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“It’s very clear what the students are asking for:” Sylvia Spears talks about how Emerson College is hurting students from marginalized communities

By Ziqi Wang

Raised in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Sylvia Spears has fond memories of her childhood from bathing in sunshine during the summer to splashing water at the beach with her siblings. And yet, despite these memories, one feeling remained the same: being othered.

Her family was one of four families of color in Narragansett, so she wasn’t a stranger to microaggressions or overt racism. But her mother, she said, validated her experiences and taught her about oppression, helping her understand what it meant to be Black in America. This sparked Spears’ realization that she wanted to help students of color in white spaces just like her mom helped her.

Spears is currently the Vice President for Equity and Social Justice at Emerson College. Hired in 2012, Spears’ primary responsibility is to provide broad institutional influence and leadership to advance the College’s diversity and inclusion. And yet, the position has never had any authority or direct power to create actual institutional change, she said. After decades of inclusivity and diversity work, she said it’s hard to say if institutions and the people who benefit from these existing systems actually have the ability to make the kind of transformative change that is necessary.

is grounded more in providing support systems to advocate for folks who are marginalized at Emerson than changing the system itself. She sees herself as a translator for the students, voicing their concerns and demands to the administration.

“‘Well, what do students want?’ They want you to decenter whiteness, they want you to address racism,” Spears said. “You know, they want you to address classism. They want a college that affirms who they are, rather than tells them that they have to be something different in order to be successful in their fields.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and style.

The Intersectionalist: You said that you really enjoy the environment here at Emerson, and that’s one of the reasons you decided to take this job. How would you describe the Emerson community?

Spears: I think people at Emerson perceive themselves as liberal and progressive, an environment in which people would think there's great, rich diversity. So there's this sense that it’s this really robust, vibrant environment. Some of that is accurate. And some of it is in pockets. There are parts of Emerson that function much like any other small, private college. So if you can travel through Emerson, as a student, staff, or a faculty member, you actually discover multiple Emersons coexisting at the same time. I think sometimes for people who are outside, that's challenging. The Intersectionalist: Over the years you’ve been at Emerson, what are some of the positive changes towards social justice you’ve seen?

I think some of the most important things are often the most invisible.

Spears: For instance, the college made a decision after lots of encouragement to go test-optional two and a half years ago. Incoming students don't have to take standardized tests, and that is really one of the things I'm very proud of. I believe standardized tests create a barrier because not every student tests well, and those tests are actually often culturally bound, Eurocentric in their underpinnings. As a result, anybody who's not a certain class or race, doesn't come from a certain background, is going to be at a disadvantage at taking those tests.

I think the steps that I've been able to take to monitor some aspects of the hiring process for faculty has been important. It's really powerful to see an applicant pool for a faculty member that is richly diverse. There are folx from historically marginalized groups who actually get hired because they're talented, edgy, and committed to social justice.

Also, what I've enjoyed over the entire eight years is really being in the community with students, especially students of color. I pride myself on those relationships that actually extend after students have graduated.

The Intersectionalist: You

Sylvia Spears, the Vice President for Equity and Social Justice at Emerson College, speaks on the obstacles she faces at creating institutional change to advance diversity and inclusion.

talked about working with the community. What are some of the most memorable stories, cases, or concerns that you've heard from the Emerson community?

Spears: I will never forget the protests. From the first protest in 2015, to the second protest, as well as Protesting Oppression with Educational Reform (POWER) emerging as an organization. Even the most recent Emerson Student of Color (ESOC) Week Of Action has been really powerful. My really fond memory is actually sitting with the students. In the just the days after both protests in the old Cultural Center, while it was in the basement with no windows and kind of sad and tired space, students had created something really special. We would have these private meetings about their concerns and even strategies for next semester. I always felt honored to be in their company, because it was work that they shouldn't have to do. And for students who literally sacrifice themselves to try to make Emerson better for students who come after them is really important work. So when they are willing to step into that role, for me, it's really important to be an intense listener, and then to move from listening to action.

The Intersectionalist: Would you describe your role as the action part of the process?

Spears: I think part of the role is action. The challenge is that so much of what needs to be changed is not under my purview. The position has influence, but has no power. So, in many ways and especially in the past six months, I feel like I'm a translator. To me, it's very clear what students are asking for, and it's much richer than just a list of demands. The list of demands are important, the college should address those things, but as I've said to President Pelton and to other folx, you have to read between the white spaces—you have to read what is in the silence. And what is in the silence, what I hear, is that there are aspects of Emerson that are actually hurting students of color, and international students and students who might have other identities. It's our responsibility to not only prevent harm, but to make it an environment in which students can thrive rather than simply survive.

The Intersectionalist: Would you say one of the drawbacks to social justice at Emerson is the barriers placed on your role that make it difficult to actually accomplish your goals?

Spears: It's the biggest challenge because people want to look to the person in this role as “Oh, this person can fix it.” I can tell people what's wrong, I can tell them what they need to do, but oftentimes it requires a vote of the faculty or it requires rethinking the way we do as a college. It requires a willingness on the part of other people to think about how we can do all the things that we do and retain the best parts of Emerson, and actually let go of all of the practices that we know are harmful. And for some people, that's really scary. The Intersectionalist: Do you sometimes feel lost, or frustrated when dealing with actual administration?

Spears: I think I don't feel lost, but I can feel really frustrated because I can see what the issues are. And I see the barriers. Sometimes the barriers that students run up against and I run up against are actually in the heads of people.

We are supposed to be a creative and innovative environment, but if we can't bring our creativity and innovation to actually transforming the culture of Emerson, then that's really scary for me.

That suggests, if this group of creatives cannot do it, cannot imagine an Emerson [at] the best version of itself, then what does that mean about society? So, I have to believe that it's possible, although there are many, many days where I'm frustrated, or where I'm just at a loss for what can I say that will help affect change. And, that's the challenge.

The Intersectionalist: You talked about all the “-isms” in your bio and how you come to understand these terms as you grow up. When was the first time that you started to understand that all these “-isms” that you talked about are obstacles

on your road to success? And how do you cope with that?

Spears: I don't think I ever didn't know it growing up in a pretty white, middle class community. We were one of four families of color in the whole town, so I always knew that there was this weird dynamic. I think my parents were pretty good at naming it and labeling it, and instilling in me that my capacity for who I could be, and what I wanted to be, couldn't be limited by what people thought. For my parents, it was all about education. After I got my doctoral degree, my mom would introduce me to people: “This is my daughter, Dr. Spears.” And it means something out in the world that people think you're a medical doctor.

The Intersectionalist: How are you implementing what you learned from your parents into your work?

Spears: My parents taught me the importance of speaking the truth, what we now call speaking truth to power. They also taught me that having empathy for others is not enough and that I have a responsibility to advocate for what is right and just despite the consequences. And despite those consequences, my life's work requires me to stand in the truth every day even in places where the truth is not valued or wanted.

The Intersectionalist: So what does “intersectionality” mean to you?

Spears: [Intersectionality] is used much more informally to really lift up the ways in which overlapping identities kind of sit [and] the ways in which society interacts with those overlapping identities, and can cause multiple layers of oppression on a single person that's greater than if they were just one. I think it's really important for people—even those at the highest levels of the institution—to understand that. You just don't put all students of color in a bucket and kind of flatten their identities. I think the students have a much better understanding of intersectionality than some faculty, staff, or administrators might unless they are impacted by it themselves.

The Intersectionalist: What kind of suggestions would you give to those people who have very limited understanding of intersectionality or the “-isms” that exist in our society?

Spears: They have to do some work, because it is a privilege. I would say to those people [that] it's never too late to begin to do the work. And doing the work means understanding who you are, understanding what privilege you have, understanding how you can use your power to actually advance and give voice to issues as appropriate. Sometimes people can suddenly get “woke,” and then actually take up so much space that they neglect to actually take the lead from the people who are most affected. What is challenging to me is when there are people who refuse to actually begin to do that work. But once you see it, you can’t unsee it. For me and other folks in the Social Justice Center that just calls us every day to continue to do the work.

The Intersectionalist: Like you said, educating people is a lot of work. And it's a lot of work that we should not have to do. But what do you want to say to those who get tired and frustrated, and just feel like there's just too much burden on them?

I think it's so important to have places where you can just be yourself and you don't have to educate.

Spears: To me, this is the only way you can sometimes survive environments. You've got to sometimes step away. And so, one of the things I often say to the staff in the SJC is: yes, our work is often harm reduction, we're advocating and running interference. We're trying to help people make their way through Emerson. But there also has to be spaces in places where we are just holding space for people, centering folx of color and folx who are on the margins, so that they can have rest.

Zines and Pen Pals: Methods of Resistance Against Ableism in the Criminal Justice System

By Eryn McCallum

The movement for prison abolition often leaves out the experiences of the disabled incarcerated community. That is why New York City-based disabled artist and organizer Matilda Sabal had the idea to start Sick of It, a disability justice and prison abolition project based around a quarterly zine and pen pal program, in October 2019.

The purpose of Sick of It is to amplify the voices of incarcerated disabled people and provide education about the relationship between disabled liberation and prison abolition, with emphasis on connecting the free world disabled community with those that are incarcerated, according to the website.

“Dealing with isolation is a huge part of being disabled, and this is infinitely compounded by incarceration,” Sabal said in an interview with The Intersectionalist.

Sick of It was officially launched in October 2020 by Sabal and prison abolitionists Rachel Kuo and Monica Mohapatra. The project has two components: a zine and a pen pal program. The zine is released as a digital copy on their website. Printed copies can be sent to incarcerated individuals for no cost via a request form on the website, according to their website.

The first issue of the zine was released on Oct. 15 and included the definitions of disability, disability justice, principles of disability justice and its relationship to abolition, along with excerpts chosen by the organizers about related topics from writers and activists.

“In choosing vocabulary, I tried to pick things that I had learned by being in community with other disabled people and reading work by disabled writers—both things that are harder to do in the isolation of prison,” Sabal said. “Being able to name your experiences is really empowering, and I wanted people to have the language to do that.”

Sabal said Sick of It currently has 20 zine subscriptions, but have sent out 30 to 40 zines because some incarcerated people requested extra copies to be sent to their incarcerated friends. They have alo sent copies to some mainstream zine distributors, such as Quimby’s Bookstore in Brooklyn, and asked other prison publications to advertise the Sick of It zine to spread the word.

Similar to requesting a zine, there is also a form to become an outside pen pal. An outside pen pal must self-identify as someone with a chronic illness or disability, be 18 or older, and write to their assigned pen pal once or twice a week for at least six to 12 months, according to their website.

Incarcerated people can sign up by writing a request to the Sick of It P.O. box.

“Sometimes, they provide extra information about who they would like to talk with, like someone with a similar impairment or age group,” Sabal said. “We do our best to match inside folks based on their requests, but if we can’t fill a specific request, we assign someone available from the list.”

The zine was funded through web hosting and the program’s P.O. box, Sabal said. However, the printed copies were covered by donations. Sabal said they are currently working on creating an emergency fund sourced from donations.

program and a zine because prisons and jail systems make it difficult for free people to communicate with incarcerated people due to limited internet access or high charges for phone and email.

“Writing to people inside helps them stay connected to the outside world and communicates to corrections officers that the person has a community who cares what happens to them,” Sabal said.

Sabal was motivated to create Sick of It by the disproportionately high incarceration rate of disabled people in the United States and social justice project Too Young To Be Sick. Founded in 2018, Too Young To Be Sick is a peer support group based in New York City for young adults with chronic pain, illness, and disability.

The disabled community Sabal found at Too Young To Be Sick had a positive impact on their mental health and ability to self-advocate. Sabal said they wanted to create a project that would have a similar impact on disabled people dealing with the violence of incarceration.

“You cannot create a therapeutic setting in a prison,” Sabal said.

The disabled community in the United States is overrepresented, not only by rate of incarceration, but also in all interactions with the criminal justice system, such as arrest and murder by police, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. According to the Sick of It website, equal rights for disabled people and prison abolition need to go hand in hand. Sabal said the zine and pen pal program are tools for community building and political education.

“Without building solidarity with people inside who are disabled, we're never going to reach a majority of the people who will be down for the fight for abolition,” Mohapatra said. Sabal said the next issue is scheduled to come out at the end of January, but the deadline is only a goal. They may push back the release date, so they do not overwork themselves and assure their network is receiving adequate care and attention.

“We want to make sure that we are helping people to form meaningful connections, and support penpals both inside and outside, so we want the program’s growth to be slow,” Sabal said. The next issue of the Sick of It zine will include written pieces from some incarcerated pen pals, along with elaboration on concepts mentioned in the first issue, such as institutionalization and prisons as a cause of disability, Sabal said.

“We're really excited about the letters we've been getting from folks inside and are looking forward to publishing them,” Sabal said.

Courtesy photo by Hex Harris. Disabled artist and organizer Matilda Sabal, one of the main organizers of Sick of It, aims to center the voices of the most marginalized within groups they work and advocate for.

The Reimagined Series: Acting is for marginalized people too

By Katiana Hoefle

Junior Rachel Perkins grew up realizing that she can never act as some of her favorite critically acclaimed characters because she is a Black woman.

"The industry is so cruel to anyone who is not straight, white, and cisgendered,” Perkins said in a Zoom interview with The Intersectionalist.

“If someone is good for a role, they should just have it. It shouldn’t matter what they look like or how society expects to see them."

She resolved to create her own space instead and developed The Reimagined Series, a five-episode Youtube series casted and produced by a majority of students of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community. Scenes from the series are inspired by Perkins’ favorite television shows, movies, and plays, which consist of mostly straight and white casts.

Courtesy/Rachel Perkins The Reimagined Series crew in face masks shooting scenes in the Boston Common.

"It's my way of telling Hollywood, ‘I love you so much, but you hurt me so deeply because you don't see me,’” Perkins said. “It's because I love it so much that I want to reinterpret it in the first place."

The episodes include scenes from “Silence of the Lambs,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Big Little Lies,” “Good Will Hunting,” and “Pride and Prejudice,” each with a different cast and crew. The directing, acting, editing, audio recording, and filming have all been reinterpreted. Only the script is exactly the same as the original, which Perkins said is important so that the audience knows where the scene originates from.

"We're not copycats, we're artists,” Perkins said. “I told [the cast and crew] we can make this our own. Whatever idea you have, bring it to me. I encouraged them to look through the script at things they don't like and the things they do like. Let it come from you."

Sophomore Dante Cokinos directed the “Good Will Hunting” episode and said he wanted to stay as true to the text as possible. He also said he wanted the actors to reimagine their characters based on how connected they feel to the characters. "It's important to look at the character as your own iteration of the character and not just watch what people in the past did and copy that,” Cokinos said in a Zoom interview with The Intersectionalist. “Be yourself and be the character."

Perkins conceptualized the idea in June 2020, planned in July and August, and filmed the first shoot in September. Currently, the team is in post-production and hopes to release the episodes in early spring 2021on Youtube.

Filming the series during the COVID-19 pandemic was not too challenging because most episodes involved only two characters, Perkins said. The crew followed health standards including mandatory testing before filming, social distancing, and wiping down equipment.

Perkins said a big help for producing the series was the crew’s quick fundraising. The first fundraiser took two and a half weeks and the second took a day, reaching a total of $1,721, according to their Patreon.

"It gave me a lot of hope because I was like, ‘wow, people want to see this,’” Perkins said. “People actually believe in this, which encouraged me even more.”

Perkins said this project was particularly important to her to create at Emerson because she sees a lot of white students who claim to be “woke” and pose as white saviors, but in reality, they only work on projects with the majority of the cast being white; there’s usually only one or two people of color on set.

Like many of her friends of color, she felt invisible for her first few years at Emerson and questioned if she was talented enough.

"That really, really pissed me off because it was actually really hard for me to get involved in projects at Emerson,” Perkins said. “I got turned down a lot, and I noticed that the groups that turned [me] down were all white. Just because we're not in the room, that doesn't mean that we're not good enough, it's just no one is making space."

Junior Demiah Crawford, who played Hannibal Lecter in the

“Silence of the Lambs” episode, said she had never felt as connected to any other Emerson production as the Reimagined Series. She noted that it was particularly due to working under Perkins, a creator who looked like her and also wanted to make a difference.

"I'm not just valued because I'm a person of color and we need diversity,” Crawford said in a Zoom interview with The Intersectionalist. “I'm there because of my talents, which was pretty great."

An argument Perkins said she has seen frequently is that the roles often given to white people can only be played by white people, which she believes is a complete lie. Most of the only white-given roles experience love, hate, betrayal, and relationships, which are universal experiences.

“These roles that white men get to play aren’t race-specific, genderspecific, or sexual orientationspecific, so why can’t anybody play these roles?” Perkins said. “Straight white men get to play the roles that are humanized. [For] people of color, LGBTQ actors, [and] even female actors, whenever we play roles, our identity is the forefront of the plot.”

Sophomore Isabella Escobedo, who was the director of photography for the “Romeo and Juliet” episode and chief lighting technician for the “Big Little Lies” episode, said she appreciated the cultural awareness that came with having a more diverse cast and crew.

“I think it's important to create spaces where people are more aware of the cultural identities that are being represented and how they are being represented and how it could be reinforcing a negative stereotype,” Escobedo said in a Zoom interview with The Intersectionalist.

While Perkins is unsure if the series might face copyright claims after speaking with three lawyers, she hopes it is up long enough for people to see it and spark conversation—good or bad. She said she would love it if it inspired people to create more inclusive environments within these industries and helped people of color and people from the LGBTQ+ community feel more represented.

"This project meant a lot to me because this was a version of film that I've always wanted to see,” Perkins said. “Thank you to every single person who was involved in this or contributed to this or even came up to me and said this is a cool idea. It means the world to me and I will never forget that."

Courtesy/Rachel Perkins Demiah Crawford acting as Hannibal Lector for the “Silence of the Lambs” scene at the Boston Masonic Building.