The Waltonian

#BLACKLIVESMATTER: The importance of Black Lives Matter and how they honor the lives of the victims, seek justice for them, their families, and the Black community, as a whole.

Trayvon Martin. Mya Hall. Mike Brown. Tamir Rice. Sandra Bland. Walter Scott.

These are the names that Black Lives Matter (BLM) members and supporters want us to remember and to recognize. These are the names of Black folks whose lives were taken from them. In a climate where the society devalues Black lives, the media vilifies victims, and the criminal justice system allows their killers to walk free, Black Lives Matter honors the lives of the victims and seeks justice for them, their families, and the Black community, as a whole.

While Black Lives Matter responds to injustice, it is also a proactive organization, working towards a society in which all Black people can live freely, without being individually or systematically targeted. In 2013, this work began by bringing more awareness with the hashtag, #BlackLivesMatter, which spells out an idea that should be universally understood but is not. Founders, Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi, created a network of chapters that operate with the same intersectional mission in mind: to empower Black communities, to create space for Black leaders that have historically been silenced, specifically those who are women, transgender, queer, undocumented, disabled, etc., and to shape a future where Black people can thrive. In the years since the organization’s inception, organizers and supporters have led marches and protests, had conversations with political leaders, and inspired Black people to continue to fight for true freedom. However, when a Black organization challenges the majority culture, they will be met with opposition.

“In the last six years many of us faced down tanks, rubber bullets, were forced to do jail and prison sentences, have been surveilled, lied on, called terrorists, been given false labels by the FBI, and some of us have lost our lives. These six years have been the most profound six years of my life and the most traumatic and destabilizing six years of my life,” said Co-founder, Patrisse Khan-Cullors.

This is not a fight without obstacles, criticism, or great sacrifice. You can be a part of the Black Lives Matter movement by getting involved with your local chapter. The chapter closest to Eastern’s campus is BLM Philly. You can contact them via email at blacklivesmatterphilly@gmail.com or interact with their social media accounts — they’re active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

You can also participate in Eastern’s Black Lives Matter Week of Action from February 2nd-8th. If nothing else, I encourage everyone to enter into these spaces with compassion and respect and to use your privilege to create space for Black people to share their experiences when we are ready. This quote by Dorothy Height inspires me to keep pushing for what I and other Black people deserve, and I hope it inspires you as well: “I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom… I want to be remembered as one who tried.”

Sources: Black Lives Matter

by: Jaime Dixon

Courage to be an Ally: How to utilize your privilege to support Black Trans women.

The following article discusses violence, death and subjects that can be potentially triggering.

Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has released several reports documenting the fatal violence that disproportionately impacts Trans women of color, particularly Black Trans women. The intersections of racism, sexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and unregulated gun access deprive them of employment, housing, healthcare and various other needs which create obstacles that put them at risk. HRC demonstrates how anti-transgender stigma, denial of opportunity and increased risk factors blend to create a culture of violence.

In the 2019 HRC report, at least 22 Trans and/or gender non-conforming people were fatally shot or killed by some kind of violence in the United States. All but two were Black. They are often disrespected by the media by the lack of use of their correct pronouns. Due to this, the HRC noted that they “say at least because too often these stories go unreported — or misreported.”

Since 2013, about 111 out of at least 157 Trans and/or gender non-conforming victims of fatal violence have been Black, according to advocacy groups.

I am providing this information because I believe it is important to stay informed. As a white cisgender woman, I will never know the experince of being a Black Trans woman. With my identity comes the privilege of not being exposed to many hardships in addition to oppressive systems. During my time at Eastern, I have been taught time and time again to think about justice. I have been told to have courage and I have reflected on what exactly that means. I think a big part of having courage is using your own privilege to help others pursue justice. I also believe that as a Christain community, if we ignore the plight of Black Trans women, we are not following Christ.

I think often about this quote in Marie Claire from Roxane Gay, the author of Bad Feminist: “Black people do not need allies. We need people to stand up and take on the problems borne of oppression as their own, without remove or distance. We need people to do this even if they cannot fully understand what it’s like to be oppressed for their race or ethnicity, gender, sexuality, ability, class, religion, or other marker of identity. We need people to use common sense to figure out how to participate in social justice.”

I am writing this because I believe that as Christians, we have a responsibility to advocate for social justice, especially if we have privilege. We can do this in several ways. First, by listening. You do not try to steer their narrative. You help support by hearing and listening to their stories. Through this, you can start to become educated on particular issues. However, if there are cracks in your knowledge, It is not the responsibility of Black Trans women to fill them.

Seek out the answers to your own questions. Do the research. Use the information you learn to educate others. If you come from a privileged group, use your newfound knowledge to reach privileged populations who ignore the voices of Black Trans women. Speak up about their rights even when they’re not in the room. Have courage to risk your unearned privilege. Black Trans women do not have the ability to choose.

Support legal protections for Black Trans women and donate to Black-Trans-led organizations like TGI Justice Project, SNAP CO, BreakOUT, TAKE, GLITS Inc, Transgenders in Florida Prisons (TIFP), Marsha P. Johnson Leadership Institute, Kween Culture, New World Dysorder, St.James Infirmary, TAJA’s Coalition, Compton’s Transgender Cultural District, Black Trans Media and Trans(forming).

Now ask yourself: Do you have the courage to take action?

Sources: CNN, Human Rights Campaign, Mashable, Marie Claire, and TGI Justice

by: Nicole Markert

Building awareness, creating a space for students to ask questions and guiding people to resources– this is what 2019’s LGBTQ Solidarity Week was all about. Around campus during the week of March 25 – 29, there were colorful, rainbow flyers adorning every cork board in sight. A table in Walton Hall was stocked with stickers, skittles and the smiles of students ready to engage with people passing by. These students are members of Refuge, a club designed to support LGBTQ students and allies, providing support for the group that is a minority on campus.

I spoke with Lizzy Parker, Refuge’s leader, to ask her the specifics of this year’s Solidarity Week. Parker gave me a rundown of each day’s event: Monday’s event was a panel of LGBTQ allies who discussed allyship and advocacy; Tuesday’s event was a showing of The Imitation Game with a discussion following the film; Wednesday’s event was a panel of pastors from local LGBTQ-affirming churches; Thursday’s event was a talk by a guest speaker, Brandon Robertson, an activist and pastor of Missiongathering Christian Church in California; and Friday’s events were the Solidarity Stand in the late morning and a candlelight prayer service in the evening. These events gave students a chance to learn about Eastern’s LGBTQ community, and the Christian LGBTQ community broadly.

In addition, Solidarity Week is also to advocate for specific changes that would be beneficial for Eastern. According to Parker, one of these advancements would be better housing options for transgender and nonbinary students; this change is supposedly in the works. The second advancement would be a change to the faculty handbook, allowing open, LGBTQ professors to teach at Eastern. At this time, professors in the LGBTQ community are not permitted to teach.

Refuge members are driven and determined to make Solidarity Week an educational, valuable resource for Eastern’s community, but this is not an easy task. Parker surmised that Refuge has to jump through hoops to make Solidarity Week happen — hoops that other clubs would not have to jump through. “There is always the obstacle of worrying how events will be received by donors, alumni, professors and other students,” She said.

In the past, Solidarity Week was funded from the students themselves or other generous members of Eastern because Refuge was not funded by SGA. This was the first year the club received funding, allowing them to bring in guest speakers and host bigger events. Perhaps, though long overdue, this could signal a positive shift in the Eastern community.

The Ally Panel was a very impactful event for myself; panelists, Dr. Landi Turner, Dr. Sharon Gramby-Sobukwe, Sara Piff, Eric McCloy and Joe Saba, discussed how they viewed allyship and its connection to their faiths.

A highlight of the event was stressing the use of appropriate language and terms. Saba talked about the use of the word “queer,” which at one point, may have been used in a derogatory manner; however, the LGBTQ community has reclaimed this word and uses it as an inclusive term. I learned using “queer” instead of assuming an individual’s sexual orientation or identity is appreciated! Each faculty or staff member on the panel strives to use inclusive language in the classroom and workplace and tries not to speak on issues from a heteronormative perspective.

Dr. Gramby-Sobukwe expressed that she does not see herself as an ally, but a comrade: “Someone who is down for the fight” and “Will stand with you!” Events, such as the Ally Panel, may have provided students a new perspective and a chance to learn, which is one of the main goals of Solidarity Week.

Creating a supportive and inclusive community in a residence hall is key to making students feel welcome and at home on their residence floors. For the past two years, while I’ve been at Eastern, I’ve enjoyed halls like these, and it led me to wonder what exactly builds community in a hall.

Kea-Guffin Residence Hall is known for its friendly, outgoing community, so I spoke with two residents of Kea, Jared Halsey and Tom Hirsch. Halsey and Hirsch live in one of the most connected, welcoming floors that I have seen.

When I visited, I noticed how most of the dorm doors were open, and students were in and out of each other’s rooms, visiting and talking with each other. Everyone seemed to know each other and had some level of friendship with one another, even if it was a simple “hello” and smile while walking through the halls.

I asked Halsey and Hirsch, “do you think most people on your floor feel welcome and included?” Most of the students interact with one another and build friendships, but I was curious to know how they would reach out to a student who didn’t feel included. “There’s a guy on our floor that always keeps his door open. We’re always hanging out in there, and we’re very welcoming to people who want to come in, but it is up to them to take the initiative.

If people want to come in and play videogames with us, we’re 100 percent okay with that,” Hirsch stated. Halsey went on to explain that they always give an invitation for people to hang out with them; they are always happy to include more people in their hangouts and videogame playing.

Building a community may take a few students reaching out to those who don’t feel as connected on the floor, but it also requires that the other party accepts the offer and makes an effort to connect with students.

Another critical part of a harmonious community is understanding and respecting the varying beliefs and worldviews of the diverse students. “We have a lot of different views and opinions, but we respect each other’s beliefs and don’t dwell on our differences. But, we have a lot of similar interests, too.

Most of us play videogames, think about deep questions and share a similar sense of humor,” Halsey stated. It seems that it is important to acknowledge and learn about the different perspectives that each student brings to the floor, but also find common interests to connect over.

Halsey and Hirsch also said that their RA, El-Fatih Chase, contributes greatly to their community’s atmosphere by making an effort to build a connection with each resident.

Kea-Guffin’s Resident Director, Theresa Noye, said a way to build community within the hall is having “intentional RAs who are present on their floor and in the building.” The RA staff is an integral part of making the community what it is. They are a great resource to the other students on the hall and set an example for how to reach out to students who may not feel welcome.

One way Noye recommends RAs and students to reach out to others who may feel left out is to offer invitations to everyone. Noye says, “invite them to events, coffee, conversations and hangouts.” An invitation might encourage a less involved student to get more involved with the community and people on their hall. Noye, the RA Staff and students, such as Halsey and Hirsch, utilize these techniques to build the welcoming environment of Kea-Guffin. I asked Noye, “what makes Kea-Guffin special?” She replied, “Open doors, good conversations and fun times.”

Valentine’s Day typically gets two different responses. Some people adore everything about the holiday: the gift exchanges, the proclamations of love and the extra appreciation. Others are not fans of Valentine’s Day, seeing it as an unnecessary excuse to spend money or an opportunity for businesses to profit off of people and their relationships. Personally, I love the special day; there’s nothing better than getting the physical representation of someone’s care for you. However, I wanted to talk to other Eastern University students to get their perspectives on how they view and choose to spend Valentine’s Day.

The first student I spoke with was James Arnold. He has dated his girlfriend, Rachel Beltran, for over a year. When I asked Arnold what Valentine’s Day meant to him, he replied, “I think it’s just a day when you show how much you love and appreciate somebody.” He went on to explain that he believes people should be showing their love to each other everyday, regardless if a holiday tells you to or not. Last year, Armold and Beltran spent Valentine’s Day together and exchanged gifts, but this year, they had a different idea.

They decided to forgo buying gifts for each other and instead, focus their attention on a friend. Arnold and Beltran bought their friend gifts and gave her cards with words of affirmation. I thought that the fact they spent Valentine’s Day together, while still showing love to friends in their lives, was such a fantastic idea. It broadens the focus from just celebrating with a significant other, to celebrating with all of the people someone loves.

After speaking with Arnold, I wanted to speak with someone who was less enthusiastic about Valentine’s Day. Jared Halsey was the next student I spoke with, and I asked him how he viewed the holiday.

“If we’re being honest, I don’t think it means anything. It’s just another holiday. It’s nothing special, especially if you do what you should every other day” Halsey said.

He spent the last two Valentine’s Days with his girlfriend, Jae DeJesus, and I asked him if she held a different opinion about the day.

“She loves it. For her, it means a lot because it shows that I care, and she just likes feeling cared about” Halsey said.

As DeJesus enjoys the holiday and Jared wanted to show her he cares, they exchanged gifts and went out to dinner. Halesey’s sacrifice to participate in a holiday that he doesn’t view as special is an act of love in and of itself.

I processed what both Arnold and Halsey shared with me about their Valentine’s Days, but I also wanted to find out how a single student might spend the day. For this portion, I spoke with a close friend of mine, Cecilia Jones.

“Valentine’s Day is when people share love to others in their life. This could be showing love to a significant other, friends, or family through gestures, gifts and activities together” Jones said.

This year, she was able to spend time with her family and give gifts of candy and stuffed animals to her friends on campus. For Jones, the fact that she is single does not change her view on Valentine’s Day because she believes it is a day for everyone.

“I don’t think Valentine’s Day would mean anything different to me if I were in a relationship. I still feel completely loved on that day by the people in my life. Being in a relationship would just be an add on” Jones said.

In Jan. Explore Eastern happened on campus. “Explore Eastern Weekend is an opportunity for prospective students to experience campus life and student life for a weekend,” Beth Pass, Associate Director of Visitation and Admissions Counselor said. I spoke with her nearly two weeks after the exciting event had taken place, and she spent some time describing the weekend to me.

On Friday, Jan. 25, over 100 prospective students arrived on campus, overnight bags and anticipation in tow. A weekend filled with events, such as Escape the Room, a movie night, a Latin Fiesta and Wednesday Night Worship awaited the students. Admissions partnered with different campus groups and programs, including Multicultural Awareness Advisory Committee (MAAC), Leadership Fellows Program (LFP) and Templeton Honors College to host events that reflected Eastern’s diverse community.

The goal of the planning process was to facilitate opportunities for the perspective students to explore all aspects of student life. Interacting with other perspectives and current Eastern students was the most important aspect of this process, and this opportunity was woven throughout the weekend. Willing Eastern students opened their dorms to not only give the perspectives a comfortable place to stay, but to allow them to experience dorm life and spend ample time with the hosts.

Past perspective students have reported that spending time with Eastern students is one of their favorite parts of the weekend because it gives them a sense of what the social dynamic of Eastern is really like.

Throughout the schedule, there were activities planned that reflect what an Eastern student might do on the average day, including going to the Jammin’ Java, Breezeway and Fitness Center, attending the women’s and men’s basketball games and walking to Wayne. Perspective students chose which of these fun activities to participate in, just as if they were an Eastern student.

For those interested in learning more about Eastern, there were tours around campus, specifically in the biology, kinesiology, nursing, and chemistry labs. In addition, perspectives had the opportunity to meet and greet with MAAC, Goode Scholars, LFP and Templeton Honors College; from this interaction, perspectives may have a better idea of the clubs and scholarship programs they are interested in pursuing.

After a packed weekend of participating in the many activities provided and relaxing with other perspectives and Eastern students, the visitors wrap up their weekend and begin to return home.

Many perspective students reached out to Admissions to give feedback on their experience at Explore Eastern Weekend; the responses were overwhelmingly positive. Just spending time with Eastern students and attending the Wednesday Night Worship were some of the favorite parts for the perspective students. When I asked Pass about the long-term goals for the weekend, she replied, “I would love for it to be a weekend that all the current students look forward to… something the whole campus gets excited for.” It seems that the campus is moving in that direction; plenty of hosts volunteered their dorms and their time to spend with the perspective students because they enjoy the weekend.

One Eastern student, Rainey Backues, hosted two perspective students. “I had a very positive experience, and I would definitely do it again. I felt well-equipped and knowledgeable about the campus. It felt like I was a role model, and it’s a weekend I’m looking forward to participating in again,” he told me. With another Explore Eastern Weekend completed, Eastern’s community begins to plan and await the next exciting week.

A rigorous three-week summer program, EQUIP prepares incoming first year students for the workload and new environment Eastern University provides for them in the fall. Throughout the program, the twenty-five students who came to EQUIP attended five classes every day and participated in study hours every evening. On the weekends, students and staff enjoyed activities, such as a pool party, bowling and volunteering. I was one of two writing assistants in EQUIP; there were also five peer counselors and together we made up the peer staff.

As peer staff, it was our job to act as TAs and RAs. Our goal was to facilitate a productive learning environment, to help the students adjust to a more independent lifestyle and to build relationships with the students. As we began the program and the students began their classes, the other writing tutor and I realized many of the students were not confident in their writing abilities.

Students often said, “I hate writing” or “I’m not a good writer.”

As a peer staff, we aimed to change this attitude, not only about writing, but also about their academic potential overall. Over the course of the weeks, we could see the narrative change.

The students who may have been insecure at the beginning of the week began to gain confidence in their academic skills. Through writing, they could express their thoughts, opinions and ideas; and there were people around them delighted to listen to these expressions. When the program ended, the students and staffed had bonded incredibly with one another. Many students performed extremely well and even exceeded their own expectations.

The last day was a bittersweet one, for myself at least. Bitter because I built genuine friendships with the students and the other staff and even though I knew I would see them in the fall, it was difficult to say goodbye. But it was sweet because I could see immense growth in the students’ academic skills and their self-confidence. I believe EQUIP prepared them for most of the challenges they will face during their first year in college and I would highly recommend the program to students interested in attending Eastern.