The independent
To uncover
newspaper serving
the truth
Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s
and report
and holy cross
it accurately
Volume 55, Issue 63 | monday, april 26, 2021 | ndsmcobserver.com
Professor explores voting rights history Klau Center guest speaker connects contemporary voting rights issues to historical voting rights events By RYAN PETERS Associate News Editor
Notre Dame political science professor Christina Wolbrecht spoke about the history of voting rights and current developments surrounding suffrage in the U.S. as part of the Klau Center’s “Building an Antiracist Vocabulary” lecture series Friday. Wolbrecht, who serves as director of the Rooney Center for the Study of American Democracy, began her lecture by explaining that despite the recent controversy surrounding voting rights the current climate is not out of the ordinary. “This, in some ways, is not
RYAN PETERS | The Observer
Notre Dame political science professor and director of the Rooney Center Christina Wolbrecht discussed voting rights Friday for the Klau Center’s weekly lecture series “Building an Anti-Racist Vocabulary.”
Saint Mary’s alumna publishes debut novel By GENEVIEVE COLEMAN Saint Mary’s News Editor
Susan Furber (’14) released her first novel “The Essence of an Hour” — a stor y about the coming of age of a young woman in the 1940s — Februar y of this year. Furber grew up in a small tow n in the Buffalo region — Grand Island, NY — and knew she wanted to be a w riter from a young age. “I think, for me, it was quite young, actually,” Furber said. “I always liked making up stories. I’m the youngest in my family, but [my siblings] would sometimes play dolls w ith me. And I would say, ‘Oh no, that character is not good enough — the character would be say ing this or doing that.’ So, I think it’s always been there.” Developing a love of literature in her childhood, Furber desired to become a part of the female literar y tradition. “I remember in my seventh
NEWS PAGE 3
grade English class there was a banner on the wall that had what were considered the greats of literature and I thought, ‘I’m going to read all of those,’” Furber said. “So that’s when I started really setting up and reading Jane Austen and the Brontes, and, you know, really w ith the concentration on women’s literature, and thinking where can I find my place? W here can I find my voice w ithin that? ” W hen she came to Saint Mar y’s, Furber said she debated between majoring in English or histor y because she excelled in both subjects as a high school student. Ultimately, she decided to study English so she could learn more about the craft of w riting. “W hat I enjoy most of all is English literature,” she said. “I’ve always concentrated on just reading as much as possible see NOVEL PAGE 4
SCENE PAGE 5
an unusual time,” Wolbrecht said. “Voting rights have been contested at nearly every s tage of American history. That’s because voting rights are a form of power, they’re a way in which we select our political leaders, and therefore they’re going to attract conflict.” She said the nation’s history of voting rights initiates debate about the extent of democracy in America. If democracy is government by the people, then the U.S. was governed by a very narrow definition of “the people” at the time of its founding, Wolbrecht said. She added that see LECTURE PAGE 4
Committee unveils ‘The Shirt’ 2021 design By BELLA LAUFENBERG News Writer
In a celebration Friday, the 32nd version of The Shirt 2021 was revealed on the Notre Dame campus and virtually via a YouTube premiere. The Shirt is an annual tradition for the Notre Dame community that began in 1990, The Shirt committee president Devin Diggs said. “In 1990, Brennan
Harvath was a student who had this idea to sell a shirt to raise money for AnTostal (the Student Union Board’s spring festival) and to raise money for student clubs and organizations,” Diggs said. “He made the first Shirt, and it was wildly popular, and everyone really got behind it.” Diggs said the second edition of The Shirt raised money for a student who needed
help paying off medical bills. As The Shirt grew in popularity in the years to come, the majority of The Shirt’s fundraising has continued to go to those two original causes — student medical bills, and student clubs and activities. However, Diggs said that this year, some of The Shirt’s funds will also go to the recently see UNVEILING PAGE 3
Courtesy of Mitchell Johnson
This year’s design emphasized the unity of the Notre Dame community in the midst of a pandemic and an unconventional year. The in-person Shirt reveal featured food trucks for students in attendance.
VIEWPOINT PAGE 7
ND M LACROSSE PAGE 12
ND SOFTBALL PAGE 12