The Echo: Winter 2021

The Echo

Student Newspaper | Winter Issue

Coronavirus Vaccine Update Mary Courtney Finn

After over a year of dealing with COVID-19 an even larger scale to ensure progress is made in and its catastrophic impact on the world, vaccines stopping the spread of the virus that has already takhave finally been approved to slow the spread of the en away so much from numerous individuals. virus by moving communities in the direction of herd immunity. While masks, social distancing, and hand washing are all effective methods at slowing the spread of the virus, vaccines are scientist’s greatest hope to finally put an end to suffering this pandemic has caused for millions. Back in December, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved COVID-19 vaccines from pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, which are now being released to the public via tiered distribution plans. While each state’s vaccination plan looks a little different, Tennessee’s prioritizes vaccine distribution for healthcare frontline workers, those living and working in nursing home facilities, essential workers, and older individuals with preexisting conditions. However, unlike a flu vaccine, both company’s vaccines require two doses to reach full potency. In many counties, appointments to receive the vaccine can be made at state health departments, medical offices, and even mass vaccination sites like stadiums. Once someone receives the first dose of the vaccine, they are issued a card with information about the vaccine they received and are automatically scheduled to receive the next dose within three to President Biden getting 2nd dose of the vaccine four weeks. After receiving both doses of either vacAP News cine, efficacy rates are close to 95%. While the vaccine does not replace the need for mask wearing and safety precautions, it definitely helps keep at risk individuals Preview safe from contracting the virus while on the road to Reviews of books & television- pages 2 & 3 herd immunity. Like any vaccine, there are reported Future of Fashion- page 4 side effects, which are, most commonly, soreness at the Teacher Shoes Ranked- page 5 injection site, fatigue, and chills. As of January, little Kim and Kanye- page 10 information is known about how long immunity from Election and Insurrection- pages 10-12 the vaccine lasts, but some researchers are hoping for immunity lasting between two and three years. As Thank you to our readers and writers of The Echo! frightening as the current state of the world is, it is imperative that vaccines continue to be distributed on

Entertainment Blacksad review Jack Cheney

There are many graphic novels out there that seek to push the envelope even further than before.

Blacksad, by Juanjo Guarnido and Juan Diaz Canales, is definitely one of those graphic novels that pushes the boundaries of the genre. Now, don’t get me wrong, Blacksad is still good, but it makes you wince like you’re watching a Quentin Tarantino film. Filled with uncompromising cruelty, with small smudges of hope, Blacksad is the perfect piece of noir fiction

Taking place in the early 1950s, the titular protagonist John Blacksad, a PI in the mean streets of New York, follows trails of corruption and violence, along with slew of Femme Fatales, to earn his next paycheck. The stories have multiple objectives, such as showing what America is like during the height of the Red Scare or highlighting the horrific racism of clans like the Arctic Nation-- all with the power of anthropomorphic animals. Yes, that’s right. All characters in these comics are humanized animals. It works as a way to convey its more abstract concepts and as an attention grabber. For example, John Blacksad is a black cat, since cats are withdrawn and don’t really let their emotions be shown unless in a trusting space. This allows the reader to realize who is the hero and who is the villain. But Blacksad begs the question; are there really any heroes in this story?

Blacksad is a detective story at heart. That means lots of cynical world views from the main character, and with Canales at the helm writing the stories, there’s a good possibility that the stories will never grow old. Blacksad has tons of inner monologues, and they always get some kind of reaction out of me. The artwork is something else entirely. Each of Guarnido’s panels seems to come to life, filled to the brim with details, big and small, making the characters come to life on every page.

Blacksad, at its core, is a grim, dark, cynical, yet hopeful, and genuinely funny detective story about what one man with an eye for foul play does in a world full of it. Characters are engaging, and I personally

wanted to see where their arcs landed. The artwork and writing are only something that could come from the best of two creative minds, and the world surrounding the characters is one of the most engaging parts of each volume. The issues it tackles are timely and engaging. In summation, Blacksad is definitely intended for more mature readers, but it provides a compelling view on its world, its characters, and the nature of humanity.

My final rating? 10/10

Unwrapping Spotify Wrapped

Mary Jones Spotify Wrapped is one of the most exciting endings of the year for music listeners. Seeing listening patterns, favorites artists, and top songs is always an interesting way to reflect on the year and sometimes gloat on the indie artists you listen to. In 2020, Bad Bunny, Puerto Rican rapper, held the spot for the top artist on Spotify with 8.3 billion streams, and The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights” held the spot for the most-streamed song at 1.6 billion streams. But, as with everything this year, people’s relationship with their music has changed during 2020. According to Spotify, just as the word began to go into isolation, nostalgia-themed playlists saw a big spike. Additionally, there was a 1,400% increase in work-from-home playlists this year. Spotify users also reflected the social injustices seen in 2020. Spotify’s Black Lives Matter playlist had 64 million streams this year. Altogether, people turned to music to get

Entertainment cont. through the trials and tribulations of 2020. BGA students were no different. The BGA community’s top artists come from a wide range of genres and tastes from Emily Snyder’s Blink 182 to Mr. Johnston’s Halsey (although he wishes it was different).

This year, Spotify Wrapped came with a new feature: allowing listeners to see just how much they listened to their favorite artists. “I am Lorde’s biggest fan and this proves it,” Mary Courtney Finn declared. She was part of Lorde’s top .005% of listeners this year. Lorde’s “Ribs” was Mary Courtney’s most listened to song.

Spotify Wrapped is fun to compare your favorite songs and contemplate the prior year. Even in the terrible saga that was 2020, music has been a constant for both BGA students and the world alike, bringing us together on the common love of the arts.

Spotify

Netflix

The Queen’s Gambit

Ella McLay The new mini-series on Netflix, The Queen’s Gambit, tells a compelling story about a young woman who masters the game of chess but battles a drug and alcohol addiction. Anya Taylor-Joy, the actress behind chess prodigy Beth Harmon, plays her role with such emotion and passion. She and her partners work so well together to make this slow-paced, logistical, and high strategy game very exciting to watch. This show not only portrays the game of chess, however. Aside from a window into major historical events of the 1950’s and 60’s, the show features major themes like sexism, women’s empowerment, addiction, and religion. Another reason this show keeps us on our toes is that there is a good balance of dark and light. Melancholy moments and uplifting moments. Moments of winning and moments of losing. From a more literary point of view, the game teaches patience and highlights the battle between good and evil. Overall, this show has a current rating of 4.9 and has inspired young girls and women across the world to take part in this intelligent and fascinating game. Since The Queen’s Gambit was released, chess sets have been regularly selling out!

The show is entertaining, yes, but it’s also an inspiration for people to keep this 1500-year-old game alive.

Entertainment The Future of the Fashion Industry and How It Has Been Changed by COVID-19

Julia Weber Over the course of this year, the fashion industry has been forced to change in order to adapt and survive in the midst of the coronavirus. Instead of catwalks with buyers watching shows from the sidelines and paparazzi flashing their cameras, fashion events are now virtual with customers watching online. Additionally, now that people are staying home more, there has been much more of a focus on leisurewear, rather than fast fashion. According to an article by the Indiana Daily student newspaper, seasonal fashion trends are disappearing, and instead people are more interested in tie-dying or bleaching their own clothes at home than shopping from a catalogue.

During a time when there is far less social interaction and leaving the house, personalizing clothes by dying it at home is an affordable way to maintain a personal, unique style while remaining in the comfort of your own home and sweatpants. Along with DIY clothes, online thrifting has seen a major growth due to the pandemic. A recent New York Times article reported that online shops such as Poshmark, Depop, and Thredup have been receiving lots of business since they offer cheap, used clothes from trusted sellers, and buyers can shop from their homes. On the contrary, in-person thrift stores, such as Goodwill or small, local businesses, have seen a severe decrease in business.

Because thrift stores are known for being not very clean, customers do not want to shop there, making it difficult for many small thrift stores to stay open during the pandemic. While many people may miss shopping in person from second hand stores, they are not the safest during an era of COVID, and online shopping certainly appears to be taking hold as the future of thrifting.

In terms of fast fashion, it also appears to be shifting to a virtual market. This year, fashion shows had to be modified with a completely virtual audience.

According to Helen Lambert Kennedy, a long-time

stores, “the real world of fashion is not supposed to be fast fashion.” Now, only a select amount of tickets can be sold for a small number of viewers to attend runway events. Additionally, due to the lack of fashion showings and economic stresses of the coronavirus pandemic, many fashion designers and artists have lost profits and have had difficulty selling their items to the general public. Furthermore, buyers have started reconsidering where their fashion comes from.

Now more than ever, consumers are conscious of the factories producing fast fashion clothing. An interview from NPR stated that people are now thinking about the “14 year olds making their blue jeans.” Many clothing factories in Bangladesh have been forced to shut down or operate with considerabely fewer workers due to COVID, which means fewer and fewer fast fashion items are created each day. Ultimately, it seems

2020-2021 crossword Sarah May

Our first-ever crossword featuring pop-culture references of 2020-2021! Stop by Mr. Johnson’s classroom for a copy!

Opinion

Teachers’ Shoe-Game: Ranked

Julia Weber 9. The “Six Square Shoes” - Ms. Dillard I appreciate her dedication to the sport and the alliteration of the name! Your basic workout shoes, sacrificing some style for comfort and functionality. A solid 5/10 8. Sequin Boots - Ms. Wallace I love the sequins and the pattern on the leg. You can tell these boots have been very well loved and worn a lot, and unfortunately there is some crinkle-age. Bonus points for the fun pants she is wearing! 6/10 7. Gray Tennis Shoes - Dr. Bonner Very clean and basic design, they go with everything and look comfortable. I wasn’t allowed to photograph the other shoe because it “had ash on it,” so points off for dirtiness. I was told these are waterproof, which is very fitting for the leader of the Outdoor Club. I was also told these make your feet hot while wearing them, so more points off. 6/10 6. Dad Loafers - Mr. Gray The most dad shoes ever. These are the shoes your dad wears pretty much everywhere. I honestly would expect nothing less from Mr. Gray. 8/10 + cool dad points 5. Navy Business Shoes - Mr. Lynn Very classy business shoes, I really like the navy color since most shoes in this genre are black or brown.

Well-cleaned and tied, and I very much appreciate the minimum amount of wrinkling. 8/10 4. White and Navy Adidas - Ms. Dillard These shoes look very modern, like something a high school student would wear. They are also very clean and pristinely white! I really like the navy accent on the back. Very business casual and comfortable for a long day of teaching. 9/10 3. Orange Tennis Shoes - Ms. Handelsman These are very colorful and brand new, and they look extremely comfortable. Bonus points for the very nice and symmetrical shoe lace tying. Ms. Handelsman was by far the most concerned about why I wanted a picture of her shoes. 9/10 for going along with it (and the amazing bows)

2. Pink Nikes - Ms. Lindblom Another very classy and trendy shoe from a millennial teacher! These are extremely well maintained, or maybe even brand new, and have zero wrinkles or scuff marks. I like the color a lot, too, and I think it is overall a very nice shoe. 10/10 1. Doc Martens - Mr. Hayden What a hipster and youthful shoe! I was so excited to see a teacher pull up with Doc Martens on--so very trendy and millennial. They look like they’ve been worn a lot, and I like that they feel loved. I almost always see these in black, so I like the color variation.

10/10

Opinion What’s Up with All these “Nutrition” Shops?

Shea Kelly

If you’ve been on Instagram the past few months, it’s likely that you have seen someone posting about their “favorite new place,” sharing their healthy protein shakes and violently neon energy drinks and encouraging quotes written on the cups. These stores Nutrition Bar Memphis are definitely enticing: I can drink what tastes like a milkshake but has 20+ grams of protein and under a larger company that has been around for decades.

400 calories? Pretty good deal to me. Or, is it?

That company, Herbalife, is a multi-level marketing

Since these shops have started popping up all organization known for their protein shake powders over Instagram, my friends and I have been suspicious and supplements. Herbalife provides the main inof their “cult-like” following with fans promoting their gredients in the secret smoothie and tea flavors. The love for these places, advertising their over-energetic company doesn’t necessarily promote this kind of staff and mutual admiration of their customers. I’ve distribution of their product line, which may be the discovered this community of shake-lovers, complete- answer to why these stores are so low key. ly accepting of the fact that there is no public infor- Herbalife is a large, public company, with decades mation about what they’ve been “fueling” themselves of large, public problems. In 1985, the FBI received with. an anonymous tip that Herbalife was involved with

Additionally, these nutrition shops have min- trafficking cocaine and heroin into the US, and later imal signage on their storefronts and tinted or taped over 500 kilos of cocaine packaged in their boxes up windows. The stores have no formal website, where was seized by Nevada State Patrol, customs agents in one would usually find ingredients listed and nutri- Georgia, and the Texas Police Department. Another tional information. When one commenter asked on investigation in 1997 discovered that the distribution their Instagram for the ingredients in the smoothies, of Herbalife products in Russia was being controlled Nourish @ Westhaven responded that they do not by the Russian Mafia. “actually have them listed on the page, but [...] all the Not only has Herbalife been involved with products are out and visible so [one] can read exactly drug and mafia affiliations, but board member Pewhat is in them.” The stores use minimal marketing, dro Cardoso was charged with embezzling over 10.4 other than their Facebook and Instagram pages. On million dollars. In 2010, Herbalife’s primary source Instagram, they target customers by finding people for helping cut checks and send out pre-paid cards to with high follower counts, following and liking their its distributors, HSBC, was forced to pay a 1.9 bilcontent. Of course, all photos I’ve seen so far pictured lion dollar fine for helping terrorists and criminals happy, (maskless) customers, usually ranging from move around funds. Most recently in August 2020, the neighborhood tweens to young families. Besides Herbalife agreed to pay 123 million to settle charges their bright and aesthetically pleasing Instagram, these of bribing Chinese officials and falsifying its books in shops keep a generally low-profile. I drive past Nour- order to boost business. ish @ Westhaven every day and never would have

With the tumultous journey they’ve had, I’m noticed it if it had not popped up on my Instagram. sure you’re just as surprised as I was to hear that

What unsuspecting new customers may not Herbalife is still thriving today, with an 8.6% increase know is that most of these stores, including Nourish @ in net sales to 1.3 billion dollars in August 2020 Westhaven and Hillsboro Nutrition, are connected to during their second quarter. While I never intended

Opinion cont.

to take any health and wellness advice from Herbalife or consume their disturbingly bright energy drinks, I certainly do not plan on following in their business management footsteps.

With decades of charges and under-the-carpet transactions, it’s shocking to hear that people still support this company and shops that use their products.

January 4th, Carl Icahn, activist investor, sold more than half of his shares in Herbalife back to the company for $600 million. While he’s not spoken explicitly about selling his shares, his actions seem to indicate a distancing from their fraudulence.

All this information is not to say that these local stores are linked to the Russian mafia and drug trafficking but to question the ethics behind companies that make information regarding their product Google Play secretive or hard to find, as well as keeping their storefronts on low-profile. Places like Panera Bread, Jamba Juice and even small, locally owned shops that sell While there’s enough to say about MLMs, there’s an“smoothies” have to provide nutritional information other issue associated with selling food and drink and to customers and make it easy for them to find. I don’t keeping the details of what is actually in them difficult understand why this is not the case with shops like to find. Nourish @ Westhaven, Hillsboro Nutrition as Nourish who sell similar products. I also believe that well as Herbalife themselves do not list their ingredithis fad will soon decline as more people realize what ents online, but instead hide behind a facade of “livthey’re putting in their bodies, and food and drink ing healthy” while drinking sweet drinks. To market regulators step in. directly to younger generations with neon colors and flavors like “Birthday Cake” and “Caramel Macchiato” is exactly what the vaping industry gets in trouble for, and at the very least, why should we continue to let these companies market diet products to young children? It’s honestly disturbing.

These stores have capitalized off generations willing to do anything to drop a few pounds or look better for Instagram. It’s easy to buy into MLMs, with the idea of joining a community and making some extra money along with it. However, it’s disturbing that people are unknowingly walking in the doors of places they believe to be healthy, quick service solutions, only to find shady explanations of the hype behind what they’re actually consuming.

Nutrition Bar Memphis

Opinion

Worst Bathrooms on Campus Sydney Carroll and Brayden Didier 6. The Boys and Girls Bathrooms in the A/W: These truly weren’t that bad. Both of us had been in the bathrooms for our respective sexes before, and we weren’t surprised that the A/W bathrooms were high on our list. For the bathrooms on campus that are arguably used the least, they’re definitely the bougiest.

Cleanliness: 9 Style: 9 Overall Experience: 9 5. The Boys Bathroom in Bragg: Not a terrible experience… While there’s certainly room to improve, the boys bathroom in Bragg at least has a working soap dispenser during a pandemic (better than we can say for the girls bathroom in Bragg).

It’s kept remarkably clean, which certainly makes it a top bathroom on campus.

Cleanliness: 9 Style: 7 Overall Experience: 8 4. Old Fine Arts Building Girls Bathroom: We’re willing to cut this bathroom some slack considering it’s in an active construction zone. First, we were both surprised at how the fine arts building looked since we haven’t been in there since the before times.

The girls bathroom looked relatively the same, except for the two missing ceiling tiles. We’re not sure that’s a safety hazard, but it’s definitely not the greatest. Overall, not the worst experience.

Cleanliness: 8 Style: 6 Overall Experience: 7 3. The Girl’s Bathroom in Bragg: Where do I even begin… you know what? The girls bathroom in Bragg isn’t that bad. If anything, it represents a facet of the BGA way: Resilience. This bathroom has everything: directions for how many times to flush the toilet written on the wall, and a stall that’s been locked for the past two years. The only thing this

bathroom doesn’t have? A working soap dispenser.

Yup. Even in the midst of the pandemic, there continues to be no working soap dispenser in this bathroom, dropping the Bragg Girls bathroom’s rating significantly.

Cleanliness: 5 Style: 7 Overall Experience: 5 2. The Girls Bathroom in Armistead: No amount of Febreze could fix this bathroom. The odor in this bathroom will let you know really quickly if COVID has stolen your sense of smell. Sans the smell, this bathroom wouldn’t be that low on my list.

But it’s just that bad.

Cleanliness: 3 Style: 7 Overall Experience: 4 1. The Boys/Girls Bathrooms in the Cherry Lobby: We felt that we could evaluate these together because our experience in them was relatively the same. First, the floors are nasty. The blue/white tile pattern is really complemented by the dirt and grime ground into them. Now, the surplus of stalls in these bathrooms was going to be a plus--until we looked inside said stalls. Whether it was the random plunger in one of the stalls, the toilet that was skewed to the wrong side, or the multiple dead beetles on the ground, this bathroom did not win our affection. And considering that this is the bathroom that guests use, we might want to shape up.

Cleanliness: 2 Style: 4 Overall Experience: 3

Opinion Best Masks at BGA Sydney Carroll

Jessie’s sporting a super cute black and white plaid mask from Target. “It’s very comfortable, durable, and suitable - all of the ables,” she added. I couldn’t find Jessie’s mask on the Target website, but I’ve found similar ones on Etsy!

Cat was given this mask while she was volunteering at Graceworks, so she’s not sure exactly where it’s from.

Cat’s mask is definitely one of my favorites, and is very comfortable.

Mary Courtney, who’s known for her mask game, wore a boho chic pink and white tye-dye mask. She gets all of her masks from Kitsch, and you can find this mask in a three piece set on Kitsch’s website.

Graci’s mask is ALSO from Kitsch - “Mary Courtney sent me the site,” she explained. I guess at this point this article is turning into an ad for Kitsch. If you want Graci’s mask, it comes in a different 3 piece set on Kitsch’s website.

Current Events Kim and kanye head South(West) Mary Clare Jones

Well, if 2021 couldn’t get any crazier, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, one of Hollywood’s biggest couples, are preparing for divorce. A friend of Kardashian told CNN that the couple “have been living separately for the last few months” and “have discussed divorce.” West has been residing at his $14 million ranch in Wyoming for the past couple of months, including over the holidays, while Kardashian has stayed with their four children. Kardashian hired famous divorce lawyer Laura Wasser and as one source told People Magazine, “it is inevitable”.

Kim Kardashian, most famous for being a part of the Kardashian dynasty and on the hit reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, first met Kanye West, 21-time Grammy winner in 2003, where they quickly became friends. They were first seen as a couple in early 2012, but West had already referenced his love for Kardashian in many songs, including “Cold” and “Knock You Down.” The pair announced they were expecting their first child together in December 2012, and in June of the next year, their daughter, North, was born. In May 2014, the couple married in an extravagant ceremony in Florence, Italy.

However, the couple has not been drama-free as they have been through many scandals during their six-year marriage. West has had a long-lasting feud with the pop star Taylor Swift, after he ran on stage as Swift won best female video at the MTV Music Awards, to tell her that “Beyonce had had the best music video of all time.” On an episode of TMZ Live in 2018, Kanye declared that “slavery was a choice,” and later included Kardashian’s furious response to his claim in his song, “Wouldn’t Leave”. In June of 2020, West claimed his wife was a billionaire via Twitter, although Forbes revealed that she hadn’t earned that title as she had an estimated worth of $900 million. To top it all off, in July of 2020, West announced he was entering the 2020 presidential race, and Kardashian appeared to support his decision, although she disagreed on many of his political platforms. Weeks later,

West wrote a string of tweets about the Kardashian family that have since been deleted. Kim responded on an Instagram story saying, “Kanye has bipolar disorder” and that her family was “powerless” in getting him help since he is an adult. And now, in January of 2021, Page Six broke the news that the couple is splitting.

While we wait for the news on this famous couple’s future, at least we can rest easy knowing that the drama is bound to be featured on the upcoming and final season of Keeping Up With The Kardashians set to air sometime this year.

Wikipedia

On Election and Insurrection

Sydney Carroll

On January 6th, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the US Capitol Building in an effort to delay and protest the certification of the Electoral College results. For anyone who may have been aware of the events but don’t fully understand how a campaign rally led to the destruction of the Senate floor, here is a detailed timeline of how the events of January 6th went down and how these events will change the history of the United States.

12:00 pm: President Donald Trump begins his address to his supporters on the Capitol lawn, maintaining in his speech that he believed he had won the election. Within this crowd were the Proud Boys, a far-right group identifiable by their orange hats.

Current Events

which lawmakers still seem to have no idea that rioters are near. At 2:16pm, the Senate is called into a recess.

At this same time, the viral video is filmed in which 12:15pm: President Trump told his supporters, “Now rioters chase a Capitol Police Officer up several flights it is up to Congress to confront this egregious assault of stairs. on our democracy. And after this, we’re going to walk 2:21pm: The House is put into a recess. Speaker Nancy down, and I’ll be there with you. … We are going to Pelosi is ushered out of the House Floor, and members the Capitol, and we are going to try and give — the of Congress rush out to a secure location. However, Democrats are hopeless, they are never voting for those in the gallery are left helpless as they have no anything, not even one vote, but we are going to try way to escape. The rioters punch through the glass — give our Republicans, the weak ones, because the doors to the House floor. The Capitol has officially strong ones don’t need any of our help, we’re try — gobeen infiltrated. ing to try and give them the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.” Holding At this point, the timeline grows blurry. While we have this event was not inherently bad. However, what the the accounts of members of Congress, few truly know President said during this speech is ultimately what the extent of what happened in the Capitol Building incited the insurrection at the Capitol and what he was that day. Here’s a quick list of the damage done within later impeached for. the Capitol in the three hours that the insurrection 12:20pm: Trump’s supporters begin leaving the rally took place: and head out in a stream towards the Capitol building.

-House Speaker Pelosi’s podium is stolen A different crowd of Trump supporters had gathered -Papers scattered all across the Senate Parlimentarian’s near the West perimeter of the Capitol, and at this office point they became considerably louder and agitated.

-Broken windows and doors all across the Capitol 12:45pm: A pipe bomb is reported near the Republi-Battered doors and walls can National Committee building, very close to the -Stolen documents and papers Capitol. Then, a second explosive device is discovered Most of the damage, however, is we can’t see. Four near the Capitol as well. rioters were either killed by officers or trampled by 12:53pm: The mob begins to overwhelm the police offellow rioters. One police officer was lost. Officer Brian ficers stationed near the barricade outside of the CapiSicknick was violently killed by rioters after being tol and successfully cross the first barriers by mobbing repeatedly struck in the head with a fire hydrant. Just the officers. The officers follow the crowd, who then days later, Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood breach three more outer barriers to the Capitol. At this died of suicide. Six lives lost, and family, friends, and point, additional officers in riot gear arrive to try to communities left grieving. calm the crowd.

1:30pm: Trump’s speech begins wrapping up, and he

Everything in this article is factual, provided tells his supporters to “walk down Pennsylvania Ave.” by firsthand accounts, videos, and images. At BGA, Inside of the Capitol, members of Congress are unwe are blessed to have a variety of ideas, thoughts, aware of the riots outside the building and move to and feelings about politics, and oftentimes this leads certify the results of the election. Senator Ted Cruz to productive conversations and empathizing with begins to argue that the Electoral results of Arizona others. But what happened on January 6, 2021 was should not be certified. Then, Capitol Police Chief not political. It was not Republicans, it was not the US issues an emergency request for the National Guard Government, and it was not the America that so many outside of the Capitol. of us would like to believe exists. This was a violent 2:10 pm: At this moment, the rioters breach the final mob of angry people who threatened our lawmakers, barrier and storm the steps to the Capitol. They arrive our National Guard, and Democracy. This mob was near the entrance to the Senate Chamber, in made up of Americans. We as a country denounce

cont.

Current Events cont. insurrections like these in South America and the Middle East, yet we have empowered these people to feel as though they can do this. We cannot argue that this is okay, and we cannot validate these people or their ideas. They weren’t “protesters.” They were people who lost an election, and instead of upholding the peaceful transfer of power, they attacked democracy itself.

After these riots, former President Donald Trump was impeached by the House for the second time, and he is currently awaiting a trial in the Senate.

We are all collectively healing and struggling to move forward as a country. How do we reconcile our political beliefs yet come together as a united people? Here’s what I believe: Politics is taxes. Politics is foreign policy. Politics is the economy. The right to the pursuit of happiness and the right to equality irrespective of race, sexuality, and gender identity? Not politics.

These are human rights. Conflating the two is wrong, and we’re all guilty of this. We all must take the time to listen and learn from one another, but let’s not debate human rights. That’s how we got here in the first place.

Photography show Evangelene Gallimore

This year, Ms. Helm brought a photography show to the BGA community. This photography show gives a chance to students, faculty, staff, and even alumni to submit their work. Mrs Helm wanted to give the opportunity of extending the arts program to everyone in the BGA community, not just those who are in the Mary Campbell. Submissions began on January 25th and end on February 12th. So far, there have been many students, middle and upper school, who have submitted work. There have also been many faculty and staff members, including Monica Olaru and Maritza Dreux. A reception took place on January 29th from 4:30 - 6:30 in the Mary Campbell.

*Editor’s Note: Op-Eds solely represent the opinons of the author, not those of BGA or The Echo staff

New York Times