360 Magazine Spring 2017: Immigration by SU 360 Magazine

FINDING FAITH IN A SANCTUARY CITY RESISTANCE RETWEETED Changing activism one tweet at a time.

WHERE ART MEETS ACTIVISM How protest signs inspire change.

ISSUE 37- SPRING 2017

Finding hope after the travel ban.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

EDTOR-IN-CHIEF Sarah Heikkinen EXECUTIVE EDITOR Rachel George MANAGING EDITOR Molly Bolan LONG FEATURES Keturah Raymond

FRONT OF BOOK EDITOR Shanyah Saunders

THE 360 16 Growing Pains

FEATURES EDITOR Senior Editor: Ankur Dang Assistant Editor: Abigail Welles

Lack of affordable and accessible nutritious food poses questions to residents of Central and Northern New York

Get Veggie With It 4

THE 360 EDITOR: Jasmine Gomez

The views expressed in 360 Degrees are not necessarily those of the entire staff. 360 Degrees welcomes contributions from all members of the Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF community but retains the right to publish only material 360 Degrees deems acceptable to the publication’s editorial purpose. Mission Statement: Since its debut at Syracuse University in 1998, 360 Degrees has always strived to achieve a balance between tradition and change. Founded by Lanre Mayen Gaba as a new lens to view culture, 360 Degrees has a different focus, format, and feel than its predecessors. Through the years, the magazine has become a general interest publication with a cultural twist, dedicated to informing students about issues on campus, in the community, and in the whole world at large.

When the preliminary results started to come in later that night, I found myself glued to my computer (even though I was in class), and when I was driving home, I blasted NPR instead of my usual Spotify playlist so I wouldn’t miss anything. But as the night progressed, I, and basically everyone else in America, was met with a big surprise: Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States. The reactions of anti-Trump voters across the country were huge—people were in shock, because as far as most of us had heard from major news outlets across the country, there was no way that President Trump would win. But he did, and that’s a reality that Americans have had to face over the first few months of his presidency.

Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, or something in between, now, more than ever, it is important for our generation to unite to defend our rights, through art, food, and fierce activism. The integrity of our wonderful melting pot of a culture depends on it.

PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Christian Agredo

Tech Showdown 2017: Pixel v. Plus 5

WEB DIRECTOR Ariel Laconte

Resistance Retweeted 14

WEB EDITORS David Onoue Brianna Williams

The Human Megaphone 10 Things I Learned from My Latina Mother 12

COPY EDITOR Katie Shafsky DESIGN DIRECTORS Sydney Hirsh Meaghann Lahiff DESIGNERS Jessica Dischiave PHOTO DIRECTOR Morgan Bulman Alan Taylor Jr.

STUDENT LIFE

Disclaimer:

On page #, you’ll learn more about how the vibrant signs seen at protests across the country since President Trump’s election have inspired a new form of protest art; on page #, we explore how multicultural students like Hein San and Kobina Bedu-Amissah are continuing the culinary traditions of their home countries while studying here at Syracuse; and on page #, you can find some inspiration in SU student Alexis Rinck’s tireless activism. The theme of this issue is “Living in Trump’s America,” but all of the amazing people featured each exemplify what it means to live in dark times with hope and resilience, instead of holding on to fear and hatred.

Flavored by Culture 8

TECH

I remember the warm rush of excitement I felt as I filled out my ballot, voting for who I hoped would be the first female President of the United States. Regardless of your political views, that feeling you get when you cast your vote for the first time is wonderful.

In this issue of 360, our writers explored what it means to exist in the United States after three months of Trump’s presidency. For Somali-Americans like Khadijo Abdulkadir and Khadija Muse (page #), the realities of Trump’s proposals to ban travel from Muslim-majority countries have hit incredibly close to home.

FOOD AND DRINK

November 9, 2016. It’s a date that, for many people in our generation, will be one of the most defining days of our young adulthood. For many millennials, it was the first time they even got to vote in a presidential election. As someone whose 18th birthday fell just after the cutoff date in the 2012 election, last year’s election was the first time I fell into that category.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

SHORT FEATURES Senior Editor: Deniz Sahinturk

Rebellious Melodies 6 Where Art Meets Activism 20 A Lesson in Breaking the Rules 24

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

GET VEGGIE WITH IT

TECH SHOWDOWN 2017: PIXEL V. PLUS

360 editor Ankur Dang walks us through the top five vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Syracuse.

Watch out, Apple. Google’s comin’ for ya. Words: Alan Taylor Jr.

Words: Ankur Dang How do you survive on carrot sticks? Don’t you suffer from a lot of deficiencies, you know, being vegetarian and all? Oh, you eat eggs and no meat? Doesn’t that make you a vegan then? I can only sigh and attempt to explain what vegetarianism is. Eventually, it becomes both frustrating and tiresome to tell people that I am not vegan, but vegetarian because there is, in fact, a difference. To those who have asked a vegetarian probing questions like the ones above, made assumptions about vegetarianism, or are simply curious about it, try being vegetarian for a day. I promise, the food is delicious and the options are so vast that you may never go back to a boring old hamburger again! In Syracuse, the restaurant industry is realizing that more and more people are beginning to enjoy vegetarian food. I took it upon myself to go out and try a few of the best vegetarian/vegan restaurants Syracuse has to offer. Here they are, ranked in order from lowest rating to the highest. My recommendation for an amazing experience, are the Dosa Grill and Munjed’s Mediterranean. The reason is simple: the cuisines they serve are traditionally known to

Strong Hearts is a good option if fusion food and vegan versions of your classic favorites is your thing. The other good thing about Strong Hearts is that it’s milkshakes are loved by many, even though they are vegan. This is a place to definitely try if you are unsure of where to begin as a vegan or a vegetarian, or if you are looking to convert a hardcore carnivore to the ways of “the greens.”

5/5

4/5

3.5/5

3/5

vegan/vegetarian average cost for two (two entree’s- one side) $16

3.5/5 2.5 /5

Ambience

vegan/vegetarian average cost for two (two entree’s- one side) $24

ALTO CINCO

4.5/5

Quality

2/5

NEW GARDEN MUNJED’S vegetarian average cost for two (two entree’s- one side) $12

vegan/vegetarian average cost for two (two entree’s- one side) $20

Since the release of the iPhone 4, Sam Edwards, a videographer for a local news station in Memphis, has been a longtime Apple fanboy. He likes the iPhone 7 Plus because of its convenience for photographers. “It is helpful that the iPhone 7 Plus has more space than a typical phone,” Edwards says. Alternatively, Brooke Hirsheimer, a master’s student at Syracuse University and owner of a Pixel, is a fan of the device for its camera quality. She believes that Google has adopted the best qualities from other mobile devices. “They took the best features from the Galaxy and the Droid,” Hirsheimer says. Another feature that the two phones have in common is the fingerprint scanner. While the scanner for iPhone 7 Plus is on the front of the phone, the Pixel’s scanner is on the back. “It scans your finger on the back of the phone where your hand rests naturally,” Hirsheimer says. Reviews seem mixed and split, however; there’s not enough room at the top of the market for both phones. With rumors that Google is developing a watch to compliment the Pixel, Google may soon nudge Apple off the top.

Variety

3.5/5

DOSA GRILL

Although Google Assistant is smarter, Apple has the advantage with Apple watches, Woollaston says. Rumor has it that Google may partner with LG Corp to create their next generation of watches, says Brooke Crothers, a reporter for Fox News.

Check these veggie-friendly restaurants out to find out which one makes your tastebuds sing. And hey, you may even say goodbye to meat for good.

4/5

5/5

Price is not the only thing differentiating the two phones, according to Victoria Woollaston, a writer for WIRED. She believes that the Pixel’s artificial intelligence software, Google Assistant, is “much smarter” than the iPhone 7 Plus’ AI , Siri, because “it learns your preferable way to reply to a message and tailors responses for you by making them more personal.”

Neither Alto Cinco nor New Garden are not vegan or vegetarian restaurants but, they do have a relatively wide selection of vegetarian options. However, they are on this list simply because they are among the few mainstream restaurants where you can follow the vegan/ vegetarian diet without appearing to be too fussy, a common complaint people often have about their vegan/ vegetarian friends.

4/5

5/5

With the Google Nexus being a thing of the past, Google moves its focus to its newest phone, the Google Pixel. Released in October 2016, a month after the release of the iPhone 7 Plus, the Google Pixel quickly became a fierce competitor for Apple. Strategically priced at $649, the Pixel costs $120 less than the iPhone 7 Plus.

include vegan and vegetarian options, so your meal would not be a meat-free compromise, but an actual authentic culinary experience.

5/5

Can Google Nudge Apple Off the Top?

STRONG HEARTS vegan/vegetarian average cost for two (two entree’s- one side) $20

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

REBELLIOUS MELODIES We rounded up the top 10 songs of protest to come out in response to the 2016 Election. Words: Kayla Boyd The 2016 Presidential Election was long, emotional, and difficult for the American people to wrap their head around. Musicians released politically charged songs during and after the election that soon became the soundtrack to protests, marches, and boycotts. Here is our list of the top ten tracks that emerged from this past political season.

1. “High for Hours” by J. Cole: J. Cole made

a strong statement when he debuted this song on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day this year. On the track, Cole reminisces on a conversation he had with President Obama.

2. “Campaign Speech” by Eminem: In his almost

eight minute long constant flow, Eminem reminds us just how much of an amazing lyricist he is. In this controversial song he raps about how he would make an awful president, but he would still be better than the current president.

3. “We The People” by A Tribe Called Quest:

In their review of this song, Rolling Stone referred to it as “a rallying cry addressing the racism, xenophobia, homophobia and misogyny that have plagued society.”

4. “F.U.B.U” by Solange Knowles: As one of

the many politically charged songs from her album, A Seat at the Table, Solange uses this track to express empowerment for the black community.

5. “untitled 03 | 05.28.2013.” by Kendrick

Lamar: Kendrick “spits fire” as he uses this track to explore racial stigmas and stereotypes. He addresses institutional racism through hypothetical dialogues of Asian, black, and white men.

6. “I Know Better” by John Legend: Using his

soulful sound, John Legend reflects on his place in the world. While discussing his latest album and politics with NPR, Legend said, “If America doesn’t want to consume the art of people who are liberal-minded, there’s not gonna be a lot of art for them to consume.”

7. “Fuck Donald Trump” by YG & Nipsey Hussle: Need we say more? The artists use this song to not only express their hatred of Donald Trump, but they also dedicate a portion to speak of their support for the Mexican community specifically.

8. “We Are Mexico” by Becky G: In this short and

sweet anthem Becky G shows her support for her Hispanic roots. Her YouTube video of this song is captioned “This is for you Donald Trump.”

9. “Drone Bomb Me” by ANOHNI: In case you felt

like every political song in the past year was about Trump, this one is actually in response to the expansion of U.S. drone warfare that has been steadily increasing over the last decade, according to Pitchfork.

10. “Land of the Free” by Joey Bada$$: He raps,

“First steps in making change is to take notice,” and goes on to express his frustrations with the president. Honorable Mention “Quiet” by MILCK: This powerful anthem brought women across the country together when pop-up acapella performances happened at the Women’s March of Washington in January. You can find more information at www.icantkeepquiet.org.

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

FLAVORED BY CULTURE

Often referred to as a “melting pot,” the United States has always been a place where people from different cultures have come together. As a result, different cultures bring their traditional clothing, music, values, food, and more to the mainstream. This kind of exchange occurs within that “melting pot,” where a variety of cultures blend together to form a cohesive whole. However, if immigrants, refugees, or visitors are unable to enter or are in danger of being deported from the United States by the Trump administration, the United States’ status as a blend of different cultures could cease to exist.

Immigrants, refugees, and visitors bring a new kind of spice to campus kitchens. Words: Rachel George and Shanyah Saunders

Students Hein San and Kobina “Kobe” Bedu-Amissah often miss the authentic taste of cultural food from their homelands, but are grateful to be able to make some of their favorite dishes with others, and contribute American culture by embracing their native cultures.

Kyat Thar & Aloo Si P yan (Burmese Chicken and Potato Curry)

MYANMAR Kyat Thar & Aloo Si Pyan is not only a tasty Burmese dish full of flavor and spice, but also one that allows sophomore Mechanical Engineering student, Hein San, to reminisce on childhood memories and embrace his Burmese culture. This is one of his favorite Burmese dishes, largely because of the curried potatoes. Hein is 25 percent Chinese, and credits his grandmother, who was born in India, for combining her traditional Chinese cuisine with traditional Indian dishes. As a result he believes that “Burmese food does not really have a traditional Burmese meaning for [him], because it is more of melting pot of Chinese and Indian food.” Much like Hein’s background, he believes that “one culture cannot exist without a variety cultural influences on it,” hence a melting pot. He thinks that the term “melting pot” is not going to be affected by the Trump administration, however he says it will “put a dent in the growing process of the melting pot”.

Makes 5 servings

Directions Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces Mix curry powder, salt, masala, and oyster sauce in a separate bowl Heat vegetable oil in a skillet on low heat Combine the above mixture with chicken and knead with hands Cook chicken in skillet for about 10 minutes; it should slightly be ccundercooked Then add the potatoes and onions to the chicken on medium heat Cook until everything is golden brown Serve with white rice

Fufu and light soup is a Ghanaian “delicacy” that Information Studies graduate student Kobina BeduAmissah and his family have enjoyed every Saturday and Sunday night since he was younger and eaten with hands. “Don’t chew it, swallow it.” He learned how to make the dish of Ghana from his mother, only more traditionally. Instead of pre-made fufu mix, he said his mother would pound cassava and unripe plantain using a large mortar. While someone else mixes it with their hands and a large pestle in an oversized bowl. It makes lots of noise, all the heaving, lifting and dropping of the pestle.

Makes 2 servings

Ingredients 3 chicken breasts 4 potatoes ¼ of an onion, thinly sliced 3 tablespoons of curry powder 1 tablespoon of masala 1 tablespoon of salt ½ cup of oyster sauce ¼ of vegetable oil

GHANA

Fufu and Light Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of Garlic 1 tablespoon of Ginger 1 tablespoon of Goya Adobe All Purpose Seasoning 2 cubes of Maggi seasoning 2 ½ lbs of goat meat 5 cups of water 3 large fresh tomatoes 1 cup of Mama’s Choice Fufu Mix (Plantain Flavor) Directions

Combine seasonings, meat and 3 cups of water and boil meat for 40 min or until tender Blend three tomatoes and pour into the meat and water. Cook on medium for 20 minutes Mix 2 cups of water and 1 cup of Fufu Mix in a round bowl or mortar Mix with hand until it absorbs all of the water and forms a starchy, yellow mass Heat in the microwave for 5 minutes or until it forms a starchy, yellow mas Separate Fufu into separate bowls while warm Serve with soup and meat on top

The native dish is derived from the Asante tribe in the eastern region. Kobe’s family is from the Fanti tribe located in the central region of Africa. He’s not worried about the impact Trump’s America will have on food, since there’s no sanction from Ghana.

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

Hailing from San Francisco, California, Rinck initially came to Syracuse University to study medicine. She soon decided to redirect her studies to pursue political science and sociology. This decision came about while interning with New York Public Interest Group (NYPIRG) the summer after her freshman year, when Rinck met Joan Mandle, executive director of Democracy Matters. Democracy Matters is a non-partisan non-profit organization that aims to keep big money out of politics. After a screening of the film Pay to Play hosted by NYPIRG, Mandle explained to Rinck that she was looking to start a chapter in Syracuse. “I grabbed [a flyer] and I was like, I’m going to do this. And, I did,” Rinck says. Syracuse University used to have a Democracy Matters chapter, but it was dismantled a few years before Rinck enrolled at SU. She says that breathing life back into that chapter was not easy. “To become an [registered student organization] is incredibly difficult at this university, especially if you’re a political org; they don’t really want you here,” Rinck explains about the process. It took over a year and a couple of rejections before Democracy Matters was recognized as an official student organization on campus. Despite the obstacles, the club did not stop functioning and holding events along the way, and won’t be stopping anytime soon. Last semester, Democracy Matters helped lead one of the largest protests in recent years, with over one

thousand students marching from the quad along the promenade, ending with a rally on the ESF campus. This spring, students and faculty can look forward to a “meme gallery,” an event involving mocktails, glamour, and of course, political memes. “Honestly, we feel as though everyone’s really politically exhausted. There’s just so much happening. It’s hard to keep up and it’s scary. People don’t want to think about it ... I don’t blame people for wanting to disengage,” Rinck says. “I want people to pay attention to what’s happening, but...it’s a painful time and I think, you know, people don’t want to sit down to a panel. So we’re trying to incorporate some more fun and lighthearted events.” The meme gallery will be co-sponsored by Students Advocating Sexual Safety and Empowerment (SASSE). This isn’t the first time Democracy Matters has worked alongside SASSE. In fact, Rinck makes a point to be involved with as many advocacy groups as she can. “If there’s any sort of legacy I’ve left behind at SU, it’s been trying to bring together the activist community. I know all the club presidents, I know everything that they’re doing. We have a running facebook group so everyone can be in touch, like, ‘Oh, how can I support that? Oh, I can co-sponsor that film screening!’ It started my junior year when I organized a concert called Jammin’ for Justice. That was organized by Democracy Matters and that was the first time we brought all 12 activists together.” In a political climate that constantly fosters questions from the public, Alexis Rinck brings honesty and patience to the discussion. Between her political understanding and passion for activism, Rinck is a leader that anyone — regardless of race, gender, age, and so on — can turn to for motivation, inspiration, and encouragement.

THE HUMAN MEGAPHONE SU senior Alexis Rinck is working tirelessly to amplify the voice of the oppressed. Words: Molly Bolan

Framed within the pillars of Hendricks Chapel, it’s clear Alexis Rinck is comfortable in front of a crowd. It’s March 8, International Women’s Day, and Rinck, along with a few other strong women (and one young man), is at the head of a rally promoting not just feminism, but intersectional feminism. Although it’s one of the windiest days of the semester, nothing can sweep away the words of empowerment and encouragement being shared by the various speakers. Rinck stands beside almost every speaker, listening raptly and ready to help with the megaphone. Part of what makes Alexis Rinck such an inspiring figure in the Syracuse campus community is her ability to bring a much-needed selflessness to the realm of politics. At the end of the day, her ultimate goal is to do her part in making sure every voice is heard.

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

words by reading out loud. Sometimes, she would ask, “Dime Jasminita, how you say this word?” But today, as a 25-year old, I have a greater appreciation for that voice. When she was 22, my mom moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic into a three-bedroom apartment in Harlem’s Wagner Houses. That apartment would soon house my sister and I, both my father’s parents, my uncle and his wife, and both of my parents. How they made it work, I have no idea. My mom moved here not knowing one word of English. The only thing she was armed with, like many immigrants today, was the hope that all things would figure themselves out in the wonderful place she had always heard of...America.

“The only difference between us is the circumstances we were born into.”

It wasn’t until years later that I realized that what my mom was doing was greater than just reading sentences out loud. It was perseverance — learning English to get a new job to afford a better life. It was resilience — continuing to push even when the demands of raising two young daughters, cooking for her family, holding a job, and simultaneously going to school for a higher degree while still learning English, got too tough.

THINGS I LEARNED FROM MY LATINA MOTHER 360 editor Jasmine Gomez reflects on the lessons her mother, an immigrant from the Dominican Republic, taught her. Words: Jasmine Gomez Video cassettes being inserted into VCRs, the chattering sounds of cartoons like Rugrats and Hey Arnold, and the poppy tunes of songs by Britney Spears and boy bands sporting frosted hair tips; like many 90s babies, these are the sounds I remember from my childhood. But I also recall something else — a loud voice reading sentences out of random novels. My 10-year-old self would get so

annoyed when this voice would penetrate the sounds of my cartoons, and in rare cases of misbehavior, I’d scream, “SHHHH!” The voice — with a heavy accent that resulted from Spanish being her first language — was the sound of my mother practicing English learning how to enunciate

And there are so many others, just like my mom. They are people who want to work hard, who want to escape their undesirable circumstances, who want to contribute to American society. But President Trump’s rhetoric does not tell this side of the story. Our president works under the pretense that immigrants are bad people who come here to do us harm — bad hombres and nasty women — but that assumption could not be further from reality. I have always known that I have been blessed with a decent amount of luck. I was born into a family that figured things out for me, before I had to figure them out for myself. I have always wondered how the celestial powers makes these

decisions, and of course I’ll never know. What makes me special enough to not have been born into extreme poverty, into a corrupt society, or a war-torn zone? People who are born into those situations have human faces just like you and I. The only difference between us is the circumstances we were born into. At 22, I was probably almost the same person as my mom. Except I was just finishing college, while my mom was just moving to America. And there are so many others just like her — people who come here from Mexico to be able to send money back home, a refugee escaping the Syrian crisis, an immigrant with bigger dreams than poverty. From watching my mom and the parents of so many of my friends, I know that immigrants work harder than the average person. They fight with gratitude for the opportunity to begin again in a new country. They become our doctors, our chefs, our Nobel Prize winners, our scientists, and the people that do what no one else wants to do. Like Hamilton, immigrants get the job done. Today, even when I’m away from my mom, I still hear that loud voice in my head. I hear the sentences, and the sentences are talking to me. They tell me to keep going when I want to quit, to work harder and take care, to persevere and make something of myself — and to always show gratitude, even in the midst of fighting for what I want. And still today, my mom is a fighter. She fights for herself, for her family, and for the students she has taught as a high school Spanish teacher. And I’m a fighter, too. Because of an immigrant. Because of her.

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

RESISTANCE RETWEETED

HASHTAGS OF THIS YEAR’S ELECTION

How social media is changing the political climate in the United States, one tweet at a time. Words: Brianna Williams & Rachel George

Cathleen says she’s been able to learn so much through living in the age of the Internet. The global connection to many empowered, to feminist pages on Facebook, and the ability to read articles from different agencies have educated her far beyond what she could’ve ever thought. If it weren’t for social media a lot of her knowledge wouldn’t be applied to servicing her activism community.

Location: Columbus, Ohio.

Since 2013, the hashtag has become an example for how powerful social media can be in the world of activism.

Sitting on the couch of her new apartment, Tatiana Laing opened her laptop. The first thing she does? Log on to her Twitter. After a few hours of researching social justice activists in her area, she reaches out to the people she’s found. In a matter of time, the Change Corps organizer connected with about 15 people who worked for various social justice organizations in Columbus, Ohio. This was the first step in her activism work. “Twitter is definitely a launching off point for any type of organizing,” says Laing. Getting people together with a passion for the same cause is what activism is all about. Activism is the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change. Many turn to social media to voice their opinions and political views. In a social media dominated society, it’s easy to become an expert in anything and gain a fast following that hang on to your every word. Today, millennials make up the largest group of organizers and activists in the country. From speaking out about social justice issues and LGBTQ rights, to advocating for education and health care, more and more millennials see themselves, or their peers, as activists, both on and off social media. If it weren’t for the usage of social media by millennials, one of Twitter’s most famous hashtags wouldn’t exist: #BlackLivesMatter. The hashtag first appeared in the summer of 2013, when Alicia Garza, a labor organizer in Oakland, California, responded to the acquittal of George Zimmerman on her Facebook page. As of March 2016, this hashtag has appeared on the platform over 11.8 million times, according to the Pew Research Center. 14

As activism and social media have intersected more and more in the past few years, the terms “social media activist” and “slacktivism” have arisen. Social media users who have influence in the activist sphere, also referred to as social media activists, have a responsibility to update their followers on the happenings of their specific community, whether it be about the Affordable Care Act, voter registration or abortion rights. Not only do they have the responsibility to inform, but also to educate through knowledge, experience, or personal opinion.

For Laing, people who solely take internet action are helpful in any movement. But she also suggests that if they supplement what they do on social media with actual organizing, they would be much more influential in combating an issue. “I think social media has revolutionized the game as far as how people receive media, how people create media,” local Syracuse political activist, Joe Driscoll says. “It’s so often now that people are using Facebook Live and broadcasting important events, meetings, speeches, arrests and protest. [This technology has] turned every individual into a media outlet.” Regardless of how one feels about the effectiveness of social media activism and slacktivism, it goes without saying that social media has changed the game for social and political movements across the globe.

“I think the term ‘social media activist’ is sort of derogatory, in a way, because it makes it seem like all you do is talk on social media,” Laing says. “I do think right now it’s really popular to be considered an activist. I think there are people seeking out that title, and they can find it easily on social media.

“I believe the misconception around this term is if you’re not out in the streets sweating, bleeding, screaming and marching, then you’re no activist,” said Cathleen. “I can still affect change, by having an exchange of ideas with people who are different from me, by promoting the things I believe in, by educating myself about issues.”

Laing says that being an activist is a lot harder than tweeting about an event and getting people to follow you.

Cathleen said she’s been able to learn so much through living in the age of the Internet. The global connection to many empowered, to feminist pages on Facebook, and the ability to read articles from different agencies have educated her far beyond what she could’ve ever thought. If it weren’t for social media a lot of her knowledge wouldn’t be applied to servicing her activism community.

Oftentimes, those who only speak out about an issue online with no physical action involved are called “slacktivists,” but some, like Central New York feminist and activist, Elizabeth Cathleen disagree. She believes that people evoke just as much change while sitting at home in their pajamas. “I believe the misconception around this term is if you’re not out in the streets sweating, bleeding, screaming and marching, then you’re no activist,” Cathleen says. “I can still affect change, by having an exchange of ideas with people who are different from me, by promoting the things I believe in, by educating myself about issues.”

Driscoll educates his community using social media. From posting a picture from a local superintendent’s talk to live streaming a rally, he strives to bring as many people as possible to the issues at hand using the most effective platforms. “The whole idea of activism and politics is to get your ideas amplified,” Driscoll says. In other words, “Social media can turn any average situation into an opportunity to get your ideas out there and get conversations going.”

Last year’s election forced America to take serious actions in expressing their views about issues that would affect their lives. Social media played a more essential role in our politics than ever before. Emotions were shared, opinions were argued, and friends began to take opposing sides. People posted videos and pictures of memes, and Snapchat filters were created to encourage voter support. The candidates themselves used social media to their advantage, growing their fan base and trying to prove their ability to relate to millennials. Hashtags on outlets like Facebook and Twitter were used to keep users updated during the election. They’re the quickest way to sum up an opinion than can easily be shared and reproduced by millions of people for the world to see. Check out the most popular hashtags during last year’s election: #BlackLivesMatter /#CampaignZero Campaign Zero is a 10-point policy initiative of Black Lives Matter intended to end police brutality by improving community and police interactions and ensuring accountability. #GunControl Gun control and the Second Amendment brought upon a national debate about who should be able to buy guns in America. #IStandWithPP (Planned Parenthood) Women and some men used this hashtag to honor Planned Parenthood’s 100 years and service and tell stories of how this organization helped change their lives, in the wake of national discussion of federal defunding of the organization. #ClimateChange / #GlobalWarming These hashtags were created to raise awareness about climate change in ways that many believe the newspapers and broadcast television no longer could. #Syria Tensions between the U.S. and Syria are at an all-time high, and Trump’s executive order is not helping to ease them. #ImWithHer A tweet by former President Bill Clinton using the hashtag went viral in 2015 with over 9,000 tweets declaring Twitter uses support for the former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. #FeeltheBern Winnie Wong — co-founder of People for Bernie, a Bernie Sanders support group — came up with the “tactic” as a ploy to engage politics and culture. After receiving much popularity, it became the official slogan for his campaign. #NotMyPresident/#NeverTrump Americans created symbolic rebellions to halt recognition of Trump as a candidate for presidency. Three months into his term and these hashtags are still being used. #MakeAmericaGreatAgain/#MAGA Trump adopted the slogan as his official campaign slogan. Although, Trump trademarked the phrase, it was first used in the 1980s-presidential campaign of former President Ronald Reagan.

360 Magazine

Spring 2017

FINDING FAITH IN A SANCTUARY CITY President Trump has provoked fear and uncertainty in the hearts of those affected by his travel ban. However, some Syracuse residents are using the ban to inspire hope in their communities. Words: Sarah Heikkinen

On January 27, 2017, President Donald Trump released an executive order calling for a ban on travel from seven majority-Muslim countries to the United States. The reaction to his proposed ban was swift, with protests erupting across the country over the days that followed. In Syracuse, nearly 2,000 people flooded the Hancock International Airport for a protest organized by the CNY Solidarity Coalition the following Sunday. Protesters demonstrated solidarity with the refugees, immigrants, and legal U.S. citizens being denied access to the United States simply because they were born in Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen. Across the country, New Americans experienced confusion and fear as they were detained at airports and learned that their friends and family would not be allowed into the country until the travel ban was lifted after 120 days. Khadijo Abdulkadir, a junior at Syracuse University and fierce advocate for refugee rights in the United States, was one among thousands who learned her family in Kenya would not be allowed into the country after years of intense vetting and waiting. They, like Khadijo, are Somalian.

“...the impermeable cloud of paranoia, fear, and hatred surrounding the new administration becomes thicker everyday. “

“My aunt and my uncle were in the process for 15 years,” she says. Now, after weeks of calling and emailing the offices of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman John Katko, Khadijo’s aunt’s flight has been rebooked; her uncle’s case hasn’t gone through yet. “I had to fight for it,” Khadijo says. On February 9, 2017, the initial executive order was blocked by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Less than a month later, the Trump administration released a second executive order, removing Iraq from the list of banned countries and asserting that allowing refugees from the remaining six countries to resettle in the United States was a clear and present threat to the safety of the American people.

Despite the Trump administration’s reassurance that these executive orders are not outright attacks on Muslim refugees, the impermeable cloud of paranoia, fear, and hatred surrounding the new administration becomes thicker everyday. Over the course of two months, there has been an increased number of attacks on Muslims and people of color in the United States, regardless of their citizenship or political views. It is a time of uncertainty for many Americans; at any moment, President Trump could unleash another maelstrom of incendiary tweets on the world, or propose another narrowly-targeted ban under the guise of protecting the United States. But New Americans in Syracuse, like Khadijo, still have hope. Khadijo Abdulkadir was born in a Kenyan refugee camp in 1994, where her parents settled after fleeing the civil war in their home country of Somalia in 1991. After 15 years in that camp, which Khadijo remembers as being very isolated and unstable, the Abdulkadirs were given the opportunity to resettle in the United States; they were sent to Syracuse. “I couldn’t speak a word of English,” Khadijo remembers. She now speaks fluent English, and is a year away from completing a degree in international relations at Syracuse University.

Earlier this year, Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner declared the city of Syracuse a sanctuary city, meaning it would join several other municipalities across the country in protecting undocumented immigrants and refugees from persecution based solely on their immigration status. Miner’s announcement came just a week before President Trump’s proposed travel ban was released. After its release, many feared for the fate of sanctuary cities like Syracuse, and what could be done to protect those seeking asylum. For lawyers like Jimena Acuna Smith, an associate at the international law firm Ropes & Gray LLP, the ban presented a huge amount of confusion and chaos. Smith, who has been at the San Francisco office of Ropes & Gray for six years, says that through a company-wide listserv called “Immigration Forum,” she and her colleagues were able to effectively plan how to best help the masses of people affected by the ban. “It was actually a massive effort and endeavor,” she says. Like many lawyers across the country, Jimena and her colleagues signed up to go to airports to offer pro-bono services to people being detained in the mass confusion following the first executive order, but the list to help was completely full, she says. “The response in the Bay Area was so overwhelming from so many attorneys wanting to help,” she says.

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“It’s just like, how ignorant can you be?” Khadijo asks, remembering the hateful messages one stranger sent her on Facebook. “Now I understand that I’m literally facing the world, the whole U.S.” Harassment like this is too often commonplace among New Americans, and not even young children are spared from the vitriol. Rebecca Miller, another case worker at RISE, runs an afterschool program for New American children. She says that the ban has had a strong effect on the children she teaches. “They’re being called terrorists at school, and when they try to stand up for themselves, it’s perceived as being violent,” Rebecca says. San Francisco, like Syracuse, is a sanctuary city. Jimena says that she, along with everyone else at Ropes & Gray, feels very proud that they’ve had the opportunity to do something. “I think that the only way to counter this is going to be in court,” she says. And she’s right. Both of President Trump’s executive orders have been effectively blocked by federal courts, which is part of the reason Khadijo’s aunt will be able to come to the United States. Khadijo, who like many New Americans has experienced an increase in racism and Islamophobia since the executive orders were released, says she’s not afraid to be vocal about her opposition to Trump’s policies and rhetoric. She’s started a group for refugee women in Syracuse called New American Women’s Empowerment, and she also serves on the board of the Masjid Isa Ibn Maryam Mosque in Syracuse. “I don’t accept somebody who demonizes others, who puts others in a place that they don’t belong,” she says. “Imagine if I was dying and I knocked on your door, would you let me die in front of you? That’s the kind of mentality that [Trump] needs to understand.” Khadija Muse, a case worker at the RISE center on Burt Street, which stands for Refugee & Immigrant SelfEmpowerment, shares a similar story with Khadijo. In 18

2005, Khadija and her family emigrated to the United States from a refugee camp in Kenya. Khadija was 10, and neither she nor her family spoke a word of English. “It got tough,” she says, remembering her father’s struggle to get a job with little knowledge of how to speak English. “There was no one to help them, no one to show them how to get around.” The Muse’s first settled in Maryland, but quickly moved to Amarillo, Texas, as the cost of living was too high. There, Khadija says, life turned for the better. In the weeks since the executive order was introduced, Khadija says she’s seen an increase in harassment by Trump supporters in Syracuse. A few weeks ago, when Khadija was walking from her car to her house in the late afternoon, a man on her street yelled out, “Trump will get you, he’s coming for you!” A week later, the same thing happened again. “I wasn’t scared,” she says, smiling. “If Trump wants to get me, he can come and get me because I’m an American citizen and I have every right to be here.” Khadija is not alone in her experiences with harassment. Just after the travel ban was proposed, Khadijo came home to find that her roommate had torn up her copy of the Quran in their apartment and scattered the pages on the bathroom floor. She has since moved out, but is still experiencing hate online for sharing her story.

Because many of the children in the program are young, Rebecca says they may not entirely understand the complexities of the ban, but that doesn’t protect them from the hatred directed towards them.

and Syracuse residents on how to combat racism and Islamophobia, says she is deeply moved by the support so many people have shown for her cause. “It means the world to me,” she says.

“These are kids that are just so kind and good, and they’re seeing so much hatred around them,” she says. “It’s sad, because the number one effect I’ve seen since the executive order is a sense of confusion, and for the kids, it’s even worse.”

“I know that this is my home.” - Khadija Muse”

Despite everything that has happened since the executive order — a day that will undoubtedly be remembered for years to come as President Trump’s first concrete attack against Muslims worldwide — refugees in Syracuse remain hopeful. Khadija says that she believes that change will come, and that she still has faith in the United States. “I really have so much faith in the people of America, because I grew up here,” she says. “I know that this is my home, the first home I ever got. The people here are just like family.” Khadijo, who has been working tirelessly with the CNY Solidarity Coalition to educate New Americans

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environmental mandates — for example, preventing the National Parks Service from sharing news on their Twitter feed — and the proposed budget cuts of slashing the EPA’s funding, there’s a lot for environmentalists to be up in arms about.

For 35 years, Syracuse Cultural Workers (SCW) has been providing the local community with voices and tools of resistance. As a “peace and justice publishing company,” the house at 400 Lodi Street serves as an all-in-one storefront, studio, and warehouse. Upon entering, a hanging chime greets visitors with a soft twinkle at the front door, and newcomers can quickly guess what the place is all about: creating and promoting activism art.

WHERE ART MEETS ACTIVISM Creative protest signs have allowed for a new kind of intersection between art, activism, and technology. Words: Morgan Bulman and Brianna Kirkham

“We can hardly keep up with sales,” says Kerney. “People want to have these signs out on their lawns and in their windows: ‘Refugees Welcome Here,’ ‘Black Lives Matter,’ ‘Disabilities are Respected’ — people feel like they need to do something.” Throughout history, protest posters have served as visual records and examples of social movements led by the masses.

In fact, the front room takes on the appearance of a quasi-gallery, showcasing a collection of items for sale that have been created since the organization’s inception in 1982. On the walls and collaged on the shelves are posters, bumper stickers, buttons, and postcards born out of a mutual hatred for the Vietnam War, nuclear energy, and the ignorance of multiculturalism.

In his book Posters for Peace: Visual Rhetoric & Civic Action, Thomas Benson argues, “when we notice a poster we instantly understand that it is asking something of us — or of someone. Posters, as they exist in our vernacular cultural experience, are fundamentally rhetorical.”

Current Art Director Karen Kerney has witnessed SCW change since she first joined in the 90s, specifically in their art, which often projected an angry tone early on. Today, the message has been reshaped into energizing people to peacefully stand up for what they believe in. However, Kerney also says business hasn’t been this busy “since the Bush years.”

Andy Mager, the sales manager at SCW, confessed he’s overwhelmed by the amount of requests, but equally amazed by the demand.

After a financial slump during the recession, sales are now at an all-time high, and posters like “Early Warning Signs of Fascism” are in such high demand that they continuously sell out. The reason? Donald Trump’s election. Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to dismantle the power of the Environmental Protection Agency and President Barack Obama’s accomplishments in sustainability. Within the first month of his presidency, Trump did not disappoint. After signing nearly a dozen executive orders, censoring government agencies with

These issues have spurred dismayed, frazzled, and fired-up reactions nationwide, including those in Syracuse, New York. More and more people have been reaching out to SCW for guidance on how to get more involved in the activist scene.

“I also think we’re in an interesting moment that certainly predated Trump,” Mager says. “Black Lives Matter had a really key role in prompting people who had big roles in the culture — musicians, actors, athletes — to feel some responsibility for and identification with people to demonstrate change.” By using posters as tools for change, social movement activists can capture the attention and emotions of others, usually in public spaces. Rochester-based sculptor Jacquelyn O’Brien focuses on gender politics through feminist art, and marched in the D.C. Women’s March on January 21, where the streets were filled with a variety of posters.

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Initially, she was a little wary of the overwhelming amount of signs because, while well-intentioned, words on a sign can often be reduced to a “bumper sticker.” “After a few minutes of initial judgment, I saw a lovely array of aesthetic reminders of how we are all feeling at a time like this,” she said. “It also exemplifies that the art women make is vast and often offers a strong statement of its own — showing that art is a form of action protest.” And in Syracuse, that action can be seen. On February 2 this year, hundreds gathered outside of the James M. Hanley building in a rally resisting Trump’s anti-environmental rhetoric and calling upon New York Senator Charles “Chuck” Schumer to stand up against the new administration’s attack on science. The protest was organized by a slew of local organizations — Food & Water Watch, CNY Solidarity Coalition, and Neighbors of the Onondaga Nation, to name a few — including SCW. As protesters huddled together in front of Schumer’s Syracuse office on a cold and snowy day, it was clear that people with posters in hand thought about the kind of message they wanted to spread. Dozens of local media organizations and news outlets brought video recorders and cameras to the scene, capturing shots of not only the daring participant , but also of the flashy poster content. Almost all of them were undeniably beautiful. Art in Syracuse, specifically art used as a means of activism, is nothing new, but Mager attributes the aesthetic poster art development to technology. “We can create these iconic images and put them up on a website where people can download them and shoot them over to their local copy shop and print them easily,” says Mager. “That’s obviously a lot easier than someone having the skill themselves.”

Poster art is an important, and often emotive tool, for activists, whether they are textless images or catchphrases for the movement. Art and protest will always intersect in an attempt to garner attention in expressing their messages, voices, and agencies. Max Hill, an employee at SCW, has seen work published by SCW being used in this exact way. For SCW, poster art is “art that has gone to work.” “[Posters] feed the energy that’s already there … and push it and raise up those voices that want to cheer by giving them something to cheer with so that they don’t feel alone,” says Hill.

It’s critical to look toward the tools used in a social movement in order to better understand a social movement’s purpose and structure. Visual tools serve as lasting examples of specific messages that movements attempt to publicize or draw attention to. By studying these examples, society is able to analyze specific rhetorical and political messages being expressed by activists in attempt to evoke change.

E: Well I think we have yet to see what’s going to happen with this administration. They’ve started to do things but those things aren’t really in place yet. There seems to be a lot of concern on the part of people working in EPA, but I guess we’ll see what happens. The year I started the environment cluster, there was a lot of flurry of activity on the other side, as you point out. It was not just that [the American Clean Energy and Security Act] was passed that year, but it was a million things. Every two days the Obama administration did something that had to do something with the EPA or the environment.

A LESSON IN BREAKING THE RULES We spoke with New York Times environmental reporter and visiting professor, Erica Goode, about journalism, taking risks, and the changing climate. Words: Abigail Welles Interview participant: Erica Goode Interviewed by: Sarah Heikkinen at S.I Newhouse, Syracuse University on February 28, 2017 Transcribed by: Abigail Welles on March 1, 2017 Introduction by Abigail Welles Since the beginning of her writing career at the San Francisco Chronicle, Erica Goode’s reporting gravitated toward the happenings of the world, especially regarding environmental sciences. She began her career as a psychology and psychiatry writer, which she continued to do when she initially reported for the New York Times. Following her move, her work began to take on a nomadic lifestyle. From covering psychology, Goode delved into political and military affairs, covering the war in Iraq for up to a year. Despite a curiosity to focus her work on a range of topics, she always found her way back to environmental news. In 2009, Goode was appointed to the Environmental Editor position at the New York Times — a position she no longer holds — but made strides to strengthen the environmental sector of the publication. Presently, Goode is a visiting professor at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, teaching a multimedia science and communication course with Don Torrance. She will possibly help develop a science and environmental journalism program at the school. Q: Are you teaching for the year, or do you have a plan to stay longer? E: At the moment, I’m here for this semester and the fall. Q: What classes are you teaching? E: This term I’m just co-teaching a class with Don Torrance in multimedia science and communication. It’s called SciComm 400/600. So I’m doing that this term and in the fall I’m teaching that class myself. By the time I was coming, it was too late to design a course.

Q: What inspired you to pursue the position as the Environmental Editor at the New York Times and help develop an entire department devoted to covering environmental issues? E: Originally, I came as a psychology, a psychiatry writer, which is what I did for 25 years. I was the behavior writer for a long time there, and then I started moving around the paper. I was editing for a while, I covered the war in Iraq for a year. Then I was the environmental editor and then I was covering criminal justice for 4 years and now I’m back covering science. So I’ve moved around. The environment cluster at the Times has sort of risen out of nothing and been killed several times. I started a cluster in 2009, at the request of the then-executive editor Bill Keller. I decided that I wanted to go back to writing. The cluster lasted another two years and then they decided they didn’t need it anymore. About a year later, they started a different one…that was a part of science, and now they’re breaking it off in science as a separate cluster again and just hired a new editor. Q: What has drawn you to wanting to write about the environment? E: I think over the years, I have become more and more interested in climate change and I think it’s the biggest story there is. So that’s a lot of it, and then part of it is I’m very interested in species and animals. So it’s nice to be able to cover that. Q: You started in 2009, the same year that the Obama administration passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act. Now, we have the Trump administration and things are a lot different than they were ten years ago. What has been your experience as an environmental and science reporter from more progressive policies to now more regressive, I guess, policies.

So it was a really busy first year, and also it was the climate talks and [Copenhagen]. And right before that, it was climategate, the whole thing over the emails.. I’m sort of sorry that I’m not there covering it because it’s an exciting time to cover [the environment], even if the effects of what the administration is doing is going to really hamper attempts to address climate change. I should say that the Times, starting when I was still the environment editor, decided that at some point there wasn’t another viable other side to the science and it would be false valance to write stories as if there were another viable side. I don’t think that will change no matter what the new administration is saying about climate change. I think the Times will just keep taking it as fact that it is happening. Q: Do you have any advice for journalists who want to dedicate their work to current and future environmental issues? E: When I was just starting out as a science reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, David Perlman, who was the science editor there, told me that what every editor wants is a reporter who writes fast, files clean copy and doesn’t bitch.

I think even in today’s vastly changed landscape, that advice holds up pretty well, and if you do those things, you’re likely to be successful in your job and in demand as a reporter.I’d also add a little advice of my own: Listen more than you talk. The best reporters I know are terrific listeners. Avoid adjectives when at all possible – they rarely make a story better. And take risks with your writing and with your story ideas. Good stories often break the rules. They take on surprising and often unorthodox topics. They often don’t have traditional ledes or nut grafs. But the journalists who write these stories almost without exception mastered the form and learned the rules, before they began breaking them. Q: What do you think the most important thing is for reporters right now, to be doing now in their work in a time of somewhat controversial changes and environmental policy? E: I think for environmental journalists, it’s pretty clear. The public needs to be constantly made aware of, you know, climate change and be educated about it. Although I don’t think it’s a function of the newspaper necessarily to educate, there is an ignorance of science in this country at the moment, and a hostility towards science, that I think it’s really important to bring readers the tools to be educated. I think one of the things people don’t realize, including journalists who shift from covering something else to covering climate, is that the science is extremely complicated to learn and it’s a big learning curve to jump into. So, if you come in with no science background, which I’ve seen reporters and editors do, and know sort of basic background in climate science, it’s really difficult and it takes quite a while to learn enough to be able to generate stories. I mean, there’s stuff you have to learn in any field you start covering but it’s a lot harder I think in environmental journalism and science journalism than it is in other areas, so it’s good to have some background in what you’re covering, I think. And also it gives you sort of a context to think about things in and some history and also to understand the science enough to figure out who to talk to. Goode will be teaching at Newhouse for both the spring and fall semesters of 2017, and hopes to establish programs within the college for students aspiring to cover environmental science. She encourages students to continue following current events as they pertain to the environment in order to effectively educate readers through their journalism.

YOUR STUDENT FEE