Black History Month, merit scholarship recipient

Emerson College’s student newspaper since 1947 • berkeleybeacon.com

Sophomore receives $40,000 merit scholarship

@berkeleybeacon // @beaconupdate

Thursday, February 10, 2022 • Volume 75, Issue 19

Emerson to host panels, events during Black History Month Vivi Smilgius Beacon Staff Emerson will host several events in celebration of the nationwide observance of Black History Month, including panels, keynote speakers, and roundtable discussions throughout the month of February.

“The college is committed to supporting the centers and offices on our campus that continuously celebrate Black History throughout the year, including the Elma Lewis Center, the Social Justice Center, and the Living Stories Project,” said Interim President Bill Gilligan in an emailed statement to The Beacon.

In addition to its upcoming events, the college also hosted several events during the first week of Black History Month, including an open mic series, black networking

event, and a virtual presentation from Boston’s poet laureate Porsha Olayiwola.

This year’s various events will be held in-person—an improvement from last year, said Director of Intercultural Student Affairs Tamia Jordan, when events were hosted virtually to comply with pandemic protocols. “[Being] able to present and come together in-person changes things from last year,” Jordan said. “But we’re certainly not back to pre-pandemic [standards] yet—that’s going to take another year.

On Feb. 12, Emerson will host the second of a twopart conference in Boston and online at the Business of Creative Enterprises’ Getting a Seat at the Table conference. Attendees will hear from a keynote speaker and have opportunities to meet with panels exploring

Black History Month, Pg. 3

Merit Scholarship recpient Samaya Iman. / Courtesy Samaya Iman

Hannah Nguyen Beacon Staff A sophomore media arts production major received $40,000 in scholarship money each year after winning one of Emerson’s most prodigious scholarships.

Samaya Iman was announced as the recipient of the college’s “Aspire Scholarship”— which ranges in amount from $10,000 to $40,000 annually. The scholarship is typically awarded to incoming students at the top of Emerson’s applicant pool, and those that earn the scholarship must demonstrate high levels of academic distinction, leadership qualities, and community service, according to Emerson’s admission website.

When she discovered she won the scholarship, Iman was surprised and relieved—particularly because paying for college had been one of her major concerns about leaving home in Texas.

“I was nervous because I [realized] this was actually about to happen—I actually [had] a shot at leaving,” Iman said.

“I’m grateful for the scholarship, and I’m glad that I took the chance on myself to build up my portfolio and was just active about wanting to learn more about something that I was interested in.”

Merit Scholarship, Pg. 2

Promotional poster for “Senseless Smoke” screening and talkback hosted by Elma Lewis Center. / Courtesy Social Justice Cenrter

The Do’s and Don’ts of celebrating Black History Month as an ally Gabriel Borges Beacon Staff “Euphoria” title sequence. / Courtesy Creative Commons

Sam Levinson and Blackness: Did the white man get it right?

Hadera McKay Beacon Staff BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) nominated writer, producer, and director of the hit HBO show “Euphoria,” Sam Levinson has faced controversy at all levels of his career. From his 2018 satire film, “Assassination Nation,” which the Los Angeles Times called an “ugly exploitation of sexual violence in a hollow quest to indict the way our culture pathologizes female sexuality,” to his portrayal of graphic sex scenes and drug use in the lives of fictional teenagers in “Euphoria,” Levinson has become one of the most controversial media creators of the last few years.

In “Euphoria” alone there are issues with the constant nudity of the character, Cassie, played by Sydney Sweeney. Cassie’s constant nudity, as a female character who upholds the traditional Western eurocentric beauty standard, seems like a suspicious directorial decision. Fans have also questioned the treatment of Kat’s storyline, played by Barbie Ferreira. Ferreira pushed back against Levinson’s intended direction for Kat’s story, a direction that many fans are speculating was rooted in his encouragement of Ferreira to portray an eating disorder. Not to mention the casual depiction of pedophilia to viewers in observance of the relationship between Jules, played by Hunter Schaffer, and Cal, played by Eric Dane.

Nonetheless, on this Black History Month, I thought it was time to critique Sam Levinson and “Euphoria” in a way that very few have before– analyzing his use and portrayal of Blackness.

Blackness in Film, Pg. 4

Black History Month celebrates and acknowledges the contributions that Black People have made in shaping the United States. The national celebration spawned from a press release by Carter G. Woodson, which announced a week of celebration in February 1926.

In 1976, the annual remembrance was officially renamed to Black History Month and has since remained.

Though there’s good intention behind the annual observance, there’s still ignorance surrounding how to celebrate and commemorate the triumphs, heritage, and adversities of Black people.

Here are some practices to implement and to avoid when celebrating Black History Month: Don’t use the holiday as a self-centered opportunity to lift your persona.

Social media is often used as a marketing and branding tool, and many people make the mistake of using Black History Month to build their “brand.” Some use it to uplift their online presence by perpetuating fake empowerment to manifest wokeness, which in most scenarios is undesirable at best. Moreover, the practice of authenticity is an aspect to be explored while recognizing Black history. So if you’re going to repost a story or tweet, discuss Black history, or follow accounts that uplift Black voices, make sure you are doing it for the right reasons. Don’t be performative.

Don’t be exploitative.

Educate yourself about racism.

The topic might be uncomfortable to you, but

Allyship, Pg. 7

INSIDE THIS EDITION COVID Update: college’s cases continue to decline Pg. 2 OISA new staff hire Pg. 3 Editorial: it’s okay to ask more of admin Pg. 4 Opinion: deplatform Joe Rogan Pg. 5 10 Black-owned businesses to support in Boston Pg. 7 MFA Lunar New Year exhibit Pg. 7 Basketball player reaches 1000 points Pg. 8

439

positive COVID-19 tests

1.61% positivity rate

27,200+ tests completed

*Accumulated from Spring 2022 Semester

News

Emerson’s COVID-19 cases continue decline Adri Pray

Beacon Staff On Wednesday, the college reported a singular COVID-19 case of the 879 tests administered Tuesday, setting the daily positivity rate at 0.11 percent and continuing Emerson’s downward trend.

For the week of Jan. 31 to Feb. 6, the college reported 18 positive COVID-19 cases with a weekly positivity rate of 0.32 percent.

The college also reported two community members in on-campus isolation and reported zero in on-campus quarantine for the week of Jan. 31 Since the start of the spring testing cycle, Emerson has reported a cumulative 439 positive cases, the cumulative positivity rate sits at 1.61 percent. That rate has fallen significantly since a high of 5.31 during the week of Jan. 9, when the college was experiencing a surge in cases driven by the highly-transmissible Omicron variant.

In a community-wide email sent on Friday, Associate Vice President for Campus Life Erik Muurisepp, who serves as the college’s “COVID Lead,” outlined several new steps for reopening, including a decrease in testing protocol from twice per week to once.

“We had testing twice a week in

the beginning [of the spring semester] to help us identify as quickly as possible any positive folks, so that we could limit the spread [of the surging Omicron variant],” Muurisepp said. “As numbers have decreased, talking to Tufts, looking at where the numbers are, they felt comfortable that we could go down to once a week testing.”

The decision to reduce the testing requirement has come after a marked decrease in on-campus positives.

“It was the right decision,” Muurisepp said. “We felt comfortable with where the numbers were. If things change, we may have to go back to twice a week, but hopefully we won’t have to do that.”

Within the updated protocol, Emerson announced it would start allowing non-Emerson guests on campus in non-residential facilities. However, guests are still barred from entering residence halls—a policy, Muurisepp said, that the college is hoping to reverse later this semester.

“Certainly, that’s our ultimate goal,” Muurisepp said. “The reason at this time we did not open up the residence halls was that we still wanted to make sure we were taking a measured approach to reducing the restrictions for campus.”

In a later email on Wednesday, Muurisepp laid out the protocol for

The Berkeley Beacon

students returning from the upcoming spring break. Students are encouraged to take a rapid test 24 hours before their return to campus—though the test does not require formal attestation to the college.

“It’s another step towards getting back to living along with this virus and normalcy,” said Muurisepp. “Rapid testing is much more readily available— that’s why we’re asking folks to obtain their own rapid test to do that 24 hours before they arrive. We’re going to trust folks that take it, if it’s positive, to stay where you are.”

Muurisepp doesn’t anticipate tightening restrictions when students return from spring break, given the present trend of the numbers.

“I don’t see us having other restrictions in place if things stay where they are,” he said. “Certainly if new variants show up or numbers are concerning, we would potentially assess that, but our hope is that we can keep the current restrictions as is—maybe [reexamine] some more. [Restrictions] wouldn’t ramp back up after spring break.”

Massachusetts reported 2,794 positive cases on Wednesday, with a daily positivity rate of 4.08 percent. The death toll rose by 69.

Hospitalizations have also fallen as the state reported 1,234, with 642 of those being those who are fully vaccinated.

Massachusetts also tracks two kinds of COVID-19 positivity rates—one including higher education testing and one without. The seven-day positivity rate without higher education excluded sits at 8.81 percent when last updated on

February 10, 2022

2

The exterior of the COVID testing site. / Beacon Archives

Feb. 2. Including higher education, the rate sits at 4.08 percent as of Feb. 8.

Massachusetts reported 94,576 new vaccinations—including boosters— from Jan. 2 to Jan. 9, bringing the state’s total doses administered to 13,730,851.

Wednesday’s daily vaccination update reported that 5,236,541 Mass. residents—according to Mass. Department of Health data, approximately 76 percent of the state’s population—are fully vaccinated. This means that they have received both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Wednesday, Governor Charlie Baker announced the lift of the mandatory

mask mandate in kindergarten through twelfth grade by Feb. 28. The high vaccination rate in Massachusetts was the main reason for lifting the mask mandate, cited Baker.

Additionally, Mayor Michelle Wu announced an ease of the proof-of-vaccination rules Tuesday. The mandate will be relaxed when the city’s occupancy in the intensive care unit falls below 95 percent, the city has fewer than 200 COVID-19 hospitalizations per day and the positivity rate falls below five percent. adrianna_pray@emerson.edu

Merit Emerson placed on FIRE’s ‘Top Ten Worst scholarship Colleges for Free Expression’ 2022 list recipient

Cont. from Pg. 1

FIRE’s “Truck of Shame” advertising its 2022 “Top Ten Worst Colleges for Free Expression” list around Emerson’s campus. / Courtesy Izzy Desmarais

Adri Pray & Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

An educational advocacy group named Emerson as one of the “worst colleges for free expression,” rooted in its accusation that the college “censored” members of its Turning Point USA chapter.

The college was included in a list of ten colleges and universities published by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education on Feb. 3. FIRE also launched an advertising campaign last month—headlined by the selfdubbed “Truck of Shame”—targeting Emerson for its treatment of TPUSA. The chapter was temporarily suspended last semester following allegations that its pro-

motional material included anti-Chinese rhetoric.

The list also includes institutions like Stanford University, the University of Florida, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill––all of which were embroiled in controversies surrounding “free expression.” Yale University earned the “Lifetime Censorship Award.”

Emerson’s placement on the list stemmed from the disciplinary action taken against TPUSA, which experienced a brief suspension from on-campus activities in October.

“When institutions of higher education make promises to their students of free expression, they should live up to those promises,” wrote Graham Piro, a spokes-

person for the organization in an email response to The Beacon.

“Emerson did not.”

TPUSA ultimately received a warning from Emerson’s office of Student Engagement & Leadership. According to Piro, these actions mean that the chapter is now forced to “effectively walk on eggshells for an indeterminate amount of time.”

Piro also claimed that the college “hid” tweets of Winnie the Pooh—a symbol used by Chinese dissidents to satirize their leader, Xi Jinping—following a surge in publicity after FIRE began its advertising campaign.

Interim President Bill Gilligan declined to comment on the accusations.

FIRE has attempted to contact

the college for several months, Piro said, without any response.

He added that FIRE’s goal is for the college to “finally stand by its promises of free expression,” and to expunge TPUSA’s record.

“As soon as Emerson clears the student group’s record, we won’t have anything to criticize—provided they haven’t censored the voices of any other Emerson students by then,” he wrote. “All students should be alarmed when unpopular viewpoints are silenced, even if they vehemently disagree with those viewpoints.”

Emerson’s TPUSA chapter did not respond to The Beacon’s requests for comment. contact@berkeleybeacon.edu

Iman transferred to Emerson this semester, after having spent two semesters at the University of Houston. Emerson was her first choice of college after graduating from high school in 2020, but she decided not to attend due to a lack of financial aid, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a child, she did theatrical acting and briefly wanted to be an actress. At one point, she lost interest but rediscovered her interest after working on short films in summer programs.

Along with her professional experiences shadowing and interning, Iman produced a short film that she wrote, cast, directed, and edited herself. She was also the creative director of multiple photoshoots.

Like many Emerson students, Iman considers herself a storyteller—a love that stemmed from her upbringing as an only child. She treated reading books, writing her own stories, and creating short films as forms of escapism.

“It was just an activity to do [when I was] bored by myself,” she said.

“When creating content or creating media, it’s very powerful because you can change people’s perspectives, you can inform people, and you can entertain them.”

Iman said she is looking forward to being around more like-minded and creative people at Emerson.

“It’s going to be a great place to not only make meaningful friendships but also just network because when you graduate these are going to be the people that you work with,” Iman said. “I want to put out the right messages and make people laugh, but I want to also inform people about important topics in a cinematic way.”

hannah_nguyen@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

February 10, 2022

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College hires new staff to work College honors Black with international students History Month Cont. from Pg. 1 street art for social change, cryptocurrency, and independent music artists.

On the same day, “What is Black Creativity?” will occur from 8-9 p.m. The event features live performances and takes place in the Calderwood Pavilion at Boston’s Center for the Arts.

Emerson’s Black Organization with Natural Interest Alumni Association will host an online discussion on Feb. 17 about Black women in radio. Scheduled panelists and moderators are all Emerson alums, graduating as far back as 1976 to as recently as 2012.

Associate Director of English Language Learning Amy Rinaldo. / Courtesy Amy Rinaldo

Gabriel Borges Beacon Staff

In her new role with the Office of International Student Affairs, Amy Rinaldo will work with international students to help them celebrate their multilingual community, develop English skills, and proffer academic and professional growth.

Rinaldo took the position of associate director of English language learning on Jan. 10, seven months after the departure of her predecessor Jeremy Heflin. Rinaldo, who served as the associate director of English language programs at Brandeis University for seven years, will serve as the primary adviser for English language support for international students.

“I’m looking at some of the different courses we offer and how we might want to enhance those a little bit for next fall,” Rinaldo said. “I’m looking at providing some other programming for international students to facilitate some of their language and social development.”

“It’s kind of a little bit of everything,” she added. “Trying to be really comprehensive and holistic in the ways that we can support students.”

Rinaldo emerged as a great fit during the hiring process due to her extensive background in education and cross-cultural ex-

perience abroad, according to Director of International Student Affairs Andrea Popa.

“We were looking specifically not just for someone with an academic background, but someone able to demonstrate a connection to other cultures,” Popa said.

Rinaldo graduated from University of California, San Diego, in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree

“I’m looking at providing some other programming for international students to facilitate some of their language and social development.”

- Amy Rinaldo

in art history, before moving to Suzhou, China to teach English at an elementary school. During her year-long stay, she said she experienced “culture shock”—but was kept there by her love of teaching.

“Whenever I walked into my

classroom, I couldn’t be in a bad mood,” Rinaldo said. “I would be having a stressful day—maybe some ‘culture bump’ interaction on the way to work—and then get in my classroom. Even if I was nervous, or feeling down or homesick, the minute I was with students, it all disappeared.”

While her professional career took a different turn than expected—going from an interest in art history to linguistics and language acquisition—Rinaldo remains passionate about liberal arts pedagogy.

“I’ve always been really interested in the arts,” she said. “So being able to work in an environment with students who are in those majors in communication, I found I was really interested in working with that student population.”

Rinaldo said she is especially interested in how international students fit into Emerson’s agenda of pushing diversity, equity, and inclusion, pointing to the college’s efforts to diversify its curriculum.

“I find that a lot of schools welcome international students, but there’s kind of an unspoken onus on international students to assimilate,” she said. “If we’re thinking about true globalization, true internationalization, it should come from both sides.”

“I feel like there’s never enough [recognition].

That’s just not possible. But that’s the case, [even] beyond Emerson.”

- Tamia Jordan

A week later, on Feb. 24, the college will show Senseless Smoke, a film based on the experiences of several Boston youths, in the Little Building’s Student Performance Center.

gabriel_borges@emerson.edu

Jordan said her office focused the first of its weekly “Tough Topic Tuesday” discussions on the intersectionality of being Black and an immigrant in the U.S. Next week’s conversation, she said, will tackle the topic of suicide in communities of color.

“That’s a conversation that doesn’t tend to happen in our communities, so we wanted to lift that up and to provide some resources and support,” she said.

Jordan added that EBONI will display artwork by students of color around campus. “[EBONI] is going to be showcasing the art of students in some places on campus. It’ll be really great to see what our students are creating,” Jordan said. “We have some folks who do some really cool illustrations in the cultural center, so I hope they get their artwork out there.”

Jordan, who is also the co-adviser for EBONI, said the group was working to foster a productive and successful conversation among Emerson’s black community members.

While she commended the college’s assembly of events, Jordan said she celebrates black history every day and wishes more people would do the same.

“I certainly appreciate the things [the college has] done in the past and the things we’re doing,” Jordan said. “I feel like there’s never enough. That’s just not possible.

But that’s the case, [even] beyond Emerson.” vivi_smilgius@emerson.edu

Courtesy Business of Creative Enterprises

Incident Journal: Theft in the Little Building, calls for medical attention, off-campus assault Tuesday, January 25 ECPD responded to a Little Building elevator entrapment at 2:28 a.m. A cleaning staff member was released from the elevator unharmed.

Tuesday, January 25 ECPD received a report of suspicious activity observed on campus on Monday. ECPD shared the information with BPD.

Beacon Archives

Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

The Emerson College Police Department provides the Incident Journal to The Beacon every week. Beacon staff edit the Incident Journal for style and clarity but not for content.

Monday, January 24 ECPD responded to a fire alarm in the Ansin Building at 6:45 a.m.

The Boston Fire Department responded and attributed the alarm to a faulty pipe in the basement.

Emerson College Facilities staff repaired the pipe and BPD gave the all clear.

Wednesday, January 26 ECPD assisted an Emerson community member in need of medical attention at 7:49 a.m.

Wednesday, January 26 ECPD was made aware of thefts from the Walker Building and is currently investigating.

Thursday, January 27 ECPD assisted BPD with an ongoing investigation involving a moped theft. The moped was stolen on a public street near Avery

Street.

Thursday, January 27 ECPD assisted a 2 Boylston Place resident requiring medical assistance. The student did not seek additional assistance.

Friday, January 28 ECPD responded to a disturbance outside the college’s Print and Copy Center. ECPD spoke to the reporting party and referred the incident to Housing and Residential Education staff.

Monday, January 31 ECPD reported to the Colonial Residence Hall in order to aid Housing and Residental Education staff with a medical assist.

The student received assistance and sought out further medical attention.

Tuesday, February 1 A theft was reported to ECPD from the Little Building. The student that stole the property was

identified by ECPD and referred to the Office of Community Standards for disciplinary action. The stolen poetry was located and returned to its owner.

Wednesday, February 2 ECPD reported to the Piano Row Residence Hall to provide medical attention to a student in need, The student received assistance and sought further medical attention.

Wednesday, February 2 ECPD was notified of an assault and battery that occurred outside its jurisdiction off-campus. The reporting student did not need medical attention and ECPD aided the student with reporting the incident to the Boston Police Department.

contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Opinion

The Berkeley Beacon

Editorial: It’s okay to demand more of our administrators Editorial Board

William Gilligan, our interim president, has recently claimed that The Beacon has fallen victim to the “media environment where many…..pick and choose their facts.” Gilligan has taken it upon himself to respond to last week’s editorial, where Beacon staff discuss what they hope is the future of Emerson’s leadership.

Gilligan listed what he considered to be “efforts the college has made to improve financial aid and support students,” as a rebuttal to what he considers to be inaccuracies in our recent publication. Let’s analyze this list of alleged successes.

He claims that there has been “no large exodus of faculty, recent departures are consistent with previous years,” which the Emerson Staff Union promptly responded to on Twitter stating, “T​​he same cannot be said for 110 staff who left the college in the past 18 months.” With staff members leaving left and right, those who remain reported being short-staffed and strapped for cash. This is the union’s second call for increased support from college administrators, after many negotiated benefits were taken away during the pandemic.

He claims that of undergraduate students in 2020, 66.7 percent of students receive need based financial aid. But this is manipulated information that can be refuted by checking details available in the U.S. News Report.

The reality is that 63.9 percent of students applied for need based financial aid in the 2020 academic year, 53 percent of students received some form of financial aid, but more importantly only nine percent of students had those needs fully met. Not to mention that on average, 49 percent of students take out student loans averaging $13K a year, that adds up to $55,164 of debt over four years. Our interim president believes that is some sort of outstanding achievement?

Gilligan claims there was no promise to reduce tuition, where we fully linked a

public declaration to the college by former president Pelton to reduce tuition by 2021 because Emerson needs to “focus on diversifying our revenue sources and implementing strategies that move away from relying so heavily on undergraduate tuition as a disproportionate source of revenue.”

There is proof that our administration understands that they charge an unreasonable amount of money demanded to their undergrads and made active promises to reduce tuition. Moreover, Gilligan is complacent, claiming the two percent increase compared to the previous years’ increases of three to five percent is actually an accomplishment. Considerably a bit condescending and elitist of a statement since students who had to pay a hike of $1,025.28 for the 2020-21 academic year, when the administration itself admits––and as our financial aid receipts show––the price was already unsustainable to begin with. So, a hike of any kind is more than unreasonable; it’s wrong.

In his list of successes by the college to its students, Gilligan mentions the Tuition Increase Offset Fund. A program that simply freezes the tuition rate from the previous year for students in serious financial need which we have previously stated was unsustainable to begin with.

Frozen or not, what Emerson students needed is an actual deduction. Students are drowning in debt, and this plan is still not enough to cover costs.

It should be noted that we made a correction to our editorial where we discuss members of the Board of Trustees receiving compensation. To say that they are unpaid completely by the college might be true although most board members in nonprofit colleges like ours are normally paid by ETS, College Board, and ACT. However, information of the specific organizations providing this compensation is not available to us.

An incredibly important point mentioned in our editorial––which Gilligan also failed to acknowledge––was the very present racial, antisemitic, an-

ti-Asian, and student accessibility issues, that have all continued under his presidency. This campus remains very much predominantly white and there are far too few successes in accomplishing actual diversity. Our plea for a president who takes accountability for social threats to the student-body and honors the experiences of the diverse was erased in a single letter.

It’s very telling that in his response, Interim President William Gilligan inferred that our editorial was spreading false information, and he had to set the record straight. Now that we have made those facts more than clear, we should be wondering why Gilligan has ignored the continued spread of misinformation by other known racist, right-wing organizations on campus such as Turning Point USA. Is there a reason that our criticism on the administration is more of a concern tthan TPUSA recruiting the help of FIRE to spend every dime, nickle, and penny the educational advocacy group can muster to obnoxiously drive a stupid bus around campus and promote their little club?

The reason for our editorial initially, and the reason for this one now, is simple. We should be okay with demanding more from our administration. We should be able to see real and tangible change in our campus without that being considered an unreasonable request.

In all of Gilligan’s fact-checking, there seems to be a neglect to address the crux of our critique: the expressed need for future permanent leadership that looks toward the voices of the Emerson community itself for guidance. Gilligan’s response ultimately reflected the Emerson administration’s sheer lack of comprehension and empathy for our opinions and experiences as Emerson students.

We want to make clear that this wasn’t an attack on a single leader, but a call for a permanent president that reflects the values so many before have claimed to hold. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

ly following my viewing of the movie was, exactly how did this white man get it right?

In an interview with Stephanie Allain, award winning Black film producer of movies like “Boyz N the Hood” and “Hustle and Flow” (arguably some of the most canonically Black films of the last thirty years), Allain praised Sam for the authenticity of the Blackness in the film.

Levinson granted all of this authenticity to the power of collaborative storytelling, saying, “It’s why diversity is such an important aspect of filmmaking; because it’s this collision of identity, of gender, of orientation. It’s all of our experiences coming together and clashing and questioning one another in the hopes that out of that rises something that feels universal and honest.”

Of course, Levinson fell under fire from critics about his use of Black characters to relay a story loosely inspired by his own failure to thank his wife after winning an award. Rue’s character in Euphoria is also inspired by Levinson’s struggle with drug addiction.

It got me thinking, could Levinson only write multi-dimensional Black characters if they were based on his own struggles? Was his empathy for the Black experience conditional? If so, what does that say about allyship and storytelling in general? Isn’t the point of representing Black people in the spec-

trum of experiences that they exist in to relay the universality of Black stories, not the proximity to whiteness?

There is something unsettlingly problematic about a white man projecting his struggles onto a Black figure. In Euphoria, this manifests in ways that seem inconsistent to some Black viewers. Twitter erupted with commentary on the idea that Rue’s mom isn’t “Black enough” because she didn’t give Rue the immediate ass-whooping we all would have gotten for slamming the door in our mama’s house.

It’s important for viewers to understand that Black people are not a monolith and that there is room for representations of Black women, and Black mothers specifically, as pillars of quiet strength and patience that manifest different forms of discipline and respect from their children.

However, it is also important for Levinson to honor that because Rue is mixed with a Black mother, her relationship to Blackness is going to be differ© 2022 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

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Letter to the Editor: Response to ‘Emerson’s next president should serve students, not their pockets’ William Gilligan

Interim President I write today in response to an opinion piece, “Emerson’s next president should serve students, not their pockets,” in order to clarify information provided in this piece, as well as to reaffirm my goals as Interim President.

In a media environment where many in our society pick and choose their facts, I feel compelled to share what I know to be the truth related to Emerson College, our leadership, and the efforts the college has made to improve financial aid and support students.

Those facts are here: Trustees of the College are volunteers; they are not, and never have been, paid for their work on behalf of the institution.

There has been no large exodus of faculty, recent departures are consistent with previous years.

While a promise of tuition reduction was never made, the College did reduce the annual tuition increase to 2% for each of the last two years – a rate of increase well below that of previous years, which has ranged from 3-5%.

66.7% of new full time students in 2020 had need-based financial aid met. Of all full-time undergraduate students, 52.6% percent received need-based financial aid.

In addition, the College has made strides to increase financial aid and support its students recently; those efforts include: In 2020, the College implemented a Tuition Increase Offset Fund that provides assistance to cover the increase in tuition costs from the previous year for students with demonstrated need. This essentially locks in the previous year’s tuition rate for those students who find themselves in need of additional financial assistance.

This fund has been renewed since its inception.

Although the College had to reduce costs to meet the challenges of the pan-

Sam Levinson: Are his portrayals of Blackness borderline appropriation?

Cont. from Pg. 1 Even though I’d watched the first season of “Euphoria” upon its release, Levinson’s consistent use of Black themes and culture didn’t become clear to me until the release of 2021’s “Malcolm & Marie.”

The film follows an argument spanning the entire night between filmmaker Malcolm, played by John David Washington, and his longtime girlfriend Marie, played by Zendaya. The disagreement ensues after Malcolm fails to thank Marie at his film premiere. Throughout the night, Malcolm relays his frustration at being a Black filmmaker faced with “Karens from the L.A. Times,” who spend their time heavily politicizing Black films instead of accepting them as representations of multi-faceted Black storytelling.

I left the film feeling seen—like Levinson had perfectly articulated the feeling of being a Black creator in the age of white, Twitter-using social justice warriors, and white women toting around bags with ACAB written on the side, but clutching those same bags at the sight of a Black man. I’m not a filmmaker, but I am a storyteller, and I know the experience of feeling like all of your work (and maybe even existence) is constantly politicized and categorized as a form of education for the uneducated white masses. My question immediate-

February 10, 2022

ent— just by the nature of that specific experience. Her identity as a Black mixed person cannot be isolated from the story Levinson seeks to tell through her other various identities as a drug addict, as a person with various mental health diagnoses, as a queer person, and as a teenager.

I cannot discuss Blackness in Euphoria without mentioning our lone darkskinned character from season one, McKay. On my second watch, McKay’s cookie cutter character as a Black male athlete who got a scholarship to play ball for college seemed too easy and stereotypical.

Yet, with McKay’s character Levinson also explores the toll of neglected mental health of Black male student athletes. He looks into the generational pressure to succeed that exists in Black families, and the truth of what happens when the idea of Black masculinity is linked to the rejection of emotion for the sake of success in white spaces.

With all of this being said, there is Editor-in-Chief Lucia Thorne Managing Editors Shannon Garrido (Content) Camilo Fonseca (Content) Marcus Cocova (Multimedia) Campbell Parish (Operations) Section Editors Frankie Rowley (News) Hadera McKay (Opinion)

Courtesy Emerson College demic, it simultaneously increased its financial aid budget by more than $7M annually compared to pre-pandemic levels, and it worked with students to access additional financial support as family situations changed during the pandemic.

The College created the Educational Enhancement Fund to help support extracurricular experiences for students. Both graduate and undergraduate students with identified financial need can apply for awards of $250–$4,000 each to enrich their collegiate experience through extracurricular programming.

The College made available to students more than $6.17 million dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid through the various congressionally-legislated programs.

The Emerson community should know that as long as I hold the Interim President position, I will continue to ensure that the College is poised for continued success when a new permanent president is identified. Emerson is a special institution with students, faculty, and staff who inspire me every day. I will do all I can to ensure that each of us are best able to achieve success here at Emerson in an open and collegial environment. contact@berkeleybeacon.com something very alluring about the way Levinson lets Black culture seep into his projects. From the inclusion of Black colloquialisms spontaneously ad-libbed by Zendaya and John David Washington in the final cut of Malcolm and Marie, to Rue’s dreamscape of a church full of worshiping Black people whose music-based service led by a soulful organ and Labrinth’s pleading voice parrot back to the importance of Black churches as centers of community and hope during slavery; it all feels suspiciously…good. There is a fine line between emulation and appropriation, and Levinson is teetering on the edge.

Is it the collaborative nature of his storytelling or a projection of his white male struggles as the method for creating multidimensional Black characters?

Is it an appreciation for the depth and beauty of Black culture, or cultural exploitation for the sake of white views (cause we all know they wanna be Black anyway)? Either way, Levinson is attracting and keeping Black viewers, and his art is pressuring us to have nuanced conversations about something that white critics are too eager to make solely black and white. hadera_mckay@emerson.edu Karissa Schaefer (Living Arts) Tyler Foy (Sports) Kaitlyn Fehr (Copy) Advisor David Dahl (617) 824–8687 berkeleybeacon.com contact@berkeleybeacon.com

The Berkeley Beacon

February 10, 2022

5

Leave Charli D’Amelio alone, and let teen girls live their lives

Courtesy Creative Commons

Kaitlyn Fehr Beacon Staff

Everyone needs to stop griping and moaning, there’s no way Charli D’Amelio is coming to Emerson next fall. I know what the rumors are saying, but TikTok’s most successful 17-year-old doesn’t need college.

Since the Emerson class of 2026 Instagram page posted a photo claiming that D’Amelio would be attending the college this fall, complaints from people who don’t want her at Emerson have been nonstop. I’ve had to witness people in their 20s threatening to drop out if she comes here.

Look, I’m not personally the biggest fan of D’Amelio either, but these com-

ments are beyond dramatic. If you’ve read any of my other articles, you know I am quick to judge. In this case, I think it’s everyone else who needs to take a breather and stop judging a literal teenager.

As a society, we have a habit of condemning teenage girls for everything they love. If teenaged girls enjoy it, it’s immediately labeled “basic” or “dumb.” I’m not into dancing content personally, but for the teen girls that are, let them enjoy it.

D’Amelio has made a career out of something she is passionate about, and has had the world’s attention forced upon her at a young age. Because of Charli, the D’Amelio family now has a net worth of eight million dollars,

which makes it easy for us to say that it’s dumb for someone to make that much money off of dancing. Instead, however, consider how much pressure it would have put on you as a 17-yearold to be that famous and the sole bread-winner for your family.

Somehow content creators like James Charles have gotten away with literal crimes, but it seems as though Charli D’Amelio and every other young girl on TikTok face more ire from the internet than those who truly deserve it. Everything that this teenager does is judged so harshly by adults who should know better.

When D’Amelio’s Dunkin order was added to the Dunkin menu, people were quick to make fun of it

and every young girl who ordered it.

Again, comments of Charli and her viewers’ “basicness” abounded. I was ordering a cold brew with whole milk and caramel long before I even knew who Charli D’Amelio was, simply because it’s a normal and delicious order.

Suddenly, a normal coffee order was something to bully people over simply because it was attached to a teen girl.

Back in 2020, Charli and Dixie D’Amelio came under fire for the way they acted when served a gourmet meal by a home chef. Both girls made faces, and Dixie (Charli’s older sister) pretended to vomit at the table while Charli asked for dinosaur nuggets.

While yes, their behavior was uncalled for, the way the internet reacted was even more so. People called for the sisters to be de-platformed over this, and chastised them for showing this disrespectful behavior when both of them are role models for young children. Again, let me remind you that Charli is still a child herself. Are you really going to sit there and say that you were never disrespectful as a teenager?

The only difference between Charli and a normal American teenager is that she is in the spotlight, and everything she does is put under a microscope of criticism and scrutiny. It’s also important to note that if Charli was a male creator, she likely would not be facing the same criticism. Even her ex-boyfriend Chase “Lil Huddy” Hudson has faced less outcry over allegations of racist behavior than Charli has for simply existing.

This phenomenon is not limited to just Charli D’Amelio. From coffee, to makeup, to music taste, and what TV shows a teenage girl watches, all of it is judged. If you drink a Frappuccino, you’re basic. If you listen to pop music, you’re basic. If you spend too much time doing your makeup in the morning, you’re basic. If you watch Euphoria, literally one of the most talked-about shows on TV right now, you’re basic. But only if you’re a teenage girl partaking in these things.

I can’t sit here and say I’ve never taken part in calling these things basic, because I have. The latent misogyny

everywhere in our society impacts all of us, and we have to fight to recognize and overcome it. At first, I was part of the crowd of people judging D’Amelio for her dancing TikToks, and I couldn’t understand why she was famous.

I understand now that part of it was the internalized misogyny, and part of it was bitterness that someone younger than me was this successful for something so simple. D’Amelio was a competitive dancer long before she joined TikTok, and her fame on the app is an extension of the hard work she has put in for her entire life. In truth, Charli D’Amelio is incredibly talented, and a combination of both that talent, hard work, and luck have brought her success.

We can all recognize that, and recognize our own dislike of her dancing TikToks, without bullying a teenager whose only “wrongdoing” is dancing on an app and getting famous for it.

D’Amelio has millions of followers who clearly do enjoy her content, so she must be doing something right.

I don’t think any of us would throw away a chance to be famous for doing something we’re passionate about, so why do we judge Charli for just that?

It’s okay to be jealous of Charli D’Amelio’s success. At 17-years old, she has a clearer life path ahead of her than most people reading this article, myself included. She has more money than most of us will ever see in our lifetimes. Again, it’s okay to be jealous of that. What’s not okay is bullying a teenager for making a career out of something that they love, and are good at.

If in some insane twist, D’Amelio does end up coming to Emerson, we should welcome her with open arms.

She’s a creative just like all of us, and she already faces so much resentment from the rest of the world— why should we hurl more of it at her here?

Hell, maybe she could convince Lee Pelton to come back and film a dance video with her. kaitlyn_fehr@emerson.edu

‘You can have Rogan or Young.

Not both’: Joe Rogan should have been the one to go Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff

If you, like me, flex your Spotify subscription and get excited when your Spotify Wrapped comes out every year, well, your rude awakening is upon you.

February has been a month of reckoning for the streaming service as Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and other artists have been taking their discographies off of the app in retaliation against the “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast. The podcast’s blatant spread of misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines paired with the show’s racist past has proven detrimental to artist support of the music streaming service.

The firestorm started at the end of January with Young announcing, “They can have Rogan or Young. Not Both,” in a statement that appeared briefly on his website. According to Rolling Stone, Young said he would be asking for the removal of his music from Spotify due to Rogan’s spread of misinformation surrounding COVID-19 vaccines.

Now, this isn’t something that Young is doing just to make a point. For those of you who don’t know, Neil Young is a polio survivor. Let me repeat that: Neil Young is a fucking polio survior! He contracted polio at the age of nine in

1954––during the last major outbreak at a time when there were no polio vaccines. So, of course, the man wants to remove his music from a platform that spreads misinformation about medical advancements and vaccines!

Initially his claim seemed like a bluff, but two days after the letter came out, Spotify users watched as their saved Neil Young songs faded. His artist profile and discography is still featured on Spotify, but all that remains is what once was there.

Young’s decision to remove his discography prompted others, such as Joni Mitchell and India Arie Simpson,—who shared a compilation of clips in which Rogan said the N word on her Instagram in light of the boycott—to request their own discographies be removed. Young’s former bandmates, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash, also expressed their support for Young and asked their record labels to remove all of their work. Nash took the extra step to ask for his solo work to be removed as well.

You would think that various artists and subscribers voicing their concerns over the already problematic Joe Rogan would cause the company to cease production of the podcast, right? Wrong.

Come on, it’s capitalist America. The “Joe Rogan Experience” is a Spotify exclusive podcast—it is rumored he was

Podcast host Joe Rogan. / Courtesy Creative Commons paid a handsome $100 million for—and garners 11 million daily listeners.

Basically, Rogan makes them too much money and gets too many clicks for them to pull the cord. Spotify did, however, remove at least seventy episodes of the podcast in which Arie’s compilation aired… because silently removing episodes is how this entire issue will go away. News flash Daniel Ek,—Spotify’s founder and CEO—if you want the firestorm to stop, the answer isn’t to throw water on one sputter of flames. It’s to put out the whole damn fire.

Ek had a very performative PR written apology in light of the controversy.

He hosted a town hall about the boycott and his response was essentially: I don’t agree with everything that he says, but people have a right to different opinions.

We’re not cutting his show.

This begs the question, where do we draw the line? It’s human-fucking-nature for people to have differing views and opinions, but spreading dangerous misinformation about vaccines during

a pandemic and being blatanty racist— which Rogan said he was now ashamed of saying the N word…years later and only after videos resurfaced—doesn’t fall into the category for different opinions.

The spread of misinformation is not only severely damaging, but also dangerous. Rogan is willingly—I mean of course he is, he’s an anti-vaxxer himself—allowing for false information to be spread on a platform that I had to listen to the dimwits at my high school fawn over as they equated him to a deity.

Those same kids, now adults are probably still listening to his podcast and most likely haven’t gotten the vaccine.

Am I placing all of the blame on Rogan?

No. Does he deserve a hefty amount of it? Absolutely. The thing that I don’t think Rogan realizes, or at least not the enormity of it, is how influential the words that come out of his mouth are.

11 million people—more than the entire population of New York City—listen to this imbecile daily. So if more people than all of New York City are hearing

him spread false information and promote anti-vax propaganda, do you really think those people are going to go out and get vaccinated? Fuck no!

So where do we draw the line? In my opinion, the line should be drawn at your wants. If you want the vaccine, get it. If you don’t want the vaccine, don’t get it. It’s as simple as that. Rogan shouldn’t be allowed to spread false information willy nilly —nor should anyone for that matter— because Spotify is paying him up the ass and he gets hella clicks and listeners. Just because you’re famous, doesn’t mean you should be able to get away with anything. I mean social media sites are cracking down on the spread of misinformation, why isn’t Spotify? What makes a podcast different from a tweet or Instagram post?

It’s a shame that we had to lose so many good songs because of cowardice and stubbornness, but such is life, I suppose. frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

February 10, 2022

6

Living Arts

First-year releases debut music video Hannah Nguyen Beacon Staff

First-year visual media arts major Katya Veber used to believe she would never create music.

After a high school teacher told her she has potential, she began writing songs that would eventually end up in her first album.

Now, her first music video is in the books.

“I love telling stories through film and through music,” Veber said.

Veber began writing songs for her album Welcome to Extinction in Sept. 2020 and later released the album in May 2021. Sm Killed My Bf is one of the most popular songs, which was one of the main reasons she decided to produce a music video for it. The music video was released Friday, Feb. 4 at midnight on YouTube.

Originally, Veber didn’t plan on creating an album, so each song

“It’s about how this huge mass of society always tries to repress the ones that they do not understand .”

-Katya Veber

Promotion for Veber’s debut music video. / Courtesy Katya Veber had different inspirations.

“I had a bunch of songs, and I can probably do an album here,” Veber said. “I noticed that actually each song, if you put in the correct order, it can actually serve as a big story with its own introduction, climax, conflict resolution.”

The song, which is inspired by the show “Good Omens,” has a slow, ballad-like sound. The story in the music video revolves around a demon, the main character, attempting to save an angel who was wiped out of existence

by God. Veber said it’s a metaphor for how people don’t listen

to each other, which is the cause of so many problems in the world.

“It’s about how this huge mass of society always tries to repress the ones that they do not understand,” Veber said.

Crew hiring began during the fall semester when Veber hung up posters around campus and posted on social media asking for potential team members. The pre-production process lasted for two days. At first, Veber was nervous because the music video was her first project at Emerson.

“I thought nobody [would sign up] because I constantly doubted

myself, but people did [sign up] and we had an amazing crew with talented people who I really love,” Veber said.

Although there were some obstacles regarding scheduling around winter break, following COVID protocols, and bringing some of Veber’s ideas to life, Veber is excited about the outcome and appreciates all the work her crew accomplished.

“I love collaborating with people,” Veber said. “I really tried to create a safe space for everyone.”

At the end of the film process, the crew smashed plates that had

their names or other statements written on them, a tradition she brought to Emerson from her film sets in Russia. They each kept a piece of the broken plates as memory.

“I want to thank everyone because every person in the crew and the cast did an amazing job,” Veber said. “I’m looking forward to working with them again.”

She plans to release another music video this semester, and her crew is currently working on fundraising for it. Those who want to support them can donate to their GoFundMe page.

“I want to thank everyone because every person in the crew and cast did an amazing job.”

-Katya Veber

hannah_nguyen@emerson.edu

Review: Huntington Theatre Company puts on Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye’ Hannah Nguyen Beacon Staff

As someone who has never read Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” I found that the play adaptation at the Huntington Theater Company compassionately presented racial trauma.

The show, directed by Awoye Timpo and written by Lydia R. Diamond, will run through March 26.

Amid trauma and racism, Pecola (Hadar Busia-Singleton) has a continuous desire for blue eyes.

We learn during her quest in obtaining them that it stems from her mother’s tragic background.

While the story centers around the young girl, the play makes it a priority to represent the stories of those around Pecola, especially that of Mrs. Breedlove’s (Mckenzie Frye), Pecola’s mother.

Timpo was inspired by the storytelling traditions of Black rituals, arranging the seats in a circle surrounding the actors. The stage represents the cross-section of a tree cracked in the center, which became the centerpiece of the show. The cast consists of eight

“It was a beautiful, yet emotional portrayal of the story of a young girl who believes her life would be better with blue eyes—a common belief to those who came before her.”

members who take on multiple roles, set in front of minimal stage design: some chairs, a few food props, and a doll representing a white character in an all Black cast.

The stage set-up narrowed the audience’s attention on the performers. Audience members had to rely on the power of the performances themselves rather than finding the symbolism with a maximized set.

Frye’s performance beautifully represented her character’s pain and anger, especially because of her powerful singing, which reverberated against the walls and gave me goosebumps. Her limp, a small detail, characterized a piece of her weakness and her constant battle with racialized beauty standards.

When she describes the racism she experienced while giving birth to Pecola, her performance gave me an emotional understanding of the unfair treatment Black women face during pregnancy. It was something only a theater performance could effectively display.

Her chilling moans projected in the room.

Hadar Busia-Singleton in ‘The Bluest Eye.’ / Courtesy T Charles Erickson Timpo’s direction and Diamond’s screenplay refrained from making heavy scenes from the novel explicit. Cholly’s (Greg Alverez Reid) first sexual experience is interrupted when two white men enforce it. The scene is traumatic and can be overwhelming for any audience to witness, but Timpo and Diamond’s subtle choices made it emotionally powerful while leaving room for enough interpretation from the audience.

At the beginning of the show, Pecola was dressed by the other

characters. By the end, she was undressed, symbolizing her loss of innocence after she got pregnant and an ultimate stripping of her identity due to racial trauma.

The show left me with the realization that intergenerational trauma is often the root of racial trauma. It was a beautiful, yet emotional portrayal of the story of a young girl who believes her life would be better with blue eyes—a common belief to those who came before her. hannah_nguyen@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

February 10, 2022

7

Celebrating Black History Month as an ally Cont. from Pg. 1 unfortunately racism is a part of Black history, and America’s history.

Take time to learn more about racism and its history in America as well as gaining an understanding of how internalized racism works alongside ways to combat it, because during this month––and every other month––it is essential that we amplify Black voices.

To understand racism in the United States is to understand American history from the eyes of a Black American, as well as combat the biases and prejudices from the eyes of the privileged white American. Delete the notion of colorblindness from your brain and see Blackness as it is, real and vivid.

Educating yourself about racism involves the comprehension of your own internal racism. Be self-aware of the microaggressions you witness, receive, or promote on a daily basis. Reading and listening to those who seek to teach others about racism, because it is essential. This does not qualify only to conventional reminiscence on Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Frederick Douglas.

It means getting deep into the roots of the system.

George Lipsitz, an American Studies scholar and professor in the Department of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, does just that in his book The Possessive Investment in Whiteness. Lipsitz raises the point that American culture is embedded in “whiteness” and how white people see black people as a “problem.” The first action you must take to successfully celebrate Black History Month is dealing with racism by educating yourself about a wider range of information.

Expand the kind of content you are consuming.

Guess what? Just because you read Toni Morrison doesn’t mean you are literarily diverse. Question what kind of content goes in your reading list this month. There’s a great number of African-American authors who should be getting direct attention, especially during Black History Month. Here’s a list of recommendations of some great African American authors: Audre Lorde (1934-1992): Audre Lorde dedicated her life and work to combat the injustices of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia. Her first volumes of poetry include From a Land Where Other People Live (1972)– a work nominated for National Book Award in 1974– Cables to Rage (1970), and The First Cities (1968).

Alice Walker (1944): Walker is a romanticist, poet, and social activist.

In 1982, she published a romance titled The Color Purple, which received the 1993 National Book Award for Fiction and the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014): She was a writer and poet from San Luis, Missouri who rose to acclaim with the publication of her 1969 autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

James Baldwin (1927-1987): Baldwin was a noveslist and essayist.

Known for If Beale Street Could Talk, The Fire Next Time, and Giovanni’s Room, Baldwin spoke out the reality of being Black in America and explored the psychological aspects of racism for the oppressed and the oppressor in his works.

Ta-Nehisi Coates: Author of the National Book Award recipient Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates is an author and journalist. Coates has written serval best sellers, such as The Water Dance and The Beautifuk Struggle, and has also written the Black Panther comic books since 2016.

Ibram X. Kendi: Ibram X. Kendi is

the author of the New York Times bestseller and National Book Award recipient How to be an Antiracist. Kendi is also the director of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research and professor of humanities. Kendi will be releasing his second book, How to Raise an Antiracist, in June of this year.

Don’t play passive.

Half-heartedness not only builds more walls, it stops progress. Don’t settle when more could be done, because change, the change that matters, is not achieved through inertia.

There’s always more to do when it comes to celebrating Black voices.

Still a definitive mistake that hinders progress is the scant voice in your head that says what you are doing is enough—“somebody else will do it,”—no, they won’t.

Be active, endorse political actions targeted toward Black liberation, transform your work environment, donate money to organizations led by people of color, join a protest, or simply connect. Connecting could be having a difficult conversation about Black history, or about your relationship with privilege.

Do what feels right.

Whatever you decide to do during Black History Month, the most important thing you can do is to amplify Black voices, check your privilege, and educate yourself.

It’s important to have these conversations and it is also important to do what you can.

Not everyone has the capacity to engage in political actions or attend protests, but whatever you can do, do it with conviction, heart, and an intensity that you plan to carry not only during this month, but through your whole life as an ally. gabriel_borges@emerson.edu

Museum of Fine Arts Boston hosts first Lunar New Year celebration since 2020 Abigail Lee

Beacon Staff The Museum of Fine Arts Boston brought back their Lunar New Year celebration with a COVID-cautious approach.

The annual tradition at the institution was reinstated Feb. 5 in a reduced manner to ensure social distancing. Long-time partner Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy, typically one of several performing groups, presented a Chinese lion dance to an encircled crowd.

“We’re just really happy that we finally can come back from the pandemic and perform in person again,” said Mai Du, an instructor at Wah Lum. Most years, the MFA has multiple groups presenting the lion dance as well as Vietnamese performers with opportunities for visitors to try on Korean hanboks. The MFA was unable to hold a Lunar New Year celebration in 2021 due to the pandemic, but worked to create a safer event this year.

“It’s this interesting moment to think back on because I remember this room full of thousands of people,” said Kristen Hoskins, Director of Lectures, Courses, and Community Celebrations.

Wah Lum performed the dance three times during the day. Dancers donned vibrant lion costumes while musicians played drums, cymbals, and a gong. The performance moved from the main courtyard to the visitor center and rotunda in order to allow social distancing.

“We are trying to keep safety in mind no matter what we do,” said Hoskins.

In Chinese culture, lions are spiritual and blessed animals that travel down from the mountains to dispel evil energy in the areas they visit.

Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy perform. / Abigail Lee Beacon Staff “With the music, it’s loud and just claiming presence, claiming power, scaring away anything bad,” said Du. Wah Lum had to navigate COVID-related concerns during their return to MFA, such as determining availability of members and making sure they felt comfortable performing in front of crowds.

Nonetheless, the return has been a positive one.

“Our team has lots of young members,” said Du. “They love being able to come to the MFA and see that their culture, heritage, and the biggest holiday of the year is embraced, celebrated, and respected in such a prestigious, large institution.”

In addition, the MFA passed out art kits to create Chinese dragon shadow puppets and encouraged visitors to browse the Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese art collections. The Weng Family Collection of Chinese Painting: Travel and Home, which leaves Mar. 7, was also

highlighted.

Yaen Chen, a senior at Northeastern University, expressed her appreciation for the celebration. As someone who celebrated Lunar New Year at home in Southern California, she was glad to see the MFA spotlight this cultural tradition.

“It’s just really nice to see, especially because Boston is primarily white and has a very large white population,” said Chen.

Northeastern first-year Diya Sethi emphasized that MFA’s institutional power made this gesture meaningful.

“It’s super important for spaces that are supposed to be about culture and celebrating diversity, especially museums that have such an intense history of sometimes stealing work from other cultures,” said Sethi. “I think it’s super important that they do events like this to kind of give back to people too.” abigail_lee@emerson.edu

Black Owned Bos. logo. / Courtesy Black Owned Bos. Instagram

10 Black-owned businesses to support in Boston Jonathan Yao

Beacon Correspondent

Among the many things that Black people have brought into American society, business will always be one of them. In celebration of Black History Month, The Berkeley Beacon highlights 10 notable Black-owned businesses in the Greater Boston area, their notable achievements and different ways we should support them.

195Essential 195Essential is a clothing and apparel establishment created

by Roslindale father-daughter duo Jason and Lena Harris. The business––created during the pandemic––donates proceeds from every purchase to feeding workers—such as doctors and teachers—as a way to give back to essential workers, with designs ranging from voting rights to climate action. Readers can order online and have clothing delivered directly to them.

Black Market Located in Roxbury’s Nubian Square, Black Market focuses on giving Black businesses a place to create and grow other small businesses, as well as promote civic engagement within their community. In 2020, they launched a fundraiser for a Nubian Square Public Art Initiative, aiming to “develop a series of public murals and installations as a catalyst for neighborhood economic empowerment.” The fundraiser has a website as well as a GoFundMe. Black Owned Bos. Run by Jae’da Turner, Black Owned Bos. is a services and consulting firm with a storefront in Newbury. Black Owned Bos. also does pop-up events around Boston. Lists of events, more information about the business, as well as a way to purchase Black History Month merchandise, can be found on their website.

Cleartech Group The firm, based in Leominster, is notable for being the 2020 recipient of the Small Business Administration’s Minority Owned Small Business of the Year Award. The firm specializes in providing assistance to small and medium businesses here in Boston.

Eye & Eye Optics Located in Dorchester, this

eyewear store is run by a father-son duo, Bobin and Tariq Nicholson. “Eye and Eye” is a spin on the Rastafari phrase “I and I,” which implies “we are all one people.” This business provides eyewear, eye examinations, and repairs for glasses. They are also notable for winning Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston 2020 Eyewear Award.

Frugal Bookstore Located in Roxbury, Frugal Bookstore is notable for being Boston’s only Black-owned bookstore. The store offers all sorts of books in stock and accepts special orders for those that are not currently in stock. More details can be found on their online website.

Jamoji App LLC The Jamaican lifestyle emoji app, Jamoji, offers over 300 Jamaican-related emojis for those interested in expressing themselves with various Jamaican cultural expressions, food, and other emotes. It is available on both the App Store and Play Store for $1.99.

Little Cocoa Bean Co Located on South Street in Boston, Little Cocoa Bean Co’s mission is to provide affordable, healthy food for newborn children in their first years of development, as well as other care products to help parents raise their children. Along with the storefront, there is also an online website readers can look at should they know babies or have babies of their own.

OneUnited Bank OneUnited Bank, known as the “largest Black-owned bank in America,” is committed to serve low and medium income communities, as well as increasing financial literacy in those same communities in an effort to empower them. The bank also has additional branch locations in Los Angeles and Miami.

Pure Oasis For our readers of age, Pure Oasis is a Boston Cannabis Dispensary located in Dorchester.

The business is notable for being Boston’s first recreational marijuana shop, as well as being the first economic empowerment applicants to open a dispensary in Massachusetts.

jonathan_yao@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

Sports

February 10, 2022

8

‘I’m just happy I was able to get it done’: Men’s basketball center hits 1,000-point threshold Tyler Foy

Beacon Staff Six minutes into the second half of Saturday’s game, Emerson center Jarred Houston sank a layup that would cement his place in Emerson Basketball’s thousand-point club.

Houston’s thousandth point was just one part of his contribution to the Lions’ 83-65 victory over Clark University, in which he was the highest scorer. Due to a shift in COVID-19 protocols, Houston was able to meet the career milestone in front of live spectators—including his family.

“It means a lot,” he said. “Especially with last year, not being able to have a season. Having my family there was good too.”

The Lions, who play in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference, entered the game on a two game losing streak. After a back-and-forth overtime loss to Babson College on Jan. 30, the Lions took on Worcester Polytechnic Institute three days later and fell 76-47.

“We lost a heartbreaker to Babson and I think it’s sacked a little bit of our energy,” said Head Coach Bill Curley. “We really

tried to bounce back from that and then WPI just had the little hangover effect where we tried, but we were wearing snowshoes that day.”

Nevertheless, the pair of losses allowed Houston to break the thousand-point threshold at home, entering the match with 989 points over the course of his collegiate career. With these factors, Houston said there was a “bit” of pressure on his shoulders going into the game. “[It was my] first time [this season] with external spectators, I have my family here, and you kind of know that the number’s around there,” he said. “I’m just happy I was able to get it done, so we can focus on the rest of the season.”

Houston racked up 22 points, 22 rebounds, four assists and four blocks.

Senior guard Zach Waterhouse—who reached the 1,000 point threshold on Jan. 17—also had 15 points in the game as the Lions’ third-best scorer. Curley said the duo has been a major part of establishing a winning culture in the locker room.

“These guys, they came in as freshmen and just set the tone,” Curley said. “They brought in a new era and eventually won a NEWMAC Championship [in 2019].”

The game against the Cougars didn’t start off easy after the team went down

11-6, but the momentum swung in the Lions’ favor after the entrance of senior point guard Chad DiCenzo and junior shooting guard Max Davis, who scored 11 of 19 unanswered points—bringing the score 25-11.

The Lions continued to build their lead, but Clark’s defense—with three of the top five NEWMAC players with steals—made pivotal stops before the end of the half. Nevertheless, the Lions entered the locker room up 42-26 when the buzzer sounded for halftime.

Houston was just two points away from 1,000 points with the entirety of the second half to play, but he was just happy to be in the lead.

“I was just happy to be up by 16,” Houston said. “We had a rough last two games, so I want to get back on the winning side.”

The second half started with both sides trading threes—the Lions edging out the Cougars. Houston was fouled just three minutes in, giving him two chances at the free throw line. He missed his first first free throw, but the second put him one point from history.

Four minutes later, Houston received a pass underneath the basket from senior guard Nate Martin, which he converted

Jarred Houston passed 1,000 points in his college career. / Kayla Buck Beacon Staff

to a layup. That layup put him in a class amongst the Emerson greats.

The court erupted in applause as most fans knew the significance of the moment.

The Lions took a timeout not too long after the layup, allowing the milestone to be officially announced to the crowd.

With the energy of Houston’s thousandth point behind them, the Lions closed out the game with an 83-65 victory, pushing their conference record to 6-4.

The team’s next game would be a match-up against the Coast Guard Academy, who they last faced the Coast Guard on Jan. 17—winning 75-59. The Lions

completed the series sweep against Coast Guard on Wednesday, winning 79-61.

Curley said the goal for the team is to peak at the right time heading down the stretch.

“We only got [three] games left in the regular season,” he said. “It goes by in a blink of an eye, we have some goals we want to accomplish. Yeah, we had a tough week. But everything we want to attain is still right there.”

tyler_foy@emerson.edu

Women’s basketball adds to string of losses before Clark victory Tyler Foy

Beacon Staff The women’s basketball team lost a competitive game 69-59 to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on Saturday— the Lions’ third straight loss.

Emerson started play in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference with three straight wins but quickly regressed to 3-3. The Lions were outmatched against Babson College, losing to the Badgers 69-32. Head coach Bill Gould credits the slump to a tough part of the team’s schedule, saying he isn’t worried about the team’s ability to bounce back.

“The three losses in a row are three of the top teams in the league,” Gould said.

“There’s no such thing in college sports as a moral victory. But we have played a better team, and I feel like we’ve gotten a little better.”

MIT doesn’t sit at the top of the conference, but Gould said two of their players led them to success. Senior

guard Christina Antonakakis, for example, is first in the NEWMAC, averaging 21.2 points per game. Gould said he believed the team played well defensively against the elite scorer.

“Credit to Carla Palino for doing a fantastic job on the Player of the Year in the conference,” Gould said. “She had some points, but it took her 22 shots to get those points; she averages almost 10 three attempts a game…and we held her to two, so I think Carla did a great job on her.”

MIT entered the game on a five-game win streak, but the momentum wasn’t apparent as Emerson was able to create difficulties at the beginning of the game.

The Engineers scored the first points of the game, but not long after, sophomore guard Olivia Deslauriers put the Lions on the board with a three-pointer.

The first quarter stayed close with sophomore guard Ella Bushee helping the Lions lead 16-11, but before the quarter was over MIT moved back on top 19-18 following a free throw by Antonakakis. Bushee and Deslauriers

Sophomore guard Olivia Deslauriers calling plays. / Kayla Buck Beacon Staff

combined for 15 of the Lions’ 18 second-quarter points.

The second quarter proved a slow start for both teams, but the Engineers found some success on free throws and a jump shot which led to a 25-18 lead.

Emerson didn’t score until nearly four minutes into the quarter from a layup by Pelino. With the two sides trading shots, two three-pointers from first-year guard Bianca Benson set the Lions ahead in the exchange. Right before the first half was over, MIT sank a buzzer-beater three and went up 36-30.

The second half began to lean toward the Engineers— a shift Gould credited to MIT’s defensive adjustments.

“They figured out a little bit of how to adjust to what we were doing defensively,” Gould said. “When you play a team that’s really good, sometimes you have to get a little lucky and in the second half, they kind of had some answers.”

MIT opened the third quarter attacking from the paint, scoring three layups.

While the Engineers were attempting to pull away, Bushee scored four free throws and Deslauriers put up a three making the score 48-39, MIT on top.

The fourth quarter went similarly, with the Lions coming within five points, but MIT stood their ground.

Emerson trailed 69-59 as time ran out.

Gould said there were many positives to take away from the performance, one of them being the improvement of the team. Deslauriers and Bushee shot season-high totals of 19 and 18 points.

Emerson’s next match is against Clark University. The Lions look to put themselves back in the win column and hope to put themselves in a good position for the final stretch of the season.

“Clark is the game that we’re focused on,” Gould said. “We are going to go over Clark and we’re going to try to win a game, and I think if we can beat Clark, that’ll give us a really good shot to make conference playoffs.”

The Lions won against Clark on Wednesday 68-64 which was led by Deslauriers in another season high scoring performance—26 points.

tyler_foy@emerson.edu

Emerson men’s volleyball team setting up an attack / Kayla Buck Beacon Staff

Men’s volleyball struggles Tyler Foy

Beacon Staff The Emerson men’s volleyball team lost its fifth consecutive game between Jan. 28 and Feb. 8, creating a rocky start to their 2022 season.

The Lions won their season opener against Nichols College, but the celebrations didn’t last long as the team was swept by fellow Great Northeast Athletic Conference member Emmanuel College one day later. Head Coach Ben Read said the Lions were their own worst enemies in the loss.

“We made too many attack errors, specifically service errors,” Read said. “15 compared to 12 the game before, and we played an extra set. So it started off as errors. That’s kind of been our game; we’ve been making too many mistakes.”

With nearly a week to refocus and practice, Emerson turned their attention to Eastern Nazarene who they would play twice in a three-day span.

The team planned to work on its ability to run different line-ups and equip players to play different positions.

“We’re trying to change up our lineup within our players and play different positions to give him different ways to win,” Read said.

ENC swept Emerson in their first match, but the final score didn’t reflect how close the individual sets were. Sophomore opposite hitter Luke Roehm said the team’s synergy was a positive take away from the loss.

“We communicated really well,”

Roehm said. “I think our consistency does come from our communication.

I think that every single person on the court needs to be talking at all times.”

The Lions got their rematch two days later on Feb. 5. Roehm said the key to their success is a more offensive style of play.

“We’re just going to be unapologetically aggressive next game,” he said. “We know what to do. There’s nothing to lose…We know they’re a good team and we’re gonna communicate more, keep it loud and we’ll win.”

Emerson’s offensive adjustments made the match more competitive. After losing the first two sets, the Lions extended the game but lost the fifth set. Following ENC, Emerson faced Kean University in the same gym just a half-hour later.

They wouldn’t lose a set by more than five points, but would still end up on the losing end 3-1 Kean University.

Sophomore Neiko Pittman middle/ outside led the team with 23 kills between the two games and was also named on the GNAC Honor Roll twice since the start of the season. First-year setter Bayden Slavik had 66 assists over the weekend and was named one of the Lions of the Week for his performance.

The Lions’ most recent game was against tenth-ranked Massachusetts Institute of Technology and ended in a crushing 3-0 defeat. The team’s next matchup is a rematch against Emmanuel College at home on Thursday night.

tyler_foy@emerson.edu