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(05/19/23 4:40pm)
When I first came to the University in 2019, never did I imagine that I would start writing for a student newspaper. English was always my favorite subject in school, but as I settled into being an Architecture student, that love took a backseat. It was not until I failed calculus my first fall and had an ENWR class in the spring that I realized I might be meant for something more. Writing became my refuge — and English became my minor. During the summer of 2020, when people across the nation were protesting in support of the Black Lives Matter movement at the height of the COVID-19 lockdown, writing became my form of protest. The second half of 2020 was a time of immense anger and confusion that not only signified the next phase in my life, but also served as the catalyst for what would become a three-year dedication to making more space for Black students at the University.
(10/12/22 11:56pm)
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(10/11/22 1:22am)
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(09/23/22 4:18pm)
When I learned as a first year that a memorial was being built to honor the enslaved individuals who built the University, I was overjoyed. Now, in my fourth year at the University, I find myself cringing every time I see or hear about the Memorial to Enslaved Laborers. There is a level of performative action that University leaders have shown themselves to approve of, and the Memorial currently serves as one of the primary cases. But it is not sufficient to adopt surface-level remediation tactics. Therefore, it is not sufficient to build a long-overdue memorial. The memorialization and de-memorialization process the University has committed itself to is not enough. And every time I see the Memorial, I am reminded of this.
(08/11/22 10:57am)
The events that occurred in Charlottesville both on and off Grounds in August 2017 should have taught the University community an invaluable lesson about the needs of its marginalized students. That Friday night, a group of people marched on our Grounds espousing hate and protested in downtown Charlottesville the following day, resulting in a clash with counter protesters that was extremely violent and deadly. When I learned what happened, I was only a junior in high school, still reeling from the new reality posed by former president Donald Trump’s election. I would not come to the University until two years later, and by then I had a general idea of what I could and could not expect when it came to protecting marginalized students. And now, five years after the events of Aug. 11 and 12, what I can still expect as a marginalized student is less than the bare minimum — to not feel fully safe in a space where racism has been as fundamental as it has been enduring.
(08/14/22 1:33pm)
In the months since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, many in the University community have felt helpless about the future of reproductive rights. Light has since been shed on the highly intersectional nature the effects of the ruling will have. Discussions surrounding the negative impacts of the ruling have been ongoing after the ruling. Banning abortions does not stop all abortions — it just stops safe ones. This means the ruling will compel individuals to seek out unsafe reproductive care instead. Moreover, the effects of the ruling are highly intersectional. It is vital to understand that not only will cisgender women be highly affected — so will all individuals with uteruses. And the issue of fatphobia in reproductive healthcare will likely worsen.
(04/15/22 10:43pm)
By now, most of us have seen the video of Will Smith slapping Chris Rock across the face at the 94th Academy Awards. While scrolling through the seemingly innumerous reactions to this moment on social media, I came across a video of Rock allowing Louis C.K. and Ricky Gervais to say the n-word — hard r — repeatedly in the 2011 HBO special “Talking Funny.” They obviously felt comfortable because Rock encouraged them instead of challenging them. But the thing is — one Black person does not have the authority to deem something okay or not okay when it comes to racism. And white people who jump at the chance to participate in harmful behaviors genuinely scare me. Slurs are such a sensitive topic that I can’t even spell out the n-word fully for this column — though I would if this were any other circumstance. The n-word is a sacred and important part of Black culture.
(03/30/22 9:24pm)
As an English minor here at the University, I have encountered a number of different genres of literature in my classes. My least favorite is the slave narrative — an account of the life of an enslaved through their perspective. While I agree it is imperative to expose non-Black students to the harsh realities of this genre, I find it incredibly damaging for myself as a Black student. To give an example, I am currently taking History of Literatures in English II and have enjoyed it thus far. However, when it came time to read “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave,” I could not get through the first few sections. The content was wonderfully honest, but graphic — and I could not stomach it.
(02/11/22 8:14pm)
On the third day of Black History Month this year, the Free Food and Merch GroupMe — made of over 3,000 University students — erupted in a discourse about racial bias. The conversation began after a petition to reform the Honor Committee’s single-sanction policy was sent to the chat accompanied by the claim that this policy targets Black and international students disproportionately. It is important to note that while Black students are also over-represented in Honor reports, it is Asian students who are targeted more often along with international students. Some students felt comfortable rejecting the proof provided that non-white students are disproportionately targeted in Honor reports. An argument quickly ensued, and many students in the chat felt uncomfortable with the conversation taking place, attempting to remove people from the chat and asking that the conversation be taken elsewhere. The discourse went on for well over six hours before many students gave up trying to defend themselves and their perspectives. Watching the group of primarily Black students be told repeatedly that the conversation should not have taken place was a somber reminder of the adversity we face at the University.
(01/27/22 8:40pm)
At the start of this new semester, I am already feeling the effects of having the transition from my teens to twenties interrupted by a pandemic. Beyond that, I am still working on healing from the boom in media exposure of the traumatic racial violence in the summer of 2020. The effect George Floyd’s murder had on this country continues to take a toll on my mental health and the mental health of other Americans as well. These are tumultuous times, and the struggle persists.
(10/12/21 11:31pm)
It has become apparent in the scope of racism and race relations that many people decide to adopt truth as they want it instead of what it really is. When it comes to white privilege many people become so defensive that they refuse to seek out the truth of what white privilege really means. And in the case of reverse racism, it is often when a person of color speaks out against the racist acts of others that white people start to think — in the defensive mindset — that they are in fact the ones being oppressed.
(04/28/21 1:28am)
I have to begin this column by stating that I am tired. I have reached such a high point of desensitization — as I am sure many other Black Americans have — against the continuous loss of Black life that continuing to fight has started to feel hopeless. In a Sep. 2020 column, I wrote about the links between our current policing system and the enforcement of slave patrols after the abolishment of slavery and ultimately advocated for defunding the police. Since my writing of this column, my opinion has taken a definitive shift from defund the police to abolish the police. It is important to have a conversation on this shift as well as how it relates to the statement “blue lives matter.”
(03/30/21 2:44am)
I would not be surprised to find out that the majority of University students and alumni do not know what OAAA is. As an African American student getting ready to come to U.Va. a few years ago, I received multiple emails from the Office of African-American Affairs encouraging me to stay in touch and get involved. However, I assume the other 93 percent of students at the University do not have the pleasure of automatically being included in the festivities. OAAA is an essential part of many students' experience at the University and its physical space is deserving of an upgrade — if they want one.
(03/04/21 5:40am)
In a recent column, Opinion Columnist Jessica Moore called upon people to be understanding of the well-founded fears that many people of color have when it comes to the coronavirus vaccine. As a Black person, I know this fear very well first-hand. In fact, in the beginning of lockdown in the country, I had a conversation with a family member in which we both said if a vaccine came out, “We ain’t getting it.” The legacy of racist medical malpractice such as the Tuskegee Study, the Henrietta Lacks case and many other cases of how Black people have been treated — and in many cases still are treated — has made us skeptical. Despite this, we know being vaccinated is a vital step in helping the country slow the spread and protect those around us.
(01/08/21 4:51am)
On May 25, 2020, we watched George Floyd struggle to take his last breath as he called for his mother. His death has sparked what is now the largest civil rights movement in American history and the awakening passion for many to speak up for the everyday injustices Black people face. And while we have seen peaceful protestors met with violence by police as they march for human rights, on Jan. 6, 2021 we watched an army of mainly white, pro-Trump citizens storm the United States Capitol building with barely any aggressive resistance. Many of the same people who thought taking a knee during the national anthem was excessive are now applauding a horde of what can be considered domestic terrorists in their attempt to stage a coup after repeatedly being emboldened by the politician they idolize — President Donald Trump.
(11/18/20 9:12pm)
At 11:24 a.m. on Nov. 7, I was on the road to my dad's hometown for my great-grandmother’s 100th birthday — this is when I first heard the news that CNN had called the presidential election. My emotions washed over me in waves at the relieved realization that the current president, Donald Trump, would be leaving office in January. In addition to Trump leaving the White House, having the first Black and South Asian female vice president is certainly worthy of celebration. This is an impressive step forward for progress in America. Having Former Vice President Joe Biden elected as the next president of the United States indicates that our country is ready to take its next steps forward towards a more evolved society.
(11/12/20 11:58pm)
America in general does not properly educate its students on the full extent of Black history and slavery — there is so much left uncovered due to rampant white supremacy and misogyny throughout the country. Therefore, many Americans do not realize just how dehumanizing the landscape of slavery and racism in the country was. To really think about it deeply would require acknowledging the full experiences of enslaved laborers — including rape, family separation and whippings as payment for their labor. Furthermore, there exist even more horrifying realities, like babies being used as alligator bait and skin being used as leather to make shoes and other goods.
(10/07/20 11:03pm)
In a country where wearing a mask during a pandemic is a political debate, it is unfortunately no surprise that we are still arguing over reproductive health rights. On a matter as personal and difficult as this, it should be no one’s business. It is the government’s responsibility to ensure that people are able to make informed decisions and have access to proper reproductive health services — not make those decisions for them.
(09/18/20 10:08pm)
The University recently announced multiple initiatives to increase awareness of social situations on Grounds and correct the wrongdoings of its past. It took the exposure of racial unrest in the country and pressure specifically put on by Black students for the University to go past the minuscule amount of reparative actions that they originally saw fit. Administration implemented the Racial Equity Task Force to address these issues — however, even this will not be enough.
(09/10/20 6:02pm)
America recently watched as police shot unarmed Jacob Blake in the back seven times as he got into his car, leaving him paralyzed. Not too long after that, we stared in shock as a white 17-year-old gunman stormed the streets of Kenosha, Wis. in opposition to individuals protesting the attempted murder by police — killing two and nearly blowing the arm off another. He then walked right past the police not only with his illegally wielded gun slung across his chest, but also staying hydrated with the water they gave him 15 minutes prior.