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Faculty, students raise concerns about inclusivity in political science department by Jack Maniaci
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The Department of Political Science has formed a student advisory committee to discuss ways in which the department can become more inclusive and has welcomed student input. Department Chair Deborah Schildkraut explained that this initiative started because of discussions happening among students. “It was largely started at first with an advisee of mine that I know was very interested in these sorts of things, and she confirmed to me that students are having some of these conversations already without us,” Schildkraut said. Ahead of receiving student input, the department identified several internal issues to improve on, including hiring and course design. “The goals are for us to talk with our majors about some of the discussions we’ve been havsee FACULTY, page 2
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Packard Hall, home of the Department of Political Science, is pictured on Nov. 3.
The Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger begins new position as university chaplain by Chloe Courtney Bohl Contributing Writer
The Rev. Elyse Nelson Winger assumed the position of university chaplain last month after her appointment by University President Anthony Monaco in August. While women have been appointed as university chaplains at Tufts ad interim in the past, Nelson Winger, an ordained minister within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is the first woman to occupy the position of university chaplain at Tufts full time. She assumed the role on Oct. 1. Prior to coming to Tufts, she was university chaplain at Illinois Wesleyan University, where she also served as the associate dean of students and associate director of the university’s Center for Human Rights and Social Justice. Nelson Winger holds a master’s degree in divinity from the University of Chicago Divinity School. University Chaplaincy Program Manager Nora Bond described some of Nelson NICOLE GARAY / THE TUFTS DAILY
Goddard Chapel is pictured on April 25.
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Bill Murray, Rashida Jones shine in ‘On the Rocks’
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continued from page 1 ing since the summer, and to hear from them about some of their thoughts about what they envision and what they hope for our department to be,” Schildkraut said. The committee’s findings will be shared with the department as part of an ongoing process. “[The advisory committee will] summarize what we heard [from students], and I’ll be able to present that information to the whole department,” Schildkraut said. The department has also faced difficulties representing racial politics in its curriculum, following the departure of Professor Natalie Masuoka, who taught a course on racial and ethnic politics in the United States. “There’s definitely a gap in our curriculum that’s been
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there since Professor Masuoka left,” Schildkraut said. “I teach a course on the politics of ethnicity and American identity that covers a lot of the same ground, but it’s not the same course.” Ellie Murphy, a junior majoring in international relations, believes the department should work to diversify course materials or modify academic requirements. “Many of my classes this semester have attempted to decolonize the syllabus, which has exposed me to a wider array of knowledge and thinking,” Murphy wrote in an email to the Daily. “I also think that having a core requirement of diversity and inclusion would help to make education more inclusive at Tufts.” Peter Levine, associate dean of the Jonathan M. Tisch College
of Civic Life and professor in the Department of Political Science, outlined three areas for improvement. “One is compositional diversity, so [if] our faculty and our students [are] reasonably diverse,” Levine said. “The second question is subject coverage … and the third issue is … the equal flourishing of all the participation of all the members of the community.” Although these issues may overlap, Levine believes it is important to address them independently. “You want to make sure that regardless of the compositional diversity, that the people who are in your department who are people of color are doing well,” he said. Levine also explained that Tisch College is undergoing similar evaluations.
“Tisch College is having intense conversations about race,” Levine said. “I think, like all the other parts of the university, we have work to do, especially on the compositional diversity side.” He elaborated on the work they have done to diminish this concern. “One of [Tisch College’s] highest profile contributions to the university as a whole is the event series, and I think it’s both compositionally diverse and addressing race in a serious way,” Levine said. Schildkraut discussed the role of political scientists more broadly in addressing issues relating to inequality. “[As political scientists] we also have our own challenges in making sure we don’t perpetuate ongoing problems of inequality and inequity in political science,” Schildkraut said.
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continued from page 1 Winger’s responsibilities as university chaplain. “The University Chaplain leads the University Chaplaincy team in supporting all religious, spiritual, and philosophical life at Tufts; educates about spiritual and ethical issues in society and the world; and coordinates pastoral care, multifaith initiatives, and strategic partnerships around the university and beyond,” Bond wrote in an email to the Daily. Bond also emphasized Nelson Winger’s eagerness to connect personally with as many students as possible, and she encourages students to reach out to her. “We do our best programming when we work directly with students,” Bond said. According to Bond, another of Nelson Winger’s goals for the year is to provide support to students regardless of whether or not they identify as religious or spiritual.
“We actively work to undo the myth that the University Chaplaincy is only for religious students. We are here for everyone, including you, whomever you are, and however you do or don’t identify,” Bond said. Zoe Bair, a junior and the president of the Humanist Community at Tufts, a student organization that welcomes humanists, agnostics, atheists and those who are spiritual but not religious, expressed excitement about Nelson Winger’s appointment. “I think the University Chaplaincy is a really great resource that’s super underutilized because I think there can be kind of a stigma about needing to have these religious beliefs in order to take advantage of it,” Bair said. Bair, who represents the Humanist Community on the Interfaith Student Council, also noted that Nelson Winger has been attending some of the Council’s meetings.
“She was just letting us know that she was there to support us, I think really offering herself as a resource, which I think is really important,” Bair said. “Having a touchpoint person in the Chaplaincy is really useful.” Sean Moushegian, a senior and the president of the Catholic Community at Tufts, shared his perspective on Nelson Winger’s appointment. He was one of several students involved with the Chaplaincy who had the opportunity to meet with Nelson Winger during her hiring process. “Tufts Chaplaincy is one of the probably better funded chaplaincies across U.S. campuses because we do have a chaplain for many of the major spiritual foundations,” Moushegian said. “That’s uncommon, most universities may have two or three such chaplains.” Moushegian described some of the outreach work that Nelson Winger hopes to do at Tufts and beyond.
“I think the thing that she wanted to change mostly had to do with philanthropic service-oriented efforts the Chaplaincy could perform,” he said. Bond spoke to how the Rev. Nelson Winger will further the Chaplaincy’s work toward anti-racism and inclusivity. “We are a team of professionals who explicitly hold many different identities — it is actually essential that we are all different, on a multifaith team,” Bond said. “This means we actively engage tenets of anti-racism, like respecting difference, committing to unlearning, and choosing to find common ground.” Bond explained how she believes Nelson Winger will positively contribute to those efforts. “There is always more to engage in anti-racism, and [Nelson Winger] brings new ways of being to our team that will deepen our abilities to be inclusive,” Bond said.
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Friday, November 6, 2020
Coppola’s ‘On The Rocks’ is subtle, showy all at once
Florence Almeda Livestreamed and Quarantined
by Stephanie Hoechst
Moses Sumney
Arts Editor
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arch in formation / March for our nation / Now I don’t care what I’ve been told / This police state is much too
VIA IMDB
A promotional poster for “On The Rocks” (2020) is pictured. actually the problem behind her inability to write, as evidenced by one sequence where she vacantly reshuffles and rearranges the paraphernalia at her desk in front of the empty screen). Jones’ performance is subtle and thoughtful, save for one outburst with wonderful writing hampered by Jones’s delivery which breaksher slow-and-steady reconciliation with her suspicions and her relationship with her father. But as a young mom and a reluctant partner to Felix, Jones generally performs wonderful introspection and confusion about her life’s path. Coppola’s visual style is, like the film’s tone, muted, dark and earthy — very distinctly A24 — rejecting overcutting so as to favor long, thoughtful scenes that let her characters marinate on screen. However, Coppola intersperses these
elements with a few faster paced and genuinely stressful sequences depicting the chaos of motherhood that seemingly never slows down, as shown hilariously when Laura finally gets to lie down on her bed, only to have a Roomba burst into the room and start aggressively bumping into what feels like every obstacle. It’s a struggle made worse by her husband’s absence, but it’s only once the film slows down to ruminate that Laura considers the state of her relationship more fully. “On The Rocks” isn’t trying anything particularly new or mind-blowing as a film. However, it’s somehow both a stylish and understated exploration of parenthood, marriage and fidelity that, more than anything, gives Bill Murray the chance to show off his skills yet again.
cold…” So sings Moses Sumney in “Rank & File,” the closing track of his 2018 extended play and finale of his NPR Tiny Desk (Home) Concert in August. Though Sumney wrote the song in 2014 after the shooting of Michael Brown, the song carries just as much weight today as it did then. In the wake of election night, I felt drawn to try and capture the political and emotional turbulence that has been intensifying these past few months, and especially this past week. “Rank & File” paints a powerful portrait of what it sounds and feels like to protest, crystallizing feelings of desperate urgency as well as unbridled anger. In the version of the song performed in the livestream, Sumney strikes the top of the microphone to recreate the sound of a drum. He proceeds to layer shouts, claps and snaps that mimic the sound of feet hitting pavement. Unlike most of his music, which is an icy, delicate kind of experimental soul, this piece thrums with a raw and fiery intensity. Within the first few seconds, I’m taken back to a protest I attended in late May soon after George Floyd’s killing; I can almost feel the heat rising from other protesters’ bodies as I march past a group of people smashing in the windows of a parked police car outside of the Trump Tower on Wabash Avenue. “Now I don’t care what I’ve been told / To kill so quick is animal / Now I don’t care what they might say / It’s gon’ come back around one day…” In the second chorus, Sumney leaps entire octaves to sing the ends of his phrases in a way that is so beautifully piercing, it almost sounds like he’s screaming. Throughout the song, he returns to the mantra: “They fall right into rank and file.” A clear allusion to the ongoing militarization of the United States’ police forces, the chantlike refrain is repeated in the verses, choruses and outro, perhaps as a sonic metaphor for the relentless brutalization of Black and brown communities. I think this whole week has been a jarring reminder of how difficult it is to be living through a period of such intense political polarization and simultaneous physical isolation. Uncertainty has certainly become the norm, and while it’s frustrating we can’t gather as a community in the same ways that we used to, it’s songs like “Rank & File” that remind me how crucially important music is in making sense of the world, putting words to the incomprehensible and espousing a sense of solidarity that is able to transcend physical boundaries.
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A lot of Sofia Coppola’s new film “On the Rocks” (2020) is, as its name suggests, Rashida Jones and Bill Murray talking over drinks in classy, dimly lit New York establishments. And while they’re numerous, these scenes were some of the most engaging for the same reason that the film itself is engaging — it allows for space to breathe. “On The Rocks” is deeply introspective without being preachy, slow without feeling tiresome and unconventional without feeling too gimmicky. Its concept may not be revolutionary, but “On The Rocks” delivers an insightful, oftentimes quite funny look into the ruts of adulthood, and the sometimes extreme lengths we find ourselves going to escape them. “On The Rocks” follows writer and young mom Laura Keane (Jones), whose husband’s (Marlon Wayans) suspicious behavior leads her to think he may be having an affair. In swoops her father, a classy, worldly art dealer named Felix (Murray), who convinces her to start tailing him in a New York spy escapade filled with only the essentials — which of course, for Felix, includes on-the-go caviar and a classic Alfa Romeo convertible. Laura finds herself pulled into her father’s complex, chaotic world as she finds more and more evidence to speak to her husband’s disloyalty. Murray absolutely shines as Felix. He’s the dad we all kind of wished we had in another life — sophisticated, well traveled, knows everyone in the city, endlessly and at times alarmingly confident and can talk his way out of anything. He’s the comedic center of the film until, of course, we realize that that sort of personality can come with a price. Murray expertly captures the paradoxes of Felix’s character. He and Laura seem to have a genuine father-daughter connection, only interrupted every time he flirts with women, which happens all the time. He’s crazy about Laura’s daughters, except that his presence throws a wrench into Laura’s already-chaotic life. He’ll drink midday, but when he does he’ll order a cocktail for Laura, too. And, of course, he pulls Laura into indulging her suspicions of her husband as both a supportive father wanting what’s best for her as well as a playboy caught up in the intrigue of an affair, rendering him a stylish yet morally complex espionage buddy for the stuck-in-her-ways Laura. Jones’ Laura is quiet, settled down and struggling to write because of the constant stresses of her children (or so she claims — it appears that her kids aren’t
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Florence Almeda is a junior studying music and community health. Florence can be reached at florence.almeda@gmail.com
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Jack Clohisy The Weekly Rewind
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L
uke Combs took to Twitter last week to campaign for his Oct. 23 release “Forever After All” to go No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. “We have a chance to be the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,” he said in a video tweet, encouraging his audience to buy the song on iTunes and Amazon. “We’re up against some stiff competition this week,” Combs said, referring to other artists on the chart. Is going No. 1 on the U.S. charts something artists should strive for when making music? The short answer is no. This damages the intent and quality of music and the relationship between an artist and their fans. To preface his pleading, Combs began with, “I don’t do stuff like this a lot,” swallowing his pride before he indulged in his personal agenda. Constantly repeating “we” throughout his thinly veiled ploy to debut at No. 1, Combs attempted to reassure fans. “It’s not always about the numbers for me, it never has been,” he said. Rather than focus on the impact that his song leaves on listeners, Combs would be the only one to reap the benefit from this accomplishment; his fans are merely the means to get there. This comes months after Justin Bieber took to Instagram posting a slideshow of photos explaining how to make his single “Yummy” go No. 1 on U.S. charts. In the post, Bieber encouraged his fans to “create a playlist with ‘Yummy’ on repeat and stream it.” The post also targeted his international fans, asking them to use a virtual private network so they could count their streams in the United States. Given that the Billboard Hot 100 ranks the popularity of songs in the United States, pleading fans outside of the country to boost sales is embarrassing. Described as a “dead-on-arrival” by critics, “Yummy” was anything but a hit, yet Bieber was eager to earn his sixth No. 1 as his post described the single as his “comeback.” The song debuted at No. 2, poetic justice for the overzealous approach he took to get a No. 1. Sure, labels push for their artists to be successful, but when it comes to artists themselves promoting methods to cheat the system, calling this a “bad look” would be an understatement. When Combs returned to Twitter on Oct. 30 to tell fans that “we came in second place” after learning his single wouldn’t debut at No. 1, karma struck again. A No. 1 debut represents extreme success for a song that can top the charts with only one week of sales. Combs’ referral to his debut as a “second place” song effectively diminishes the merit that this debut would normally have. When artists start competing for the No. 1 spot, their music feels less organic and more calculated for status. A No. 1 hit earned naturally from widespread enjoyment is worth much more than a song that made it to the top due to a pitiful campaign. Jack Clohisy is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. Jack can be reached at Jack.Clohisy@tufts.edu. The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board. EDITORIALS Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. OP-EDS The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length and submitted to opinion@tuftsdaily.com. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. Authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. ADVERTISING All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor in Chief, Executive Board and Business Director.
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Friday, November 6, 2020 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY
Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox hiring new managers in offseason MLB
continued from page 8 from players. However, they branched out externally, perhaps hoping to bring a breath of fresh air to the organization, and also interviewed George Lombard, first base coach for the Dodgers, and Marcus Thames, hitting coach for the Yankees. Finally the Tigers chose A.J. Hinch, former manager of the Astros. Hinch served a year-long suspension from MLB for his role in the Astros’ 2017 World Series cheating scandal. The scandal was exposed by former Astros pitcher Mike Fiers, who exposed illegal camera usage and banging on trash cans to steal signs from opposing teams. While Hinch was punished by MLB for his inaction in the cheating, it did not take long for the Tigers to contact him once his suspension was up. In fact, 30 minutes after the Dodgers secured their World Series win, the Tigers’ general manager Al Avila called Hinch and put him on a plane to do interviews with the team the next day. Hinch has expressed remorse about the Astros’ cheating scandal and shared his intent to speak to Tigers players indi-
vidually about how the cheating may have impacted them. The team is enthusiastic about Hinch’s addition to the team, with pitcher Matthew Boyd expressing excitement about the new manager’s plans and the future for the Tigers. The Chicago White Sox and former manager Rick Renteria mutually chose to part ways following their loss to the Oakland Athletics in the Wild Card round of the 2020 postseason. His removal is a surprise to many, considering the White Sox’s solid record of 35–25 this season, their first appearance in the postseason since 2008, and Renteria’s nomination for American League Manager of the Year. While general manager Rick Hahn spoke highly of Renteria’s performance, the White Sox have been undergoing a rebuild for many years, and the front office saw Renteria’s removal as another step in that process. White Sox fans were also critical of his bullpen management toward the end of the 2020 season, and their postseason exit in the Wild Card round. Alex Cora and A.J. Hinch were also speculated to be potential choices for the Chicago team, but the White Sox
finally picked Tony La Russa, a move that left many fans scratching their heads. While La Russa previously managed the White Sox from 1979–86 and has had a decorated career, including three World Series titles and six pennants, people pointed to his older age and absence from managing the past six years as reasons against him. However, La Russa’s unrelenting involvement in the baseball world across many teams, excitement to get to know the players and his plan to use analytics to bolster rather than overpower his managerial prowess puts him in a good position for the job. The combination of La Russa’s veteran knowledge and a young, star-powered team will be sure to provide a fascinating season for the White Sox in 2021. As the offseason has only been underway for a few weeks, more teams are likely to make changes to their coaching staffs in addition to movements within rosters. While plans for the 2021 season remain unclear due to COVID-19 concerns, whenever it begins, many organizations will have fresh faces and perspectives to create new potential paths to victory.
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Arnav Sacheti Hoops Traveler
Stop the nonsense, US edition
O
f course last week was a joke, if you didn’t catch it. Basketball in the United States indeed has a rich history and an enormous talent pool. To make up for my mockery of it, let’s stay home today. Let’s give the Americans a little bit more credit and some respect for their basketball excellence. The NBA, which is the most popular and arguably the best basketball league in the world, has resided in the United States since 1946. It has fielded some of the best players ever, from the Boston Celtics’ perennial championship-snatcher Bill Russell and the Lakers’ stat-stuffer Wilt Chamberlain, to the Lakers’ dazzling entertainer Magic Johnson and the Celtics’ “Hick from French Lick,” Larry Bird. The modern era has seen ultra-marketable stars that combine charisma and basketball dominance such as the Bulls’ Michael Jordan, the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant and the multiteam legend LeBron James. What do all of these players have in common? They not only all played in an American league, but they all are American themselves. However, it took until 1992 for the American national basketball team to realize what it actually had. Before 1992, the Olympics only allowed amateur or college players to compete in the basketball event. However, despite America being one of the dissenters, in 1989 the International Basketball Federation voted overwhelmingly to allow professional basketball players into the Olympics. Thus, the American Dream Team in the 1992 Olympics was born. Led by Jordan and Johnson, the team included multiple future hall of famers and ripped through its competition. On its way to a gold medal, it beat teams by an absurd average of 43.8 points per game. No other country had a chance when America fielded its best players. Since the rule change, America has won the gold medal at every Olympics, along with three World Cups. The dominance of the United States on the world stage has not only improved the marketability of U.S. basketball, but also the NBA. The U.S. teams allow the world to see the best of the NBA, giving an increasing number of international prospects a reason to come to the United States and either go to college or play in the NBA. In 2020, the league featured 108 international players from 42 countries — the highest number the NBA has ever seen and a number that keeps growing. How did America achieve such a great monopoly on the sport of basketball? Well, it helps that the sport was invented by an American man, James Naismith. The game is also well suited for small spaces in urban cities, which are plentiful in America. More than all of that, America shifted basketball from being just a game to being a culture. When African Americans were allowed to play in the NBA in 1950, the game became more diverse, allowing the NBA to have the influence and universal love that it has around the world today. Arnav Sacheti is a sophomore who is majoring in quantitative economics. Arnav can be reached at arnavsacheti@gmail.com
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LeBron James takes on 2020 elections MLB teams make managerial shifts by Brigitte Wilson Staff Writer
Now that the World Series is wrapped up and the city of Los Angeles is celebrating its second championship in 16 days thanks to the Lakers and Dodgers, MLB teams are beginning to see managerial shifts. The Boston Red Sox, a team in desperate need of a boost, are at the top of the rumor mill regarding who will take over as manager. Shortly before its final game, the team informed Ron Roenicke, interim manager for the 2020 season, that he would not return for the 2021 season, a contentious move following Roenicke’s third season with the team. While Roenicke’s stint as manager yielded an unfortunate 24–36 record for the Sox, he previously served as former manager Alex Cora’s dependable bench coach during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Due to his history with the team, some fans thought he deserved another chance next season, especially considering players’ lack of internal motivation due to COVID-19 setbacks, and certainly more respect than being fired right before the Red Sox’s final game. Regarding Alex Cora, it did not take long for speculation of his return to begin following the conclusion of the 2020 regular season. While he was suspended from MLB for one year due to his involvement with the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal, his restriction ended right after the 2020 World Series. In May, Red Sox Chief Baseball Officer Chaim Bloom claimed that rehiring Cora was “not on [the team’s] radar.” Following the conclusion of the season, Bloom said he did not want to discuss Cora out of respect to Roenicke, and asserted that he had not spoken to Cora at the time and did not want to make any statements without talking to him first. He also indicated that removing Roenicke allowed the team to move forward, but he had not made any concrete decisions about future managers yet. Fans may wonder why the Red Sox wouldn’t revert immediately back to Cora — the man that led the team to a World Series championship in 2018 and brought out the best in third baseman Rafael Devers. Bloom, who only recently joined the Red Sox from the Tampa Bay Rays in October 2019, may be keen on hiring his own manager and getting a desperately needed fresh start for the team. Another potential candidate is Sam Fuld, a former outfielder that has a personal connection to Chaim Bloom due to his stint with the Rays from 2011–13. Other finalists for the Red Sox manager position include Don Kelly and Carlos Mendoza who are bench coaches for the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees, respectively. Former Detroit Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire retired before the season ended on Sept. 20, citing health issues and concerns about potential exposure to COVID-19 as a cancer survivor. Although Gardenhire’s record with the Tigers was 132–241, he was beloved by the team and many of the players expressed sadness about his departure. The Tigers’ search for a new manager began internally, as bench coach Lloyd McClendon was considered early because of his familiarity with the team and respect see MLB, page 7
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LeBron James is pictured. by Sharan Bhansali Staff Writer
LeBron James is a four-time MVP, fourtime NBA Finals MVP, four-time NBA champion and has won two Olympic gold medals. James has been great on the court, but he has also been sensational off the court. He has built a public elementary school for at-risk students in his hometown of Akron, Ohio, called the I Promise School. He has his own charity foundation called the LeBron James Family Foundation, which does a lot for the community. Although James has already done a lot to uplift his community and several others, his next feat was to make a mark in the 2020 elections by battling voter suppression and ignorance. James created a movement and a nonprofit organization called More Than a Vote. The aim of this group was to register voters and to spread awareness about the importance of voting in a democratic nation. This group has attracted several popular athletes and celebrities from
the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, tennis and soccer. More Than A Vote has also drawn some of the NFL’s biggest names, like Odell Beckham Jr. and Patrick Mahomes. James has spoken about how it is extremely difficult to convince young people that their vote and voice matter. “It’s hard as hell, because they just don’t believe it,’’ James said in an interview. “They don’t believe that their vote or their message or their minds or their voices matter. But that’s where my energy is, on continuing to push the envelope in my community, continue to let them know that they are the future, they are the reason why there will be change.’’ The state of Florida has a law stating that felons have to pay all court fines and fees before regaining their voting eligibility. Michael Bloomberg, former New York City mayor, and James spearheaded the movement of helping almost 13,000 felons of Florida be able to vote. Bloomberg and James, among other celebrities, paid approximately $27 million in this effort. More Than a Vote managed to sign up 10,000 volunteer poll workers. Poll
workers are officials who are responsible for the proper and orderly voting at poll stations. This a significant milestone for the organization, spearheaded by James, in combating systemic racism and voter suppression. In Game 1 of the 2020 NBA Finals, former President Barack Obama appeared as a virtual fan. “I wanted to come on to give a shoutout to all the folks who are volunteering as poll workers in this upcoming election. It can be a thankless job, it’s not one of those things you think about but it is absolutely vital for a democracy and I appreciate you,” he said in a video. James has stood up for his community and voiced his outrage during the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and several others that have faced unjustified police brutality. James has been vocal about creating social change and eradicating racial injustice. It is exciting and heartwarming to see what a beloved leader like James does next to improve the society and make the world a better place.