St. Patrick’s Day

Tara Jenkins (left) and Quionna Allen (right). Courtesy Tara Jenkins and Quionna Allen Consulting firm to release accessibility, equity report

Gabriel Borges

Beacon Staff

A consulting firm will release a report on student accessibility and racial equity later this month, bringing renewed attention to a year-long, student-driven effort to re-examine the way Emerson treats its marginalized community members.

The report, slated to be released before the conclusion of the academic year, will draw on eight months of research by Beyond Racial Equity, a Maine-based group hired by Emerson’s Presidential Advisory Group. That decision came after Emerson’s Access: Student Disability Union unveiled the “Access Advocacy Project” in April 2021, urging the college to improve accessibility for its disabled community members, including the incorporation of policies in the classroom and the implementation of educational and training programs for community members on disability.

“The responsibility of rooting out ableism falls upon every person and institution,” read the statement from Access SDU. “That is one of the reasons why we are calling upon Emerson College to do more and to do better for its disabled students and community members.”

In response, the college hired Beyond Racial Equity in September to perform an institutional review, with the goal of identifying areas for improvement in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) sphere.

“[The obstacle to accessibility is] not necessarily one person,” said Quionna Allen, a co-founder of BRE. “We want to look at some of the processes and practices that may be in place, not because someone is doing it intentionally, but just because it’s been around for 100 years, or 50 years.”

Beyond Racial Equity set up interviews with faculty, administration, staff, and students to identify the college’s gaps and limitations.

“It was clear that people were saying, ‘There are some issues with the faculty and staff, or issues with the process [of the college’s DEI practices] itself,’” said Ruthanne Madsen, Emerson’s vice president for enrollment management who serves as interim supervisor of the Social Justice Center.

“If you go back to those demands and some of the things that were requested of the institution, you’ll see that, clearly, there are some gaps there and some areas of improvement necessary,” she added.

Since its inception, Beyond Racial Equity has implemented focus groups, or “Student Visioning Sessions,” for select groups of students such as members of the LGBTQ+ community and students of color. The group also launched HiveWise, a virtual conversation platform designed to gather input from the entirety of the Emerson community.

“HiveWise is like a combination of a conversation and a survey,” Allen said. “We develop specific questions in HiveWise based on what we’ve learned about Emerson…We’ve spent the last couple months of this span of time really trying to figure out how to get engagement from students,” Allen continued.

While the interactive virtual platform was anonymous, each HiveWise contributor is able to see each other’s responses and respond with advantages and disadvantages to what people shared.

Allen said that Beyond Racial Equity’s priority in their work with Emerson is to create an environment where students, faculty, and staff can be themselves in spite of their identities.

“I do this work wanting people to have [inclusion] in their environments,” she said. “It’s an area that connects with wanting people to feel that they are in a place where they can be successful, where they belong, where they feel like they can be, [and] where they’re included.”

Jenkins said that Emerson’s efforts to seek an external party for structural evaluation of diversity, equity and inclusion is a sign that the college is heading in the right direction. However, Madsen noted that while the college continues to work towards DEI, the process of working towards an equitable campus will take time.

“There’s hope that we can be in a community where everybody feels comfortable, everybody feels included,” she said. “That’s the way the system was made and we’re breaking that down slowly.”

gabriel_borges@emerson.edu

Students discuss holiday plans in Irish city

Cont. from Pg. 1

pretty small, pretty local, very strong, community-based things which I imagine it’s like here as well,” she said. “I am going to the parade this year with some friends I have coming from home…I’m excited because I’ve never really celebrated here before.”

Irish Americans made up roughly 22.8 percent of the city’s population in 2014—according to an article by the Boston Globe—because of the colonial immigration of Irish citizens to the colonies. Aware of the large Irish population, Reed is expecting a lot of celebration on Sunday.

“I’m expecting to see a lot of people, I’m expecting a lot of commotion, but I’m excited for it,” she said. “I think it’ll be interesting. I love the people-watching aspect of it, so I think that I’ll get a lot of that on Sunday.”

Despite being excited to engage in the festivities, Reed said she doesn’t think a cancellation of classes on the day would be justifiable.

“People typically don’t do things on that day,” she said. “I know the parade’s a really big thing here and the weekend is a big thing and I don’t know anyone who has plans on doing anything tomorrow.”

With a fixation commencing around most Catholic or Christian-based holidays, other Emerson students, while excited, believe there should be more recognition of cultural and religious holidays.

Sophomore theater and performance major Alex Goldman grew up in a Philadelphia Jewish community. He’d never celebrated St. Patrick’s Day before, but growing up Jewish made him question why some holidays were honored at the expense of others.

“I know Boston’s pretty Irish, so is New York City, so I’m curious to see which one is better because I haven’t seen the Boston one yet.” -Nikki Emma

“If it’s a holiday that’s important to people, then we probably should get school off…it really annoys me,” Goldman said. “For [holidays] in the Jewish calendar, we didn’t get school off and it really pissed me off.”

Ella Maoz, a first-year Creative Writing major from San Francisco, echoed Goldman’s sentiment. Growing up Jewish, Maoz reflected on her middle and high school years, where she would consider herself “lucky” if the academic calendar didn’t fall on Hanukkah.

“The fact that I’ve never had to go to school on Christmas, but I’ve always gone to school on Hanukkah,” she said. “This year I had to be here at school which sucks because I want to go home and I can’t. It was so depressing. Somebody who celebrates Christmas has never had to deal with that, that’s what the annoying part is.”

Maoz sang in a choir before coming to Emerson. The repertoire contained mostly Catholic songs, but every Jewish holiday was honored.

“That was the first experience I’d ever gotten a Jewish holiday off. It was so funny too, because we were singing all Catholic songs but they were giving us every single Jewish holiday off and I feel like that was a respect for your religion or your culture,” Maoz said.

Incident Journal: ECPD responds to campus security bypass

Beacon Archives

Vivi Smilgius

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, Feb. 28

ECPD identified a student allowing non-Emerson guests to access college property via their Emerson ID, which violates the college’s access policy. The student was referred to Community Standards & Student Conduct.

Tuesday, March 1

A bypass was reported at Piano Row residence hall, but an ECPD investigation found the person in question to be a registered guest of a Piano Row resident.

Tuesday, March 1

An unidentified person entered the dining center, filled up a water bottle and left. When ECPD arrived on the scene the person had left the dining center and could not be located outside.

Wednesday, March 2

ECPD assisted Emerson community members who had received a series of unwanted electronic communications. ECPD provided the community members with information on Massachusetts laws regarding electronic communications and possible solutions.

Wednesday, March 2

ECPD received a report of an elevator entrapment at 25 Boylston Place. When ECPD and Emerson facilities staff arrived, the elevator was working and no one was inside.

Saturday, March 5

An Emerson College staff member was assaulted by a dog at approximately 12:38 a.m. The individual was not injured and the dog owner was identified.

Saturday, March 5

ECPD secured and destroyed contraband items obtained by Housing and Residential Education staff in the Little Building residence hall. HRE staff referred the involved students to Emerson’s Community Standards and Student Conduct.

Sunday, March 6

ECPD responded to a reported disturbance at the W Hotel. ECPD identified involved individuals, whom HRE referred to Community Standards and Student Conduct.

Wednesday, March 9

ECPD responded to a reported fire alarm and evacuation at the Little Building. The Boston Fire Department responded, confirmed a lack of fire and deactivated the alarm.

Wednesday, March 9

ECPD was informed of and began investigating a previous theft in the Ansin Building.

Thursday, March 10

An unidentified non-Emerson community member vandalized the Walker Building but did not bypass security. ECPD is investigating the incident.

Thursday, March 10

ECPD assisted a student with an off-campus larceny report. Another agency will investigate the report.

Friday, March 11

ECPD responded to a reported fire alarm and evacuation at the Little Building. The Boston Fire Department responded, confirmed a lack of fire and deactivated the alarm.

hall. HRE staff referred the involved students to Emerson’s Community Standards and Student Conduct.

Opinion

Escapism or Erasure: the challenge of consuming white content as a Black person

Hadera McKay

Beacon Staff

This past spring break, I finally finished my three-month-long first watch of the late 90s classic, “Sex and the City.” As the end credits ran, I was more somber about it than I’d imagined I’d be. “Sex and the City” is a six-season chronicle of the unsurprisingly politically incorrect, embarrassing, and hilarious sexscapades of four middle-aged working women and their search for love, good sex, and happiness, narrated by columnist Carrie Bradshaw. The intensity of my interest wouldn’t have been so surprising if I hadn’t recognized the absurdity of myself, a young Black woman, finding ways to connect with the objectively privileged lives of these white women. I identified with Carrie’s habit of overthinking, Miranda’s glaring cynicism, Charlotte’s undying will to make the life that she wanted for herself, and Samantha’s rejection of emotional connections out of fear. I realized how much of a default it was for me to ascribe a connection to circumstances that were undoubtedly not mine, and I was at once slightly sad and also intrigued. How could I so easily find meaning in these objectively white stories? Out of embarrassment for consuming a fictional experience so far from mine, I found myself jokingly describing it to my friends as a much-needed form of escapism. I hadn’t realized then how precisely I’d hit the mark. I realized that I’d not only connected with, but found solace in this white content—dealing with white characters and their white problems—and its isolation from the historical and institutional racial oppression that I dealt with mentally, physically, and emotionally every day. Consuming white content in this way was a form of escapism that briefly distanced me from my oppression, exposing a coping mechanism that I hadn’t even known I had. Due to the traditional lack of representation, BIPOC people have been forced to see themselves in content where no one looks like them. As a result, they foster connections with identities and circumstances that may seem very far from their own. It’s a particular survival skill that has always unwittingly helped me navigate white spaces; from memorizing the lyrics to Taylor Swift songs so I’d know the words at sleepover sing-a-longs, to holding a comb and singing into the mirror, pretending I was Hannah Montana. The same is true for books. I spent my entire adolescent life reading and loving books by white authors about white characters. I devoured young adult fiction novelists Sarah Dessen, John Green, and Morgan Matson, falling in love with coming of age novels and deeply connecting with the recurring themes of insecurity, decision-making, and identity-seeking. There was such comfort in these easy stories written by white people about white characters who have the privilege to exist in a bubble where they can interact with race at will. It was like a magic trick where their power to hold the truth and impact of oppression at arm’s length in their lives transferred to me during the small periods of time where I got to immerse myself in those stories. By reading, I could experience the extreme weightlessness of whiteness that comes from being the default representation of human existence. Such practices, while deceptively comfortable, are born out of desperation and habit. They can breed a sense of internalized erasure that translates into the belief that these seemingly romantic experiences and stories are reserved for white people alone. After reading those books and watching coming- of- age films like “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Edge of Seventeen,” and “Lady Bird,” I understood the coming- of- age genre to be synonymous with whiteness. Could there ever be a space where the varied and layered experiences of young BIPOC people were not relegated to their oppression or to playing sidekick number one#1? Additionally, jumping through hoops to find the ways that I connect with these white, privileged characters (oftentimes stripping them to the core of their humanity to do so), takes a toll. Sometimes the privilege is just too thick to wade through. I know “Friends” is a classic or whatever, but I honestly can’t make it through more than the first couple of episodes of that show without thinking it too obnoxious to continue. I’d much rather spend my time rewatching the funnier and Blacker “Living Single,” similarly about a group of friends in New York, trying to make their way in the world. Just because I’ve been forced to see myself in white stories, doesn’t mean I should. It also doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to find comfort in the lives of whites who don’t have to care about structural oppression on the levels that I do. It’s not a crime to find a sort of romantic comfort in the lives of people who will never be able to know your struggle. While I do not enjoy the realities of white ignorance, I do enjoy the romanticism of storytelling where characters live without the burden of interrogating the merit of their own existences in a world that is designed to work against them. Excuse me if I bask in the casual romance of white couples on screen like Carrie and Aidan from “Sex and the City,” or replay sweet teen movies like “10 Thing I Hate About You.” These are all specific romantic and mundane depictions of life that Black people can and should be represented in their own way. Do not mistake this for envy. I am proud of the honesty and the range of Black stories that are lived and beginning to be told and in love with the essence of creating something so true to our language, values, and culture. I have never felt more understood than when I’m witnessing a story where someone who looks like me is going through the same things I am, or even going through something completely different. I am tired of thinking it’s an honor or a privilege to have Black stories told when white people do not recognize what a privilege it is to always have their stories told with nuance and care. I am tired of translating their experiences to mine, but also glad of the skill it developed in me to be able to honor the distinctly human qualities of all stories. To find a way to relate my inherently Black story to everything I see, making it universal in its own way. Deep down what I’m hoping white people take from Black stories is a recognition of the innate humanity and universality of our experiences without isolating the influence of our identities or the identities that they created for us as a form of oppression. That they can look at all of these things and love us as we are, without the armor of white references we’ve been forced to protect ourselves with thus far.

Courtesy Hadera McKay

hadera_mckay@emerson.edu

War does not bring people together, it reinforces existing oppression

Mariyam Quaisar

Beacon Staff

The current war in Ukraine has left its residents in turmoil. The country’s main cities are incessantly bombed and innocent lives are being shamelessly taken. Despite the dire situation, Ukrainian officials granted themselves the authority to prioritize the lives of white Ukrainians over all other ethnicities that are escaping the country. No matter the harsh conditions our world may be in, hierarchy continuously prevails, and those who are deemed inferior suffer. Whoever said war brings people together was undeniably incorrect. At various Ukrainian borders, African people are being pushed to the ends of long lines and in many cases, beaten by Ukrainian authorities. Many are left stranded in the cold with no food or shelter, while other Ukrainians are being let through to safety. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine displaced many people, it’s safe to say all those who reside in the country are in need of serious help, but humans have yet again found a way to create a superior group that deserves “more.” While most who are fleeing the war zone are Ukrainians, many are also students and migrant workers from Africa, Asia, and other regions who Courtesy UNHCR, Mariupol, Ukraine, January 2015 are desperately trying to save themselves and their loved ones. So, who decided that one person’s life was more important than another’s? Is the life of an African baby worth less than a 60 year old Ukrainian man? Is an Asian woman worth less than a Ukrainian woman? The situation in Ukraine is unimaginable for us, but it cannot be an excuse to act haphazardly with human life. Ukrainian border guards are not only not letting foreigners through to safe zones, but are beating them with sticks, tearing their clothes, slapping, and pushing them. Once again, our society’s constant need to have a socalled, “superior group of people” has prevailed at the cost of innocent people. At the border, guards are insisting that women and children pass through first. But apparently, that does not apply for all. They have been letting Ukrainian men through

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The Beacon is published weekly. Anything submitted to the Beacon becomes the sole property of the newspaper. No part of the publication may be reproduced by any means without the express written permission of the editor. while denying Black women passage, they say, “Our women first.” Ukrainians are allowed to pass freely through a specific gate into Poland while foreign nationals are all told to go to one gate at the Medyka crossing, where four people are processed every few hours. The list of unfair treatment goes on and on. While many Pakistani students, Afghani people, Vietnamese workers, and more said their biggest issue in crossing the border was long lines, many others emphasize a harsh treatment—often comparing it to the treatment of animals—they faced from the Ukrainian army. Thankfully, neighboring countries like Poland immediately helped refugees, however that also only applies to certain people. Many foreigners are warmly welcomed into the neighboring nations, but, according to President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria, there are multiple reports of Polish officials refusing Nigerians entry. Again, the treatment of Africans is shallow and inhumane even during a time of war. Why? When did one person’s life become more valuable than another? At a time of conflict such as the one currently occurring in Ukraine, every human being should have the right to safety. Discrimination and racism has no place in this world, but it especially not during a time of war. War does not bring people together, instead it becomes another excuse for humans to create a system of superiority where, most often, people of color are pushed to the bottom. Racism has become this world’s universal religion, and it’s sad that this practice rears its ugly head even when unnecessary guns are being fired and families are being torn apart. In what situation, if there ever will be one, will humans decide to maturely treat all lives as equal?

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) mariyam_quaisar@emerson.edu

Karissa Schaefer (Living Arts) Tyler Foy (Sports) Kaitlyn Fehr (Copy)

Advisor David Dahl