 Jenevieve Monroe
News Reporter As the world celebrates Women’s History Month, one nonprofit is continuing diligent efforts to progress gender equity in the Bay Area. Located on San Francisco’s Market Street is the Global Fund for Women, a feminist led, public foundation whose mission statement seeks to “fund bold, ambitious, and expansive gender justice movements to create meaningful change.” Their story began in 1987 when four Palo Alto women sought justice for a community they felt lacked public interest in human rights advocacy. Founders Anne Firth Murray, Frances Kissling, Laura Lederer, and Nita Barrow envisioned a grassroots organization that would ultimately drive a meaningful legacy of change for Bay Area communities. Nearly thirty years later, the Global Fund for Women is stronger than ever and has accumulated a track record for aiding female presidents, supporting communities against civil war, and continuing the legal security of human rights. Current President and CEO Latanya Mapp-Frett is continuing these ambitions with her legacy. The nonprofit’s philanthropic efforts denounce a traditional “top-down” approach which often results in exploitation. According to their website, their grant funding is set up to be “un-restricted, flexible money to cover the real costs of social work.” By giving recipients funding on their own terms, the Global Fund for Women purposely fights for the initiatives behind each community. Another essential component of their advocacy is through their approach: the Global Fund for Women’s feminism is founded in intersectionality. The global fund for women says that, “The struggle for women’s rights is deeply impacted by and connected to the struggles for racial justice, queer justice, immigration justice, climate justice, and so many more.” If you’re interested in contributing to their mission, check out their latest campaigns and articles on topics like “Girls Lead in Tech” and “2022: Black History Month Everywhere”. Photo source: Global Fund For Women Website; “About Our Team” Source: Women’s Rights Are Human Rights | Our Mission (globalfundforwomen.org)
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President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court
Kamryn Sobel Associate Editor On February 25, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the United States Supreme Court. If confirmed, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson will not only become the 116th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, but will be the first Black woman on the Supreme Court. According to The White House, Judge Jackson is, “one of our nation’s brightest legal minds and has an unusual breadth of experience in our legal system, giving her the perspective to be an exceptional Justice.” Born in Washington D.C., Judge Jackson is an American attorney who continues to reside in the area along with her husband and two daughters. Facing many hardships throughout her youth, she proved her high school counselor wrong by her many successes, starting with her time at Harvard. After attending Miami Palmetto High School in Miami, Florida, she graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University. Judge Jackson continued her education by attending Harvard Law School where she once again graduated cum laude. Judge Jackson has previously served as a federal judge and is currently serving on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit since 2021. She was also nominated by former President Barack Obama to serve as the Vice Chair of the U.S., as well as serving as Justice Breyer’s law clerk. Due to her experience and having several law enforcement officials in her family, The White House states, “Judge Jackson has a unique appreciation of how critical it is for the justice system to be fair and impartial.” Immediately following her nomination, Judge Jackson stated, “I am truly humbled by the extraordinary honor of this nomination.” Judge Jackson’s nomination marks a huge milestone for the United States Supreme Court. Sources: https://www.whitehouse.gov/kbj/ Benjamin Noel
News Reporter Daniela Catubig is a Marketing student, president of Gael Women in Business (GWIB), SEBA peer-advisor, active member of and soon-to-be SalesForce employee. In short, a superstar. Although she’s a senior now and getting ready to walk in May, Daniela wasn’t always as active around campus. At age 17, Daniela wanted to go to school on the East Coast, far from her native San Francisco. However,after not getting into her dream school, her mom told her to give Saint Mary’s a shot, saying it will grow on her. Daniela didn’t believe her. During her first year, she didn’t join any clubs, but stayed in, focused on getting high grades, and was bitter about not being where she thought she needed to be. This all changed her sophomore year after a member of GWIB approached her at a club fair. “And the rest is history,” said Daniela. Her perspective changed and she got involved with several clubs, became a SEBA mentor, and now, will miss Saint Mary’s after graduating this May. Daniela is most known around campus as president of GWIB. The club meets every other Monday to provide resources, tactics, and opportunities for members to grow and succeed in the workplace. While it is a fairly new club, founded in 2018, Daniela has worked to grow the club, organizing its first-ever Women's Mixer. This event consisted of female professors across the curriculums who discussed their own journeys and challenges, sharing advice for young female professionals. Daniela’s work for the club won’t end after she graduates. With 5 out of the 8 executive members of the club graduating this spring, the club created an internship program to train potential executive members to take over leadership of the club. Daniela plans to keep supporting the club even after joining the workforce by coming back to speak to the club and provide guidance to the next generation of GWIB. She believes keeping a strong network will create a positive change for women across the industry in which they face many challenges due to their gender. As a first first-generation college student, Daniela greatly values her parents' sacrifices to provide her with a quality education. Inspired by these sacrifices, Daniela seeks to set up those around her for success. She works with students to create 4-year plans and teaches fellow GWIB-ers the confidence needed to thrive in a male-dominated industry. Her mission is to pay it forward by inspiring younger generations to “recognize their worth and believe in themselves.” While her career is just taking off, she is already the epitome of success. She navigates unique obstacles she faces as a woman and person of color and dedicates time to lift up the women around her. Five years down the line, Daniela sees herself with an MBA, possibly in the process of opening her own business. More importantly, she intends to make an impact on her community; she received many resources, opportunities, and help from mentors that she hopes to pay this back by empowering those around her, creating a ripple effect of positive change. Join GWIB on April 5th from 5-6:30 pm for their event, “Redefining Confidence” with Roxanne Christophe, CEO of Girls Crushing It for tips on boosting confidence and increasing self-worth! Sign up on Handshake. Ariana Perez
News Reporter On Friday, March 5th in the College’s chapel, Saint Mary’s welcomed its first guest artist of the Spring semester. Dr. Sarah Shin is an award winning performer and educator, a lecturer of flute at Princeton, and has performed all over the world, from recording music in Vienna, Italy and performing in Prague, Czech Republic. Accompanying her on piano for a duration of her performance was Professor Lino Rivera, who displayed great skill in harmonizing with Dr. Shin flute performance. Throughout the concert Dr. Shin performed several pieces, each varying drastically in style and rhythm. Her selected pieces covered a wide range of cultural origin and influence. Most notable were her the following pieces, El Bachiano by Raimundo Pineda, Summerland by William Grant Still, and Etude No.5 by Isang Yun. A Venezuluan composer, Pineda wrote El Bachiano as a tribute to Bach, complete with several Spanish dance inspired musical motifs. Throughout the song, Dr. Shin artfully replicated the fast dance-like rhythm of the piece, beginning her recital with a powerful display of style that flute is capable of expressing. Halfway through her recital and, with accompaniment by Professor Rivera, Dr. Shin performed Summerland. Born in Mississippi and a prominent figure of the Harlem Renaissance, the composer Still wrote Summerland for chamber orchestra, particularly with the piano and violin in mind. Even with the piece not written with the flute in mind, Dr. Shin gorgeously captured the slow and gracious emotion of the piece, often at times replicating the sound of the violin with her flute, a beautiful experience to behold. The most strange and unique piece of the evening, Etude No.5 was written by South Korean composer Isang Yun. A hard piece to perform, Dr.Shin showcased a mastery over the flute in technique and control, creating sounds from her flute one would not normally associate with the flute, reaching sharp high notes, demonstrating absolute prowess over the flute in the process. The music department will welcome its second guest artist, fortepiano player from Vienna, Daniel Adam Maltz, on Wednesday, March 16th in the Chapel at 1:15 p.m. We would like to correct a misprint from our recent publication. Please see the following statement from Climate Action SMC regarding the caption attached to the pictures of the February 17th protest:
Correction:Only Vice President Anthony Garrison-Engbrecht notified Climate Action SMC the following day about removing unauthorized banners and posters. By Melanie Moyer and Kamryn Sobel
Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor On Saturday, February 12th, the Black Student Union (BSU) and Black Lives Matter Committee kicked off SMC’s 44 Days: Honoring Black History with the fifth annual Black Student Convocation. This year, the Convocation centered around “Power, Pride, and Purpose” as an ongoing theme for the following 44 Days events. Open to Black members of the Saint Mary’s community and allies, this event consisted of keynote speakers, panel discussions, career advice break-out sessions, and other community-building events. This event was a space for Black students, staff, faculty, and alumni to learn, reflect, pray, share, and hope as an incredible celebration of the Black community at Saint Mary’s College. This year, the Black Student Convocation focused on their “eclectic panel of trailblazing professionals” who shared “their journeys to becoming leaders in their industries: from winemaking to law enforcement to chemistry and beyond.” The speakers discussed “some of the specific challenges they faced as Black professionals in their industry and how they navigated those challenges to command positions of leadership.” Overall, the panelists shared “some of the specific challenges they faced as Black professionals in their industry and how they navigated those challenges to command positions of leadership.” The event began with breakfast and a breathtaking dance tribute by Olivia Rose ‘22. Brother Charles then recited the opening prayer and Dr. Robin Dunn (BLM Faculty Co-Chair) completed a land acknowledgment, reminding the audience of the necessary reconciliation and reclamation of the Miwok, Yokut, and Ohlone tribes. Her words echo the sentiment that Native and Indigenous people are “still here and working for the right to survive in this country.” Jessie Frank ‘22 and Sean Alexander of Public Safety then invited the audience to sing along to the Black National Anthem (though, who could compete with their vocals? Many audience members were visibly moved by their angelic voices so early in the morning). President Richard Plumb, Executive Vice President and Provost Corey Cook, Dean of Admissions Sherie Gilmore-Cleveland, Executive Director of Public Safety Hampton Cantrell, and Associate Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dr. Evette Castillo-Clark all gave words of encouragement and acknowledgment. Plumb reminded the audience that, in the current socio-political climate, this is “not a time to step back,” saying that “if we work together we can make change.” Cook followed Plumb’s message by reading Frederick Douglass’s words “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” Gilmore-Cleveland encouraged purpose with the following 321 days of the year, and Cantrell committed “to be present to those who want to make a difference and to volunteerism to uplift the community.” Castillo-Clark followed by reminding the room that “your voice and experience matters to me.” Next, Lila Leath of Public Safety introduced the first of the two speakers, Be’Anka Ashaolu ‘08. Ashaolu is an alumnus of SMC who pursued a career in marketing and also founded Nirvana Soul Coffee House with her sister, Jeronica Macey. She shared that her time at SMC was “beautiful and complicated.” Her struggles with mental health, along with the difference she felt from other students as a first-generation college student and a product of public schooling, made her feel like an outsider. However, receiving support from her professors helped her leave SMC “aware and proud of her Blackness.” Ashaolu has gone on to found Nirvana Soul all on her own—or, at least with her sister—and is the youngest and only Black higher-level associate of the marketing company she now works for. She left the audience with a few pearls of wisdom: “The thing about purpose is it’s like a train station,” “It's not on you, it's in you,” and the refreshing “Enjoy life more.” Shilei Bell-Lipsey was the next speaker to share her story of being a Saint Mary’s student. Bell-Lipsey is currently a senior at Saint Mary’s as well as the President of the Black Student Union. She began her speech with the message “power is something that we all encompass.” Bell-Lipsey described how community was something that she found by visiting after attending the Intercultural Center on campus. Within the first few days of her first year, she attended an event at the Intercultural Center. Leaving the event that day, she “felt more like herself.” After she received an offer for a job at the Intercultural Center, she shares she felt even more empowered “to create that sense of pride in that sense of community.” She concluded with, “I know that I made connections, showed up for people, and supported them. I found and made community. I tried” The Black Student Convocation ended with a Q&A session, moderated by Senior Myles McAroy. Panelists Jeronica Macey, Be’Anka Ashaolu, Paula Harrell, and Troy Clark shared the obstacles they went through to get to where they are as professionals today. The panelists also focused on their life experiences of being people of color in white-dominant career paths and how it has affected them, and how their education has supported their life now. “With all challenges, comes opportunity. You have to make a commitment to what you do, accept its reality and prepare for it,” says Clark. The Black Student Convocation was especially commemorative and informative and began 44 Days in an unparalleled way.  (Image Courtesy Writer)
By Jenevieve Monroe News Reporter Diplomatic efforts fell short late February when Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed the independence of two separatist regions in Eastern Ukraine. Several rounds of negotiations between envoys from Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany did little to amend the broken Minsk Peace Deal, an agreement that eased tensions between the two countries after the 2014 war in the Donbas region of Ukraine. Putin’s most recent military actions came after multiple videos were released by seperatist leaders in Ukraine, including calls for evacuation due to alleged Ukrainian “aggression” being imposed against separatist regions. Several days after the first video, seperatist leaders posted another statement asking Russia to recognize their regions’ independence and respond to the alleged “aggression”. NATO and the United States have spoken out against these videos as a fabricated pretext for Russia to invade and reclaim the post-Soviet state. According to TIME Magazine, the data embedded in the video showed their speeches to be pre-recorded two days prior to its release, while the region was still calm. This has resulted in a global divide: NATO alongside other world leaders have taken action by imposing economic sanctions against Russia and aiding billions of dollars to Ukraine’s humanitarian aid and economy. An international wave of condemnation hits Russia from Europe, Australia, Japan, Taiwan, and many others with China being the exception. These sanctions aim to motivate the Russian government to stop it’s invasion and prioritize the country's independence. Economic devastation or global conflict awaits the world should Putin continue Westward. If Putin succeeds in conquering Ukraine and occupying Belarus, Russian forces will have access to several key borders of Europe. The uncertainty of these conditions would make defending NATO’s Eastern countries, including the Baltic nations, significantly harder. As Ukrainian citizens struggle to flee Eastward, global leaders band together for the unknown conflict ahead. SOURCES: What to Know About Ukraine’s Separatist Regions | Time Ukraine ex-leader Petro Poroshenko accused of ′treason′ | News | DW | 20.12.2021 With the Ukraine Invasion, NATO Is Suddenly Vulnerable - The New York Times (nytimes.com) World leaders fine-tune punitive measures against Russia | Tacoma News Tribune (thenewstribune.com) Famous SMC Alum visits for Q&A
By Kiera O’Hara-Heinz Associate Editor On Friday, February 25, 2022, Academy Award Winning actor and SMC Alumni Mahershala Ali visited Saint Mary’s LeFevre Theatre and engaged with students in a Q&A following a screening of his new film, Swan Song. Ali spoke about finding balance and fulfillment in life and shared some fun anecdotes about his time at Saint Mary’s. Swan Song, the film Ali came to speak about, follows the journey of a man who faces the option of cloning himself as a replacement for his family after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. The film beautifully addresses the concepts of death, memory, and closure in sensitive, yet innovative ways. The theater was crowded, with the audience chattering in anticipation before Ali came on stage. The Q&A portion of the event was led by Saint Mary’s senior Anahi Torres, who engaged Ali in playful banter and asked a number of thoughtful prompting questions. Torres began the Q&A by asking Ali what his favorite part of the film was. He shared that the message he took away from Swan Song was that although we may not have the option to clone ourselves, like the protagonist in the film, Cameron, we do have an option to take control of our lives. “I believe each and every one of us has a Jack, a potential that is ready to be manifested,” Ali shared. The rest of his advice took on this theme of balance and living a fulfilling life. Torres acknowledged Ali’s fame and success as an actor and asked him how his time at Saint Mary’s contributed to his success. He shared that he looks at “being successful as being whole, being fulfilled, being balanced.” This balance is something he attributes to his time at Saint Mary’s where he demonstrated he was more than just a basketball player and made an effort to foster other hobbies on campus like DJing a radio show with KSMC, writing poetry, and acting. Before opening the Q&A up to audience questions, Dr. Evette Castillo Clark, Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, teased Ali that she would be testing his memory of the names of all the resident halls he lived in during his time at SMC. Ali went on to share an anecdote about his first night of college in Justin Hall when the fire alarm went off after someone put a firecracker in his room that lit the curtains on fire. The story made many students laugh, and Castillo Clark acknowledged that late-night fire alarms are a near-universal experience at SMC. The event ended with questions from the audience and two students were able to ask for career advice from Ali, who shared that he is always trying to find things that wake him up and excite him.  (Image Courtesy Writer)
Yamiche Alcindor expands on her journey of being an American Journalist By Kamryn Sobel Associate Editor As part of the East Bay Leadership Series, American Journalist Yamiche Alcindor examined the “current political issues facing America, how economic and racial segregation have impacted her life as an immigrant from Haiti, and her decision to pursue journalism in search of truth.” The East Bay Leadership Council hosted Alicindor, an award-winning political journalist, Anchor of Washington Week, and White House Correspondent for PBS NewsHour. Saint Mary's is a proud sponsor of the East Bay Leadership Series. Alcindor began by discussing the pressing issues of the political affairs the pandemic has brought forth in America. She explains that journalism is a “medium through which we push elected officials and people who are in power to tell us the truth to be held accountable.” Furthering her conversation on the pandemic, Alcindor addressed the reality that “African-Americans are more likely to live in homes where there are a number of people.” She continued that “if someone gets the virus, they cannot easily quarantine in the way we think of quarantining.” She also addressed the political dynamics that American society is currently seeing in light of Biden’s recent nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson, who would be the first African-American woman on the Supreme Court. She wants to, “remind people that the requirement to be on the Supreme Court for hundreds of years, [was] to be a white male,” and “Black women were locked out of the Supreme Court.” Continuing this line of thought, Alcindor also stressed the importance of journalism being a medium that people can trust. She wants people to trust in journalism and to trust in science because it is “now more than ever that we need to lean into the idea of journalism.” After Alcindor learned about the murder of Emmett Till, she discovered that it was a journalist who carried the image of Till. She used this to discuss the role of journalism, for learning about the ugly parts of American history and exposes that journalism can be a part of the learning curve because the public can easily access this information. “Journalists during these times are having to reckon with issues that we have not reckoned with in the past.” She continued that journalism should have the responsibility of addressing these issues, “where we want to teach people, about ideals and opinions that people don't hold the same views.” After finishing her brief discussion on her experience as a journalist, she then answered questions from the audience. Alcindor expands on the idea that journalism should be a place where people can learn about opinions that they personally don’t. She included that journalism needs to have more diversity and needs to be real with the people. She ended by saying, “I could not have done journalism that didn't support me. There is financial stability in journalism and journalism has to continuously go to the people, where they still continue to watch. People benefit from having peers that want us to keep having information.” Sources: https://members.eastbayleadershipcouncil.com/events/details/east-bay-leadership-series-truth-in-journalism-with-yamiche-alcindor-4153?calendarMonth=2022-02-01  (Image Courtesy Today.com)
By Amaya Griego News Reporter Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s seminal text “How to Be an Antiracist'' first hit the shelves in 2019, sparking international conversation about race and racism. Kendi is the Founding Director of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research. Five of his books have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, including “How to Be an Antiracist,” which has been added to the Seminar-001: Critical Strategies & Great Questions curriculum. It is being read for the first time this spring. The book blends personal anecdotes with explanations of terms and concepts. In Chapter 5, Kendi defines terms like “ethnic antiracism” and “racism” while reflecting on his bullying of a Ghanian-American classmate in middle school. “Race and racism in this country is experienced in a deeply personalized way,” he says. “The best way to write this text was to be deeply personal, but then simultaneously have history and empirical data and social commentary. It’s of course not just a personal matter.” In the fall of 2020, a group of eight Engaged Learning Facilitators (ELFs) at Saint Mary’s, including the Associate Director of Community Engagement Sarah Beth Dempsey, read the book as a group. “We each led a discussion on a chapter or two when we would meet,” senior ELF Sarah Kaminsky says. “I feel like we all grew. Who I was before we read that book and the way I understood myself and who I was becoming was different.” They soon organized a petition to incorporate “How to Be an Antiracist” into the Seminar curriculum. “Aliya Patel really pushed for us to do this. She was, I’d say, the biggest driving force in the action-taking,” ELF Myla Love ‘22 says. “She really took so much action and I think we were all inspired by the amount of effort she put in. I put it on all social media and we were all actively campaigning after Aliya kind of got it started.” Professor Ellen Rigsby, faculty member and Program Director of Seminar, remembers the ELFs approaching her with the petition. “They came to a governing board meeting and gave a presentation on why they thought the text was so good, specifically for Seminar,” she recalls. “The governing board read it and had a discussion about it and agreed.” The first-year students will read the first five chapters of the book, a decision which the governing board takes seriously. Seminar texts must range in genres and topics, allow for “complex interpretation,” and be accessible without context or prior knowledge of the text. “It’s hard on the bookstore when we change texts or editions,” Rigsby says. “It’s hard on students because then suddenly there’s not a market of used copies available. It’s hard on faculty because they have to prepare for another new text that might not be inside their discipline.” Regardless, Rigsby thinks it’s a fundamental text on identity. “I want students to think about their identity in ways that are deep and complex like Kendi does,” she says. “Identity isn’t an explicit discourse in most of the ancient world. I think it’ll bring a lot to the older texts we discuss, like Antigone or the Melian Dialogue.” As for the students who brought the text to Seminar, they are excited to see what comes from reading this text. “I’m most excited for self-discussion. Seminar is a class that everyone can take, so everyone therefore has access to the ability to self-reflect. I think that’s really gonna be powerful,” Love says. “My biggest takeaway is that Black people can be a part of oppressive systems. I was always taught that we can’t be racist. When I leave, I’m looking into school psychology and looking at school curriculum. I recognize my privilege and want to help change policies that are oppressive.” “Hopefully students understand their impact and their power on campus to be able to organize and create change in the way that we were able to,” ELF Anna Burke ‘22 shares. “I don’t think we understood that as a possibility before we started. Students have the most power to change.” “I think it promotes the idea ‘Enter to learn, leave to serve,’” Kaminsky brings up. “The end of the book encourages you to actually do something. It kind of embodies and promotes the message that Saint Mary’s says they have. If eight people reading a book can change the Seminar curriculum forever, what can 1000 students reading a book each year do?” Sources https://www.ibramxkendi.com/bio https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/gildenhorn-book-talk-with-ibram-x-kendi/ https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/collegiate-seminar/dream-texts-you-would-like-to-see-on-the-collegiate-seminar-reading-list https://www.today.com/tmrw/how-be-anti-racist-what-new-steps-you-should-take-t208711 |
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May 2022
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