17 minute read
of sexual assault
Speak Out!
What’s your favorite local restuarant?
Advertisement
- Abby Hipkins ‘24
- Henry Beardwood ‘23 Red & Black
Established 1909
- Rachel Karmen ‘23
Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Campus News Editor Current Events Editor Diversity Editor Opinions Editor Sports Editor Social Media Manager Website Design Manager Distribution Manager Interim Faculty Advisor
Marcy Saldivar Erin Herock Reilly Oliverio Molly Kilbourne Amanda Fitzpatrick Paul Collier Nick Krugh Grace Depaul Raheem Clemons John Kiebler Kellin Cavanaugh
Current Events 7 Current Events
Cuomo Called On to Resign
Governor Cuomo believes investigations will help clear his name despite pressure to resign.
Paul Collier Red & Black Editor
N.Y. Governor Andrew Cuomo continues to refuse to resign following accusations of sexual assault.
This exacerbates the previous scandal of underreporting COVID-19 deaths as a result of a policy allowing for recovering COVID patients to be admitted to nursing homes, which caused other residents to become infected and moved to hospitals, where they had been counted as dying despite infection beginning in the nursing homes.
Following the sexual assault allegations, most N.Y. Democrats in the US House have called on Cuomo to resign. N.Y. mayor Bill de Blasio and 60 state Democrats have further called on Cuomo to resign, and the Democratic Assembly Speaker has now opened an impeachment investigation into the allegations.
The allegations come from three former aides, while a fourth woman currently working for Cuomo also accused him of assault. Cuomo claims the allegations come from some outside motivation to cause his political downfall, but no actual motive has yet been presented. He has also attacked the Democrats calling for his resignation. He claims this is only an issue of the truth that he’s done nothing wrong, and the Democrats are politically positioning and taking popular stances despite not having enough information to make claims about if he committed the assaults or not.
He further says this positioning is reckless without facts, and he has been elected by the people, not politicians.
It is important to note the impeachment investigation will also be investigating his conduct in under reporting COVID deaths alongside his conduct towards women.
He maintains, however, that he is supportive of the ongoing investigations and hope they are done quickly and thoroughly, claiming they will clear his name.
He also claims he will not continue to argue about the assault allegations or investigations in the press, as the press is not where this should be discussed, another dig at Democrats attempting to hold Cuomo accountable.
The investigations will include the New York Assembly impeachment probe and an investigation by N. Y. Attorney General Letitia James.
Courtesy NPR
Pittsburgh Announces “Art in Parks” Project
Large pieces of art will be place in Pittsburgh park, such as Schenley Park, with a $500,000 grant.
Courtesy Tribune-Review
Lily Bonasso Red & Black Staff
The city of Pittsburgh recently announced a new program called “Art in Parks,” through which a Regional Asset District grant of $500,000 will be disbursed among its major parks: Frick, Schenley, Riverview, Emerald View and Highland. These locations, strategically placed throughout the city, at present provide natural havens in an otherwise quite industrial environment.
The project aims to enhance these parks through the addition of largescale pieces of artwork, including “object-based sculptures, site-specific installations, and landscape works.” As part of the project, artists are able to submit designs for a chance to win funding of up to $100,000 each. The current timeline projects for selections to be made during the spring and installations to begin during the fall of 2021. The project managers note that they are looking for ideas that combine a focus on the future with relevant reflection that contributes to the community. They also hope to have designs that are site-specific.
Historically, public art began as monuments constructed to recognize prominent figures but has developed over time into pieces that are more connected to the site and the community, explains Morton Brown, the former Public Art Manager for the city of Pittsburgh.
Hannah Bado ’22, when asked about her past experiences in Schenley Park specifically, points out that it was “large but barren,” and she is happy to hear that efforts are being made to bring some culture into the park. While it has been proven that added green space in cities is a source for plenty of physical and mental health benefits, it is also important that these areas remain interesting for community members to continue visiting.
As Bado points out, these new art installments may serve as attractions to draw people to the parks and even potentially provoke communitybuilding conversations. On another note, Isabelle Kratz ’22 says, “I am excited to hear that the city will be funding the artists not only for the sake of the parks, but also because the arts are always underfunded and could use the extra promotion.” It is quite encouraging to see the city supporting artists, especially since many artists and their projects have suffered due to the pandemic over the past year. As spring rolls in and people become increasingly weary of the pandemic lifestyle, the news of this “Art in Parks” project will hopefully inspire Pittsburgh community members and visitors to find beauty in their surroundings and pride in their local communities.
Diversity
Women’s History Month: Lewinsky & Clinton
Courtesy University of Maryland
It is important to reflect back on cases such as the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal.
Akansha Das Red & Black Staff
Women are continually depicted as flat, one-dimensional characters in the media, whether it’s the martyr mother, the valueless slut or even the moxie pixie dream girl.
Only recently with films such as “I, Tonya Harding’’ and tv shows such as “Little Fires Everywhere,” are we beginning to see nuance in complexity of women. No other situation illustrates this better than the Monica Lewisnky and Bill Clinton affair. As our conversations about gender change, it’s important that we start looking at the gray areas of feminism that lie in between saints and victims on the spectrum of female narratives, especially during a month dedicated to the celebration of women.
Between 1995 and 1997, Lewisnky, a 22-year-old White House intern and Clinton had an 18-month long affair. Clinton was on trial after Paula Jones accused him of sexual assault and lawyers used his time under oath to question him about Lewisnky. Once details of the affair became public, Ken Starr led an independent counsel and drafted the STARR report initially investigating a Whitewater corruption scandal linked to the Clintons and eventually Clinton’s perjury (lying under oath). Lewisnky did receive job offers from the UN (a usually highly selective organization) and from many private sector companies through Clinton before the affair went public.
Lewisnky was publicly shamed and called everything from a homewrecker to “that woman,” “skank,” “bimbo” and “seductress.” Much of this was due to the unfair and sexist ways she was reported by major news outlets and within legal documents themselves. The STARR Report included many lewd details (from the “cigar” to details about where and what specific activities during sexual encounters). Whether that was for political intentions to smear Clinton on the part of Republicans or as sexist attacks at Lewinsky herself, the end result was the destroyed credibility of a 22-year-old intern because she made a couple of ill-thought-out mistakes. In her 2015 TedTalk “The Price of Shame,” Lewinsky chokes up talking about having to shower with the bathroom door open at her parent’s house as her mother was afraid Lewinsky would drown or kill herself.
Whatever the gravity of her mistakes, it is completely unjust for a woman to be driven to this point because of a sexist media conglomerate and a few youthful miscalculations. But as many echo in the Hulu documentary “Truth and Lies: Bill and Monica,” Lewinsky arguably suffered the most throughout the whole ordeal.
Many agree that the affair was objectively wrong - some argue this because it was adultery and others because of the power differential between the 49-year-old leader of the free world and a 22-year-old (only 7 years older than his daughter) intern. And yet in the words of Michael Hobbes on the “You’re Wrong About” Podcast, the moral conscience was not on Monica for she was not the married member of the affair handing out unjust favors because of it. This gets to the heart of the matter: Clinton was never given adequate blame in the situation.
While Clinton was impeached, he is still a prominent figure in the Democratic party and a highly regarded speaker. The often-overlooked tragedy and irony is the news of the affair was occurring at same time he was being tried for sexual assault and another woman (Katherin Weilly) brought forth another sexual assault case. Yes, Lewinsky did some subjectively stupid actions (e.g. engaging in the affair, calling Clinton continuously, and telling at least 11 other people before news of the affair became public), and yet Clinton, with his known history of sexual assault among women and his status as president should have received the bulk of the shame that was shifted to Lewinsky for his actions.
Finally, the depiction of Hillary Clinton can’t be ignored, even though the affair was not her doing. As is the case with many affairs, the media and lawyers found ways to depict her as cold and frigid, while some of the American public blamed her for not leaving Bill Clinton or controlling him while he was in office. The STARR report ensures to cross-reference all the times Bill Clinton and Lewinsky spoke on the phone with times Hillary Clinton was out of the White House, and even details conversations Bill Clinton had with Lewinsky about Hillary Clinton not satisfying him sexually.
Hillary Clinton got labeled as an anti-feminist for not leaving her husband and Lewisnky as everything from a victim to a seductress to a homewrecker. Beyond how sexist, inaccurate and unnuanced these images of women are, the bottom line is they only serve the patriarchy’s goal of detracting from the male role in the whole situation and should be called out as such.
The Gendered Impact of the Climate Crisis
Amanda Fitzpatrick Red & Black Staff
The world is changing. Temperatures are warming, seas are rising, pollution is increasing and the climate crisis appears to be worsening each day. The effects are overwhelming – species are dying, land is becoming unsuitable for farming and natural disasters are becoming more destructive. It is unquestionable that climate change is having negative impacts on our environment. But who bears the weight of these consequences?
The most marginalized people are enduring the worst effects of climate change. Oftentimes, these people are women. Climate change is a women’s rights issue and was recognized as such by the United Nations on Feb. 7, 2018 with the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) enacting its first general recommendation which focuses on climate change and the gendered impact of disasters entitled: General Recommendation No. 37 on Gender-related dimensions of disaster risk reduction in the context of climate change.
The gendered impact of climate disasters on women and girls occurs for a number of reasons. Girls and boys are ultimately affected differently by climate change and disasters due to women and girls experiencing greater risks, burdens and impacts. Because women have limited control over decisions governing their lives in a number of places around the world, they are more likely to be exposed to disaster induced risks and losses related to their livelihoods. Without full legal autonomy, many women are therefore less able to adapt to changes in climate conditions.
Additionally, women and girls have higher levels of mortality and morbidity in situations of disasters such as natural disasters. Genderbased economic inequality results in women, and specifically households headed by women, at higher risk of poverty. As a result, women are more likely to live in inadequate housing in urban and rural areas of lower land value. Not so coincidentally, these areas are also more vulnerable to the impact of climate related events such as floods, storms, avalanches, earthquakes, landslides, hurricanes and other climate hazards. The situation is even more dire for women and girls in conflict situations. Women and girls also face a heightened risk of gender-based violence during and following disasters.
Ultimately, the failure of the United States and international governments to engage in genderresponsive disaster planning and implementation results in protective facilities and infrastructure such as early warning mechanisms, shelters and relief programs that are illequipped and frequently neglect the specific accessibility needs of diverse groups of women like women with disabilities, older women and BIPOC women. The gendered implications of climate change must be at the forefront of governments, politicians, and policy makers when creating climate policy.
However, categorizing women and girls as a passive “vulnerable group” in need of protection from these grave impacts of climate disasters is not the answer. In many ways, it fails to recognize the important contributions that women are already making to disaster risk reduction, post disaster management and climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. In fact, women are the leaders of the climate movement. Women, specifically women of color and of the Global South, who are disproportionately affected by climate change are also the ones at the forefront of fighting for and creating solutions for people and the planet.
Nemonte Nenquimo, an Indigenous Waorani leader from the Ecuadorian Amazon and the co-founder of the Indigenous-led nonprofit organization Ceibo Alliance, is a rainforest protector and won a lawsuit against the Ecuadorian government to protect 500,000 acres of rainforest from oil extraction. Vanessa Nakate, a Ugandan climate justice activist, a prominent member of the Fridays For Future movement in Uganda and founder of The Rise Up Climate Movement, has been fighting for environmental racism in the Global South to be included in climate catastrophe conversations.
Mari Copeny is a 13-year-old activist from Flint, Mich. and has been bringing attention to the water crisis since she was eight years old and now works with other communities in dealing with toxic water. She has given away over a million water bottles and partnered with Hydroviv to create her own water filter used in places with toxic drinking water. These are just a few of the countless women who deserve to be celebrated for their work in leading the climate movement and addressing its gendered implications.
Courtesy PopSugar
Akansha Das Red & Black Staff
The Women’s+ Health Collective (WHC) is a gynecology and sexual health practice in western Mich. that opened its doors in June of 2020 and has amassed over 1000 new patients in a mere seven months. In the largely conservative city of Grand Rapids, WHC is unique with their progressive and sex-positive environment and collaborative patient care model.
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest collaborative and holistic based care can make great strides in patient outcomes. Founder and owner of WHC, Nisha McKenzie, PA-C says that she has intentionally tried to blend western and data-supported eastern medicine to provide a tailored and whole-body treatment plan for patients. WHC offers a range of services including gynecological checkups and procedures (annual exams, pap smears and pelvic exams, hormone consultation, IUD checks and insertions and ablations, to name a few), pelvic floor PT, psychiatry consultations, acupuncture, Reiki therapy, body-positive dietician visits and yoga therapy along with collaborating with sex therapists and counselors at Grand Rapids Specialty
Therapy and massage therapists at The Little Dipper. McKenzie, PA-C says that when she visits a patient, she really takes a big-picture approach to see how she can best help this patient achieve good health and wellness. Her definition of collaborative care includes collaborating with other medical providers but also collaborating with, rather than dictating to the patient, what their treatment should look like. By not wearing white coats and having computer stands where providers can sit at, she aims to make medical care as friendly as possible.
The inclusive nature of WHC is visible from the first steps into the clinic. Lining their walls is art from their currently featured artist, Esmeralda Perez, whose pieces echo themes of her Mexican heritage and women’s empowerment. In an environment when many galleries are closed because of COVID, WHC has attempted to amplify the voices of BIPOC artists. Even the superscript “+” in WHC’s name is to include all the people who identify as female may prefer (including womxn, womyn, wombyn, wimmin, etc.) But beyond this, WHC intentionally considers diversity and equity with every decision along with having tough conversations about their own implicit biases. McKenzie says she understands all the “isms” [racism, sexism and ableism to name a small few] and has strived to create a practice that truly “gets past them” to provide equitable care to everyone. Since opening, the center has had three DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) trainings during which they close for half a day to dedicate themselves to becoming allies to marginalized individuals.
Perhaps most surprisingly, WHC currently consists of a majority female staff which inherently increases the atmosphere of understanding patients feel. While you don’t need to walk a mile in someone’s shoes to necessarily understand their troubles, that fact that many of the staff have undergone similar medical conditions to the ones they are treating increases the gravity of the work they do and quality of patient care they provide.
WHC offers many telehealth services, including psychiatry and sex counseling, certain medication checkups and more. They can also be contacted with any additional questions about (616)-600-4950 and info@whcollective.com To learn more about WHC or women’s health overall, you can visit whcollective.com and follow @whcollective on Facebook and Instagram.
Courtesy Akansha Das
The Tigray Crisis: Genocidal War in Ethiopia
Dylan Bertovich Red & Black Staff
Many people have never heard of the Tigray region, a region in northwestern Ethiopia that has been the subject of years of fighting. This came to a head in 2020 when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched an offensive to oust the region’s ruling Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) party after its fighters captured federal military bases.
This has led to serious allegations of mass murders, rapes and ethnic cleansing that some consider genocide. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Saturday that the U.S. was “gravely concerned by reported atrocities and the overall deteriorating situation,” and called for Eritrean and Amhara regional forces to withdraw immediately.
The situation is being made more complicated by the presence of Eritrean troops in the region. Eritrea is an unstable country to the north of the Tigray region that has sent troops to the fight.
These troops are some of the main perpetrators of the violence that is hitting the region. There has been a general consensus of events described by the U.N. observers, “Some women have also reportedly been forced by military elements to have sex in exchange for basic commodities, while medical centres have indicated an increase in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections, which is often an indicator of sexual violence in conflict.” Eritrea’s government denied involvement in the atrocities and claimed to be a peacekeeping organization. Leaders around the world are calling on the Biden administration to keep the pressure on the Ethiopian and Eritrean governments. “We want to have peace in this region, in this country so we want [the U.S.] to continue to push [for the withdrawal] of invader forces from Tigray to stop the atrocities, genocide and destruction. We need, you know, humanitarian assistance as well... The whole Tigray is in social and economic crisis. Our people need assistance, they need humanitarian support. So, it’s an urgent call. We need this push from the [U.S.] President.”
The people of the United States need to continue to push the government on the issue of the Tigray region. If the violence is left to continue, there will only be continued violence.
Courtesy Aljazeera
