traveling across the country, meeting hundreds of union and nonunion workers. We continue to organize and fight against
The author takes a photo with fellow UNITE HERE members. those who value their profits more than our livelihoods and dignity. I’ve given speeches, represented ITE HE E at the White House, and traveled to different states to be a part of various union campaigns and solidarity actions. o matter where I am, from hoenix, Arz. to ambridge, ass. I can never forget the fundamental lesson that I learned at eorgetown working people, united, can never be defeated. The collective and united voice of those who are determined to resist exploitation can shape history and elevate our individual voices, as well as those of our children and grandchildren for generations to come. That voice screams out for the promise of upward mobility and the respect for hard work that is associated with economic security and stability. In essence, the American dream is one which transcends race, gender, and all dividing factors that working people face. It is a dream which can only be obtained, defended, and expanded upon by coming together for the collective good. I call this place home, but there is still much work to be done. I have a vision where food service workers, subcontracted or not, are treated as essential university staff, with all the respect and benefits that come with such association. A vision where unions are more heavily involved in local politics, supporting their members not only at work but also in our commu-
Courtesy Joshua Armstead
nities, and where members of the working class are represented in government offices, from the lowest to the highest levels. y mission as an organizer is to empower, and in the development of that goal, I’ve learned lessons of maintaining personal relationships, building community, establishing trust and showing solidarity. Historically, the dignity of workers has only been heard during select periods when workers fight for shortterm needs. I envision a world where workers are “permanently militant,” whether during contract fights or not they actively know their rights and want to expand them. At the slightest sign of disrespect from a boss, workers would be ready to take collective action and build solidarity, not only on campus, but also with different locals, unions, and causes. The struggle must go on until it is won, and it must spread to every single person who believes in a better day and a promising future. For an injustice to one is an injustice to all.
By Joshua Armstead He is a member of UNITE HERE Local 23.
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AUGUST 30, 2017
DETOUR
An ACTS to Grind
TEACHERS WORKING
ROAD CLOSED?
Graphics: Jake glass
The Road to Unionizing D.C. Charter Schools By Caitlyn Cobb and Isaiah Seibert “We had put in a ton of work throughout the entire year, and then to have that all be for naught in the end was discouraging.” David Koenig spearheaded an effort to unionize teachers at Paul Public Charter School (Paul PCS), a middle and high school in northwest D.C. where he teaches government. The school would have become part of the roughly 10 percent of charter schools nationwide with a teachers’ union. “We were all pretty demoralized,” Koenig said. In an attempt to become the first teachers’ union at any District charter school, Koenig and his fellow organizers made their union campaign public in February, though their push this year did not succeed. Only one of the District’s 118 charter schools has successfully formed a teachers’ union, when the staff at Chavez Prep Middle School in Columbia Heights unionized a few months later. Both these campaigns went public earlier this year, and together are the first signs that teacher unionization at charter schools is gaining momentum in the District. Charter schools, which are publicly funded but operate independently of the local school district, have historically lacked teachers’ unions. The campaign at Paul PCS went public after staff presented a petition to the school showing roughly 70 percent of the faculty supported a union. They were set to organize under the District of Columbia Alliance of Charter Teachers and Staff . . A TS , a new affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT).
But a day before the March 30 vote, the AFT pulled the election. Koenig said he sat with the AFT organizer a few days before the election and gauged public support. He expected 55 to 60 percent of the staff to vote yes, enough to form a union. But that number was not enough for the organizer to follow through with the election, Koenig believes. “Our organizer said he had that experience in the past where people are saying that they’re gonna vote yes, but they’re not willing to be public, and then they go in and they actually vote no,” Koenig said. Koenig said many teachers were upset by the AFT’s decision, but he understands the AFT wants their first attempt to unionize charter schools in the District to succeed. “It just shows that their interest and priorities were not 100 percent aligned with ours,” Koenig said. “They’re thinking what’s the best way to organize charter schools in D.C., and we were thinking what is the best thing for us here at this school.” Koenig said multiple factors led to the decline in public support for the union. Some teachers feared retaliation if they voiced support. District charter school teachers are at-will employees, meaning their employers can choose not to renew their contracts for almost any reason. Others were worried future employers would see their support for charter school unions, limiting their job prospects.
And most importantly, the entire process was too exhausting for many people. “It seems to me,” said Koenig, basing his observations off of conversations with other teachers, “that the board’s strategy was to make people so sick and tired of hearing about the union, having people talk to them about the union, hearing the word ‘union,’ that they would want to vote no just to make the whole thing go away.” Speaking to POLITICO, an AFT spokesperson cited an antiunion campaign full of “fear, harassment, and intimidation” from Paul PCS’ administration. “I think [the AFT] probably went a little bit too far. That’s pretty strong language,” Koenig said. Nevertheless, he believes the administration employed dishonest tactics, accusing them of stalling unionization efforts, using popular administrators to discourage unionizing, and spreading negative rumors. Roberta Colton, chair of the Paul PCS Board of Trustees, declined further comments, referring to a February statement explaining the board’s decision not to recognize the union. “The School has always maintained an open door policy and an atmosphere that encourages the free exchange of ideas on all issues that impact our valuable employees and the working conditions at the School,” the statement read. According to Koenig, the school told teachers a union would make taking days off more difficult, and union dues would lead to lower take-home pay. He also said the school claimed a union
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THE GEORGETOWN VOICE
would make teachers’ lives harder since they would no longer be able to bring their children to school. But the Paul PCS administration and school board were not the only ones opposing the unionization effort. Nicole Clark is a colleague of Koenig’s at Paul PCS, where she teaches English. She is not anti-union, but she disagreed with the organizers’ tactics. “They spoke negatively about our school in the press and did not give school leadership the opportunity to respond to their concerns before moving forward with a push for a vote,” she wrote in an email to the Voice. Clark mentioned that along with other concerned members of the faculty, she voiced her thoughts at school forums and in private conversations with colleagues. “We gained a lot of support from teachers who felt that they were not given the full picture when asked to sign the original petition,” she wrote. Although union support is by no means universal, new organization efforts in charter schools are part of a larger growing interest in unionization at all levels of education. “Adjunct professors at many campuses, including Georgetown, have unionized in recent years. Graduate students are also beginning to unionize,” Joseph McCartin, a history professor at Georgetown and director of the Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, wrote in an email to the Voice. “Unions are strongly organized in K-12 public schools. The movement for charters was funded in many cases by those who hoped to weaken teachers’ unions. But even in charters, unions have been making inroads recently.” And only four months after Paul PCS’ unsuccessful attempt, the faculty at another D.C. charter successfully unionized and are now negotiating their own contract. The two campaigns were separate with practically no communication between the two schools, but they faced similar challenges as their campaigns went public in 2017. Organizers at Chavez Prep Middle School, one of the four Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy, presented a petition signed by about 80 percent of staff to the National Labor Review Board in May, but were refused voluntary recognition from their school board, forcing them to go to a vote in order to unionize. In June, teachers voted 31-2 to form a union under the AFT affiliate aul S had first petitioned to join . . A TS. Over the next year, they will negotiate a contract with the school, with negotiations scheduled to begin in mid-September. “I was really happy about it,” said Christian Herr, a Chavez Prep science teacher on the union organizing committee. “I wasn’t surprised to see that level of support.” Herr added that
“The movement for char ters was funded in many cases by those who hoped to weaken teachers’ unions. But even in char ters, unions have been making inroads recently.”
Teachers at Chavez Prep Middle School voted 31-2 to unionize. the teachers did a good job of staying informed and helping each other through the process. Their first step toward unionization began in August 20 , when teachers reached out to the AFT for guidance. They did not submit a petition to the AFT until May 2017. Although he’s happy with the school and its administration this year, Herr said high rates of teacher and administrator turnover at Chavez Prep led to long-term instability for students and teachers, and was one of the main reasons he felt a union was necessary. Like at Paul PCS, some teachers at Chavez Prep had reservations about the role of unions. Herr and Mateo Samper, another Chavez Prep teacher on the organizing committee, said some teachers at Chavez Prep were worried a teachers’ union might protect bad teachers. Herr had encountered this problem as an organizer in Memphis and did not want to see it happen at Chavez Prep. “Our thinking is that our teachers need to be supported. There needs to be a due process,” he said. “We’re not interested in protecting people who should not be in front of children.” Herr and Samper said they did not feel there was a significant anti-union campaign from their administration. Dr. Kourtney Miller, the current Chavez Prep principal, wrote in an email to the Voice that the administration never supported unionization but respected the organizing process. “From the school leadership’s perspective, what’s essential is that we make Chavez Prep a great place to learn and work, and we don’t think a union is necessary to achieve that goal,” she wrote. Miller said the school’s refusal to grant voluntary recognition for the union served as a means to ensure all teachers had a full say. “We took a democratic approach, and it led to a vote,” she wrote. “I think it is worth noting that this union effort is taking place at a school named for one of the great union leaders of
Caitlyn Cobb
the last half-century,” McCartin wrote. “Cesar Chavez believed strongly in unions as vehicles that could advocate not only for the workers who joined them, but for the common good.” In a statement, the board of directors of Cesar Chavez Public Charter Schools for Public Policy emphasized that the school’s name has never implied the administration’s position on unionization. “Having the name of legendary union organizer and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez on our doors for nearly 20 years has never been a statement of support or opposition to unionization,” it read. “It’s a statement of belief in the responsibility and power in all of us to improve the lives of others.” To Koenig, unionization is a necessary tool for improving education, even in the face of difficulties like those he has experienced at Paul PCS. He said conditions at the school have improved since the last attempt to organize, but to him, unionization is about more than that. “It’s a bigger thing,” he said. “I think that teachers everywhere need to unionize where they’re not, and where they are unionized they need to be real active and get those unions to speak on bigger policy issues.” Koenig wants to try again next school year, but this time, without the AFT. He said many of his colleagues are upset at the organization for pulling the vote. “It’s not easy,” he said. “There’s a lot of legal paperwork that needs to be done.” While the AFT has employees to do that kind of work for them, oenig said he plans to use a law firm, likely pro bono. But this time around will be a little different. “I think certainly having the example of Cesar Chavez [Prep] is going to help. Their school did many of the same things that our school did, but they stayed strong,” he said. “Now they’re negotiating a contract themselves.”
AUGUST 30, 2017
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Making His Mark: JT Marcinkowski Pushes the Boundaries of Georgetown Men’s Soccer
GU Sports Information
The next time you walk into Leo’s, take a quick look aro nd yo might st nd yo rself sitting ne t to a United States World Cup player. James Thomas “JT” Marcinkowski spent last s mmer competing ith the U S en s ational U Team in So th orea o , the nior goal eeper is bac at school, spending his hours hanging out at the dining hall and training with his teammates on Cooper Field. Altho gh he has ic ly become one of the most decorated men’s soccer players in Georgetown’s recent memory, his commitment to the school as anything b t g aranteed hen the t o year captain as one of the nation s top recr its in When recruiting Marcinkowski, the odds were stacked against the oyas ailing from Alamo, Calif , arcin o s i as one of the nation s most highly so ght after recr its in the class of ith a trac record that as as lengthy as it as impressi e Despite being separated from Georgeto n s camp s by o er , miles, arcin o s i s e perience ca ght the attention of the coaching staff “He was always a youth national team kid. So, you’re always reading ‘JT Marcinkowski called into [camp],’” Georgetown ead Coach rian iese said o re al ays a are of the name o d see him ith his San ose arth a es cl b team at some of the ma or e ents as a yo ng player
While Georgetown, like most other schools in the country, ere een on recr iting the Californian, they faced a da nting task: convincing him to leave his home state and turn down perennial po erho se soccer teams s ch as Stanford Uni ersity and the Uni ersity of California, er eley Dealing ith high end players from California, a lot of the schools the UCLAs, the Stanfords, the Cals are going to try to get those ids And those are great schools and California ids ant to go to those schools So, it s rare that yo get a really top end California id e en anting to lea e that state, iese said t the oyas had a ni e ad antage: no nior defender eter Schropp A ebras a nati e hose father and uncle previously played at Georgetown, Schropp got to know arcin o s i hen they attended se eral U S en s ational Team camps together It as at these camps that the ebras a boy and California id as Schropp described them formed an nli ely friendship “We weren’t really meant to click, I don’t think. But over the years e had st been spending ee s at a time together every two months or so and we really grew close to one another during those weeks. I was always set on Georgetown and I knew JT was always up in the air,” Schropp said. Marcinkowski said that he wanted to remain as open as possible d ring the recr iting process, a mindset
reflecti e of his laid bac demeanor o e er, Schropp s persistence o ld pay off hen arcin o s i agreed to isit Georgetown’s campus. That feeling, as soon as yo step on camp s, I st ne it was the right place,” Marcinkowski said. After a day and a half here, hen I left, I act ally called eter hile I as in the cab on the ay bac to the airport and I told him, ‘Alright, yeah. We’re doing this.’” Schropp and Marcinkowski later committed to Georgetown on the same day in ctober hen arcin o s i arri ed on camp s to train for the season, he as greeted by one of the most talented and experienced teams in Georgetown’s history. The team, which entered the season ranked third in the country, started a defensi e nit feat ring the f t re o and o o erall pic s in the a or Leag e Soccer LS draft, osh a aro and eegan Rosenberry, as ell as no LS players Cole Seiler and osh T rnley et een hanging o t off the eld and competiti e battles on the eld, arcin o s i and the fo r captains formed a ni e bond iese enco raged the eterans to mentor Marcinkowski, who was named a starter prior to the team s season opening game They really adopted the freshmen as their o n, arcin o s i said I remember standing in line ne t to
THE GEORGETOWN VOICE
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Cole Seiler and Keegan Rosenberry. They told me, ‘Just play who you are. Don’t be nervous. You’re here for a reason.’” Marcinkowski immediately became a dominant force on the eld The team battled in ries to start the season and ent inless thro gh its rst three games, despite arcin o s i allo ing st three goals in total In the team s fo rth game of the season, ho e er, the tide began to t rn In front of , fans on Shaw Field, Marcinkowski provided a crucial six-save performance, helping the Hoyas upset UCLA, the No.1 team in the country. Marcinkowski’s performance proved to many that he was worthy of the hype that had surrounded him on the recruiting trail. I thin he really on the team o er right a ay beca se of how good he was,” Wiese said. “That wasn’t the plan. We ere telling him, yo can st brea yo rself into it t he was able to backup what everyone thought he was going to be immediately. So, he had a lot of our seniors saying, ‘Oh, this guy’s good.’” Marcinkowski’s presence in the goal guided the Hoyas to a program-record 18-game undefeated streak, which included a record six-consecutive shutout performances. His performance in the goal became well-documented, securing the titles of ig ast reshman of the ear, irst Team All ig ast, and TopDra erSoccer com s est I reshman Goal eeper When the entire starting defense left the team for the LS follo ing the season, arcin o s i lled the oid by providing incoming players with the same guidance he had recei ed st one year earlier iese and his coaching staff noticed Marcinkowski’s mentorship and named him a captain, a “very rare” honor for a sophomore, according to Wiese.. “His leadership is exceptional. ” Wiese said. “His presence with the young guys is immense. His presence with his peers, in terms of how he handles himself, how he leads, how he trains… it’s everything that you could ask for from what you need in a leader and what you need as a teammate and a mentor.” “We lost a lot of leaders between freshman and sophomore year. Seven or six guys left and it was a big deal. You know, that was probably one of the best classes the country has ever seen in college soccer, arcin o s i said So, I ne I had to step p my role a little bit ithin the team, both on and off the eld
semester off to compete ith the ational Team in the C CACA Championship and the U orld C p e started one game in the World Cup, allowing only one goal in a 4-1 United States victory. eing on the biggest stage against the best players yo r age from around the world is pretty unforgettable,” Marcinkowski said eing ith a coaching staff ith so m ch e perience rad riedel and Tab Ramos those g ys are orld class players that played for the U S , played in rope, played in e ico So, I thin I st tried to soa in e erything I co ld from my coaches, teammates and other g ys from other teams It as st a pretty eye-opening experience.” Although training with the USMNT prevented Marcinkowski from training with the Hoyas throughout the spring semester, he ret rns to the team as a captain for the season hoping to se his rst t o years of e perience to p sh the team back into the NCAA Tournament. He was selected as the reseason ig ast Goal eeper of the ear and earned a spot on the reseason All ig ast team As arcin o s i enters the season surrounded by palpable buzz, his easygoing personality remains unchanged. I st really try not to thin abo t those things, Marcinkowski said. “While it’s kind of nice to see those things online or on T itter or here er it is, at the end of the day I still have to prove that preseason polls were right.” Marcinkowski opened the season with a three-save shutout on the road against local rival American University, helping Georgeto n sec re a ictory the team s rst season opening in since T o days later, he added a t o sa e sh to t and another ictory against o Coastal Carolina The oyas ere pic ed to nish fth in the ig ast in the conference’s Preseason Coaches Poll, but Marcinkowski remains hopef l that the team can o tperform this pro ection “We’re all really excited,” said Marcinkowski of the new season eryday, people are here and ready to or and e absolutely love playing with each other. This year, it seems like there’s really something special with the guys. Our main focus is de nitely on the ig ast and then getting into the CAA Tournament. So, we want to be back where we were on the stage reg lar season champs, conference to rnament champs… once the Tournament starts, anything can happen.” arcin o s i s path to Georgeto n as a ni e one t according to iese, his talent on the pitch and leadership capabilities are even more uncommon. As the third-year starter and second-year captain continues to impress teams both at home and abroad, it is clear to many that Marcinkowski has a future in soccer’s professional ranks. For his coach, Marcinkowski’s continued dedication and hard work remain enduring parts of a legacy that will extend far beyond his years on the Hilltop. “All of the young guys are thinking, ‘Well, he’s playing at the international level and he’s probably going to be a pro.’ They’ll loo at him and they ll thin , h, that s hat I need to do to get there That s the mentality I need, iese said arcin o s i is a dominant force on the eld for the Hoyas, but his impact might best be measured by his ability to g ide the f t re of the team, both on and off the eld, as teammates of years past once did for him. I thin his e ample is hat yo ant all of the yo ng g ys to be exposed to,” Wiese said. “He’s as good a role model as we’ve ever had.”
on the “Being biggest stage against the best players your age from around the world is pretty unforgettable...
”
The team str ggled to recreate its s ccess in , posting a record e allo ed goals per game and managed four shutouts on the season. While the season was not as successful as Marcinkowski or his teammates would have li ed, opport nities o tside of Georgeto n began to arri e for the sophomore goalkeeper. Marcinkowski took the spring
GU Sports Information
By Tyler Pearre
AUGUST 30, 2017
12
The Voice’s Summer Reading List
Lizz pankova
Haruki Murakami’s Men Without Women In his latest collection of short stories Men Without Women, Haruki Murakami stays true to the surrealism and melancholy of his previous works, writing about bugs turned human, women who identify as lamprey eels, and mysterious cats to explore the most realistic human feelings and experiences. Despite having unrelated characters and plot lines, the short stories all share one speci c s b ect men itho t omen, a concept created by ra ami that encompasses heartache, pain, solitude and nostalgia. A feeling rather than a state of being, it seems to be omnipresent and unavoidable, affecting both the young and old, rich and poor, married and single. As is evident in the phrase itself, Murakami makes the argument that the feeling he is writing abo t is speci c to men ach story tells a tale of a man in contact ith a oman a girlfriend, a wife, or an acquaintance. In the end, after some level of romantic involvement, they split, always because of a divergence in their experience of the relationship. The stories are invariably tragic, some more explicitly than others—ending in insanity or suicide. But even those that don’t end with death still leave the reader feeling that men and women are inherently different, that even in a happy and passionate marriage, there exists a fundamental misunderstanding of one another. The tragedies of Men Without Women aren t st in the loss of a partner they lie in the terrifying idea that it s impossible to nd a tr e romantic partner in the rst place The characters may be men, but the loneliness Murakami taps into is universal.
Lizz Pankova
Ariel Levy’s The Rules Do Not Apply In 2012, Ariel Levy, a New Yorker staff writer since 2008 and author of Female Chauvinist Pigs, had it all: a ife, a s ccessf l career, and a baby on the ay i e months pregnant, she fle to Mongolia on a reporting trip where her life as she knew it would begin its stunning collapse. Levy’s memoir The Rules Do Not Apply—born in part from her award-winning piece “Thanksgi ing in ongolia hich details her horri c miscarriage on that same trip is a tightly ritten account of hubris, devastation, and love. In Rules, Levy devotes space to her tragedies, but she also writes of her childhood, of her job, and of aging. Luckily, her prose is beautiful and inventive—her ex-partner Lucy “had the radiant decency of a s nflo er her child s eyes ere sleeping almonds and ne er seems o er ro ght Dealing ith ni ersal feelings li e fear of motherhood or l st for an old flame, Levy’s sharp perception makes it new. Though she has suffered profoundly, Levy remains, through no fault of her own, a well-off white woman (albeit a Jewish and queer one). Because of her relative privilege, you can easily make the argument that her twin theses—”life is often terrible” and “having it all is impossible”—stem from an entitled perspective. But who’s to judge the application of a woman baring her greatest sorrows? It is almost always a gift to read someone’s story, especially when it’s as honest and well-written as Rules. To quote Levy herself, “There’s something of value in trying to put the world into words.”
Amy Guay
David Grann’s Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI Blood may be thicker than water, but Killers of the Flower Moon suggests that oil trumps both. Killers of the Flower Moon tells the true story of the Osage Indians, who struck gold when they found oil in the 19th century. The tribe then descended into decadence before being stricken with a series of murders in the 1920s. Killers displays Grann’s ability to craft a narrative with historical fact: he ta es central g res in the m rders, s ch as ollie r hart, and fleshes them o t sing information from historical documents. The result is that the murder victims feel like real human beings, not just dead bodies. As he showed with The Lost City of Z, Grann is adept at conveying historical fact while still maintaining a gripping narrative. While the murders are the central story of the book, the political machinations of the FBI investigation also play a large role. J. Edgar Hoover features heavily as the boo del es into the fla s in the in estigations and the agents behind them The book is rife with dark subject matter, so it is easy to become bogged down in various poisonings, shootings, and explosions. But Grann is able to weave complex and confusing narratives together to create a fascinating work. He visits the modern day Osage County in a coda to nderstand the long lasting rami cations of the m rders, pro iding the boo ith a frighteningly contemporary context.
Graham Piro
THE GEORGETOWN VOICE
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Hope Nicholson’s The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwoman
Pamela Paul’s My Life with BOB: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Chaos Ensues As the editor of the New York Times Book Review, Pamela Paul is more accustomed to critiquing other people’s stories than writing her own. In My Life with BOB: Flawed Heroine Keeps Book of Books, Chaos Ensues, Paul provides readers with a unique view into her personal history through the lens of the oo of oo s , the scrappy noteboo here she s d tif lly recorded the date and title of every book she’s ever read. And hile the reader does not gain access to the deeply personal content of the s pages itself, a l describes each phase of her life ithin the conte t of the boo s that shaped her ie of the orld at the time she assigns each chapter to a rele ant boo title as she e plores the comple relationship bet een boo and reader My Life with BOB serves as both a dynamic love letter to the art of reading and to Paul’s personal development as a reader. She describes the evolution of her desire to read, starting as a child trying to gain e pos re to taboo and forbidden topics and contin ing on to her time at ro n Uni ersity, here a s rfeit of criticism s irled aro nd camp s, yet she still didn t nderstand what it meant to critique.” ost grad ation, the follo s a l to Thailand and China, and e ent ally thro gh se eral important relationships erhaps most notably, a l ses her relationship ith her e h sband to reflect on the se of boo s to con rm or challenge o r core beliefs Armed with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a light tone, Paul’s memoir is both thoughtful and endearing, despite remaining in the admittedly narrow scope of a life where books are readily available and academic privilege is abundant. My Life with BOB is a relatable and well-loved story for book lovers that can act as the beginning of a deeper conversation about how boo s infl ence o r li es
Devon O’Dwyer
The best superheroes are not always the ones we remember. In The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen: Awesome Female Characters from Comic Book History, Hope Nicholson argues that the best superheroes are often the short-lived, challenging, and unconventional ones forgotten by history. As the lengthy title s ggests, no scraggly s etched page of comic history goes ne amined Nicholson intimately and thoughtfully introduces readers to 100 impassioned, smart, strategic, and plucky heroines. The book sheds light on many obscure comics, such as Kath, Raven, and Angie, which features three gangsters’ wives who take control after their husbands go to jail. The series is beautifully rendered, depicting each oman ith a r gged to ghness t for dar crime noir, their engef lness and backstabbing often foiling their success. Another overlooked heroine comic, Starlight, aimed to educate white readers about Native American culture. Starlight was both praised for featuring a passionate, powerful, blossoming Indian warrior and criticized for over-generalizing and glamorizing indigenous life. After only seven issues, it faded into the comicstrip abyss. Nicholson’s book is not really a compilation of the “best” superwomen. Rather, Nicholson promises the “weirdest, coolest, most of-their-time” characters, “for better or for worse.” Most omen o tlined in the boo fall ictim to poorly ritten non s bstanti e plots infl enced by gender and racial stat s os, and ill strators often dre disproportionate bodies ith se ali ed in At rst glance, there isn t m ch in s per omen history to pro dly rally yo ng girls imaginations. However, the comics outlined in the book are the product of many female writers, illustrators, designers, and characters in a male dominated world. Their bravery, quirkiness, and persistence offers inspiration and moti ation to eep ghting on and off the comic pages And importantly, Nicholson teaches us that superwomen, since the dawn of the comic age, have e empli ed the idea that to be a heroine is to be napologetically, holeheartedly one s o n
Emily Fridlund’s debut novel, History of Wolves, is a bleak coming-of-age story set in remote, northern Minnesota. Having grown up on a defunct commune with her emotionally distant parents, 14-year-old Linda is isolated, her only friends are the four dogs chained up outside her family’s ramshackle cabin. The book opens with one of Linda’s teachers, Mr. Grierson, getting arrested on child pornography charges, and a new family moving in across the lake. The novel is undeniably eerie, with long scenes of Linda making her way across the still lake or trekking through the dense woods surrounding her town. As Fridlund skillfully weaves the two opening stories together, the reader knows something is off, even if they can’t quite put their nger on it y the time the pieces come together in a horrifying clima , it is too late History of Wolves deftly s b erts typical coming of age tropes y incl ding chapters ith an older Linda, still grappling with the guilt of what happened during her fourteenth summer, Fridlund chooses not to give our narrator any dramatic moments of revelation or understanding. If anything, she is left more confused. ridl nd s lang age is precise, dra ing o t speci c metaphors hile maintaining a sense of dreaminess. When describing summer, Fridlund writes “You yearn for it and yearn for it, but there s al ays something rong ery here yo loo , insects thic en the air, birds rifle the trees, enormous, leaves drag the branches down. You want to trammel it, wreck it, smash things down. The afternoons are so fat and long. You want to see if anything you do matters.” History of Wolves stirs up bigger questions: of aggression, of complicity, of passivity. Ultimately, it gives readers no resolution. No catharsis. Just a slow unravelling of the niceties that hide a greater horror.
Caitlin Mannering
Em ily J
Adam Bradley’s The Poetry of Pop
Emily Jaster
ast er
Emma Francois
Emily Fridlund’s History of Wolves
Tr e to its title, Adam radley s The Poetry of Pop is a systematic breakdown of the poetic artistry behind pop m sic Co ering a cent ry s orth of m sic, radley sho s a ast range of knowledge, supplemented by citations from musicians and theorists new and old on everything from aradise City to the Alphabet Song Altho gh thoro gh, his distinctions bet een poetry and pop p t a highly int iti e, self e planatory concept nder the microscope, ma ing the academic validity and necessity of his work questionable. radley, an e pert on hip hop and literat re, begins his arg ment ith f ndamentals arg ably too simplistic and repetiti e, to the point that his ner criticism is often lost to these broad and easily acceptable concepts e rites, esides being essels for a song s emotion, lyrics also f nction in the act of storytelling As a res lt, radley s sophisticated lang age and demonstrable e pertise are too often spent on nding nneeded e planations The a thor s o n sense of h mor lls the boo radley is a professor in his respecti e eld, and his it often reflects this bac gro nd Altho gh his s btle pop c lt re references are pleasurable, his jokes often have an educational goal that his own prose cannot match, leaving lines about “weedheads and teenagers” standing out uncomfortably. Despite the slow toil of his work, in the end the reader is left with an impressive, comprehensi e g ide to the c lt re, m sicality, and poetry ithin pop radley tac les a da nting tas : bringing together and comparing two very different artistic mediums. Although he stumbles along the ay, there is inherent al e in his slo b ilding arg ment, lea ing readers ith a ner appreciation for a genre that is often dismissed.
Mike Bergin
AUGUST 30, 2017
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LEISURE
REVIVAL: A Spectacle of the Unsettling
Profiles III
Courtesy of the artist and Purdy, Hicks Gallery; Š Bettina von Zwehl
Blue Gowns What does it mean to bring to life the suppressed truths of human nature and force them to the forefront of perception? The effect is unsettling, inspiring. The 16 female artists featured in REVIVAL forge their interpretations of h man conflicts, standards of bea ty, and con entional femininity thro gh mi ed media sc lpt re and photography The e hibition, hich ill remain on display at the ational se m for omen in the Arts A thro gh Sept , does not disappoint. The artists of REVIVAL combine traditional ob ects of bea ty and comfort ith inescapable, dar h man desires and conflicting emotions amiliar s b ects clothing, images, faces are taposed ith the social connotations of their e istence The stri ing and often nsettling imagery bl rs the line bet een the dreamli e semi familiar and the commonly s ppressed essence of the h man condition At the entrance, artists aria arshall, Anna Gas ell, and ettina on ehl portray children e hibiting actions and emotions typically reser ed for ad lthood Later, h man and animal bodies are con ned by entrapping adornments or merged ith symbolic mutations. arshall s second looping ideo, titled hen I Gro Up, I ant to e a Coo er, details a t o year old boy p f ng on a cigarette The ideo ooms intermittently onto stri ing aspects: the tendrils of smo e emerging from his infant mo th, his soft feat res br shed by the to ic clo ds, the childish ga e o er practiced smo e rings At the end of the ideo, the smo e e pands into a hitening screen, eng l ng the image of the toddler The prod ction emphasi es arshall s o er helming an iety that her children o ld s cc mb to an addiction or harmf l beha iors, the ideo tying the reality to the spec lati e possibility Gas ell highlights another dilemma of childhood in her override series by e o ing fantasy and the d al nat re of h manity thro gh chromogenic photographs, printed by replacing sil er images ith colored dye o ng girls in matching o t ts appear in ethereal, ibrant nat ral landscapes The aried si es of the images e o e the metamorphosis of Alice d ring her ad ent res in onderland and the shapeshifting phases of childhood In contrast to the bright atmosphere, the yo ng girls faces are often mas ed by shado s Sometimes, the girls appear spitef l, as tho gh engef lly scheming In override, Gas ell ind lges in a harsh denial of the del sion that there e ists a tr ly innocent time in life, free from conflicting desires o e er, a later display arg es that there is no reason to be shoc ed by these emotional conflicts in children German artist on ehl asserts thro gh her series of photographic portraits of children that her s b ects are intellect al, indi id al beings, st as ad lts are not ob ects to
Courtesy of Rubell Family Collection, Miami
be coddled and preser ed ach child poses independently ith a minimal, grey bac gro nd their faces are solemn as they pose li e e perienced ad lts REVIVAL also confronts concepts of the body, bea ty, and femininity, tili ing nconentional materials from h man hair to ta idermy to nner e ie ers The artists assert the con ning nat re of con entional bea ty ort g ese nati e oana asconcelos en elopes sc lpt res of animals and insects ith an intricately crocheted lace: bea tif l adornments that entrap the creat res and restrict their nat re Cathy de oncha displays s ch e ils thro gh a ictorian lace collar armed ith s btly deadly, in ard facing metal spi es and an elaborate, spi ed belt that boldly asserts its title message, Don t To ch y aist Alison Saar s sc lpt re Tippy Toes s spends a female g re ithin a delicate crinoline composed of thorny branches, ele ating the oman to an empo ering height ith the sacri ce of her freedom er hands bec on the ie er, an ironic portrayal of the temptation to conform to con entional standards of femininity REVIVAL is intrig ingly dif c lt to obser e, yet impossible to t rn a ay from The e hibit forces one to face hat most o ld rather a oid, sp rring a recognition of one s o n d plicity in choosing to na igate life by parta ing in comforts and a oiding the dar er corners of o r nat re y initially disorienting and psetting a diences, artists begin to p ll the female g re from the grasps of se al connotation, in estigate the h man condition of conflicting goals and bl rry morality, and, ith a p nch, a a en a diences to a tr th far beyond the easily digestible The most shoc ing t ist of all may be its ne pectedly peacef l clos re In the nal e hibition room, three s aths of pale bl e chiffon cascade do n the alls and across the floor, bordered by cobalt cr shed el et Tracing the sil en aterfalls to their so rce re eals that these apparently nat ral str ct res are in fact the trains of long, c mbersome dresses: e erly Semmes s l e Go ns Altho gh Semmes, a nati e of D C , nderstands that her or is commonly interpreted as a feminist criti e of ties among fashion, omen, and se ing, she insists that her or foc ses on the relationship of the body and the nat ral landscape, according to the A In this ay, the placid piece straddles the same line as the g t renching or s of Saar It balances the d ality of an empo ering b rden, hether it be bea ty, or society, or femininity, or the estion of o r o n identity as h man beings In this nal interpretation, e are e actly as e appear to be: dynamic manifestations of o r o n other arth
By Emily Jaster
THE GEORGETOWN VOICE
15
Pattie Cake$
LEISURE
Despite a Strong Lead, is Nothing New
By Caitlin Mannering
IMDB
Fluorescent green light cuts through billowing smoke as producer O-Z (Sahr Ngaujah) introduces Patti (Danielle MacDonald)—Killa P—onstage. The crowd roars with approval as Patti ambles forward. Suddenly, an alarm blares, and Patti groggily comes into reality. We watch her morning routine as she makes her way through her small, dingy house, rapping “mylifeisfuckingawesome” into the bathroom mirror, and then checking in with her sick grandmother ithin the rst fe min tes of Patti Cake$, director Geremy Jasper gives us an intimate view of Patricia Dombrowski’s life, baring her hopes and dreams while introducing the less-than-ideal state of her home life. Patti Cake$ is lmma er and m sician asper s infectio s and endearing directorial deb t In addition to directing, asper penned the screenplay and rote atti s original songs The lm is a rather inspiring, socially conscio s, and self a are loo at atti s life in the rst act, b t it falls into predictability in its second and third acts as viewers watch Patti surmount obstacles in typical underdog fashion. Patti is a 23-year-old aspiring hip-hop artist working menial jobs to provide for her family in her northern New Jersey suburb. Her only support stems from her grandmother (Cathy Moriarty) and her best friend Hareesh (Siddharth Dhananjay). Everyone else seems to call her “Dumbo,” yelling the taunt outside of their car windows or in the middle of rap battles. People mock Patti for her weight and dismiss her dreams, with no one believing that she can make it in the rap world. In an impromptu rap battle at the local gas station, Patti’s opponent does more than taunt, his rhymes alternating bet een se al h miliation and fat shaming The lm doesn t shy a ay from it, instead registering real pain as MacDonald looks close to tears. It is a refreshingly real moment in a lm that is ltimately lost to clich t atti isn t one to pity, and she gi es bac as good as she gets. atti nds a s rrogate family, and the lm s cc mbs to con ention hen she forms a band with Hareesh (whose nom de mic is Jheri) and a black punk rocker (Mamoudou Athie) ho goes by asterd The band, called , is ro nded off by atti s grandmother, hose raspy voice provides an element of assurance for Patti and the group. After Patti and Jheri follo asterd to his hidden shac in the oods behind the cemetery for the rst time, e get a set of training montages, flashing bac and forth bet een the gro p c tting trac s and atti navigating the various obstacles of her life. The best scenes come from Patti’s interactions with her alcoholic, embittered mother arb ridget erett , a has been hair band crooner ho can t comprehend her da ghter s desire to rap. Everett, best known for her raunchy comedy and a real-life cabaret act, seamlessly slips into the comical, pitif l role of arb er o n failed efforts to ma e it in the m sic ind stry ca se her to lash o t at atti A scene of arb belting o t arao e at the local bar where Patti works immediately cuts to a scene of Patti holding back her hair as she pukes in the grimy bathroom is partic larly painf l arb can be pathetic, b t erett portrays her as hyper self a are, re ealing arb s gen ine talent beneath the layers of pettiness Patti Cake$ could have gone wrong in many ways. The story of a white suburban blonde trying to be a hip hop sensation has notes of c lt ral appropriation t asper tac les them head on ne character accuses Patti of being a “culture vulture.” In another scene, Patti asks her mother hy don t yo act yo r age and arb bristles and retorts, hy don t yo act yo r race
acDonald s performance is one of the lm s ey strengths Altho gh Patti Cake$ is crisply edited and deftly shot, the lm o ld fail to land itho t her She portrays atti s erce con dence and g arded defensi eness ith ease and sincerity, and she deli ers Jasper’s songs effortlessly. It’s impossible not to root for her. The mo ie is lled ith ne comers in addition to acDonald oth Dhanan ay and Athie make their acting debuts and complement MacDonald’s performance without being overshadowed by it. However, Patti Cake$ fails to innovate after courting Sundance indie convention (the nderdog nds a ir y ma eshift family, and together they o ercome life s obstacles for most of its second and third acts. Its application of well-used underdog elements is, frankly, irritating. Patti butts head with her boss over valuing her art over her work. Someone close to Patti dies— p shing her to the edge and gi ing the lm emotional gra itas The training montages, the slow motion power walks, and the moment when Patti looks up in the middle of a performance to see her mom coming in late to the sho s all ser e to ma e the lm tterly nremar able Patti Cake$ succeeds when it shows the intersection of different people and personalities in hip hop and ho African American ernac lar and c lt ral signi ers ha e become a part of many people’s speech and art—it is particularly ironic when white characters say someone isn’t street eno gh The lm s portrayal of the or ing class ortheastern U S is compelling and the desire to throw oneself into music and into art to get away from the drudgery of low-paying jobs and ever-increasing bills is sharp and well-done.
IMDB
JOIN THE VOICE The Voice
LIZZ PANKOVA