WAT is Zine? Issue 7: Heroes

Issue 7 May 2020

ISSUE 7 — Heroes Editor-in-Chief Matt Comeau

TEAM LEADS

Submissions/Editing Lily Roth Layout Design Clara Xi Art Diana Tran Marketing Grace Benjaminsen

FEATURED CONTRIBUTORS Baz Kanold Gloria Cheung Kemar St. Hill Lupita Guerrero Sarita Ahmed

Cover art Diana Tran @watiszine | watiszine@gmail.com 3

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR : The past few weeks have been intense for everyone. We have all learnt something about collective action, how to listen and respond effectively and meaningful and how to support our POC and minority friends as allies.

The fact of the matter is, we all have a responsibility to make a difference, no matter how big our platforms are, or how involved we are in our communities. Every little action counts, whether it be through donation, protest or posting. Trying to change literal centuries of established laws, mindsets, and systems takes time and requires all avenues of society to be impacted. Whether it be booking more POC at gigs in your scene, making an effort to put more of their voices in your publication, or calling your local political representatives to demand change, every action you take is valid in some way. I hope that this will be the start of a long, multifaceted process that only ends with change.

Our theme this month, Heroes, is focused on celebrating the individuals and groups that are making that change. Whether it be the frontline healthcare workers that continue to show up every day to tackle one of the biggest outbreaks in the world, or the people organizing protests and leading the charge in combatting racism on our campus and in our neighbourhoods, or the LGBT+ activists who persistently fight to ensure that everyone has the right to love who they wish regardless of how they identify.

WAT is Zine? is committed to using our platform to ensure voices are and continue

to be heard. However big or small we become; I take pride in that my team were more than willing to open this issue up further and accommodate the changes we made.

We will also be selling physical copies of this edition, with proceeds going to Black Lives Matter in the area.

We know that this is only the start, and our commitment from this point on is to continue to use WAT is Zine? to raise the voices of the people who inspire change, creativity and representation on campus. We will be working on it behind the scenes.

For now, please enjoy this issue. We have done our best to stay true to our message and share with you some of your fellow students’ art and experiences. Have a great summer, and we’ll see you next month.

Warmest Regards,

Matt Comeau Editor-in-Chief

WAT is Zine?

4

TABLE OF CONTENTS : Los Que Comienzan Nunca Terminan, p.5 [untitled painting], p. 9 Alok Vaid Menon, p. 10 Kenny Ethan Jones, p.11 Solidarity Over Silence, p.12 Ally, p.13 Black Lives, p.14

5

6

7

Lupita Guerrero Los Que Comienzan Nunca Terminan 2020 digital prints The installation, titled Los Que Comienzan Nunca Terminan in Spanish, translates to Those Who Begin Never Finish, and portrays the ways in which families, specifically parents, can find themselves longing for a moment of stillness. For my parents, fulfilling their commitments to raise and provide for two children creates a desire for settlement. With age, my dad finds work to be more physically demanding, whereas my mom occasionally grows tired of an unchanging home life. Though even through such challenges, my parents still find satisfaction in their daily efforts. In the left photograph, my dad is at his second job of the day as an after-hours janitor, and in the right, my mom is washing dishes in our kitchen. These particular photos, although showing forms of labour, still have a subtle lightness to them that illustrates the conflicting nature of the migrant experience.

8

Sarita Ahmed

9

Alok Vaid Menon Digital Portrait by Baz Kanold Alok Vaid Menon is a writer, speaker, and activist in the LGBTQAI+ community whose work often focuses on the concept of gender, beauty, and fashion.

10

Kenny Ethan Jones Digital Portrait by Baz Kanold Kenny is a model and activist who most notably works on diversifying how we discuss and understand menstruation, especially from a trans perspective.

11

12

Song pairing: "Do You Hear the People Sing" from Les Miserables

13

Black lives

by Kemar St. Hill When a black child is born regardless of wealth, or faith There is a real fear that exist for parents, knowing that their child whether good or bad, Tall or short could be subjected to prejudice, Prejudice breed through the ignorance of one generation to the next, Reinforced by an inexplicable fear that black is dangerous and dirty, Assumed to be uneducated and poor or of lower status, As a black child one of their ďŹ rst life lessons teaches them to be tough, Whether they build a tough exterior shell to protect themself, Or building a fortress inside, to defend their mind, So, when others throw inconsiderate or malicious intent They stand tall and unfettered, They are aware of the possibility that the very systems, through which they entrust their lives and futures, Could turn on them as quickly as their breath passes, Crushed under the very forces with which they entrust their safety, When asked whether they have experienced prejudice, They acknowledge the question as redundant, They all experience prejudice in some form, Some unaware of the malice, As it is hidden behind a calm demeanor or a pleasant greeting

14

Contributors Baz Kanold | @artbybaz Baz Kanold was born in Waterloo, Ontario. After getting an advertising degree from Sheridan College, they are now pursuing their degree in Fine Arts from UW. Their work generally explores the uidity of gender and is a celebration of the queer identity.

Gloria Cheung | @lilglowxpoetry Kemar St. Hill My name is Kemar St. Hill, I’m an international student studying Economics at the University of Waterloo. I come from a small island nation in the Caribbean called Barbados. I am proud to be black.

Lupita Guerrero | @lupita_1227 I am currently a fourth year Fine Arts student with a minor in Honours Sociology at UW. I primarily work with paint but have enjoyed experimenting with installation and textiles in the past year. In my work, I aim to bring awareness to issues regarding immigration and minorities within society.

Sarita Ahmed | @a_atiras

15

Issue 7 May 2020