Biden Wins Presidential Election Special Edition

JUMPIN’ FOR JOE

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Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2020 • Volume 74, Issue 10

AFTER TRUMP, BIDEN-HARRIS VICTORY ELECTRIFIES BOSTON

Biden grabs 290 electoral votes

Illustration by Joey Plowscowe

Even now, the work is not over Editorial

Charlie McKenna & Diti Kohli Former Vice President Joe Biden is slated to become the 46th president of the United States after accruing at least 290 electoral votes and emerging victorious in Pennsylvania, the state of his birth, on Saturday morning. The win makes President Donald Trump the first incumbent to lose re-election since George H.W. Bush conceded to Bill Clinton in 1992.

“We have to remember the purpose of our politics isn’t total unrelenting, unending warfare,” Biden said in an address to the nation from Delaware Friday night. “No, the purpose of our politics, the work of our nation, isn’t to fan the flames of conflict, but to solve problems, to guarantee justice, to give everybody a fair shot.”

Once inaugurated, Biden’s running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, will be the first woman to hold the vice presidency, as well as the first Black woman and first Indian-American woman in the oval office.

The unprecedented election was marked with key Biden wins in states that flipped for President Donald Trump in 2016 or have voted red for several decades. Biden now maintains a lead in Georgia—traditionally a Republican stronghold. The former vice president grabbed Pennsylvania’s 20 electoral votes Saturday morning, pushing him past the 270 needed to claim the nation’s highest office, according to the Associated Press and multiple other major news outlets.

In the four days after Election Day, Biden also won Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, and Nevada.

INCUMBENT, Pg. 5

And just like that, President Donald Trump’s reign is over. But the work for equity? For justice? For a better world? Far from done.

Around the world, supporters of President-elect Joe Biden have swept the streets, beaming with joy and hope for the first time in four years. Millions across the country no longer have to live in a perpetual state of anxiety about what the president may tweet or say that belittles their identities or experiences. No one is nervous to refresh the homepage of the New York Times and see Trump calling people’s homelands “shithole countries” or suggesting citizens drink bleach to combat the coronavirus. And we now no longer have a president with a recording of them making fun of a disabled reporter Sadly, Trump’s grip on his supporters—those who perpetuate hate and bigotry—remains. More than 70 million people voted for the man who occupied the White House since 2016. They fervently supported him when he insulted marginalized communities.

They accepted his lies as truth. They let his insults slide. Even now, some are standing by his baseless claims of voter fraud and illegal ballot counting—all in an attempt to keep Trump the leader of the free world, a position he never should have had in the first place.

That reality is jarring and scary. It means that, even in a country where swaths of Americans are fighting for their right to exist, millions devalued their peers by casting a ballot for Trump. Sixty-three percent of white non-college educated voters chose Trump, as did the majority of white women, according to the Financial Times. More than 50 percent of families with a household income above $100,000 voted for Trump per the same data.

CHANGE, Pg. 12

INSIDE THIS EDITION Boston residents sweep streets after Biden wins suprasses vote total Pg. 3

Photos: The day Biden ascended to the White House Pg. 6

Athelets do more than play ball.

They make change Pg. 11

How Emerson Polling’s predictions compared to the final results Pg. 4

Beacon Street overtaken by opposing crowds Saturday Pg. 7

I’m part of the reason Trump didn’t win Wisconsin Pg. 12

The Berkeley Beacon

Special Edition © 2020 The Berkeley Beacon. All rights reserved.

The Beacon is published weekly.

The Beacon receives funding from the Student Government Association of Emerson College.

(617) 824–8687 berkeleybeacon.com contact@berkeleybeacon.com 172 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02116 Editor-in-Chief Diti Kohli Managing Editors Domenico Conte (Content) Tomás González (Visual) Dylan Rossiter (Operations) News Andrew Brinker (Section Editor) Charlie McKenna (Dept. Express) Dana Gerber (Dept. Enterprise) Diana Bravo (Asst. Express) Annie Matica (Asst. Enterprise) Living Arts Taina Millsap (Section Editor) Katie Redefer (Section Editor) Joshua Sokol (Asst. Arts) Lucia Thorne (Asst. Lifestyle) Opinion Jocelyn Yang (Section Editor) Juliet Norman (Dept. Editor) Sports Christopher Williams (Sports) Photo Lizzie Heintz (Photo) Podcast Team Danielle Shojai Maximo Aguilar Lawlor Sophia Boyce Drew Ascione C. Fox Ditelberg (Mixer)

November 10, 2020

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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR An election edition unlike the last one

Ahead of Election Day last week, The Beacon’s editors and I perused through the special edition the paper put out four years ago following Donald Trump’s presidential victory. None of us had graduated high school at the time that issue was initially released.

But from the words on the page, the reported articles and columns, we could see how it felt on campus that week. We could see how the results in 2016 broke and scared people. We could reflect on how those emotions have only grown these last few years with every false tweet, every derogatory remark, and every new piece of legislation.

That edition’s front page donned a large photo of students and Massacshuetts residents marching through the streets in protest with large signs and stoic expressions.

The stories were about the devastation Emerson community members felt after Trump rose to the highest office in the land. They were about a loss of hope, an abundance of tears. They were about unfortunate predictions for the future—some of which would become a reality in the years to come.

They were about fear.

But I’m glad to say that this edition does not carry the same tone.

The Beacon staff spent the last week—from the days before the polls closed to the Saturday when the Associated Press called the election for Biden—talking to students, faculty, and other commu-

nity members about their thoughts on the recent election cycle. How did people feel while races in key battleground states become tighter and tighter, we asked? How would you feel if Trump won, we asked? What does a Biden victory mean to you?

At first, our sources responded with anxiety and nervousness.

Those feelings eventually transformed into a shaky confidence and then into full-blown joy.

When throngs of Emerson students danced on the streets, we watched, wrote about them, and danced with them in spirit. We looked on as Biden supporters roared in front of the State House, when they lined up and jumped around Boylston Street, when they drove through downtown Boston honking their horns and sticking their torsos out of windows. (All those stories can be found in this week’s edition.)

It’s been an incredibly fruitful experience reporting on this election— one that’s admittedly run our small but mighty staff of reporters, writers, and photographers ragged. I want to personally thank everyone who voted and everyone who organized, protested, marched, and rallied before and after the final election results were announced. We all know there’s still plenty of work to be done. One president cannot reform the deeply-sown ills in our society.

But now the time for joy. So let’s revel in it.

Diti Kohli, Editor-in-Chief The Beacon election edition from Nov. 10, 2016

Advisor Rachel Layne

ON THE FIELD

Frankie Rowley Staff writer

‘Meeting Mayor Walsh was a really delightful experience. He was super sweet and when I interviewed him he was really engaged and seemed to enjoy being interviewed by a student journalist.

It was a good interaction, we started off just talking about how apparently John Legend gave Emerson a shout out on The Voice the night before.’

Domenico Conte Managing Editor

Staffers reporting on Nov. 3 and 7. Jakob Menendez, Tomás González Beacon Staff

‘Reporting on this election and the events that unfolded the day Biden was announced as President-elect put me in a position wwhere I really was able to visualize the divide in this country. It was one of the most memorable experiences I’ve had as a reporter—seeing people holding Trump signs pause an interview so they can flip off people across the street...it was kind of astonishing.’

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

3

News

After Biden’s presidential win, joy floods the streets Emerson students and local residents danced, jumped, and screamed downtown Saturday

Boston residents held signs in support of Biden and Harris.

Tomás González Beacon Staff

Dana Gerber & Andrew Brinker Beacon Staff

On Friday night, three days after the U.S. general election Tuesday, a winner between Former Vice President Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump was still not decided. The country again went to sleep anxious, as vote totals in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Nevada crept slowly in Biden’s favor.

Saturday morning, peaceful and abnormally warm for November, still did not bring a winner. America was waiting. Then, shortly after 11:30 a.m., the country exploded into celebration.

After four days of anxious waiting, the Democratic presidential ticket, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, shut down President Donald Trump’s bid for a second term in the White House with a historic win in the popular vote, and a decisive electoral college victory. A cacophony of joy followed, and Boston erupted.

“I cried. I was so happy I kissed the ground,” Boston native Sandra Pelkie said, wearing an American flag hat and holding a Black Lives Matter flag. “I’m still crying. I’m feeling relieved. It’s been four years of total hell, and I’ve traveled this country. I protested. I fought.

And I’m happy. We’re going to get things back to normal.”

Bostonians lined downtown streets to jump, scream, and dance.

They waved to honking drivers in cars parading around Boston Common. They popped bottles of champagne and sprayed the crowds of thousands surrounding the intersections by the public garden. They sat on each other’s shoulders, singing “Party in the USA” and “We Are the Champions.” A Trump doll was volleyed among the crowd. Some wept tears of joy. Others had their smiles covered by multicolored masks.

“It was a long wait, but it was worth it,” Kent Hamilton, who drove from Milton to celebrate near the public garden, said. “It’s fantastic that we’ve got some real leadership back into the White House.”

The scene was one four years in the making. When Trump was elected to the presidency in late 2015, crowds took to the streets of downtown in outrage—Boston mourned.

Now, a city that voted overwhelmingly against a second term of Trump, had its day of reckoning.

At the intersection of Boylston Street and Charles Street, a crowd that at one point grew to at least one thousand, shut down traffic for hours. Some stood on a group

of Blue Bikes displaying LGBTQ pride flags, while others more daring clambered up stop lights and lamp posts, triumphantly waving Biden flags and shouting down at the crowds below.

Amanda Miller, a student at Lasell University in Newton, Mass., stood on the basket of a Blue Bike, cheering, for at least a half an hour.

“I feel like this is a chance for the country to kind of reset and a lot of people can regain their rights again,” Miller said.

Signs featuring messages, like “The nightmare is over,” “Trump was the imposter,” and “ur fired” waved in the crowd. Drivers headed down Charles Street waded through the crowd, drivers blasting their horns in support, with passengers hanging out of windows or sunroofs. Early in the day, a unicycler rode the length of the motorcade.

Anna Moumoutjis, 15, came to the public garden with her mom and their french bulldog, Ozzy.

Their sign read “Bye-Don, We Heart Kamala.”

“I actually woke up to my mom screaming upstairs, so excited,” Anna said. “I was just so relieved and happy, and just the breath of fresh air, finally.”

Anna’s mom, Sandra Moumoutjis, said she was looking forward to escaping Trump’s hateful rhetoric.

She said seeing Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to be elected on a presidential ticket, step into the role of vice president, would be heartening.

“We’re just so excited for so many reasons to get Trump out of the White House, to have somebody who will bring us back together and unite the country and be reasonable,” Moumoutjis said.

“The first woman elected is a long time coming.”

Debra Bingham, Hamilton’s husband who drove in with him from Milton, said having Harris in the White House would be something she’d never forget.

“From policy to human decency, it runs the gamut of why we’re so glad to have Biden and Harris,” she said. “Also, it’s super cool—Madame Vice President!”

Hannah Flayhan, an Emerson student, said the joy of the day lifted her spirits. ”I voted for Joe Biden because he supports a lot of things I believe in,” Flayhan said. “And he stands for what’s right. It was just a great day to celebrate and come out here

and rejoice in the fact that we finally can live in an actually free country where people can live and be themselves.”

As the sun set in streaks of blue and pink, chants ranged from “All my homies hate Trump” to “The people united will never be defeated.” After a round of “This is what democracy looks like” chants, one man approached the merrymakers with a hot pie and said, “This is what free pizza looks like.”

Emma Isaacs, a Northeastern University sophomore, climbed a traffic light fixture amid the festivities.

“Obviously there’s more to be done with Joe Biden and liberalism and leftism and pushing everything toward more equality in this country,” she said. “But right now, I just want to celebrate the fact that we have achieved basic human decency and freedom.”

Emma Krewg, an Emerson sophomore, said she breathed a sigh of relief when the results came in.

“I did not expect this energy to happen today, but it’s really powerful being together with everyone right now, and actually having won this election,” she said while standing with three of her friends. “It feels good to be able to stand in solidarity when you don’t have to be protesting or mourning a loss.”

Aryama Watkins, a 23-year-old who said she has been homeless for three and a half years, stood clad in an American flag cape across from Little Building.

“This day means that Donald Trump is now out of office, which I’m very happy for—fuck Donald Trump,” she said. “I’m honestly happy and ready for Biden, to see what he has to bring to the table.” contact@berkeleybeacon.com

Joy and celebration filled downtown after the election results.

Tomás González, Dana Gerber Beacon Staff

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

Pollsters predicted a landslide win for Biden.

That didn’t happen

Camilo Fonseca

Beacon Correspondent

states, including Pennsylvania, mandate that mail-in votes cannot be counted until Election Day. “I think [as of Nov. 6] there’s three or four hundred thousand outstanding ballots,” Kimball said of the absentee ballot counting in Pennsylvania, a race called by AP on Nov. 7. “At the time of this recording, they’re only reporting about one, two hundred [thousand ballots]. That number will make a huge difference in Biden winning the state by two points, or by four points.”

Kimball said he was proud of the work that Emerson Polling did in 2020. He cited the organization’s accurate polling in states like New Hampshire, Arizona, and Nevada, and on the national level. Biden won the popular vote by three percentage points, close to Emerson’s predicted five.

“Our national numbers, I think, are going to reflect what really happened,” Kimball said. “It’s hard to change what works. But obviously, our state polling needs to have some attention.”

Emerson Polling would first await the final results of the election before assessing any potential changes to its modeling, Kimball said.

“After 2016, we added to the methodology, [and] in 2018, even though we did exceptionally well, we added to the methodology,” he said. “As communication continues to evolve, so does the way that we collect data. Sometimes in that process, we slip up, but that is in the process of learning. And in communication, it’s always evolving.”

In recent years, Emerson Polling introduced new polling mechanisms, like a new SMS-based initiative meant to supplement webbased and landline polling. ”You can only text in Montana, and our polls were accurate there,” Kimball said.

Furthermore, Kimball said he is confident that polling, as an institution, will survive the aftermath of Nov. 3, 2020—in part due to sheer public demand for raw data amidst the anxiety and uncertainty of election years. “‘Don’t compare us to the Almighty,’” he said, quoting former Boston Mayor Kevin White. “‘Compare us to the alternative.’”

97% Reporting

98% Reporting

ARIZONA NEVADA

98% Reporting

98% Reporting

FLORIDA

camilo_fonseca@emerson.edu

PENNSYLVANIA

As the dust settles on the election, it becomes increasingly clear that the margins of victory for former Vice President Joe Biden were razor-thin in a number of battleground states—a far cry from the decisive, near-double digit victories forecasted by Emerson Polling.

Emerson’s final batch of statewide polls, conducted from Oct. 29-31, predicted convincing defeats of the incumbent president in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Florida. Other races, like Ohio, Iowa, Texas, and Maine’s second congressional district, were predicted to be closely competitive. Yet, after days of vote counting, the results reported to date by the Associated Press and several other news organizations tell a different story.

Biden eked out a victory in Wisconsin by just 0.6 percentage points, rather than Emerson Polling’s predicted eight points. In Michigan, Biden won by just under three points rather than seven as predicted. And in Pennsylvania, where Emerson Polling foresaw a four-point Biden victory, the now-president-elect holds a lead of just half a point, with 98 percent of the vote reported. While these states were key in determining the presidency, their results fell outside the typical margin of error of three points.

Emerson Polling Director Spencer Kimball said the discrepancy between the polls and the actual results was due in part to record voter turnout in the 2020 elections.

Whereas 139 million Americans cast ballots in 2016, this year’s projected turnout of 158 million—66.4 percent of registered voters—would be the largest in any presidential contest since 1900.

“That voting increase was disproportionate around the country,” Kimball said. “So it was hard to account for that unknown quantity.”

Among polling organizations, Emerson Polling is held in high regard, rated the country’s most reliable automated poll service in 2018

by FiveThirtyEight. Nevertheless, its 2016 predictions estimated a landslide Electoral College victory

of 323 to 215 for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

In other battleground states favored for Biden, the Democratic candidate lost outright. Emerson Polling had the former vice president leading by one point in Ohio and by two in Maine’s second congressional district. President Donald Trump carried those races by eight and seven points, respectively, far outside of the typical margin of error in state polls.

In Iowa, where the latest Emerson poll predicted a one point Trump win, the president won the state by more than eight points.

Texas, labeled a statistical tossup in the latest poll, went to Trump by nearly six points.

One of the largest discrepancies in the group’s polls was its assessment of Florida. Trump carried the state, and its 29 electoral votes, by three percentage points. On Nov. 1, Emerson Polling had Biden leading by six.

Kimball said he felt uneasy about the final Florida polling numbers even before results began pouring in. As it turned out, his projections for Miami-Dade County—which went to the past three Democratic presidential candidates by 15 point margins—failed to anticipate an inflated Republican turnout. On Election Night, he said he considered the state lost by the Biden campaign as soon as the first numbers were reported.

“Those types of mistakes are systemic, where, as methodology, you have to decide what you’re going to do,” Kimball said of his reluctance to publish the Florida poll with its questionable figures. “Because there were so many [other] polls showing [a Biden victory in Florida], for me to throw out that poll would have looked more partisan than polling. That’s what the numbers look like.”

Kimball pointed out the statistical divide between in-person and absentee ballots, rooted in conflicting attitudes towards the COVID-19 pandemic. In-person ballots—which trended Republican due in part to Trump’s unfounded allegations of fraud associated with mail-in voting—made up the initial counts in most states. Only after states began processing mail-in ballots—which conversely trended heavily Democratic—did the results swing towards Biden. Some

Final Results

Emerson Polling

For Biden (FINAL)

50.6%

For Biden (PROJECTED)

50.0%

4

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

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Presidential candidates issue conflicting statements following race call Charlie McKenna Beacon Staff

Statements from former vice president Joe Biden and President Donald J. Trump struck strikingly different tones, following the Associated Press and several other major other news organizations’ declaration of a Biden victory in the 2020 presidential election Saturday morning.

Biden appeared grateful and called for unity, a defining theme of his campaign.

“I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect [Kamala] Harris,” the statement reads. “In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted. Proving once again, that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.”

In a short video posted to Twitter, Harris congratulated Biden on securing the presidency.

“We did it,” she said. “We did it Joe. You’re going to be the next president of the United States.”

Trump, meanwhile, repeatedly undermined the election process and doubled down on false claims that he won the election.

“The simple fact is this election is far from over,” the statement reads. “Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor.”

The president has already filed lawsuits in Michigan and Georgia, alleging his campaign hasn’t been granted proper access to the vote-counting process. Courts have already shot down both suits. He threatened to file a similar lawsuit in Nevada.

“Beginning Monday, our campaign will

‘We did it...We did it, Joe.’ - Kamala Harris

President Donald Trump start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated,” Trump’s statement reads.

“The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters.” charles_mckenna@emerson.edu

Read President Donald Trump’s full statement after Biden’s victory here “We all know why Joe Biden is rushing to falsely pose as the winner, and why his media allies are trying so hard to help him: they don’t want the truth to be exposed. The simple fact is this election is far from over. Joe Biden has not been certified as the winner of any states, let alone any of the highly contested states headed for mandatory recounts, or states where our campaign has valid and legitimate legal challenges that could determine the ultimate victor. In Pennsylvania, for example, our legal observers were not permitted meaningful access to watch the counting process. Legal votes decide who is president, not the news media.

“Beginning Monday, our campaign will start prosecuting our case in court to ensure election laws are fully upheld and the rightful winner is seated. The American People are entitled to an honest election: that means counting all legal ballots, and not counting any illegal ballots. This is the only way to ensure the public has full confidence in our election. It remains shocking that the Biden campaign refuses to agree with this basic principle and wants ballots counted even if they are fraudulent, manufactured, or cast by ineligible or deceased voters. Only a party engaged in wrongdoing would unlawfully keep observers out of the count room – and then fight in court to block their access.

“So what is Biden hiding? I will not rest until the American People have the honest vote count they deserve and that Democracy demands.”

Biden wins White House, unseats incumbent for first time in quarter century Cont. from pg. 1 Biden’s lead in Georgia is slim, and the state is headed for a recount. If he holds on to win, it would be the first time in 28 years a Democrat has won the southern state. Previous recounts, including one in Wisconsin in 2016, have done little to alter vote totals.

Biden has attempted to earn the nation’s highest office twice before—running and losing in the primaries in 2008 and 1988.

In a statement, former President Barack Obama congratulated Biden on his victory.

“I know he’ll do the job with the best interests of every American at heart whether or not he had their vote,” Obama wrote. “So I encourage every American to give him a chance and lend your support” While Biden’s victory has already been acknowledged by leaders around the globe, it appears that President Trump may not accept the results of the election. The Trump camp began filing lawsuits early this week in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Georgia, alleging election officials mishandled vote counts and did not give his campaign adequate access to polling sites. Multiple legal experts across the country have called Trump’s claims of voter fraud “baseless.”

Control of the Senate is still up in the air, and will ultimately be decided by voters in Georgia, as races for the state’s two senate seats are both headed to runoffs. If Democrats are able to pick up both seats, they will gain a slim advantage, with vice president-elect Harris casting a tie-breaking vote.

While Democrats still control the house, if they lose the races in Georgia, Biden would take over the White House under a divided Congress, potentially jeopardizing the president-elect’s ability to pass his legislative agenda.

The results finally offer a nation a conclusive result following four days of uncertainty, during which election officials nationwide counted through millions of mail-in ballots brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Several states, like Pennsylvania, California, and Massachusetts, mandate that mail-in and absentee ballots cannot begin to be counted until Election Day. contact@berkeleybeacon.com

President-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

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6 photos from the day Biden hit 270 Americans responded to news of Joe Biden’s victory with exultation or anger. In rallies and demonstrations. In crowds and motorcades. In multicolored masks. In MAGA hats.

Clockwise from top left: Non-Trump suppporters sport Biden signs by Boston Common; Resident rallies for the future on State House steps; One of several pro-Biden cars parading on Beacon Street;clashing demonstrators downtown; Signs of ‘Daddy Biden’ and ‘Trump/Pence Out Now’ on Saturday. Lizzie Heintz, Alec Klusza Beacon Staff

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

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On Beacon Street, dueling rallies fight for their candidate

The two sides outside the State House illustrated the heated political divide in American politics. Domenico Conte Beacon Staff

Domenico Conte Beacon Staff Dueling crowds positioned themselves on either side of Beacon Street in front of the Massachusett State House Saturday afternoon following Democratic nominees Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ election to the White House.

A couple hundred supporters of President Donald Trump gathered on the steps and sidewalk directly in front of the State House first, holding signs and chanting “It’s not over” to the motorcade of honking cars and revving engines. Over the next few hours, a gathering of Biden supporters crowded the other side of the street.

Both sides stuck up middle fingers across the street, yelled derogatory remarks, and at times, blocked traffic to shout in each other’s faces. Trump supporters clamored over election interference and Biden’s alleged relations with China, while the crowd for Biden chanted “This is what democracy looks like” and “You’re orange, you’re gross, you lost the popular vote.”

The two crowds, diametrically opposed in their beliefs, are perhaps indicative of the deep political divide highlighted by the 2020 campaign cycle and four years of tumult, some attendees said.

“It’s crazy that there’s two sides right now, like two physical sides,” Cat Pergolis, a Suffolk University junior attending the rally, said. “You can obviously tell that some people are really passionate about it and it’s great to be in a city that is this passionate about voting.”

Across the country, in Phoenix and Lansing, Michigan, and at several tabulation centers in Georgia, protestors denied the election results and declarations of a Biden victory. In Brooklyn, on the other hand, a celebratory atmosphere filled the air, with

rallyers banging pots and pans and dancing in the streets. In Boston, at least, social distancing measures were often ignored.

Biden accrued a total of 290 electoral votes in the past four days, thanks to several key wins in states like Pennsylvania, Arizona, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The electoral college victory and a four million ballot lead in the popular vote gave the Biden-Harris ticket more than enough support to oust President Donald Trump after just one term in office.

Attendees often froze traffic on Beacon Street, with some drivers sticking fists out the window in support of either Biden or Trump. One truck driver, who slowed down as he passed the rallies, repeatedly yelled “F*** you” towards the State House side of the street, where Trump supporters gathered, until making his way through the intersection.

Kendra Charles, who stood holding signs outside the State House in support of President Trump, said she received a text last night alerting her of pro-Trump rallies at every state capital in the country. Her own doubts on the election prompted her to attend the rally.

“My concerns about the validity of the election brought me here,” Charles said. “I’ve heard and seen too much that seems abhorrent, this election. I’ve been a voter for many years, and never to my knowledge have they blocked people from coming in and observing the count.”

Across the street, Biden supporter Lara Littlefield said her side of Beacon Street was underwhelming when she arrived in the morning, but they outgrew Trump supporters as the day moved on.

“It’s long overdue, the outpouring of support for Biden today,” Littlefield said. “The president doesn’t have a firm grasp on reality, and whatever he says, his supporters believe. And that’s not based in reality.”

A Trump supporter at the State House Saturday. Lizzie Heintz Beacon Staff

The pro-Trump side on the historic steps (top) and car with a “You’re Fired” sign (below) Lizzie Heintz Beacon Staff Pergolis walked to the State House with a friend after hearing the news this morning. She said she found the physical divide on Beacon Street astonishing.

“This is crazy, it’s really good to see everybody in Boston be politically active, especially young people,” Pergolis said.

A member of “Asian-Americans for Trump,” Luciana Bai, a 30-year resident of China, raised signs in front of the State House to protest the election, which she said she views as a Democrat-led Chinese takeover of America.

“I know how socialism works,” Bai said. “The Democrats are working with the [Chinese] government, so if we’re not stopping them from taking over the country, we’re watching the [Chinese Communist Party] take over this country.”

Bai said she often posts in support of Trump on Instagram. Over the past several weeks, her posts have been delayed or removed from the social media app, which she said was one of the reasons she wanted to come out on Saturday.

“I want to live [in America] just because I love America’s true spirit,” Bai said. “Well the next morning when I wake up and you tell me this country is socialist, well I can never take that…there’s no other way… either Trump gets reelected, or we’re fighting, we fight.”

Charles lamented the increasingly polarized nature of U.S politics, criticizing the inflammatory remarks and turbulence she said deepens the country’s political divide.

“We don’t see ourselves as Americans any more, we see ourselves as liberals and conservatives, Democrats

A non-Trump supporter with middle fingers in the air. Domenico Conte Beacon Staff and Republicans,” Charles said. “But I don’t think that’s true. Maybe we have one thing that’s predominant, but the hatred that’s been growing in this country, I have to stand against the hatred. We’re first of all Americans.”

Trump supporters left the State House, mostly in a single file line. around 2:30 p.m.

Crowds in support of Biden

also gathered on each corner of the Common on Saturday. Large swaths of Emerson occupied the intersection at Boylston and Tremont Street, while hundreds of Massachusetts residents at the Boylston and Charles Street intersection cheered over the results of the election. domenico_conte@emerson.edu

BIDEN ON THE PODIUM

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

A triumphant victory speech in his home state

8

Charlie McKenna Beacon Staff

President-elect Joe Biden delivered a speech to supporters in his home state of Delaware Saturday evening, officially claiming the presidency while attempting to unify a nation deeply divided after the 2020 presidential race.

Biden, who ran his campaign on the premise of “healing the soul of our nation,” reached out to Trump supporters and Americans who didn’t vote for him during the speech. He pledged to work for them, even if they don’t support him.

“I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify, who doesn’t see red states and blue states, but only sees the United States,” he said to a crowd of onlookers, honking their car horns in support.

The 2020 campaign cycle was one marked by vitriolic discourse between Biden, incumbent President Donald Trump, and their supporters.

Typically, the president-elect delivers their acceptance speech to a crowd of thousands, but as the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage across the country, Biden delivered his speech to a crowd of onlookers in their cars.

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, the first woman and first woman of color to serve as vice president, introduced Biden—and praised voters for turning out in record numbers. A total of 66.4 percent of eligible voters participated in the 2020 election, the highest turnout in the U.S. in more than a century.

“When our very democracy was on the ballot in this election, the very soul of America at stake, and the world watching you,” Harris said, “You ushered in a new day for America.”

Biden received more votes in the 2020 election than any other president in history, a

President-elect Joe Biden holding hands with family members of his and future Vice President Kamala Harris. feat he thanked supporters for.

“It is the honor of my lifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for this vision,” he said. “And now the work of making this vision real is the task of our time.”

The former vice president praised his wife Jill for her work as an educator. He later welcomed his family on to the stage, as balloons and confetti rained down in celebration.

“I would not be here without the love and tireless support of Jill, Hunter, Ashley, all of our grandchildren and their spouses, and all our family,” he said. “They are my heart. Jill’s a mom — a military mom — and an educator.

She has dedicated her life to education, but teaching isn’t just what she does.”

After the speech, Harris rejoined the stage,

along with her family, for a fireworks display as music from Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner, and Tom Petty played. During the fireworks show, red and blue drones displayed messages in the sky like “46”, “Biden” and the American flag as the two families looked on

and applauded. The moment was not lost on Biden, whose trademark smile was plastered on his face throughout as he held one of his grandchildren in his arms.

2020

charles_mckenna@emerson.edu

At Emerson Commencement, advice for the future Diti Kohli Beacon Staff

More than 17 years before Joe Biden became the President-elect, he received an honorary doctorate degree from Emerson and commended the college’s graduating seniors to “stand on principle and move to action” in his 2003 Commencement speech.

The then-senator of Delaware donned a black robe with a deep-purple collar while delivering remarks with a mixture of hope, humor, and political fervor. Today, mere hours after Biden surpassed 270 electoral votes, The Beacon rewatched the 34-minute speech.

The best part? He didn’t even think he should’ve been at the ceremony. “Denis Leary, Jay, Leno, Henry Wrinkler, and you got me?” Biden joked. “I don’t get it.”

Though the speech is a tad outdated, with references to “American Idol” and the newly-emerged digital age, it still holds words and weight from the man who is now the leader of the free world.

Here are the biggest takeaways from the speech: Biden reflected on the graduates’ tumultuous college tenure In his remarks, Biden referenced the historic events that happened between 1999 and 2003—the time frame during which most of the graduates attended Emerson. He brought up September 11th, the election of George W. Bush, and the start of the Iraq War. The class entered college in a time of prosperity, he said, but were leaving it amid great uncertainty.

“The stock market was up. The Berlin Wall was down. The sky was the limit.

Peace seemed inevitable. We were looking at government surpluses. The budget was balanced. We were filled with hope and optimism,” Biden remarked. “And then, the impeachment and disgrace of a president, and many other things being culminated, in your sophomore year, and September 11th, with the witnessing of an evil that most in our country thought was beyond our shores.”

He talked about his family The long remarks are sprinkled with anecdotes on Biden’s family: his daugh-

ter, son, father, and mostly, his mother. From start to finish, the speech is centered around the lessons the President-elect learned from his mom, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan, who was then approaching her 85th birthday and has since died.

He made light of Finnegan’s reaction to his prior presidential campaign.

“She believed I could become anything I wanted,” Biden said. “She even believed I’d run for president once. She never thought I’d be dumb enough to try it twice.”

Biden said his mother taught him the importance of neighbors helping neighbors—an American ideal.

“It’s in our self-interest to be of service to our brothers and sisters,” he said.

For his mother, “service wasn’t a career.

It was an expectation, an essential part of living a meaningful life. In a sense, helping the guy next door is a uniquely American value borne out of the fact that we are a nation of immigrants.”

Later, he brought up his daughter’s graduation from Tulane University and his son’s hope to one day write a book.

He emphasized Emerson’s focus on communications and the arts Biden repeatedly highlighted the role communicators, artists, and actors play in the world after college. In fact, the then-senator said commentators and writers have “great power” and “inordinate responsibility” on the way the world is perceived.

“The country will listen less to me or President Bush than it will a well-placed or well-time comment of Jay Leno or David Letterman,” Biden said.

He lauded the graduates for their precise visions and commitments to their crafts. Artists, Biden said, often know what they want to accomplish well before they even enter college.

“The most remarkable thing about your class is that you arrived here in large part possessing what most people go to college to find and that is, you know what you love, you know what matters to you,” he said. “Most of you are prepared to take a chance in pursuing a very difficult environment, a competitive environment, the craft that you know you love.”

He drew parallels to his 1968 law

Biden during Emerson’s 2003 commencement speech. Courtesy Emerson College

school graduation An alumnus of Syracuse University, Biden graduated law school in a similarly unprecedented time. He recalled the impact the Civil Rights movement and the assassination of two of his heroes—Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy—had on him as a new lawyer.

“I know that you are today, very much as we were in 1968, anxious about the future and dismayed by uncertainty, wanting to do well, wanting to do good, and unsure about your chances of doing either,” Biden said.

“You take your diplomas and enter a world that isn’t awesome in its chaos and complexity as it starkly beautiful in its seeming simplicity of its great technology.”

He offered words of encouragement and advice Despite the trauma and turmoil that marred the graduates’ time in college, Biden maintained a spirit of for-

ward-thinking hope.

“If you’re looking for the secret of life, you probably won’t find it,” he explained. “But if you’re looking for the potential in the commonality of human experience, you’ll find there’s more power in the human heart than all the gigabytes technology can provide you.”

“In this era of mass worldwide communication, people will take pride in making you and breaking you very, very quickly. And knowing who you are, knowing what you believe, and never allowing that understanding to weaken will always be your most enduring defense against life’s challenges and your own frailties. So let me say in conclusion, for better or for worse, this is the world you inherit...Let your generation be the one to bring us to a time when we stand on principle and are moved to action by the power of our words and ideals,” he said near the end.

2003

diti_kohli@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

9

Community members breath collective sigh of relief Professors hopefully look forward to a new White House

‘Wake up, Biden is President!’

First-years erupt in cheer

Dana Gerber Beacon Staff Political science professor Mneesha Gellman was hiking in the woods with her family Saturday morning, trying to distract herself from the ongoing election, when the texts came in that Joe Biden had emerged victorious after days of vote counting.

“Text messages started pouring from my neighborhood in Jamaica Plain, where apparently people are out with pots and pans, beating them in celebration, and musicians are going through the streets playing out loud,” she said.

A far cry from the solemn mood that pervaded campus in 2016 following Donald Trump’s unexpected win, professors described feelings of satisfaction when it was announced this morning that Biden had beaten the incumbent with a win in Pennsylvania.

“The knot that was in my stomach that I had all week—it’s gone,” said journalism professor Cindy Rodriguez, who found out about the results while flipping between news stations.

Rodriguez said these results represent a rejection of Donald Trump and his ideals. However, she also expressed anxiety that Trump would continue his unevidenced claims that the election was rigged.

“I know that there’s a lot of work to do so I don’t want to diminish that in any way, but today is a day to celebrate,” she said.

“All the people who protested, who marched, who signed petitions, who spoke out, who used their platforms on social media, all the people who’ve been organizing and doing the work and donating, and everyone. We all have to celebrate.”

Gellman said while this day has been a win, she is still worried about how the president plans to fight this result in the courts, as well as the likelihood of a Republican-controlled senate.

“I do feel a sense of relief on a personal level, but I have a lot of concerns moving forward,” she said. “The sense of closure on the election still, I think, is a long way off.”

Though Biden has more centrist political beliefs than her, Gellman said she was happy that Trump is no longer in a position of power.

“I do feel a sense of hope that the egregious, racist, xenophobic, sexist agenda that has been implemented in the last four years will be rerouted to an agenda that is more democratically oriented,” she said. “We need to remember that there were 60 million plus co-citizens in this country that did cast their votes for Donald Trump, so I ups are back in charge, and things have a lot of questions about how might feel a little more normal,” we do the deep work, the deep she said. “I’m also really happy culture change work of healing for my students who came of age as a society to address the kind of during this crazy, unusual, despotic grievances people must hold in or- government, who are finally going der to feel like Trump is the sort to see how it’s supposed to work.” of person who would solve their Rodriguez said that while Biden problems.” is in office, he must make progress Alden Jones, a writing, liter- with systemic issues like wealth ature, and publishing professor, inequality and police brutality that said she found out about the results have plagued the Trump adminisamong friends, and wished the tration. celebration could have been more “This has been an American widespread. nightmare the last four years,” she “I was at a five year old’s birth- said. “Donald Trump—I start to day party, and one of the parents cry, thinking about all the people checked their phone and sent a he has hurt.” wave of happiness through the Rodriguez also echoed Gellcrowd,” she said. “This has been man’s message of hope for a more such an endless waiting game, so equitable society. However, she I was really wanting there to be a said civic responsibility does not definitive moment where everyone end with Biden’s election. was running out into the street at “My message will always be to the same time, but I’m just glad the my students, you have to be hoperesults went the way they did.” ful,” she said. “It’s not a president Jones said she had faith Biden that makes the country, it’s the would reverse the ways Trump people of the country, so we have chose to handle the COVID-19 to be more engaged, and again, do pandemic. She said she hopes that our part, whatever that part is.” the anticipation she felt because of the election will diminish now that the results are final. “[This] means that the grown dana_gerber@emerson.edu

Frankie Rowley Beacon Staff Celebrations erupted throughout the Little Building this morning, after the 2020 presidential race came to a final conclusion, with former Vice President Joe Biden notching a decisive victory over incumbent President Donald Trump.

First-years, some of which voted for the first time in this election, were celebrating after Biden secured a win in Pennsylvania, and 290 electoral votes, according to the Associated Press.

On floor 11, a student was running around, blasting music and yelling “Wake up, Biden is president.”

“I’m just speechless, I think is the one word to put it in,” Charlotte O’Connor, a first-year journalism student said. “The last couple months have been really chaotic and stressful with, you know, the pandemic on top of the election. And I just think that this is the closest we can get like a nice breath of fresh air, even though it’s not technically like set in yet it still feels like that.”

Most of the first-years The Beacon spoke to said they were relieved, many saying they feel like a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders.

“I’m just glad that after a whole week of like, actually a few months of just incredible stress, I can finally just be like, ah,” Sebastian Olea, a first-year VMA student said.

Ray-Anne Hollander said she felt like her voice was finally heard, after the election of Donald Trump in 2016, which left her hopeless.

“I remember in 2016, like, I felt really powerless,” Hollander said.

“I knew that members of my family, and parents of the kids in my school, were all voting for Trump… and there were girls in my grade who were Trump supporters… and there were girls in my school whose parents were deported and it was horrible.”

For Luke Colombero, a first-year Theatre and Performance major, casting his vote for Biden made him feel like he was a part of history.

“Oh, God, I feel like I made history,” Colombero said. “Not me specifically. But, you know, my generation. This was a very empowering election, not just for me, but for others who have felt disenfranchised over the years, who have suffered under Trump’s reign. And now that he’s out, I think it’s a new dawn, new era of peace, hopefully.”

Colombero was adamant about the work that still needs to be done, saying that Biden’s victory was just the first step.

“Hopefully, we see a reduction in police brutality towards people of color,” he said. “That’s what I really want the most. Also maintaining the Affordable Care Act for people who have pre-existing conditions and ensuring that members of the LGBTQ plus community have their rights kept, and a million other things, but those really were the top ones.”

Yejin Koo, a first-year Media Arts Production major, said they were relieved, but elected officials need to be held accountable if real change is going to be made.

“I don’t think there is a reason to be happy because Trump’s America is not going to disappear overnight,” Koo said. “This is clearly emphasized with the amount of students, most coming from positions of great privilege, outside celebrating right now in the [Common], while the homeless individuals who are economically disadvantaged due to race, ethnicity, and otherwise are also occupying that space. That’s America.”

“Some people can’t celebrate this victory because there is no reason for them to,” Koo said. “If anything, I think it is more important to celebrate Trump being out of office much more so than Biden being in it.”

Domenico Conte, Dana Gerber Beacon Staff

frankie_rowley@emerson.edu

Columns

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

10

Biden’s win is defined by his personal losses

Dana Gerber Beacon Staff On Election Day, before Joe Biden’s final stops on the campaign trail, he paid a stop to Greenville, Delaware. He attended Mass at Saint Joseph on the Brandywine Roman Catholic Church. After the service, he visited his son, Beau, at his gravesite.

Biden has never shied away from the grief that has marked so much of his personal life. He was first sworn in as a U.S. senator from the hospital room where his toddler son, Beau, was recovering from a car accident that killed his first wife, Neilia, and daughter, Naomi. In 2015, two years after his cancer diagnosis, Beau died of a brain tumor at age 46, after expressing his wish that his father run for president again after two failed attempts.

Two years before I was born, my brother Sam died of a brain tumor at age seven. Too often have I had to comfort those who I choose to share this information with, rather than the other way around. Too often do people wince, mumble or deflect their way through this part of my life, but Biden does not flinch. “I know how mean, cruel and unfair life can be sometimes,” Biden said while accepting the nomination at the Democratic National Convention this summer.

“But I found the best way through pain and loss and grief is to find purpose.” It’s refreshing to hear Biden acknowledge the complexity of grief. He understands that he does not understand, which is a humility that is completely alien to Trump.

Biden’s experiences, though tragic, have made him a more empathetic politician, a trait completely devoid from our

Biden walks through the cementary where his son Beau buried. Tomás González Beacon Staff

White House for the past four years. Biden has given close to 60 eulogies in his life. Following George Floyd’s death at the hands of a police officer in May, Biden met with his family and recorded a video that was played at his funeral service. When the U.S. reached 100,000 COVID-19 deaths on May 28, he commiserated with bereaved Americans: “To all of you who are hurting so badly, I’m so sorry for your loss,” he said in a video. “I know there’s nothing I or anyone else can say or do to dull the sharpness of the pain, but I can promise you from experience, the day will come that the memory of

‘Grief... is messy, intimiate, and exhausting’

your loved one will bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eyes.”

And two nights ago, during his first speech as president-elect, he recited a hymn that “meant a lot” to Beau, hoping that it would bring comfort to the now more than 230,000 families who have lost someone to COVID-19. Biden embraces a sense of loss, even on a day that brought the 77-year-old his biggest win.

Grief, as I and countless other Americans know from experience, is messy, intimate and exhausting. It is anything but linear, with birthdays and anniversaries

ripping open wounds you thought you’d long stitched up. But Biden has taken on the impossible task of broadcasting his own healing process, becoming the spokesman for unthinkable grief from the moment he took public office. “Part of going through it publicly is … it puts you in a position where you either are going to walk away from trying to give hope and comfort to somebody … or you engage it and it’s hard,” he said in an interview with People in February. Joe Biden has always chosen to engage in it by helping others through their pain, even though, in all likelihood, doing so reignites his own.

Joe Biden is an imperfect man.

I don’t agree with every one of his policies. I’ve found some of his comments and decisions insensitive, and like many Emerson students, I wish we’d had an option besides an old white man. But I believe that Biden has the power to forge connections with people and communities that are suffering, and I believe he has the wisdom to know when he needs to just listen.

Grief is stitched into how Biden interacts with the world, and I believe that his profound losses have given him the insight to lead this country with compassion. It is only when somebody understands the deepness of wounds that they can ever hope to heal them. This is the only thing a humane politician can hope to do—hear the pain of the people and try to do something about it. Despite his faults, Biden knows how deep wounds can run, and I believe he will try his best to heal them.

dana_gerber@emerson.edu

What the 2020 election means for international students in the U.S. Jocelyn Yang Beacon Staff The whole world has been waiting for this victory — for four years.

As soon as The Associated Press called that Democratic nominee Joe Biden won the electoral vote of his native Pennsylvania, pushing him over the 270 electoral-vote threshold on November 7, my phone didn’t stop buzzing. Messages came from my family and friends back home in China, saying things like “Congrats to you, America, and the entire world!”

Since 2016, many people have kept faith that this day would eventually come. It felt more like a matter of when, rather than if. But to me, it was still somehow surreal when I saw the green checkmark next to Biden’s name over Donald Trump’s.

As one of a million international students in the U.S., I’m glad we’ve won our own victory. For the past four years, we have been fighting for our rights to study in this country, as the Trump administration repeatedly tried to implement policies that restrict international students’ visas. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, announced in July that international students may need to leave

the U.S., should their universities transition to online-only learning, many of us grew fearful. Signing petitions and going to protests was the least we could do, since we can’t vote in this country.

Now, Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ win is a blessing for the international student community. Previous regulations, like the Department of Homeland Security’s recent proposal to limit international student visas to four year-periods, that discourage more from applying to American universities, could change under Biden’s administration, according to Stephen YaleLoehr, a professor of immigration law practice at Cornell University.

Biden also previously condemned the ICE rule against international students’ learning experience. “Across the world, people come to this country with unrelenting optimism and determination toward the future. They study here, innovate here, they make America who we are,” he tweeted on July 7.

For many international students, the arrival of these changes could provide momentum to pursue the American dream. This is the hope.

As an Asian student, I also cannot wait to see the return of the real leaders who have supported minority communities and will

hopefully address these long-term systemic racism issues in this country. I won’t miss Trump calling COVID-19 the “China Virus.”

I won’t miss the time an Uber driver asked me multiple times if I am from China and offensively talked about the COVID-19 outbreak during my ride—just because of my Asian-sounding name. I won’t miss seeing news about banning immigration from Muslim-majority countries or building a wall.

Biden’s victory may usher in an era of healing the harm the Trump administration inflicted on the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and other minority communities.

I deeply resonated with CNN commentator Van Jones when he said that a president’s “character matters.” Joe Biden isn’t perfect.

But I’m genuinely happy the results show Americans’ desires of bringing moral character back.

We are on the right track. People across the world are cheering for this— for us.

And behind all of the tears, laughs, and celebrations we have this week, we also need to remember this fight isn’t over; it’s just beginning. The U.S. has gradually stepped out of its position as a leader in the past four years. By exiting the Paris Climate Agree-

Illustration Joshua Sun ment and withdrawing from the World Health Organization, the U.S. has severely faltered, and now there are many steps the country must take to rebuild its image to the world. The day-to-day democratic dialogue should not and will never end.

I myself have been thinking about how I may now have a promising future in this country after

all. Maybe I can finally get some sleep and know that in the morning, everything won’t be as scary as it used to be. I know, as an international student, that the U.S. will have to take time and make the effort to regain the trust of the world.

But this victory is a good start. jocelyn_yang@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

11

Biden’s victory and American pride Sabine Waldeck Beacon Staff Around four years ago, I became a citizen of these “United” States.

I was reluctant to become a citizen because of the reputation Americans had cultivated to outsiders—selfish people who did what they wanted and did everything gluttonously.

With that, and the impending doom of Trump’s presidency, becoming an American was not a moment of pride for me.

I have now come around to the idea of calling myself an American. The reasons I hated the idea of becoming one are now the same reasons I feel a connection to the nation. I decided to try and change the things I didn’t like, wanting to make it a better country. To fight with the American people, and make it a place we can collectively be proud of, not somewhere just made for the blindly proud, who wave the Amer-

ican flag outside their wrap-around porches.

This Saturday was the first day in a long time I felt as though we had made a stride towards the better America, I, and so many others envision. While we obviously have a long way to go, basking in the celebration of the first win in a while, felt good.

What has to be acknowledged is the people who got us here. The true Americans that put love over hate, equality over equity, and Biden over Trump. Biden is clearly not perfect, but he is a step in the right direction, and after walking backwards for four years, a step feels big.

To celebrate the day, I stood outside the Massachusetts State House with my fellow Americans, masks on, chanting, and cheering, celebrating our victory. We had fights with the losing side, who stood opposite to us, but this time it was different. We were not fighting against the Trump supporters, but rather celebrating in front of them, and that felt amazing.

The next step for pandemicridden pro sports after election Brendan Beauregard Beacon Staff Saturday became a record-breaking day as Joe Biden defeated incumbent President Donald Trump in the election—the first time a sitting leader only lasted one term since George H.W Bush was just known as George Bush back in 1993. Along with the change in the Oval Office, this weekend brought 126,742 new COVID-19 cases in the United States, the highest number of daily cases the country has seen yet.

So what do a new White House head honcho and rising COVID cases mean for professional sports? Let’s talk about it.

Only one of the big four American sports leagues is currently in action. The NFL is approaching the halfway point of the regular season while the MLB, NBA, and NHL are in offseason. All four leagues, however, share the same goal: welcome fans back into stadiums and arenas for games.

It isn’t exactly clear how Biden’s COVID-19 policy will impact professional leagues and their ability to play. Biden said he plans to organize a 12-man pandemic task force soon, and he also has pledged to implement a national lockdown if scientists suggested that course of action.

Adding to that, Biden plans on bringing more transparency about the virus and how the government is dealing with it, with Dr. Vivek Murthy, a key advisor on the Biden team. He said, “What you’re going to see is a laser focus on ensuring that people get adequate testing and clear information,” clear information that wasn’t at times delivered by President Trump.

Switching gears to the sports side, let’s discuss the NFL and the other leagues. Right now, NFL teams are hosting or traveling to games. More than half of teams in the league allow spectators into stadiums at reduced capacities. Additionally, the league plans on having a 20 percent seating capacity for the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay come February.

The MLB saw some fans back in the stands during their recent postseason bubble when they played the NLCS and World Series in Texas at the Rangers’ Globe Life Field. They also recently sent out a survey to ticket-buyers about willingness to accept risks, procedures to help reduce the virus spreading, and other factors related to that.

All in hope they get to play a full 162-game season starting in April.

Both the NHL and NBA welcomed family and close friends of league personnel during their own postseason bubbles. Each league had zero positive cases in their bubbles when the NBA was down in Orlando and the NHL was up in Canada. The NBA has their sights set on a 72-game season starting on December 22nd, while the NHL is hoping to start their season nearthe New Year and then play a full 82-game season.

Yes, three out of the four leagues so far were able to complete their seasons during the pandemic. But those seasons could’ve gone more smoothly if the administrators were more aware of the virus’ threat— something President Trump knew about back in February when speaking with journalist Bob Woodward. Who knows how shortened those pauses during the NBA and NHL seasons could’ve been if they knew that information.

So what would be a good strategy for those four sport associations during this ongoing pandemic? The enclosed bubble route that the NHL and NBA paved? A modified bubble environment, like the MLB? Continuing travel to games, like the NFL? We just don’t know because of how fluid the situation is and the what ifs that exist in the coming months.

It’s important for Biden to make sure he keeps his word by providing a clear plan of attack against the virus when he enters office in January. That includes the remarks his campaign made about more reliable and regular testing, so teams know what players have actually tested positive. That way, they won’t have a situation like the MLB had with Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner, when he was pulled out of a World Series game after testing positive.

Either way, hopefully the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL will figure out the best plan that not only keeps games going and seasons alive, but also protect the health of players, coaches, and fans. brendan_beauregard@emerson.edu

This is the first time in four years where we are no longer fighting for the legitimacy of human rights, but the reparations and consistency of them. We no longer have to try to convince our president that Black lives matter, that we have the right to choose, that families should not be separated at the border, that LGBTQ+ rights are human rights, and so much more.

For the past four years, and maybe even before that, looking at an American flag did not give me pride. I would see the flag as a symbol of one kind of American. The people who would proudly wear or wave the flag, to me, signified somebody content with the way our country was, someone maybe even proud of it. With Trump as president, pride was the last thing many felt about being an American. That flag felt more like a divisive symbol than a unifying one.

On Saturday, however, I saw so many people holding and waving the

A kid runs with a Biden Harris flag through a crowd. Tomás González Beacon Staff

American flag. It felt like the people who were not proud of seeing the flag before had, in a way, reclaimed it.

Even though this is only the tip of the iceberg, seeing an American flag in so many people’s hands and not feeling disappointed in what it stood for, is the feeling I think a lot of Americans reveled in.

Obviously, this is not the end. This is not the part of the book where

things are all good again and you can close the book peacefully. This is now the sequel. The part that is maybe not as exciting or crazy as the first book, but still just as important to the story.

From here, we keep fighting for and with one another. We can all take a breath, but just don’t let it be for too long, this story has only just begun. sabine_waldeck@emerson.edu

cant just shutSports and Why athletes up and dribble the election Christopher Williams Beacon Staff

(Top) Lakers forward Lebron James Courtesy @kingjames (Bottom) Patriots head coach Bill Belichick

Basketball superstar LeBron James’ nonprofit voting organization More Than A Vote played an integral role in last week’s election by helping drive the record turnout of Black voters—a move that boosted former Vice President Joe Biden into the White House.

James, like many athletes, has been ridiculed by Republican voices in President Donald Trump’s administration for using his platform to condemn government officials and speak about social change. In February of 2018, James called Trump a “bum” who doesn’t “give a fuck about the people” in a video for UNINTERRUPTED. Following his comments, Fox News host Laura Ingraham said on The Ingraham Angle that she doesn’t want to listen to the political opinion of “someone who gets paid $100 million a year to bounce a ball,” stating James should “shut up and dribble.”

He didn’t shut up. Instead, he dunked on her and his critics, proving it is imperative that athletes must use their platforms to reach millions of Americans and incite social change.

Launched on June 22 following the murder of George Floyd, More Than A Vote is a coalition of influential Black athletes and artists in the country. In addition to James, Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown, NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes, U.S. men’s national soccer team forward Jozy Altidore, rapper Offset, and comedian Kevin Hart have all advocated for “combating systemic, racist voter suppression by educating, energizing, and protecting our community in 2020,” according to More Than a Vote’s website.

The organization is directly responsible for recruiting 40,000 poll workers nationwide, converting sports facilities into polling precincts in battleground states, providing discounted rides to the polls, and contributing to the $27 million effort to enfranchise 13,000 returning citizens in Florida. The coalition also partnered with voting groups in swing states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina to educate and energize Black voters. Partly due to More Than A Vote’s efforts, Biden received 87 percent of votes among Black voters—the largest amount from any demographic group.

Former President Barack Obama joined the virtual crowd during the NBA finals to “thank a great group of first-time poll workers with @morethanavote,” his tweet stated.

“It’s not one of those things you think about, but it is absolutely vital for our democracy,” Obama said about working at polling precincts. “I appreciate [poll workers], and hopefully all NBA fans will appreciate you when they see those shorter lines at the polling places.

Democracy doesn’t work if just a few people do it.”

Obama’s appearance made me realize how important it is for our country to have a president and politicians who openly support athletes’ push for social movements. We’ve had someone in the most powerful position in the world continuously demean athletes in their pursuit for justice the past four years.

Trump infamously criticized former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in 2016 as he led the NFL’s peaceful protest of police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem, saying “maybe he should find a country that works better for him” in response.

Then, during a rally in Alabama in September of 2017, Trump stated he would love to see NFL owners fire any player who “disrespects our flag” by kneeling, saying “get that son of a bitch off the field.”

Former First Lady Michelle Obama coined the phrase “When they go low, we go high” during the 2016 Democratic National Convention when speaking about the hateful language used by the Republican party against then-Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

When Ingraham, Trump, and their political puppets went low, James and Co. went high and helped make him a one-term president.

The election of Biden “was just the tip-off,” according to the coalition’s website. Yes, it’s a massive step in the right direction, but there’s so much work yet to be done. America is still divided and deeply wounded from Trump’s presidency, and it will be crucial for athletes to hold Biden and his government accountable to ensure that change continues to be made. They helped lead the change this past week, and they will continue to not “shut up and dribble” as long as they have a voice. christopher_williams@emerson.edu

The Berkeley Beacon

November 10, 2020

12

I helped Wisconsin go blue Shawna Konieczny Beacon Staff Four years ago, I had just turned seventeen. I was balancing the stress of school at Medford Area Senior High in Wisconsin, a social life, and the mental toll from losing three grandfathers within the year. But all those emotions had nothing to do with politics or the fact that Donald Trump had just been elected the 45th President of the United States.

Growing up, politics was rarely ever a topic of conversation in my family. I knew my parents were Republicans. Still, we never discussed policies or candidates. It was a given that conservative ideology was the best ideology.

However, since arriving at college and meeting new people from different backgrounds, I’ve heard stories and opinions that opened my mind up to new possibilities. I was able to develop stances that reflect my personal values. It is because of these newfound beliefs that I voted from Democratic nominee Joe Biden this year, helping Wisconsin flip blue.

In many towns in my home state, there’s a certain mentality that if it isn’t happening there, it’s not happening anywhere. My father and stepmother, both Wisconsinites, believe our day-to-day lives aren’t heavily impacted by the person in the office. My mother and stepfather, on the other hand, tie their political beliefs to their religious practices.

“Republican values are Christain values,” my mother often told me.

Now, as a former Christian and queer woman, I disagree with the ideals my mother would preach, which include pro-life and anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs.

While I would never align myself with Trump’s values, I can, to a certain degree, understand his appeal in rural Wisconsin. He’s painted himself as a leader for the “everyday American,” and his straight-forward

language makes him relatable and easy to understand. This helps explain why his supporters are so quick to believe everything he says, even if it has no factual basis.

Wisconsin’s political races have become especially competitive in recent years, making it one of the battleground states in this year’s presidential election. With the exception of President Barack Obama’s two victories, the margin of difference between two candidates in Wisconsin has been less than one percent since 2000, according to the nonpartisan political site 270towin.

Before Trump won Wisconsin in 2016, the state had gone blue in every election since 1988. It flipped blue this year with a margin of just about 20 thousand votes, giving Biden 49.6 percent of the state’s vote over Trump’s 48.9 percent.

During the 2016 presidential election, 69.5 percent of people voted for Donald Trump in Taylor County, where I live. That is the second highest percentage of voters that voted Republican in the state. Four years later, Trump gained more than one thousand additional votes in Taylor County, deepening the red surge in the region.

Despite everything that Trump has said and done in the past four years, I am not surprised by this result. I have witnessed increased support for President Trump from people from my hometown, especially within this past year—pandemic and all.

While some people tease me for how much time I spend on Facebook, it’s the perfect window into the minds of these neighbors and peers. As the election grew closer, I’d see my Facebook friends post about why they support Trump.

Being in the minority as one of the 2,600 people from my county who voted for Biden, these posts and Facebook fights would often be a source of morbid fascination for me.

Illustration Joshua Sun The heightened division in the country has increased the tension between friends and families as people seem to be forced to choose between the far right and the far left, with little room for mutual understanding. After Trump claimed his loss was due to voter fraud, I saw an overwhelming amount of people on Facebook take his side and try to discredit millions of mailin ballots that were being counted throughout the week.

There was one post in particular from Saturday, the day news organizations declared Biden the winner, that stood out to me. My Facebook friend explained why they felt Wisconsin should have gone red, posting a long run-on sentence along with a map of election results where only 14 out of Wisconsin’s 72 counties in the state went blue.

Many of the comments explained the concept of population density, asking users to look at the number of votes rather than the number of red counties. One Trump supporter commented about the post’s many grammatical errors, saying that “If we’re going to look like intelligent Trump supporters, we should at least know how to spell.”

Ridiculing people’s education level is a common theme I’ve noticed in Wisconsin. The United States has seen a trend where people with higher education are more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate than if they only had a high school diploma. In the state of Wisconsin, less than 30 percent of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree.

When looking at the people I know from my hometown, the majority of those who are attending college right

now campaigned against Trump and now are celebrating Biden’s victory.

Whereas many who stayed in the area after high school are mostly Trump supporters.

Being restrained to the hivemind of Wisconsin growing up didn’t leave me with a lot of room to develop my own opinions. It was a dangerous combination of being naive and misinformed. Thankfully, I have had the privilege and the opportunity to explore the world beyond my state. I have seen how important it is to care about what goes on in government—something I didn’t comprehend four years ago.

shawna_konieczny@emerson.edu

In this new era, there’s still a need for change Cont. from pg. 1 Months before the polls opened, Trump’s mishandling of COVID-19 repeatedly threw the country into multiple surges of infection. According to an Associated Press analysis, 93 percent of counties in the 376 counties with the highest number of new cases per capita voted for Trump. These people saw their friends, family, and neighbors quarantine, sometimes fall violently sick and even die—then they voted for Trump. Most were rural counties in Montana, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, and Wisconsin that often slack on social distancing, mask-wearing and other public health measures.

The inauguration of Biden and his administration hopefully means we no longer remain in our level of complacency with the pandemic. Biden’s plan calls for empowering the scientists and health experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide evidence-based guidelines to stop outbreaks, as well as mapping out a plan for effective, equitable treatments and vaccines. This sounds great on paper, but the president-elect needs to be held to these objectives that he committed to on the campaign trail. These aren’t just plans. They are promises. We should

follow the lead of European countries shutting down for a second lockdown.

It’s a critical time now for the U.S. to use science and make rational decisions to make it through the pandemic. It may not be our job to enforce this mission, but it will likely be our responsibility.

Leaders across the country have repeatedly flaked on their promises when it comes to the pandemic. We must hold them accountable.

Without the authoritative grip of the Trump administration, the country can also finally start taking steps forward in terms of climate change. We no longer have to explain the existence of climate change to those in power. Instead, we can encourage the elected officials pushing for a greener and cleaner future. The Green New Deal is already out there, thanks to Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Massachusetts native Ed Markey. It rallies for net-zero emissions by 2050, an overhauled transportation system, and a gradual move away from fossil fuel industries, among other propositions.

And across the country, it has garnered more support than some officials like to give it credit for. According to Data For Progress, a majority of people support the historic legislation in an over-

whelming number of states.

Over the past four years, the Trump administration also attempted to stoke racial divisions in housing. Their strategies stroked fears in suburban voters of poor urban residents, who are majority people of color. They’ve made no progress lessening the debilitating impacts of student debt. They’ve tried to eradicate steps forward for universal health care. They’ve made decisions that benefit the rich and leave the poor behind.

They’ve let people die, for more reasons than one.

That means the future holds so, so, so much more. And whether or not we like it or want it on our list of responsibilities, change falls in our hands— on the people. This is the time for us to continue to come together, address these issues, and make this country one.

This editorial was written by the Beacon’s editor-in-chief, managing editors, and opinion editors. The opinions expressed by the Editorial Board do not impact the paper’s coverage.

A demonstration in Boston Common on Nov. 4. Lizzie Heintz Beacon Staff