2017-2018 Anthology
Brendan Pedersen Editor-in-Chief
Madeline Happold Managing Editor
Megan Stringer Associate Editor
Emma Krupp Associate Editor
Carina Smith Associate Editor
Cody Corrall Multimedia Editor
Dylan Van Sickle Associate Editor
Marissa Nelson Director of Development
Agathe Muller Social Media Editor
Meredith Melland Web Developer
Amy Merrick Faculty Adviser
Holly McNally Business Director
â—Šâ—Šâ—Š Cover image by Jenni Holtz Compiled and edited by Madeline Happold and the 14 East staff All rights to material published in this magazine belong to the individual authors or artists. Any reproduction or reprinting may be done by their permission only.
Table of Contents The Sanctity of Self-Care............................................................................... 4 Front and Center........................................................................................... 13 Cameraman Confessionals........................................................................... 20 Ricky Jay’s Cult of Personality..................................................................... 29 Four Disasters, Two Places, One City.......................................................... 31 Breaking Silence: The State of Mental Health in Latino Communities...... 38 I Was a Vegetable for Halloween ................................................................ 44 Spaces for Speech: Charles Murray and the DePaul Response................... 46 Gaining Momentum: March for our Lives Across the Nation..................... 52 The Night Shift............................................................................................. 60 The Children of Sarajevo............................................................................. 66 The Joy of the Campaign............................................................................. 72 Good Vibes Only.......................................................................................... 76 On Our Way to Agémont............................................................................. 80 Should We Tip Baristas?............................................................................. 84 Modern Day Jane........................................................................................ 88 A Day With The Pokédemons..................................................................... 93 The Discourse of Death.............................................................................. 96
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from the editor In my mind, 14 East is a boat. It’s a new boat — not new in the sense that it runs like new, or has a warranty, but it’s a boat that’s sort of figuring out how to be a boat in real time. Since we launched in the spring of 2016, the people inside the boat have been trying to figure how to make the boat move, which direction to take the boat, how to keep the boat from sinking, exploding, etc. It is a process. Through my undergraduate, I’ve spent a lot of time under the deck: bailing out water, duct taping holes, putting out small fires — general magazine upkeep. When you spend a lot of time with the guts of your boat-zine, you get a sense of its rhythm. You learn what makes it purr, what makes it belch black smoke and what levers have a tendency of snapping off. To the extent that you can, you begin to understand how it works. But that’s where the boat metaphor should end. Thinking of your publication as an array of rudders and switches is mechanical and distant. What has always propelled the magazine forward, kept it from sinking or exploding or sputtering out, has never been the boat itself. Having a boat is cool. Having a crew is critical. This year, the 14 East staff has been exceptional. Their work has been impeccable, their stories breathtaking and their dedication to excellence unrivaled. To some extent, their journalistic ability is simply confounding. I have been inspired by the example set by this staff for nearly two years now, but that goes beyond raw talent or hard work. In their pursuit of truth far and wide across Chicago, they have shown a capacity for love; a love that’s deep and selfless, stretching far beyond personal ego and individual accomplishment. I have loved each and every one of the people and the stories that have brought us to today, and it has been an honor to work alongside this crew. Thank you — whoever you are — for reading this short collection of their work from the past year. I speak from experience when I say that you will be the better for it.
Brendan Pedersen
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The sanctity of self-care
Ivana Rihter March 12, 2017
An airy voice pours down the chrome stairway from the top floor of the Museum of Contemporary Art. Rhythmic vocals loop over electronic undertones. The warmth of Lykanthea’s music floats through the room while the audience cranes their necks hoping to catch sight of who is singing. A bright white room is bursting with people sitting in green plastic chairs. Some have their eyes closed, others look out the floorto-ceiling windows that frame a dim street-lit Chicago. Lykanthea — also known as Lakshmi Ramgopal — ends her set gently, letting the music fade out almost on its own. Performance is her form of self-care.
Her work as Lykanthea is often improvised and performed on the floor. The intricate melodies are infused with the sounds of her South Indian heritage. She is a musician, a writer and a scholar of ancient history. Most recently Ramgopal has organized the Rose Quartz Project, a series of self-care workshops in direct response to the 2016 election. The last workshop included speakers who specialized in bystander intervention, self-defense and activist rights.
“I want to help people build community and find ways of protecting people who are most vulnerable in this society,” Ramgopal said. “I “I had this epiphany where I realized that I feel want to empower people to take care of themso much better after I play a show or rehearse. It selves through that process because any kind was something I was aware of before but never of political activism does require taking care really connected to the idea of self care,” Ram- of yourself.” gopal said. “My music has always been a way to empower myself.” 4
A deep dive into the self-care movement and the ways in which women — activists, artists and comedians — are defining what self-care means to them. Self-care for Activists and Artists Inside Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, artists, activists and professionals gathered together in response to the inauguration to learn the act of self-care as warfare. The title of this event was rooted in the writings of the wellknown civil rights activist and feminist Audre Lorde, who famously said “caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” Self-care comes in many forms. Simply put, it is the act — or process — of taking care of oneself mentally, physically and emotionally. In order to make this idea of self-care come to life, please view the slide-show below where a little illustrated rock will demonstrate the various ways self-care can be integrated into your life:
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This is Rock:
Rock practices RADICAL self-love and self-care
Self-love is defined as: regard for one’s own well-being and happiness Self-care is defined as: any necessary human regulatory function which is under individual control, deliberate and self-initiated
Self-care consists of: This is when the self-love aspect of caring for yourself comes in. It is not enough to just do the routine tasks that keep you feeling OK, it takes a little love for yourself WHILE you are doing them for a MASSIVE impact to be made on your day to day life
SO instead of punching your own little Rock face, lean into the sadness, feel all the things you feel because they are valid and inherently valuable.
Rock has really hard days when they feel fat, sad, lumpy, heavy, unmotivated, imperfect, dirty, alone, sexually-undesireable, bald, tired, gross, and just bad all around.
Ivana Rihter
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Over the past few years, the self-care movement has been growing through social media and become a pillar of many artist and activist communities. From Black Lives Matter activists to feminist illustrators, many have begun to incorporate self-care into activism as a crucial aspect of fighting institutionalized racism, sexism and violence on a day-to-day basis. Burnout in the field of social justice is common. It involves dealing with human rights abuses, violence and opposition. As an artist and disabled woman of color, Ramgopal has developed methods of selfcare unique to her.
ministration. This phenomenon has been reported as affecting women more acutely than men for a number of reasons. Sadly it doesn’t stop at just women, as PESD and its symptoms ring especially true for marginalized identities that many recent executive orders have impacted directly. For Native Americans, muslims, femmes and members of the LGBTQA+ community, the personal is political.
For Ramgopal, self-care has manifested in the form of long-term birth control. With conver“Especially among women in my generation — sations surrounding Planned Parenthood and so the older end of the millennial demographic the issue of reproductive rights coming to the — there has been an increase in conversation,” surface under the new administration, many Ramgopal said. “I think that the black commu- are taking precautionary measures to ensure nity has been at the forefront of the conversation they are covered. because of a greater need for self-care, because that community is so oppressed and has histori- “I feel like the IUD can become this really cally been so oppressed in this country.” great example of how self-care can take on all these different forms as to how women’s Black Lives Matter has propelled the dialogue bodies are policed in this country,” Ramgopal surrounding self-care as a necessity, especially said. “Now I have an IUD so I don’t have to in the wake of constant violence against black worry about abortion access, but at the same bodies. The life of an activist is often physically, time, I have these cramps that make it harder emotionally and mentally draining. Alice Berry, for me to work.” a professional counselor, said the pressure activists deal with in their work is great and, if not In a January interview on CNN, Planned Parchecked, could lead to long term damage. enthood President Cecile Richards addressed the increased anxiety around reproductive “Self-care for activists is really crucial because rights and access to contraceptives; Planned in order to do the kind of combative adversarial Parenthood recorded a 900 percent increase work that activists have to do, they have to be in the demand for IUDs post-election. able to withstand pressure of all sorts: physical pressure, mental pressure and societal pressure Ramgopal’s list of self-care necessities are a that are essentially telling them not to do that,” vital part of her ability to maintain both acBerry said. “They are going against an estab- tivism and art. She must make a concerted eflished norm and saying ‘no’ and doing that cre- fort to care for herself and her body whenever ates conflict, that creates stress, and long-term possible. Yet as someone who identifies as a stress over time creates all sorts of things.” woman, her body and identity have been politicized, judged and policed throughout her Since the most recent presidential election, there entire life. has been a lot of conversation centered on the way the public can best cope with the political “At a time like this, when the political enviclimate. For many, this means reading the news ronment is so oppressive and so invasive — vigilantly or remaining invested in calling local for me, self-care has been a sort of permission and state representatives to share grievances. slip for myself to be like: I’m checking out for However, in recent months the term “post-elec- now so that I can check back in and be strontion stress disorder” has begun to circulate in ger and better and happier,” Ramgopal said. the community of therapist and physicians as more and more of their clients report feelings of Musical performance has helped Ramgoanxiety, stress and unrest in light of the new ad- pal reclaim her body and practice self-care 7
Source: PTSD.va, National Institute of Mental Health , CDC, Jam a Network
actively. On the other end of the performance spectrum, stand-up comedy has helped many female comics reclaim their voices. For them self-care comes in the form of laughter and a place to make their experiences known. On the last Wednesday of every month, Volumes Bookcafe becomes home to an all-women’s open mic night where post-election stress, reproductive rights and Paul Ryan managed to come up time and time again.
are wrapped up in scarves and cradling coffee mugs while others are frantically jotting notes down and taking generous gulps of red wine. Nylin is well known for her quippy anecdotes between sets. This week included a dramatic reading of text messages from her 80 year-old grandmother.
“The most amazing thing to me is that generally at a bar open mic, no one is listening On a colorful wall of book jackets, “You Joke because you are there to work out your maLike a Girl” stands out in bold letters. The pow- terial, but here people stay — people listen. I der pink female gender symbol is entangled with think it has a lot to do with the fact that it is a flexed-bicep holding a mic; an homage to Ros- all women,” Nylin said. “We want to support ie the Riveter’s signature pose. Chairs, bench- each other. Women power!” es and couches are arranged in a mix-matched mosaic around the mic. The smell of fresh coffee The mic is hosted at a bookcafe owned by sisfills the air with warm notes of hazelnut and va- ters Kimberly and Rebecca George, and it has become a safe space for female comics dedinilla. cated to self-love. All of this was founded last Elyse Nylin, the creator and producer, stands at year by one woman, Nylin, and dedicated to the front of the room beaming with the sign-up making room for more women in the comedy sheet in hand. Around the room some women world. 8
“I wanted to make it about them — about them finding their space and being able to be comfortable and finally get to be heard somewhere, once a month, at least,” Elyse said. The sets on the night of Jan. 25 are charged with messages of resistance, empowerment and support. Talk of the inauguration, the Women’s March and Roe v. Wade made its way into almost every set and didn’t stop there. Many opened with one-liners about Brazilian waxes or post-election activity on Facebook, but often mental health, politics and reproductive rights surfaced in these sets too. Kate Striet’s set focused on her stay at a mental institution which ended in the middle of the night after discovering her roommate dancing in stolen clothing. In any other context, this subject matter would be deemed very dark, extremely personal and not appropriate to broach in public. However, Nylin has worked hard to create a space where anything was fair game, and she is not the only one. There has been an increase of spaces exclusively for women and femmes in the world of comedy, art and music.
off previous sets. At the beginning and end of every open mic, the entire crowd comes together in a resounding battle cry — ‘YOU JOKE LIKE A GIRL!’ echoes off every wall. “I’m proud of all the women. I don’t take up a lot of mic time and I don’t do that on purpose,” Nylin said. “This is a space for them. I am here to facilitate it and say names, but I want them to get up there and tell their stories. If I have something weird to say in the middle, cool.”
Self-care is for Everyone Self-care is, in many ways, a choice. It requires active participation and active surveying of oneself on a moment-to-moment basis. When was the last time you ate? How many hours of sleep did you get last night? Was it enough? How does your body feel right now? Would stretching help? What would help me de-stress?
“It takes a certain amount of self-awareness. Developing self-awareness is a major step in learning how to take care of yourself,” Alice Berry, a professional counselor based in Chi“It’s nice to have an outlet for self expression, cago said. something outside of the everyday and outside of work. It’s just nice to be able to express your- After working in the fashion industry for 30 self,” said Striet. years, Berry is now a therapist whose psychological practice specializes in work with artists The environment fostered by the all-women’s and creative professionals. Her office is nuzopen mic is one of acceptance and self-love. De- zled into the corner of her design studio — a spite embarrassing workplace occurrences, one- cozy space filled to the brim with garments night stands and imperfect relationships, every- in all states of completion. There are fabric one is welcome to come hash it out on the mic. rolls stacked up to the ceiling and a rainbow of thread hung on the wall. “I talk about myself as being a queer individual, and I talk a lot about my experiences with that. I “The therapist creates the conditions for feel like it lends itself to being open and honest,” change to happen; the therapist does not creNylin said. “There have been some times when ate the change,” Berry said. “The therapist is people have said some pretty triggering things not the expert in a person’s life. The therapist — people talk about sexual assault and sexual does not fix the client — the client does that.” abuse– and it always goes over in such a positive way.” This applies to finding self-care strategies specific to individual needs. Self-care is subShe brought the lessons she learned at Feminine jective. It varies from person to person, and Cominque last year to Volumes Bookcafe to start cultivating a technique of achieving wellness “Joke like a Girl.” Attendance has been growing is extremely personal. It looks different on every month. Nylin shakes the hand of each and everyone, and self-care standards are difficult every single performer after their set. She talks to standardize. Berry tries to pave the road to about her own ‘new relationship bliss’ and riffs self-awareness, working as a support structure 9
throughout, so her clients can begin to create a definition of self-care for themselves through this awareness. Everyone is faced with a unique set of circumstances, and self-care should be tailored to that. This is when the necessity for self awareness comes into the practice of self-care. The clinical definition of mental wellness can be summarized as the ability to maintain relationships, work, a sense of place and, most importantly, a sense of self. The road to mental and emotional wellness is paved by the client in Berry’s humanistic approach to therapy. Her recommendation for self-care strategies vary as self-care can be found in all kinds of places. Holding a baby and closing web browser tabs are not exactly comparable, but both offer different kinds of self-nurturing.
More often than not, self-care does not need to be a grand gesture or a massive shopping spree. There are many small ways to practice it; for Ramgopal it manifests in something as simple as watering plants. She makes sure to water her plant family with respect to the unique water measurement needs of each flower and herb. “I do it with intention now instead of, like, ‘I’m going to stick all of these in the sink and spray them until the soil is wet and then put it on the window sill,” Ramgopal said. “Taking a moment with something really mundane like that can actually be really beautiful and really refreshing.”
It is very often in mundane activities like walking a pet, watering plants or stretching “Different things are to different people at dif- in the morning we can find points of access ferent times,” said Berry. There is much more to conscious decisions of self-care. Yet even to self-care than satisfaction-based activities; within the self-care community the definition those are just some pieces to the puzzle. Some- of self-care varies. It is often much more comtimes the most nurturing thing we can do is take plicated than just eating when you are hungry care of others. or taking a nice long shower. It can manifest interpersonally, emotionally, physically and “I have lately come to realize that not every- mentally. Each is filled with its own unique one associates self-care with what gives you trials and tribulations, but all contribute to pleasure,” Berry said. “Some people associate one’s overall wellness. While many of these self-care with achievement, some associate it habits are learned behaviors, a lot of them you with beauty and some associate it with cultural probably do already. standing.” College students are often guilty of unhealthy While integrating self-care into one’s day to day sleep schedules, lack of nutrition and procan improve mental wellness overall, the pres- longed stress levels. At DePaul University, the sure of maintaining these habits should not add Tough to be Tough Campaign — comprised to the overall stressors of the day. Self-care can of students raising awareness about mental be embedded in everyone’s busy schedules dif- wellness — has started a self-care challenge ferently. on social media. March 6-11, 2017 they asked students to spend five days posting what they “It doesn’t have to be every day. If you like doing do to take care of their mental health. The something every day, if that’s doing something campaign team #Flythe5 is a part of the Pubfor you, then great. But what happens is people lic Relations Student Society of America, or hear that and then it becomes a duty,” Berry PRSSA Bateman Project happening at DePaul said. “If it is not fulfilling and they are doing it University. just because they think they should, it is no longer useful.” “People are more comfortable talking about mental health when they are in a community, Self-care is easy in theory, but life often gets in and I think the Chicago community is one that the way. In times of academic pressure or in- is very unique when compared to other comcreased work responsibility, self-care necessities munities around the country,” account direcsuch as sleeping, eating and keeping up hygiene tor Brooke Beatty said. often fall to the wayside. They based their #Flythe5 hashtag off of the 10
famous Chicago Cubs #FlytheW. The group of public relations and advertising students have come together to spread the message of The Campaign to Change Direction, an initiative of citizens, nonprofit leaders and professionals who have joined forces to change the stigma surrounding mental health, mental illness and wellness in America. The five signs the Campaign to Change Direction hopes to bring awareness to are:
Hopelessness Withdrawal Agitation Poor self-care Personality change “We want to equate mental health with physical health. When you see your friend fall in P.E. you know to take them to the nurse, but when you see your friend hopeless, we don’t know what to do. Our goal is to inform people of those next steps,” Beatty said.
dents. These groups were not randomly chosen: the stigmas of mental health run deep in these communities and many lack the resources to get help. “What schools really fail to do is target students that need self-care the most, and that is minority students,” Beatty said. “That is an area that DePaul really lacks because we don’t have a therapist of color. If you are going to a therapist and are an African-American person, you will not be able to see someone that looks like you.” Sydney Bickel, who does the media relations for the group, wants to create a community of support at DePaul using social media as a tool for awareness. “Everyone thinks that they are just going to tough it out and that’s the idea we are trying to remove,” Sydney Bickel said. “It’s too tough to be tough and do it all on your own.”
The Tough to be Tough Campaign has even built a mobile self-care pop up shop called Community has played a central role in creat- the Cozy Corner. It is cleverly adapted from ing their campaign. They have focused their the prototypical kindergarten reading corner. outreach to ethnic organizations on campus, The five-foot wall will travel through various who are consistently underserved by the men- university buildings throughout the month of tal health field. The campaign interviewed over March which aligns with final exams, often a a dozen campus leaders representing various time of peak college aged stress. When inside communities, from LGBTQA+ to Latinx stu- the Cozy Corner, students are invited to rest
Ivana Rihter
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in the bean bags, color with crayons and write what is worrying them most intensely on the walls in chalk.
ways to approach the idea of self-care, whether the entry point is through a community of fellow activists, comedians or college students. Incorporating self-care into our often “There is no universal language or easy way to bustling lives can help us manage stress and talk about mental health, and through these five improve our overall wellness so we are able to signs and our outreach to multicultural groups move through the world with more compason campus, we can begin to equate mental well- sion and energy. ness to physical wellness,” Joash Mencias said, who has designed the graphics for the campaign. “Self-care can sometimes take the form of taking care of other people. For me, one of the big For college students lacking in resources, it is steps to getting better at self-care is to accept important to point out the many ways self-care that I was raised with this idea that self-sacrican be incorporated into life on a budget. For fice is the most important thing,” Ramgopal instance, Alice Berry operates on a sliding scale said. “I think accepting that sense of guilt or for her counseling practice. This allows all her concern is not going to just go away has been clients to pay what they can based on income really helpful. Hearing more Indian women level, making therapy and professional help talk about that aspect of self-care more and accessible to everyone. An idea that is some- more has been important for me in reminding times associated with self-care is the “Treat yo myself that it is not selfish, but selfless.” self” mantra Parks and Recreation coined, but it has been used much more broadly outside the quippy television series. While the idea of treating yourself to consumer goods may be rooted in doing something nice for yourself, spending money does not immediately equate self-care. Not everyone is afforded the luxury of taking a weekend off work to enjoy the spa or going on a shopping spree. Self-care as a marketing technique may prove effective as self-care continues to grow more popular, but one cannot buy wellness through the guise of a 24k gold face mask. Ramgopal argued that while spending money can contribute to wellness, it can’t constitute wellness on its own. “Self-care doesn’t have to involve spending money, and every now and then especially since the election in November I have these moments of, ‘I’m just going to this expensive pair of shoes that I don’t need because it’s self care,’” Ramgopal said. “I don’t wear heels, and I realized that I don’t have to do that.” When the term self-care is used to appeal to consumer interests and sell more products, it is not being used responsibly. Profiting off mental illness stereotypes, unhealthy sleeping habits or workaholic tendencies glamorizes harmful behavior and furthers stigmas of mental health. At the root of self-care is not self-preservation but wellness that allows us to both treat ourselves and those around us better. There are many 12
Front And Center Megan Stringer August 12, 2017
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On a Monday evening in mid-May, the Center for Identity, Inclusion and Social Change – commonly referred to as The Center – was having its usual end-of-year celebration. On the first floor of DePaul University’s Student Center, The Center’s transparent glass doors stood open to the public and the minority students who need them. This year, the celebration wasn’t very festive. Students and staff sat telling stories about their time in The Center, and their favorite things about each other. Most people were crying, and the energy was different, says Charia McDonald, previous student employee at The Center of four years. Their May celebration came the weekend after an ambiguous email from DePaul that instilled worry within The Center about its programs and the future of employment for both full-time and student employees.
At first glance, the May 11 email had little to do with The Center. The university announced it would “immediately create a new center dedicated to serving African-American students.” This African-American Resource Center (AARC) was requested by DePaul’s Black Student Union (BSU) in January 2016 as a suggestion for easing the tensions in DePaul’s racial climate. The university also mentioned work on a Latinx Cultural Center and a LGBT Resource Center.
At the end of the first email, DePaul mentioned a potential new role for The Center. “We are very grateful for the work of the Center for Identity, Inclusion and Social Change,” the email read, adding that the school would “rethink its design and activity to accommoOn June 29, many of their worries were con- date these new structures.” firmed with a second email, signed by outgoing DePaul president Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider. Despite the immediacy mentioned in the May The Center for Identity, Inclusion and Social 11 email signed by Rev. Holtschneider, the Change will close Aug. 15, nearly three months new AARC will not open until after fall quarafter the original May 11 email. ter, according to Dr. Eugene Zdziarski, Vice President for Student Affairs. This leaves DeThe Center’s focus on intersectional social jus- Paul without an intersectional, minority retice programming and education has acted as a source center on campus for the coming fall strong backbone on campus, providing resourc- term as campus life transitions between cenes for marginalized students for about 20 years ters. The Division of Student Affairs, tasked since its inception in January 1996, according to with the project of creating the new centers, The Center’s website. McDonald believes social will continue to work on structural design and justice education is critical. In her mind, “activ- specifics over summer break. They plan to ism” is the image of picket signs and yelling in have components of the new centers in place the streets. As someone suffering from anxiety, by the beginning of fall quarter but will not be McDonald found a home for engaging in activ- ready to officially open by Sept. 6 when classes ism with The Center, where she could comfort- start. ably create dialogue around social issues. As the university enters an ambiguous periThe elimination of The Center from campus life od this fall in-between the old center and the leaves six full-time staff members – a mixture of new ones, students have raised the question people of color and queer people – without jobs – why close a beloved institution upon anand just over a month to find new ones. Many nouncement of a new fold of identity centers students and Center staff say it also leaves De- while the design process is still underway? Paul without a space for an intersectional, so- According to Zdziarski, the decision to close cial justice education. The Division of Student The Center and create new resource centers Affairs doesn’t plan to completely eradicate an came from Rev. Holtschneider himself, who intersectional space, but rather recreate it. How- has been under pressure from strained race ever, the ambiguity surrounding both emails relations on campus due to past events surand the lack of any new information has created rounding speaker Milo Yiannopoulos and an a rift between the administration and its stu- ever-present legacy from the race protests dents. Different groups on campus want differ- at the University of Missouri – Columbia in ent, mutually exclusive things, and finding a way 2015, which prompted the initial List of Conto satisfy everyone may be an impossible task. cerns from DePaul’s BSU. 14
The Center administered multiple intersectional programming events throughout the academic calendar to focus on “historically margin-
(nearly 800 words in) of a 1,036-word email titled “Student Affairs Restructure.” Rev. Holtschneider wrote that “Current staff will
The staff was notified that The Center is closing and will have just over a month to search for a new job. alized and silenced narratives and identities,” such as the Emergent Speakers Series, Creative Self-Studio Series and the Artist Uprising Series. Creative Self-Studios specifically offered “a workshop experience for students to actively engage in self-exploration and authorship of their multifaceted identities,” and have included speakers such as Aisha Fukushima, an African American Japanese woman who uses hip-hop and slam poetry to challenge expression. Students walk away having channeled their activist work in a peaceful manner and worked together in a diverse group. With these workshops come a greater understanding of the ways in which their varied identities relate not just to themselves, but in larger social constructs throughout the city, according to the workshop descriptions.
have the opportunity to apply for positions in the three cultural resources centers, as well as receive priority consideration for any other open positions within the Student Affairs divisions or within other university departments for which they are qualified.” The staff was notified that The Center is closing and will have just over a month to search for a new job. Staff members who do not secure new positions by Aug. 15 will receive severance pay, subsidized benefits and access to outplacement services, according to the June 29 email.
“I think when a decision was made, we were still trying to figure things out as well,” Rico Tyler said, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. “Structure changed, a charge changed, how we were to do business changed. For nearly two months between May 11 and So there wasn’t a ton of information that we June 29, the status of The Center and jobs with- could provide at that moment. We talked in were left unaddressed by DePaul. All media about possible direction, this is what we’re inquiries were forwarded to the school’s Office hearing, but there weren’t a ton of specifics.” of Public Relations and Communications, which said on May 30 that “the Office of Student Affairs Student Affairs has begun the screening prois in the process of forming a working group on cess for new staff positions in the upcoming this, but there is not much new information to centers and have started scheduling Skype share at this time.” Student Affairs could not be interviews. They are hoping to have candireached for comment between May 28 and dates on campus within the coming weeks and July 24. plan to make job offers soon after. While they cannot be certain that staff will be hired and An interview request was sent via email to Zd- working by Sept. 6, Student Affairs is moving ziarski three times: on May 28, June 22 and July forward with that intention, according to 13. The first two requests were forwarded to Car- Tyler. ol Hughes in the Office of Public Relations and Communications, who responded both times If the new job positions are determined by this with quotes from the May 11 and June 29 emails, fall and any previous Center staff are hired respectively, as the university’s official commu- in one of these new positions, they will not nication on the new centers. After the July 13 re- have a job with the university between Aug. quest, an interview with Zdziarski was set up by 15 when The Center closes and Sept. 6 when Judy Melgarejo. classes resume – assuming the new positions would begin by then. According to Tyler, jobs The section of the June 29 email announcing from The Center are not being shifted or guarthe closure of The Center comes at the very end anteed because the new structure requires 15
new positions with different responsibilities. Student Affairs also plans to have a physical space established for the new centers by the time fall quarter begins. Zdziarski and Tyler hope to maintain intersectionality among the offices by
stitutional Diversity and Equity (OIDE). The office was researching potential models for DePaul’s own AARC and putting together a report. According to the employee, these previous meetings on the creation of the AARC made it seem as if there would be additional
Rev. Holtschneider made the decision to make separate identity spaces in order to address developing student needs and advance DePaul’s resources for minority students. However, The Center’s old staff say the new centers are a regression – not a progression. hosting them in the same general space, hoping to keep them in communication with one another. By creating the same general space and having each identity center work together toward common programming, Student Affairs plans to make sure the identity centers won’t exist separately, but rather work together while still preserving their own space.
resources to create the new center, not a “deficit model” that would take resources away from the current Center. The employee could not be reached for comment via email after the June 29 announcement closing The Center.
“If you have to take away in order to create, something seems wrong,” the employee said. While some students worry these new centers “That deficit model is what systems of oppreswill undercut intersectional programming, Zd- sion and power rely on to work. They always ziarski says Rev. Holtschneider made the deci- say there’s not enough. The truth is, there’s alsion to make separate identity spaces in order to ways been enough. You just have to be willing address developing student needs and advance to do the work. I think DePaul can do that, if DePaul’s resources for minority students. How- they really want to.” ever, The Center’s old staff say the new centers are a regression – not a progression. A common worry among students, McDonald included, is that the new centers will be unAn employee who has worked within The Center derfunded and understaffed. DePaul declined said staff were not made aware of the then-po- to provide new details on funding for about tential change until an hour before the universi- two months. On July 24, Zdziarski confirmed ty-wide email was sent in May. the total programming budget that used to belong to The Center will be spread out among “We don’t know if we’re losing our jobs. They ha- the new resource centers, but will also be a ven’t told us. We’re not part of the decision-mak- greater programming budget than previously ing process,” the employee said before the June allotted for The Center. 29 announcement. “But if it comes down to people losing their jobs, having their jobs moved to Student Affairs says it hopes to operate each different places or restructured… it would be, center on extended hours, from 9 a.m. until 11 right now in The Center, all people of color and p.m. In each of the three centers, there will be queer folks. So it really feels kinda gross.” one full-time staff professional, a graduate assistant and a handful of student workers. Over The employee, who wished to remain anon- all three centers, there will exist one associate ymous for job security, attended a town hall director and one intersectional programming meeting on April 25 hosted by the Office of In- coordinator. According to the June 29 email, 16
each of the three centers will provide specifically intersectional programming over the course of the year. Events such as the Martin Luther King breakfast celebration and the Dolores Huerta breakfast, previously put on by The Center, will now be led by OIDE and the Office of Mission and Ministry with the participation of the new centers, according to Zdziarski. Student employee positions within The Center also went unaddressed for over a month. Charlie Pollard-Durodola, an incoming junior this fall, was hired for the SoJA student coordinator position for the 2017-2018 academic year. SoJAs, or social justice advocates, were a group of students working out of The Center whose job it was to conduct social justice education throughout campus. For this fall, 13 student SoJAs were hired and trained last spring quarter, according to Pollard-Durodola. SoJAs would facilitate dialogue within classrooms and clubs around allyship, solidarity, privilege and oppression.
Last month, Zdziarski acknowledged that student worker roles may change without providing further details. “As it relates to student employment, we are working to ensure that all students that were previously offered positions have opportunities in the new structure,” he said on July 24. “Obviously, specific duties may change, but we want to honor the commitments previously made to students.” According to Pollard-Durodola, the SoJAs who have been trained for this upcoming fall did not receive any communication on their employment before the Aug. 10 email, leaving the SoJAs with a little over a month of uncertainty and job searches and creating deeper disconnect between the university administration and its students. “It’s really surprising the way in which a university that’s this big would do so little to ac-
The SoJA budget and payment came from The Center’s budget. After the June 29 email closing The Center, Pollard-Durodola did not hear from university administration on their employment status until Aug. 10, when SoJA staff were informed via email that the SoJA positions will be eliminated this coming fall. “The SoJA position is really unique in its ability to both learn about yourself and learn about others, and be able to create conversations on this campus that we don’t get to have a lot of the time,” Pollard-Durodola said. “And a lot of the time, frankly, they don’t get paid. Social justice work is often something that’s on the side; you don’t have a chance to actually call it a job. Which is something very unique and interesting that the SoJA program really treasures, being able to give the emotional energy and labor to this work and also being able to get paid for it.” Pollard-Durodola is concerned for their fellow SoJAs’ stability on campus this coming fall, as the SoJA position was paid. According to the June 29 email, social justice training and education was to be moved to the Office of Mission and Ministry. They are now being offered different positions in the Office of Multicultural Student Success, as either a Front Desk Assistant or a STARS Peer Mentor. 17
Annie Zidek
DePaul University
commodate their students,” Pollard-Durodola said on July 18. “It’s really shocking to not tell them anything about their job security.”
By researching and granting a student suggestion from BSU, university administration has found themselves in a position with different, independent requests that cannot all be met According to Pollard-Durodola, DePaul is show- evenly. ing a lack of understanding on topics such as identity and intersectionality by separating These new models are being created in a time identities into multiple centers instead of hold- of constrained resources. According to Zding them in one. They said that race conversa- ziarski, administration did not have the budtion in the U.S. tends to exist on a binary plat- get to both provide new resource centers, as form of black and white, when there really exist requested by BSU, and also keep The Center many more races and identities that go along open with an increased programming budwith that. Pollard-Durodola sees the separation get. Student Affairs hopes to address student of these identity spaces as supporting the bina- needs and social justice through the intersecry, oppressive system that race currently exists tional programming coordinator – they are working to create a structure that will both within. address developing student needs and hold “There’s really no need to separate these iden- onto the good things The Center was doing, tities and sort of pull apart people who physi- Zdziarski says. cally can’t be pulled apart. It’s really detrimental to a lot of the folks who now have to choose “The reality is they’ll have access to both of the which community is gonna be right for them,” spaces and find what’s comfortable for them,” Pollard-Durodola said. “For me as a black trans Zdziarski said. “Plus the way we hope these person, I don’t know if DePaul wants me to centers will work is creating that space that is choose to go to the LGBT center or the black intersectional, where again we’re addressing center. If anything this is a very regressive shift. the multiplicity of student needs within those The only reason social justice works is when we various identities.” understand the intricacies of people’s identities, the way different identities inform one another.” After the potential role change of The Center was announced on May 11, BSU also made Pollard-Durodola says that a lot of the work clear to administration their worries. Kenthese new centers seem to be tasked with is dall Sprinkle, incoming DePaul senior and work that was already residing in The Center. president of BSU as of Spring 2017, feels it’s 18
important to remain in contact with administra- The first student protest was a sit-in demontion and continue to make her voice heard. stration in the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs. Latinx students were concerned about “From the very beginning we made it clear that employment decisions in the office, and evenwe didn’t want to jeopardize anyone’s jobs,” tually the university recognized the need to Sprinkle said. “We didn’t want to get rid of any increase the number of faculty of color and centers that exist already because The Center support for the Centers for Latino and Afrispecifically has such a unique role on campus. can-American Research. The second protest They have amazing programming on LGBTQA event lasted 10 days in April 1995 when memrights, on intersectionality, on what inclusion bers of Concerned Black Students staged a sitreally means and how to really be inclusive. So in in the headquarters of the student newspafrom the get-go we wanted to make sure that per, The DePaulia, in response to what they wasn’t at risk.” identified as “insensitive and inadequate coverage of minority issues.” After the May 11 email, Sprinkle was excited to move forward with the AARC plans, as the In the AARC report put out by OIDE, research university had acknowledged their request and shows that the director of nearly every modshowed they were listening. However, she also el presented strongly recommended includexpressed worry over the future of The Center ing student voices and opinions in the design and began to wonder if the university would con- process. As Rev. Holtschneider stepped down tinue to listen to BSU concerns. After the June and DePaul’s new president A. Gabriel Este29 announcement closing The Center, Sprinkle ban began his tenure on July 1, students still says she has no comment. have time to make their opinions heard with the new president before the centers take root. As noted in the AARC Report provided by OIDE, the university says it has heard from students As a university known for protest followed by that they do not want the new center to take progress, DePaul University will continue to away from other offices and departments within explore its options this coming academic year. the university. The report specifically recognizes In 2020, three years after the implementation this in the meeting notes from the AARC Stu- of this new model, Student Affairs will review dent Feedback Meeting on May 12, one day after progress to determine whether it will be conthe university-wide email announced the imme- tinued, adjusted, or replaced with another diate creation of an AARC at DePaul. model that serves student needs more effectively. Zdziarski and Tyler hope that these new centers will not take away from what students loved In the future, Student Affairs hopes to provide about The Center, despite its closing. biweekly updates to the university community in regards to staffing, programming and space Nearing the end of Rev. Holtschneider’s tenure, for the new centers as soon as these decisions the decision ultimately came from a university are made, according to Tyler. There are plans president on his way out, under duress and de- to make these same updates available on the mands from minority student groups and tight Multicultural Student Success website, so racial tensions on campus for the past two years. that community members who do not receive Moving forward, the competing visions of what emails can still stay updated. resource plan is best for DePaul’s marginalized students will continue to play out. “There has to be a way to meet with students, to get our finger on the pulse of what students A motto for The Center has been that “Out of are looking for, what students need. And I protest, comes progress.” Before its public open- think town halls could be a part of that,” Tyler ing in January 1996, two student protests took said. “So I think it goes without saying, enroot on campus, creating a rift between admin- gaging students, and the widest range of stuistration and students much like the university dents, and if it’s through the town hall, by all is seeing now. means, let’s have town hall meetings.” 19
cameraman confessionals From Vietnam protest to Chicago sports dynasties, Chuck Davidson captured it all Ben Rains October 13, 2017
It’s early June 1993, and helicopters are hovering over a ritzy country club in Scottsdale, Arizona – 40 minutes north of Phoenix. A car cruises around the perimeter of Desert Highlands’ walled-off, 18-hole, Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course in search of something elusive, newsworthy and well-known around the world. The two men in the car desperately need to find what they are looking for; it’s how they make a living. But more importantly, it’s what they love to do. After some searching, the target is in their sights. One of the men races from the car in pursuit, lugging nearly 30-pounds of equipment, and hops the three-foot barrier onto the meticulously kept grounds. Camping out behind a cactus he is poised, ready. This is his calling, his life’s work. He slowly steps out from around the spiny plant, with his shoulder-mounted CBS News video camera. Unfortunately, his mark spots him. “Chuck, what the f— are you doing out here?” barks Michael Jordan. But the then three-time NBA MVP and one of the most instantly recognizable athletes knew exactly what Chuck Davidson was doing on the private desert course: his job. CBS Chicago’s lead sports cameraman stares down Jordan while his Channel 2 reporting partner waits in the car. Davidson is there because rumor has it that Jordan scheduled a round of golf with Charles Barkley on an off day during the ‘93 NBA Finals. 20
A shot of the NBA’s leading scorer teeing it up and smoking cigars with the braggadocious Phoenix Suns power forward, who had recently been crowned league MVP, would be more than tabloid fodder. It would be newsworthy at a time when Jordan’s Bulls owned not only Chicago sports news coverage, but national attention as well. For a Chicago TV station desperate to find any edge during a period of intense competition, Jordan and Barkley mucking it up on the greens meant notoriety and hard cash — or at least local TV bragging rights and perhaps a potential boost in future advertising sales. Davidson hears Jordan over the helicopters above, and despite his playing partner being similar in stature to the “round-mound-ofrebound,” the videographer instantly realizes Barkley isn’t playing with the Chicago Bulls star. However, he doesn’t have time to worry about that because the man who would appear on three out of four Sports Illustrated covers that month is already jokingly laying into the determined cameraman he is well acquainted with. “Where’s Howard [Sudberry],” Jordan bellows. “He’s hiding isn’t he?” As one of the city’s most well respected and dedicated sports cameramen, Davidson knows he needs to get at least a few seconds of Jordan immersed in one of his favorite non-basketball settings. So, he picks his first words carefully. “Yes, he’s back in the car,” Davidson says coolly. “Look, Mike, I just want to get a shot of you hitting off the tee then I’ll leave.”
Courtesy of Chuck Davidson
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“Alright, Chuck,” Jordan calls back.
radio/television journalism in June of 1965. That same month Davidson moved nearly 130 With his Airness’ pardon and approval, David- miles west to Ames where he woke most days son prepares to film. at 3 a.m. to head to work. Jordan tees off with his signature unorthodox yet powerful swing. Afterward, the 6-foot-6 walking-legend strolls by Davidson on his way up the fairway.
The eager young journalist voiced sign-on radio at Iowa State University-based WOI, which at the time served as the ABC affiliate for the Des Moines area. Davidson enjoyed his first real job, but he admitted his shortcom“You can tell Howard to go f— himself,” Jordan ings during his days tearing off wire copy in says wryly. the predawn hours. “I knew I was bad at it,” he said. “I’d say three words and I’d kick two Born on Chicago’s North Side in 1943, of them.” Chuck Davidson grew up surrounded by baseball. His father, who was born blocks away from Davidson began to experiment with photogWrigley Field, passed on the sport to his son. raphy and video while at the station, often The self-proclaimed baseball nut memorized spending his non-working afternoons with the numbers of as many players as he could as the television news crew. The easy-going a child. young man, who had not yet married his wife, passed the time by learning more about the “I would always come home and watch the Chi- business and building relationships — not in cago Cubs television broadcast, and they were the purely self-focused networking manner. in black and white when I was a kid,” Davidson said. “I remember the first time I went to Wrig- “Everybody liked him because he was a genley. Seeing the green grass and the blue uni- erous man and a good person,” said longforms, it was almost surreal.” time Chicago sports reporter Rich King, who worked with Davidson at CBS for a few years. Davidson and his family moved to DeWitt, Iowa, a town of roughly 2,500 people, after he turned Still, WOI, which broadcast AM, FM and TV, 10. But the small town only increased his passion fired him less than a year into his early on-air for sports, which became a year-round obses- radio news career making $5,800, because, in sion. DeWitt saw him play baseball nearly every his own words, he was “horse s—.” Undeterred day at a field just blocks away from his house, and only slightly off course, Davidson moved no matter how many kids they could muster. to Lansing, Michigan in April 1966 where he “Then, when basketball season came around, we transitioned to a full-time cameraman. would go scrape snow off of driveways to play one-on-one,” he said. “But I was always too little His arrival at the CBS affiliate, WJIM-TV coto play football.” incided with local and national turmoil surrounding the civil rights movement. Along He attended St. Joseph Catholic School, which with heightened racial tensions, college camat the time was kindergarten through 12th puses around the country began to voice their grade. Davidson played both baseball and bas- vehement disdain for the Vietnam War. He ketball in school. But he also became fascinated spent most of his early days in Lansing, many with something else during his formative years. of which were actually at night, shooting video “By the time I was in high school, I already fig- of riots and protests. ured I wanted to be in television,” he said. In the summer of 1966, while parked at a Davidson finished near the top of his class of 23 stoplight on his way to cover a firebombing before he matriculated to the University of Iowa. near the state capitol building, with the WJIM station logo plastered on the side of his car, a As a college student in Iowa City, he covered massive piece of busted up sidewalk concrete city hall and the police beat for the university’s came flying through his passenger side winradio news station. He graduated with a B.A. in dow. 22
“If someone would have been sitting there, they would have been killed,” Davidson recalled. “That was my first brush with problems, but not the last.” Davidson spent two years covering mostly hard news in Lansing during a period of social and political unrest. Members of the Students for a Democratic Society once stole his video camera. And a police officer even tried to strike Davidson over the head for filming him during an aggressive campus anti-Vietnam protest. If not for his bulky TV camera, the blow might have caused serious damage.
Davidson spent most of his career on call and rarely worked nine-to-five. “Television is like being a cop, in the news business,” he said with pride. “There are no weekends or holidays, they’re all just normal days.” His time in Detroit revolved heavily around the Tigers — who won the ‘68 World Series during his first year at CBS. He spent hundreds of hours during the roughly six-month long MLB regular season shooting games at old Tiger Stadium for short nightly news highlights as foul balls zipped past him behind
While society-altering demonstrations and speeches gripped the country, Davidson gravitated towards athletic dramas and sporting heroics that unfolded inside stadiums and arenas. “It was a tough deal, there was a lot of danger, doing what I did,” he said. “But when you’re young you’re kind of a go-getter, you have a kind of an altruistic look at what your profession is and how important it is to the public good.” However, while society-altering demonstrations and speeches gripped the country, Davidson gravitated towards athletic dramas and sporting heroics that unfolded inside stadiums and arenas. “As you get older you think, I have covered too many body bags and picket lines and school board meetings,” he said. “I just kind of gradually moved towards sports, which fell much more in my range of interests because I loved it, and it got me into less dangerous situations.” His employers would slowly but steadily oblige.
home plate. Couriers or taxicabs often swung by the stadium to pick up the first couple of innings’ film while Davidson plugged away searching for a few standout eye-catching moments until the final out. Davidson would go on to cover almost every Tigers home game and nearly all of their playoffs games for the rest of his Detroit tenure. He traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1979 to shoot the NCAA Final Four featuring Earvin “Magic” Johnson vs. Larry Bird. Davidson, who had covered Johnson in both high school and then college, covered the first time the two men — whose rivalry and star power that would go on to help define the NBA for most of the 1980s — took to the national stage as rivals.
Davidson captured much of the golden age of football at the University of Michigan, where Although Davidson was just beginning to hone Bo Schembechler’s Wolverines won 13 Big his newfound craft in Lansing, like most people Ten Conference titles in 21 years. He followed who work in news of any kind, he began to look the team to multiple Rose Bowl games in Pasfor the next logical career progression. This al- adena, California. The Tigers World Series most always means finding a larger market. So, victory in 1984 capped his time in Detroit as about a year after the riots of 1967, Davidson Davidson once again made a large and logical made two professional leaps at once. He dou- career move. bled his salary at Detroit’s WJBK-TV and transitioned into a sports videographer nearly full- One of his former colleagues offered him a job time. at ABC in the country’s third-largest media 23
Chuck Davidson
market based on his reputation behind a camera and his calm, hard-to-find-disagreeable demeanor. Despite his initial apprehension about moving on, based mostly on his standing and seniority in Detroit, Davidson and his family decided to head to the city he grew up in.
happened to be “the most powerful sports director in the country,” according to Davidson. And Morris also happened to handpick his videographers.
Without hesitation or a moment’s self-pity, he applied to work at CBS Chicago. The station happened to be looking to hire experienced people. But Davidson was more hopeful because the channel already used his footage when the Tigers played the Chicago White Sox, which meant they already understood the quality of his work. CBS hired Davidson only weeks later.
After that trip, Davidson remained CBS Chicago’s lead sports cameraman until he retired.
CBS 2’s Johnny Morris – a one-time Chicago Bear who hated to get beat on a story – also
Back then, teams thrived on outside exposure and often openly welcomed it. The Bears’ of-
The station’s former number-one sports videographer retired before Davidson’s arrivHowever, just over a year into his new job, in al and his replacement didn’t live up to the April 1986, ABC Chicago laid off Davidson and sports director’s standards. So Morris gave more than 20 others on the same day. The sta- Division a shot since he knew the cameration conducted what Davidson referred to as a man’s eye for details and baseball storylines purge similar to the recent wave of large, one- had already proven exemplary. In August of day job cuts at ESPN, despite having been as- 1986, Davidson got rushed up by helicopter sured that ABC hadn’t laid anyone off in 25 to Platteville, Wisconsin to cover the Chicago years before he packed up his family and moved. Bears training camp.
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Davidson really began covering the Bears after they won Super Bowl XX in 1986. Despite not winning another championship, the ‘85 Bears and its biggest names captivate many Chicago sports fans to this day.
fensive line ate weekly dinners that they encouraged Davidson to shoot. At the time, the media coverage helped clubs gain exposure because players, teams and the league could not easily self-promote – where today the NFL and all of its teams have their own full-scale media and public relations departments that actively try to control a team’s publicity while drastically seeking to minimize outside media access.
sports fan – and hardly an invasion of privacy. It didn’t hurt that Davidson cultivated a reputation in Chicago as well as in cities and stadiums around the country as easy going, even-tempered, authentically decent man who was quick with a quip.
He filmed practices at both new and old Halas Hall, north of the city in Lake Forest, on a daily basis during the season, always aware of the most recent storylines while constantly searching for new ones. Davidson’s footage, for most of his career, mainly appeared in cut-up 60 to 90 second packages that aired on the nightly news. “Chuck was one of the best, if not the best sports shooters in Chicago for a lot of years,” King said. “And everybody loved him because he was really good with people — not just with the athletes, but everyone from the security guards to beat writers to other cameramen.” Davidson’s film proved so effective because it was simultaneously immense, yet efficient. His bosses loved him for his eye behind the camera. Not only did he produce well-framed, focused and coherent footage that followed continuous Chuck Davidson action, he also always knew what the storylines Over 15 years later, Davidson tore his own were at all times. meniscus covering the Bears when he got barThe CBS videographer worked practices, games reled by former Houston Texans quarterback and everything in between with an intimate and David Carr behind the goal post after he was well-researched understanding of the players sacked in his own end zone. “The workmen’s and narratives that mattered most. He could comp lady asked me, were there any witnessthen shift gears without hesitation if he saw a es,” Davidson said. “Well, there were 60,000 people in the stands and several million different, more newsworthy event occurring. watching at home.” In 1988, Davidson raced to film Bears’ cornerback/safety Shaun Gayle after he fractured a Davidson spent nearly 30 years covering vertebra at the Pontiac Silverdome in Detroit. the Bears and still shares fond memories of “Chuck saw Gayle being taken off on the stretch- the franchise, especially the ‘85 rendition. er and he shot it,” King recalled. “It sums up He traveled to cover the team in Goteborg, what a professional he was because the Bears Sweden, for a 1988 preseason game against were upset with him for filming that, but it was the Minnesota Vikings — the first ever NFL contest held in continental Europe. And then solid journalism.” again almost ten years later, Davidson jourWhile the Bears might have seen Davidson’s neyed to Dublin, Ireland’s Croke Park to shoot footage of Gayle as boorish, he and CBS un- their 1997 exhibition game. derstood it to be of importance to the Chicago 25
The long-time face of the Bears, NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton, who still is second alltime in rushing yards in league history, knew Davidson. Payton even goofed around with Davidson when he did a TV stint with CBS during his post-“Sweetness” days. And Davidson could tell “a million Mike Ditka stories.” Yet, a different Chicago sports franchise and its best player ended up occupying much of his time behind the camera.
er-present cameraman when he was about to win a hand. That same trip, Davidson filmed the Bulls’ lead assistant coach and World War II veteran Johnny Bach from inside the cockpit as he flew a seaplane on an off day in Seattle.
Davidson sat cross-legged on the baseline underneath the basket for nearly every Bulls home game — at least during the second half of the regular season — and all of their playoff games during Jordan’s Chicago career and the entire ‘90s Bulls dynasty.
The very next season Davidson sat courtside and filmed Game 5 of the 1989 Eastern Conference First Round in Cleveland against the He shot footage for highlights, but he also spent Cavaliers. He documented Craig Ehlo score whole games isolated on only one or two play- the go-ahead basket at the opposite end diers for CBS specials. His footage helped bring rectly before capturing Jordan score the everything from intimate bench interactions now-historic series-winning shot as time exto visceral player reactions into the homes of pired. countless CBS news watchers. In 1991, when the Bulls won the team’s first NBA championship – defeating the Los Angeles Lakers – Davidson filmed while his CBS crew interviewed the victorious players from inside their locker room at the Forum in InDavidson’s lens regularly captured those mo- glewood, California. The CBS team made their ments few others saw. “He really knew the way inside the Bulls post-game celebration games, and he could talk sports endlessly be- well before most of their nightly news councause he knew everything that was going on,” terparts. “Guys were pulling cable for me, and King said. “He had a knack for knowing what to it’s all live back to Chicago, which was a huge feat back then for a post-game locker room shoot.” setting,” Davidson said. “We weren’t even necessarily following just the games back then,” Davidson said. “We were shooting specials like crazy, isolated on Michael or on the bench.”
CBS and other television news stations were often afforded premium access, especially in Jordan’s early days. On top of that, Chicago TV news channels threw money around like it was nothing in the late 1980s and early 1990s during a ratings battle between ABC, CBS and NBC.
Unlike the Bears, who only play eight times a year at home for three hours, Davidson racked up hours of overtime shooting the Bulls. At a minimum, the cameraman shot nearly every one of the team’s 41 home games. He even developed back problems from sitting courtside Davidson and some of his CBS crew flew around for hours with a far-from lightweight video the country with the Bulls on a five-game road camera on his shoulder. trip during the ‘87-‘88 season. Their head coach, Doug Collins, allowed Davidson to film halftime The Bulls consumed his working life for over locker room speeches, capture Scottie Pippen a decade, from the start of the regular season and Horace Grant lounging in their hotel room in early November into late June when they as rookies and to stand over Jordan’s shoulder went deep into the playoffs, which happened as he took his teammates’ money playing cards with regularity then. on the team bus — even signaling to the ev26
After Jordan, the one-topic coverage and the intensity surrounding Chicago nightly news slowly faded. “I still had a lot of that competitive fire even at the end of my career, but the dog-eatdog mentality had really softened,” Davidson said. “It became more of a camaraderie even between the camera guys.”
yet. Luckily for Chicago sports fans, Davidson “pretty much taught every sports cameraman in Chicago what to do,” according to CBS Sports Executive Producer Krista Ruch who worked with Davidson for many years.
Although the first half of Davidson’s Chicago career overlapped with some of the most significant and memorable American professional teams of all time, the cameraman also recorded much of the next generation of Chicago sports.
Now, in his early 70s, Davidson, who saved every press pass he ever received, conjures up memories from even the earliest days of his career as if they happened only hours previously.
In 2012, Davidson raced to shoot the Bulls next superstar, Derrick Rose, the team’s only league MVP other than Jordan, as he was helped off the court towards the locker room after he tore his ACL.
“I always thought we had great jobs because we got to be at important places, with important people, at important times,” Davidson said. “Every day was different. And you never knew what’s going to transpire and what kind of things were going to happen to change your day from morning to night.”
Davidson never took for granted that he thrived professionally in big markets during But Davidson’s work extended beyond Chicago periods of sporting excellence, covering teams sports. He also spent weeks traveling abroad that still are spoken about in a national confor work, covering the 1994 Winter Olympics in text today. And the thought of somehow beLillehammer, Norway and then four years later coming jaded by it all would seem a sweat-inin Nagano, Japan. ducing nightmare.
Davidson timed out his retirement for mid-July 2015 just in case the Blackhawks were able to win their third Stanley Cup in five years, and sure enough, they did. He was on the ice to shoot the team during their post-game celebration and cup ceremony, as he had for the two previous championships, just weeks before last day on the job. He adapted to the constant changes in technology throughout his career – from the early days shooting in black and white where he often measured out exact distances in order to capture clearly focused video to the more recent years of massive shoulder-mounted high-definition cameras with dozens of buttons.
Although he is no longer required to stay abreast to the industry he lovingly yet meticulously followed for almost his entire life, to this day he can talk sports for hours and is fascinated and enamored with professional athletes. Yet, Davidson is also a star in his own right. His career ended nearly two years ago, but people in the business want to know, “how’s Chuck?”
“Everybody [athletes] knows him by name,” Ruch said. “It doesn’t really happen like that “The old stuff looks like it’s coming from Mars,” anymore.” Davidson said. Davidson will perhaps always try to figure out The lifelong union worker made a fine living, but a way to keep up with the Cubs game most he understands that today one person might be places he goes. But these days, he is once asked to produce the minute-long nightly news again an enthusiastic lover of youth sports. sports package, which once required three to four people. The dedicated father, grandfather and husband to Charlette, whom he has been married In big markets with thriving professional teams, to for over 50 years, now spends more time the sports videographer isn’t on the outs just volunteering during the local youth basketball 27
season than following the Chicago Bulls everywhere they go. As an assistant coach, for the team his son coaches, Davidson warms up little league ballplayers and lines the field for one of his grandson’s Chicago White Sox-sponsored, Naperville youth baseball team. “He’s like me when I was a kid,” Davidson boasts of his grandson. “He’s a baseball nerd. And in a way, he mirrors my youth.” His story chasing days concluded, but Davidson’s zeal for games he learned to love in Chicago and honed as a kid in Iowa are far from reaching a climax. And just like Davidson recounts vivid details from decades ago, those whose lives he entered big and small, even from behind a lens, rarely forget. Four or five years ago, Jordan and one of Davidson’s former long-time producers were reminiscing about the glory days of the early ‘90s when the beloved cameraman’s name came up. Almost 20 years removed from jokily yelling at the videographer who captured his whole Chicago career for hiding behind a cactus, the billion-dollar man called Davidson for a quick, friendly chat. “If Michael Jordan passed him on the street tomorrow, he would say, ’Hey, Chuck. What’s going on?’” Ruch said. Perhaps with a few light-hearted expletives thrown in for good measure, because “Chuck was more than just a cameraman.”
Chuck Davidson
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Ricky Jay’s Cult of Personality Emma Krupp October 13, 2017
Ricky Jay, storied magician, historian, actor and author, says that playing cards are like an extension of his hands — he knows their weight, their pliant maneuverability, as surely as he knows his own limbs. “You sit in a room with them for 10 to 15 hours a day and they become your friends,” he muses in the opening credits of the 2012 documentary “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay.” His hands rove over a deck, fanning the cards in a neat half-circle. “Particularly for very lonely people.” For Jay, cards are an integral part of the magic he performs, and thus a central tenet of his talk at the Student Center Wednesday as part of the DePaul Humanity Center’s series on “The Year of the Fake” and “In Conversation With Great Minds.” The talk, hosted by philosophy professor and Humanities Center director H. Peter Steeves, aimed to explore the ontological origins of magic and deception. What does it mean to perform magic? How do we want to be deceived?
hair flowing halfway down his back, threepiece flared suits — suggested a tacky, variety show kind of appeal. One of his signature tricks involved flinging cards into the thick (“pachydermatous,” he said with an affected flourish) rind of a watermelon. But beneath the camp, Jay proved himself a serious performer, deeply devoted to the cultivation of magic as an art form. He’s authored books, “Cards as Weapons” and “Dice: Deception, Fate, and Rotten Luck,” and collects antique dice and paraphernalia, some of which has been displayed at museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Beyond the realm of magic, he’s also carved out an accomplished acting career, frequently collaborating with playwright and director David Mamet and taking on character roles in movies like “Magnolia,” “Boogie Nights” and “TomorIngrid Richter, CC by 2.0 row Never Dies.” Now, with his hair cut trim and his face slightly pouchy, Jay is a portrait of a magician aged. He broke his wrist a few years ago, he says, and the unfamiliar addition of pins and screws in his bones has shifted his entire approach to performance; he can’t trust that his hands will move with the same sureness they used to. And yet, his cult of personality persists.
On the surface, you wouldn’t guess Jay wrestles with these kinds of questions. He became famous in the ‘70s as a sleight-of-hand performer and actor, touring hotels and making the latenight TV circuit. His groovy look – wavy brown “You want to see the legend, you know?” says 29
John Demian, an audience member and a self-described medium and clairvoyant. “I wanted to see the great one, who I’ve heard about for dozens of years.” The audience — a collection of largely older, nebbish-looking men, many of whom are magicians themselves — are deeply invested in Jay’s pursuit of magical truth. Next to me, a man scribbles pages of notes in a Moleskine. “DECEPTION,” he writes over and over again in swirling, curlicue letters. On my right, another man drapes a hand studded with Freemason rings over the back of a chair. Directly in front of me, there’s an elderly man who keeps squinting at Jay through a pair of petite black binoculars. Throughout the evening, Jay and Steeves volley back and forth about the meaning of magic, tossing out hypothesis after hypothesis. Magic is about narrative. Magic is an unwilling suspension of disbelief. Magic is (sometimes) meant for those with mathematical minds. Magic is like classical music, but it’s also like jazz. But most of these audience members aren’t looking for some kind of magical absolution so much as a window into Jay’s mind. If they’ve practiced, they already have a pretty good handle on what magic means to them. “I got started kind of late in life — I was in my early 40s, actually,” says Mel Siegel, an amateur magician and vice president of the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, which had several other members in attendance. “But I always loved it. It was later on in my life, when I had my children, that I really pursued it and studied it.” He says magic, at its best, is meant to be fun. Demian, who was standing near Siegel during our interview, disagrees. He says he channels magic through his painting (he mostly paints ancient Chinese dynasties), and that all answers come through the subconscious mind — through nominalizations, presuppositions. “I went to art school for 10 years, but I study magic now more than ever,” he says. “Just the mind-reading stuff. I’m doing 250 paintings now on neurolinguistic programming.” One thing all magicians, regardless of prominence, seem to agree on is a revulsion for the overanalysis of magic. Watching magic in a mechanical sense, they say, defeats its purpose. Jay, for all his philosophical back-and-forth with Steeves, zealously subscribes to this line of thought. He says toward the end of the night that magic is ultimately about entertainment — not in the cheap, vaudevillian sense, but in pure spectacle. There is no keener pleasure than the moment of reveal, the involuntary gasp of the crowd: you expected this all along, and yet you cannot control that sharp intake of breath. For Jay, who is the deceiver, these moments are rare but precious. “It is a wonderful thing to be fooled,” he says.
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four disasters,two places, one city In the wake of tragedy, Chicago offers relief to communities rebuilding. Madeline Happold October 20, 2017
Pilsen resident Teresa Roman first heard earthquakes struck, they used Facebook’s
of the Mexico City earthquake while listening to the radio in her car. Not again, she thought as she drove home to turn the TV on, watching the coverage unfold. Roman thought of her aunts, uncles, cousins who currently live in Mexico City. She had visited them two years prior, remembering the immensity of the city and density of its population.
A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck Mexico City on Sept. 19, resulting in more than 350 fatalities and toppling dozens of buildings across the city. Only 12 days prior, just before midnight on Thursday, Sept. 7, the country had experienced another earthquake about 400 miles south — one of 8.1 magnitude, its most powerful in a century. Mexico sits on an active fault line — the meeting place of two tectonic plates on the Earth’s crust. Over time, pressure builds between the plates until they shift, sending shockwaves. These quakes usually range from a 3 to 4 magnitude. In Mexico City, over 40 buildings and structures have collapsed in the last month. Surrounding towns have been leveled, leaving thousands homeless. The Sept. 19 earthquake, though, came on an eerie anniversary; another 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck on the same day in 1985, killing over 10,000 people across the country. Roman’s cousins had been rehearsing earthquake drills that morning. Once the actual 31
safety check function to communicate with family they were safe — and alive.
Facebook has been the best means of communication for Roman and her family. The social media application has a crisis response feature that allows users to find information during a crisis. Though Roman’s family was safe and their home suffered no damage, they felt the fear that spread throughout their city. At the same time across the Atlantic, the Category 4 Hurricane Maria passed through the already battered island of Puerto Rico. The island was still recovering from Hurricane Irma, which made its way through the U.S. territory two weeks prior. Hurricane Maria was the most damaging storm for the island in 85 years. Averaging one hurricane every three years, tropical storms are old news for the water-locked Puerto Rico. What made Maria different, though, was timing and location. Striking the island just two weeks after Hurricane Irma, the island did not have ample time to recuperate from the first storm. The center of the hurricane also directly hit the island, with its 60 mile reach affecting highly populated areas such as capital San Juan, home to around 400,000 people. Roman’s father-in-law lived on the island. Having weathered many tropical storms, he considered Irma and Maria to be normal oc-
To this day, only 20 percent of the Puerto Rico has power and the official death toll has risen to 48 (although the total may be as high as Communication with her family in Puerto Rico 450, according to Vox). Over 80 percent of the was less linear. Roman’s father-in-law only island’s crop value has been wiped out, with a owned a landline phone, and since over 90 per- loss of $780 million in agricultural yields. cent of the island lost electricity, phone calls were out of the question. Four separate disasters, two different locations but with similar aftermaths. Two counFacebook activity was sparse for a bit, too. Once tries working to rebuild, their call to action power slowly began to restore, Roman and her making its way across borders and oceans, sister-in-law used the social media service to through cities and prairieland, up the Missistalk to communities on the island, asking neigh- sippi and to the hearts of Chicago communibors if they have seen their grandfather and to ties. please check on him. It was comfortable in Chicago on the They have not received any news on his condi- evening of Friday, Sept. 29. The weather was tion since the storm. beginning to shift for the start of autumn, with a light breeze and golden red sky. In the currences during hurricane season. He didn’t store food or buy batteries for a flashlight.
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raised. Double the number to include Lo Rez’s contribution to match the event’s final donation total, and one Friday night event contributed $1,640.50 to hurricane and earthquake relief efforts. Lo Rez’s fundraising event was just a microcosm of the grassroots movements popping up throughout Chicago to aid with relief efforts for the natural disasters in Mexico and Puerto Rico. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Latinos are the second-largest racial group in Chicago, equaling nearly one-third of the city’s population, with Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans making up the two largest communities. These disasters are not foreign incidents, but extend to communities in Chicago with family, friends, roots in these affected areas. “Anything that we can do quickly to help,” said Lo Rez owner Dave Dahl. “Any small thing that we can do to help local folks, particularly looking to help those that really need it — that’s what made it so easy for us to mobilize around.”
Madeline Happold
Funds from the Lo Rez event were sent to the Chicago for Mexico & Puerto Rico Relief Fund, organized by the National Museum of Mexican Art (NMMA) and the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance (PRAA). The account was created on Sept. 20 through the Wintrust Bank Pilsen branch at S. Blue Island, and all money raised will be donated to the Mexican Red Cross and American Red Cross for Puerto Rico.
city’s Pilsen neighborhood, residents had gathered outside Lo Rez Brewing Company to share beers, stories, laughs. Lo Rez owner Dave Dahl “We are one community and there are no culstands between two smoking grills, shifting from tural boundaries,” said PRAA chairman Juan flipping patties to greeting patrons. A glass jar Mendez in a press release. labeled “donations” sits on a table, next to the ketchup and mustard bottles. Yet looking at charities and organizations assisting with relief efforts, Red Cross comes Inside, Roman and her husband sit at a table, with its own risks. The nonprofit came under talking quietly. More patrons slowly begin to fire in 2015 after an investigation by ProPublishuffle in after work, greeting each other with ca and National Public Radio into the orgahugs. Dogs huddle around the groups of feet, nization’s use of funds from the 2010 earthexcitedly wrapping their leashes around guests’ quake in Haiti. In September, Red Cross also legs. The crowd spills between the two settings, temporarily suspended financial assistance to moving from grabbing food outside to buying Hurricane Harvey victims, citing overwhelmbeer inside. ing web traffic. Three cases of chicken burgers. 40 feet of Italian sausage. 20 pounds of Italian beef. $820.25 33
Other local organizations are skipping the middleman and taking supplies in their own
hands — literally. The Puerto Rican Agenda, a nonprofit organization active since 1995, launched its own fundraising campaign, Pallets and Planes, on Sept. 22, raising over $70,000 that evening. Pallets of boxes filled with relief supplies include items spanning from water and food to medical supplies, or simply basic care items like soap and toothbrushes.
been bolstered by our relationship with civic leaders.”
While President Donald Trump has been less than helpful with relief for the U.S. territory — he blamed Puerto Rico for throwing the federal budget “a little bit out of whack” and claimed the hurricanes were “not a real catastrophe like Katrina” — Mayor Rahm The first plane sent by the Puerto Rican Agen- Emanuel made a public statement on Oct. 2 da landed on Sept. 25, five days after Hurricane declaring Chicago a safe haven for displaced Maria hit, dropping off pallets to San Juan and Puerto Ricans seeking refuge. The mayor esreturning with 300 evacuees. Rather than col- timates around 1,600 people have already arlecting supplies, the organization uses monetary rived to the city since Sept. 20, with the city donations to buy prepackaged pallets. The group preparing for more evacuees. then partnered with civic leaders Congressman
A map indicating the path of Hurricane Maria as well as the two earthquakes in Mexico. Cody Corrall
Luis Gutiérrez and Mayor Rahm Emanuel to help with flight transportation. Upon arrival, the organization worked directly with Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz to ensure supplies made it from the planes to the people. On Sept. 28, a second plane, underwritten by United Airlines and with support from Governor Bruce Rauner, departed with additional emergency supplies and generators. “A lot of people have really mobilized as a result of our campaign,” said Cristina Pacione-Zayas, Puerto Rican Agenda co-chair director. “It’s really been a collective, grassroots effort that’s 34
The Puerto Rican Agenda has already raised $50,000 to fill a third plane, but is still currently accepting monetary donations for additional trips. Considering themselves more a national movement than an organization, Puerto Ricans Rising was created immediately following Hurricane Maria to help mobilize relief efforts from the states to the island. Puerto Rico Rising is working in coordination with the Puerto Rican government’s relief effort Unidos por Puerto Rico, organized by First Lady Beatriz Rosselló.
Forced to take side routes and backroads, Ocaña was met by people blocking off roads and trying to take medicine and supplies from cars, desperate for help. Chicago chapter leader Julian Seda got involved with the movement after talking to friends and family in Miami who were organizing chapters. They mentioned wanting support from the Chicagoland area. Julian quickly made a few phone calls and the Chicago chapter was born roughly two days after Hurricane Maria passed through.
Smaller local fundraisers for earthquake victims include the efforts of Cuentos Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, Chicago-based arts organization. The foundation started a campaign to raise funds for communities in Oaxaca in partnership with indigenous artist and activist Carlos Orozco Ocaña, founder of the indigenous artists’ collective Puech Ikots. OcLess than a month later and the Chicago chapter aña will use the funds to buy food, water and currently has 50 pallets in transit to the island, supplies for those affected, travelling from which equates to roughly 58,000 items weigh- Oaxaca City to the Isthmus region, home of ing over 34 tons. To insure that supplies make the indigenous Huave/ Ikoot people. it from Chicago to the hands of those affected, shipments are being sent by boat and will be met “The region is remote and not a lot of immeby ground workers at the island to be transport- diate help has arrived,” said Jennifer Smith, ed to five specific towns. executive director at Cuentos and Chicago coordinator for Puech Ikots. “It was one of those bittersweet moments where, yeah we accomplished something but it’s gonna Ocaña’s first trek to from Oaxaca City to the take a bit to get there,” said Seda. “I wish it was Isthmus of Tehuantepec, where his family rethere faster.” sides, took over 16 hours, roughly twice the usual commute, according to Smith. His route The group is currently in phase two of fundrais- goes directly through the mountain ranges, ing according to Seda, now working to raise an where the earthquake caused massive landadditional $15,000 and working with other or- slides, completely blocking off stretches of ganizations in the area on fundraising events. highway. Forced to take side routes and backroads, Ocaña was met by people blocking off “Puerto Ricans are very happy individuals and roads and trying to take medicine and suppeople that are very positive and will try to make plies from cars, desperate for help. the best out of any situation even if it’s a bad one,” said Seda. “They make sure to unite and “In Mexico, you know, they have to rely on that’s what I’m seeing.” each other because they feel the government doesn’t support them,” said Roman. “They Aid extends beyond Puerto Rico to earthquake can’t sit around and wait for the government victims in Mexico City, Chicago’s sister city. Sis- to help them during a crisis, so they have to do ter cities form long-term partnerships between it themselves.” two cities, focusing on promoting peace through shared organizations. On Oct. 17, the Lit & Luz One of the main concerns for those trying to Festival, a five-day-long festival featuring au- send supplies or funds to Mexico is making thors and visual artists from Chicago and Mexico sure their donations reach the right hands. City, opened their Chicago event with an earthquake relief fundraiser to show their support for “It’s a little better now, but there’s also the their partner city. The fundraiser raised money issue that what little government aid arrives for the Mexico relief fund organized by actors to the area, it can be really politicized,” said Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna alongside Smith. grassroots community organization Ambulante. 35
Madeline Happold
What started as a $500 monetary goal on Sept. 8 has now grown to include over $5,000 in support. “They were really happy to have the support and just so grateful,” said Smith. “In Mexico there is this perception that people don’t like them, especially with the political climate, they didn’t think that Americans would care so much.” Local Latinx aldermen are also calling on the community to show their support. 31st Ward Alderman Milly Santiago hosted the all-day Estamos Contigo Puerto Rico fundraiser on Oct. 14 to raise funds. 22nd Ward Alderman Ricardo Muñoz called on help from corporate America for Mexico, asking, “all of you businesses that take our money, we now need you to contribute to this effort,” according to CBS Chicago. Congressman Luis V. Gutiérrez, who grew up in Puerto Rico, has been personally visiting the island to help with relief efforts. He departed on Wednesday, October 18 for his most recent trip, traveling to Comerio in the highlands and Loiza Aldea on the northeast coast on a commercial flight. The flight also included Chicago residents flying to the island with their own personal agendas, bringing suitcases full of food, supplies 36
and even a generator to families and communities affected. “It has been four weeks and some people still don’t have reliable access to water, medicine, or food, and I want to see why and what Congress can do,” said Rep. Gutiérrez in a press release. Student organizations at DePaul even helped contribute to relief efforts. Groups like the DePaul Alliance for Latino Empowerment (DALE), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), Lambda Theta Phi and Lambda Phi Epsilon partnered to host a bake sale on campus. Proceeds from the fundraiser benefited Con PR Metidos for Puerto Rico and Lago Tanganica 67 for Mexico, totalling $800. On Oct. 4, the City of Chicago also deployed 22 city firefighters and paramedics to the island with mobile communication equipment to help first responders and hospitals. The City of Chicago has set up a hurricane and earthquake disaster relief page, listing local and international relief funds and volunteering opportunities.
For those interested in helping, where to start? Due to the immediacy of the situations, hurricane and earthquake relief fundraisers and events pop up like a game of altruistic whack-amole. Locating events can seem to take on a should-have-been-there theme. The Lo Rez Brewing fundraiser was pulled off in less than a week, according to Dahl. “We were excited to do it fast, put it together quickly,” said Dahl. “Anything that we can do quickly to help.” The fundraiser at Lo Rez Brewing was the first relief effort the Romans attended. “You know, he’s not Mexican and he’s not Puerto Rican, so it’s knowing that people of other races do care,” Roman said, referring to the Lo Rez owner. Outside of fundraisers, vet organizations and their initiatives to ensure aid is going directly to Puerto Rico. Seda notes that there are many different ways providing aid, such as monetary donations or volunteering, that can prove equally helpful, or even moreso. He added that a lot of donations that have already reached Puerto Rico have not yet been distributed to the people, according to accounts from friends and family on the island. Pacione-Zayas advises supporting policy activism. Pacione-Zayas and the Puerto Rican Agenda are currently working on efforts to repeal the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA). PROMESA, a bill passed by President Obama in 2016 that helped save the island from being sued for $2 billion in unpaid debt, left Puerto Rico’s business negotiations with creditors in the hands of an overly-powerful financial board and failed to establish longterm sustainability. “Support the advocacy efforts around the policy work,” said Pacione-Zayas. “It really speaks to the long-term sustainability.” What PROMESA didn’t promise was help of federal dollars to chip away at the existing debt, a discussion of statehood or dispensation to file for chapter 9 bankruptcy (a solution that has helped cities like New York City and Detroit rebuild after accumulating burdensome debt). Band-aid efforts won’t fix the wound. The aftermath of Hurricane Maria could leave Puerto Rico at least $40 billion in debt according to AIR Worldwide, which calculates the economic toll of natural disasters. The hurricane only hurt a territory already struggling — in May, Puerto Rico filed for the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. For Mexico City, AIR Worldwide estimated over $700 million in economic losses. For the Romans and others with personal connections to the island, the emotional aftermath will take time to heal. People are still waiting to be reunited with loved ones or even make contact. In the meantime, communities are turning to each other for support in an effort to rebuild. “They’re concerned because a lot of people still have family in the areas or they know people that are still over there,” said Roman. “They are trying to help the best they can. Any way that they feel that they can help, if it’s donating money or donating supplies where it’s needed the most.” A month later, and the need is still there. Relief efforts aren’t waning but gaining strength, momentum, hope from a city eager to help. “Keeping the spotlight on is important because it gives visibility, and a lot of people are unaware of how the situation really is,” said Seda. “The more people that know, the more that get involved.” 37
Breaking Silence: The State of Mental Health in Latino Communities Edina espino october 20, 2017
Not a good friend. Not a good daughter. Not a good student. Not enough. Never enough. I’m never enough.
multiple bodies produce when enclosed in a tight space for an hour and a half stretched into what seems like eternity, elbows touching every so often followed by mumbled apologies. All students face the whiteboard; some listen half-heartedly to the lesson as they fight It is thoughts like these, of self doubt, that the weight of their own eyelids, a heightened stream endlessly and unexpectedly through the level of stress having kept them up against minds of Gracie Covarrubias, Ashley Renteria, their own will for several nights now. Some and Tatiana Delgado – all Latina, all first gen- battle their own demons in silence masked eration college students, all struggling with a by smiles and laughter, not knowing that difficult reality. What they feel is not a physical perhaps, the person sitting five seats over or ailment, but sometimes the symptoms can take maybe even just one, is having the same probon that effect. It is why they are forced to return lem since more than 75 percent of all mental to waiting rooms time and time again, to write health conditions begin before the age of 24, their name on wooden clipboards so that a ther- according to the National Alliance on Mental apist can work to relieve some of their internal Illness. struggle. Depression and anxiety can be an incapacitation of the mind. It is a debilitating mechanism that overrides their busy schedules, but who has time for a counseling session when you have a chemistry test tomorrow that could determine your eligibility for medical school? When it is on your shoulders to bear fruit to the sacrifices that your parents made in your honor years before you were even conceived? And you know they’ll never quite say they’re disappointed in you, but there’s this fear of failure that says that they are never to know just how hard it is. Today, classrooms will fill with students in DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus, the four college walls surrounding them, caging some of them in. Today, they have given up the coolness of the autumn breeze and replaced it with the warmth 38
“Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced guilt because of your parents.” The room grows quiet as hands go up from left to right, until every arm is in the air. A room full of 15 Latinas, some first generation, who have each accomplished so much, and yet, they are not satisfied with the results. College is not an institution for which most of them were prepared.
In Rooms Just Like Mine “There’s a lot of pressure being a first generation student because you have to get everything right. There’s a lot of people that come to college and they are like, this is my time to
‘explore’ and make mistakes and learn, and I’m just like, I cannot make a single mistake. I cannot screw up. Everything is on the line. You set your goals and you do anything and everything to achieve them and so there is zero margin for error,” said Gracie Covarrubias, a first-generation senior at DePaul University.
beneath a lifeless body that had no motivation.
As a Latina in higher education, this is not a new phenomenon. The Higher Education Policy Institute says mental health problems among university students are an increasing problem. While there is limited research on Covarrubias is not alone. For the 2011-12 school the number of Latinos specifically affected in year, the National Center for Education report- higher education institutions, it is recognized ed that 34 percent of the student body in higher that 15.9 percent of Latino adults reported education institutions was made up of first-gen- suffering from mental illness in 2011, accorderation college students, those whose parents ing to the National Survey on Drug Use and have not earned a four-year degree, and they’re Health. But, as is the case with the general facing unique psychological challenges. population, thousands often go without professional help. “It’s rough knowing that my parents can’t help me,” said Ashley Renteria, a DePaul graduate Despite being at high risk for depression, sub-
“I feel like people don’t actually see it as an illness,” said Renteria. “It’s all in our head, so you can only explain it as you feel it and if they don’t feel it then they feel like it’s not there.” who received a Bachelor’s in health science with a concentration in bioscience and a focus in medicine. She is up to be the first doctor in her family in a system that she feels works against her. “I failed two courses my freshman year. I could not necessarily cope with it, knowing that I had possibly ruined my shot at making my family proud,” she said. Renteria returned to a pre-existing state of depression and anxiety shortly after. She shut down and no longer cared about anything, She didn’t care about failing or graduating. She didn’t care to connect with people. She just lay in bed watching T.V. She forgot about eating and interacting. She cried when the anxiety hit, screaming and lashing out at people she knew were not at fault. Covarrubias described her experience like a drop of bad thoughts that quickly turned into a waterfall of awful things. The usual hyperactive persona that everyone knew was disappearing 39
stance abuse and anxiety, fewer than 1 in 11 Hispanic Americans contact a mental health specialist and less than 1 in 5 contact a general health care provider, according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Office of Minority and National Affairs. (The numbers decrease further if they are Hispanic immigrants.) “I feel like people don’t actually see it as an illness,” said Renteria. “It’s all in our head, so you can only explain it as you feel it, and if they don’t feel it then they feel like it’s not there. So, they’ll look at it like you’re making it up, like it’s all in your head, like you can just change it if you just change your attitude, but that’s not how it works.” Mental health has many layers, which in some cases can be hidden very well when you have to fulfill various roles throughout the day – a student, an employee, a leader. “You don’t have time to think about how much everything sucks and when you do, when you have those five minutes before you go to bed
it’s like, you have those five minutes to lose your mind and then you have to go to bed and start all over again,” said Covarrubias. “That definitely caught up to me.” On the outside however, both women seemed to excel. Both women joined and accepted leadership roles within their respective sororities, they became heads of organizations and departments on campus, they were and continue to be the epitome of involvement — they hide their secret well. “The only reason I survived that time in my life was because I felt this need to please my parents and my friends. So I was on and then I was off,” said Covarrubias. At Pilsen Wellness Center, which has 14 locations in the Chicago area, bilingual therapist Lucero Garibay said that for individuals whose culture plays a large role in their lives, this response to external stressors is very real. “You have to be successful because, for us, going to school and getting an education is a family dream,” said Garibay. “It’s not an individual dream and I don’t want to speak for everybody because that’s not everybody’s case but you see that a lot with the population. And ,then with your friends you want to be like, ‘oh yeah, I’m hustling all the
time. I’m doing all these great things which is great that we have goals and stuff but, it’s very easy for us to forget that we are humans too and it’s okay to not be okay and to accept that and to be willing to talk about it.” Conversation around mental health in Latinx households, however, remains relatively low. In fact, the 2003 article, “Barriers to Community Mental Health Services for Latinos: Treatment Considerations,” found that there is a difference that exists among Latinos when dealing with mental health. Youth and adults deal with distinctive stressors. Older Latinos grow overwhelmed when their values and beliefs do not align with those of the “host country,” while Latinx youth have been found to experience emotional instability because they are forced to rapidly adapt while simultaneously enduring injustices such as inequality, poverty and discrimination. According to the World Health Organization, poor mental health can also be associated with “rapid social change, stressful work conditions, social exclusion, unhealthy lifestyles, risks of violence, physical ill-health and human rights violations.” Latino youth thus enter into a sense of “dou-
Mirlinda Elmazi
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ble consciousness” in which they make themselves believe that their parents cannot possibly understand.
For Delgado, the time lapse between her freshman year when she realized she was mentally unstable and her junior year when she actually sought treatment proved to be detrimental.
“There’s just this idea of not taking whatever is going on with you outside of the family,” said Garibay. She related this reluctance to the “It just kind of got worse and worse where strong sense of familismo present in Latino eventually I was having thoughts of suicide households, which places a high value on saving because it was so much pressure,” she said. face for the benefit of the family. “I would wake up and I would be like, I don’t “There’s this stigma that, oh you know if you go want to get up. I don’t want to say hi to people. to see a therapist you must be crazy or you must I don’t want to have to sit there while someone be wanting to kill yourself if you’re going there, talks to me. I’m not even going to remember which isn’t really true,” she said. it because my head’s going to be somewhere else and so, I got to the point where I was like, A lack of dialogue however, is only one of the what’s the point of doing anything?” said Delbarriers this population faces when dealing with gado. “These thoughts led to, ‘I don’t want to mental health. The challenges when dealing with be alive’ or like, ‘nobody is going to really care this population are a handful: the downplaying about me if I die, and that led to me thinking, of symptoms as being “dramatic” or an “atten- I should really just off with myself.’ I guess tion seeker,” a lack of education that leads to a that’s how it went from not smiling to wanting misdiagnosis where people treat physical man- to die,” she said. ifestations of a psychological problem instead of addressing the root of the cause. The fear of Today she openly shares that she suffers from stigmatization, the association between therapy four mental disorders: anxiety, depression, psychiatrists and insanity and a lack of financial post-traumatic stress disorder and dissociastability are some factors. tive identity disorder, which used to be known as multiple personality disorder. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 21 percent of Hispanics/Latinos un- It is coincidentally not helpful that, less than der the age of 65 do not have health insurance 25 percent of mental health professionals are coverage as of 2015. minorities as stated by the American Psychological Association. At the same time, other The problem is oftentimes mistaken as tem- professionals are not culturally trained and porary and if it is recognized, Latinos will rely their lack of multilingualism limits their abilnot on professionals but on their pillars of sup- ity to help. port: family, community, traditional healers or churches. Mental health problems, however, “If a lot of the reasons they’re not going is becannot simply be prayed away. cause they don’t see that representation, that’s very real, and you really can’t blame them for “You know being a minority, they feel like its not that because they want their experiences to be a thing, that it’s just attitude issues that I have to heard and relatable,” said Garibay. work through but, after seeing me ask for help multiple times over the years, begging them for It is this very dilemma that prompted Dior help, they’re starting to comprehend,” said Ren- Vargas, a Latina feminist, mental health acteria. tivist and suicide attempt survivor to develop her People of Color and mental illness photo Renteria is not the only one who struggled to project. bring attention to her negative state of mental health. Tatiana Delgado, a student majoring in “There are tons of articles that list people with psychology with a concentration in human de- depression and other mental illnesses, but velopment, did not share her condition until she you rarely see someone who looks like you. found herself in a hospital emergency room. We need to change the way this is represent41
Less than 1 in 11 Hispanic Americans contact a mental health specialist. Chapter 6 Mental Health Care for Hispanic Americans Cody Corrall
Less than 1 in 5 Hispanic Americans contact a general health care provider. Chapter 6 Mental Health Care for Hispanic Americans Cody Corrall
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ed. This is not something to be ashamed about. We need to confront and end the stigma. This is a NOT a white person’s disease. This is a reality for so many people in our community,” she writes in the introduction to the project. Together, a group of eight students working with the Campaign To Change Direction developed what they called Tough to be Tough. The self-designed project aimed to raise awareness for the five signs of emotional suffering: poor self care, personality change, withdrawal, agitation and hopelessness on campus.While it is evident that a blanket of silence still covers this sensitive topic, DePaul University took on an initiative to bring awareness and advocacy to this issue. A public relations campaign known as Bateman was given the task of de-stigmatizing mental health with a specific focus on minority communities. “You know a lot of college students don’t like to talk about it, and, specifically with our target audience, they don’t really have an opportunity to talk about mental health, whether it’s mental barriers or religious barriers,” said Sydney Bickel, one of the contributing members of the campaign. “So, we really want to focus on allowing students to feel comfortable talking about mental health and mental well being.” DePaul’s attempt was in direct contrast to the states downsizing of mental health services. Currently, the state of Illinois ranks among the highest when it comes to the cutting of mental health programs. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI), between 2009 and 2012 the state cut $113.7 million in funding related to mental health services. It has closed two inpatient facilities; six Chicago mental health clinics and various community mental health agencies. The report by NAMI also calculated that there was a 19 percent increase in emergency room visits for people in the general population experiencing psychiatric crisis between 2009 and 2012. A lack of resources, primarily in communities of color, create a direct pipeline from the home, to the streets, to the Chicago county jail, which is now the largest mental health institute in the city. In 2014, police responded to about 22,000 mental-health crisis calls, according to the Chi43
cago’s Office of Emergency Management and Communications – 44 percent of those calls from predominantly black districts, 30 percent from Latino districts and the remaining 26 percent from white districts. According to this same office, seven of the ten districts with the most mental health related calls came from the South and West side, communities that are predominantly African American and Latinx. “It’s nothing new unfortunately,” said Garibay. “I think the place that we’re at today with awareness and lowering that stigma, we’re taking steps to get there but we’re not quite where we should be.” Dissuading a population from associating insanity with the search of a positive state of mental health thus becomes the million dollar questions. The answer, according to Garibay, is “to really just keep having the conversation.” “Community awareness and advocacy are something that we need to keep working on, working more so in prevention than just intervention. They’re both equally important,” she said. For Covarrubias, Renteria and Delgado, that is exactly what they hope to achieve by sharing their experiences — to open a stream of dialogue and put a recognizable face to mental illness. “I really needed someone to say, ‘it’s going to be okay,’” said Covarrubias. “To say, ‘it is awful right now and it’s probably going to suck for a lot longer, but there will be a day that you wake up and it’s not going to hurt as bad, and there’s going to be days where it’s going to be a little of a relapse into this bad day syndrome, but it’s going to be okay because you have the tools to move past this and you’re strong enough. You’ve conquered this before and you’ll conquer it again.’”
I was a vegetable for halloween daanish rizwan october 27, 2017
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays. I like the color black (is it a color or a tint?), and I like dark, morbid stuff. It’s fun to celebrate, even if it’s only for a day. I can’t remember my first costume, but I can remember the most embarrassing one from when I was in the throes of puberty. In middle school, I was feeling the goth vampire look and really wanted to pull off a black leather jacket after watching Underworld with Kate Beckinsale (who didn’t want to be a vampire after that movie?!). I had camouflage pants, guy-liner and my sister’s black leather jacket. It was quite flattering.
My first lucid memory came two and a half weeks later while waiting patiently (or not so patiently, according to the nurse who had been subjected to my relentless kicking) for an eye exam at Illinois Masonic Hospital on Wellington Avenue. After weeks of tests and uncertainties, I found out, the doctors had to check on my vision.
I suffered an extremely severe traumatic brain injury— a “TBI” for short. Walking home with my headphones in hand, a mid-sized van blew a red light at the intersection of Irving Park and Sheridan, which I was crossing. A 2007 My sophomore year of college saw me gain Ford Freestar glided through me at a cool some muscle at the gym, and I decided I want- 45 mph before hitting another vehicle from ed to show off the very impressive 10 pounds I intersecting traffic. According to a witness, I had added to my frame. A shirtless bare-knuckle was batted up in the air, did a flip, and landed boxer was obviously the appropriate choice for headfirst on the concrete. The driver — after a Halloween weekend that didn’t climb over 47 running a red light, striking a pedestrian and degrees. I enjoyed having to explain my costume hitting another vehicle — made the logical at every party I went to — a real testament to choice to abandon his van and run away on how much muscle I had actually gained. The foot. This seemed especially smart given that following Halloween, I kept it simple and drew he was on probation for multiple burglaries. whiskers on my face with a sharpie: a sexy cat or The best birthday present came on my 21st something. My most convincing costume, how- when he pled guilty for a minimum five years ever, was from my junior year at DePaul: hos- of jail-time. pital gown, IV drip, breathing tubes, EKG machine, even soiled sheets! The team in the ICU The paramedics found me conscious, and I was hooked me up with all the gadgets I needed. For able to give them my emergency contact info Halloween 2014, I was a vegetable. with no errors (like a champ!). They rushed me to the ICU at Illinois Masonic where I was immediately given a cocktail of anesthetics, Oct. 10, 2014 narcotics, anti-inflammatories and seizure There wasn’t anything special about that day medications, essentially putting me in a coin my mind, now that I look back at it. The last matose state. The trauma had caused me to thing I remember was buying a pair of Sennhe- start seizing, and the doctors had to stop the iser over-the-ear headphones at the Guitar Cen- bleeding, bruising and swelling in my skull. I ter on Halsted Street (they still sound great!). I had what is referred to as a “coup contracoup” had just finished working an extra hour at the injury, meaning that my head sustained two Home Depot next door — my brawn was needed separate impacts. to move some skids around. 44
Dr. Kenji Muro, a neurosurgeon in the ICU, couldn’t give my parents a most likely outcome. Best case scenario: I walk out and make a full recovery with only a nasty memory. Next scenario: I don’t survive, and they have to make funeral arrangements. Worst case: I never wake up and stay in a permanent vegetative state. The outcome of a brain injury is taken on a case-by-case basis because every injury is different. I could have had retrograde amnesia, anterograde amnesia, or both (the former meaning I would not have memories from before the accident and the latter that I would not be able to create new ones). My independence was called into ques-
remember these at all, but they definitely sound like things I would do. I had apparently tried flirting with a nurse — in Spanish! My Spanish isn’t that good, so I was thoroughly impressed with myself for that one. I also went on a rant against Steve Harvey, shouted profanities at the electronics I was hooked to and tried explaining to my sister that I totally wasn’t dating Crystal, whose Tinder messages she found on my phone. These were sources of comfort for my family in a time of deep uncertainty. They were still uncertain of the outcome while I attended occupational, physical and speech therapies for months after the accident. Is it cliché to say that laughter is the best medicine? My family’s grief would have been much worse had I not given them reasons to smile. Are the jokes I make today decidedly morbid and do they cause discomfort? Absolutely! I am simultaneously the unluckiest and luckiest person in the world; in the fall of 2014, I had no control over what happening to me. It was snowing on Halloween when I looked out of the hospital window from my bed, listening to the only music I could remember: a French death-metal band named Gojira. So why not tell people I dressed up like a vegetable? Even if they don’t laugh, I will.
Daanish Rizwan
tion too. Being able to use the restroom on your own is something that we all take for granted. Eventually, I stabilized; otherwise this writing would have a few more spelling errorz. I could barely comprehend what had happened as they slowly took me off of the sedatives. My memories during that time are an incoherent scrambling of hallucinations, various sensory snapshots and fear. As I became lucid, I remembered parts of interactions with my family. I asked my dad if I was retarded at one point, which I found wasn’t all that unique of a question after I met another TBI survivor who had asked the same thing during her recovery. After I left the ICU and attended therapy, my family told me stories of all the funny things I said while recovering from what I would eventually dub the Michael Jackson Cocktail. I don’t 45
spaces for speech: charles murray and the depaul response brendan pedersen, emma krupp, madeline happold november 3, 2017
From the outside, even under the cover of pounding rain on a Wednesday night, Cortelyou Commons stands out at DePaul.
Madeline Happold
Rows of chairs took up most of the space in the room. The first three were packed with one camp, featuring a handful of students in suits and the occasional Reagan-Bush ‘84 hat. It is inexplicably ornate, a blip of royalty on an The row directly behind them was empty — otherwise brownstone and concrete campus. white sheets of paper indicating they had been The about-to-be lecture hall is lined with por- “RESERVED” — but the two rows behind that traits of DePaul’s priestly presidents gone by, were similarly dense, these students distindeep worn oak plating the walls and chandeliers guishable from their peers in front only by the hanging from the ceiling. By most architectural diversity of hair color, skin tone and increased and aesthetic measures, it could be called pris- reliance on corduroy apparel. tine. And yet in the time after the doors opened and before Professor Charles Murray was sched- Most of the crowd didn’t show up in earnest uled to speak, the space felt physically lopsided, until a few minutes before 6 p.m. The tension emanating from the first five rows, howevsloping towards the front. 46
er, did not ebb. Every few seconds, a student from somewhere in the crowd turned over their shoulder for a quick look behind — not a where are all my friends? look, exactly, but a who’s here? Do I know them? What are they planning? look. If a newcomer was confused, they might have heard a context clue flitting between rows, the same phrase murmured over and over again: last time. Last time could have referred to Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator with a mild penchant for the incendiary who was denied a timeslot, venue, or really any form of approval from DePaul last year. He showed up anyways and spoke at a small private theatre down Lincoln Avenue. But Shapiro’s visit, at worst, was political theater. In all likelihood, “last time” for most in the room was May 24, 2016, when College Republicans invited Milo Yiannopoulos to speak at a public event on DePaul’s campus. Twenty minutes into his talk, demonstrators shut him down, ripping the microphone out of his hand, and ultimately lead to several hundred people — supporters and protesters — clashing out on the sidewalk. “The Milo event,” as it became known, was not political theater. It was scary. By most accounts, it never felt farther than a few thrown fists from a riot.
board and, while he didn’t particularly enjoy the weight of oversight (Minster is an avowed libertarian), “they made the right decision” this time around. Then, without much ado, the man arrived. Murray, dressed in a black, buttoned suit and careful outcropping of hair puffing out from the sides of his head, took to the stage after an introduction from Minster. The room was hushed and the air rigid, the hundred or so people inside waiting for whatever was about to happen. Then, it happened. As he stepped behind the lectern, a girl with blue hair shot up from her seat from the middle of the crowd, behind the empty row. “I don’t think we have to stay and listen to this racist pseudoscience,” she yelled, voice strained, “and if you agree, come outside and protest Dr. Murray and the DePaul Republicans with us!” “Bye,” said one Republican from the audience. “Thank you,” said another. Then, they were off. Two rows of students, maybe a dozen of them, walked down the aisle and out the room with now-familiar chant: RACIST SEXIST ANTI-GAY, RIGHT WING BIGOTS, GO AWAY. A few moments after they’d left as Murray leaned back into the microphone, a muted heroes’ welcome could be heard from the outside through the walls of Cortelyou.
But everyone inside Cortelyou was calm, ostensibly. John Minster, chairman of DePaul College Republicans, said the members of his organization were “excited, not nervous.” At the front of the room, the podium had a hastily taped paper sign over it with the letters AEI standing in for the event’s sponsor: the American Enterprise “Ah, well,” Murray started, “that’s fine.” His Institute, where Murray holds the title of W. H. slightly Iowan drawl was tired. “That’s a Brady Scholar. whole lot better than trying to shut me down.” He nearly expressed admiration: “You have Minster kept looking out at the crowd not anx- protesters out in the rain, and that’s fine. That iously, exactly, but carefully. He acknowledged bespeaks a devotion to opinion that I don’t the reports he’d heard about a potential walk-out agree with, but it is a devotion to opinion. I in the works, and he said he hoped the protest- applaud it.” ers would stick around despite their objections. This time, on the heels of Shapiro’s rejection last The lecture started. The room never quite reAugust, Minster and Jorin Burkhart — chairman laxed. As Murray laid out his argument for of the DePaul chapter of Young Americans for “why Donald Trump is president” — basicalFreedom — had worked with the school’s newly ly, that the increased isolation of intellectualestablished Speaker Review Committee to ap- ly-superior elites has left the rest of America prove Murray’s talk. Minster said they were both socially, politically and economically bruised on the student task force that helped design the — students kept turning to look behind them, 47
Madeline Happold
as if they expected more. Someone smacked a fly on the back of their neck half an hour after Murray started, and the noise caused half the room to jump. The lecture was fine. In the wake of Yiannopoulos and Shapiro, someone who didn’t say transgenderism is an illness or that he couldn’t be racist if he has sex with black men was almost jarring. Yes, Murray is also a controversial cultural icon, but his brand is 20th century controversy — not the frenetic, outrage-driven controversy of an internet age. It was as if a Harvard-educated political scientist had spent time thinking about these sorts of things and arrived at some kind of nuance, even if that nuance still felt a bit off the mark. (For example: that feminist empowerment was a fundamentally good thing for society, but that we should consider the hurt feelings of men when female independence means they can “no longer take the same kind of satisfaction you used to take in putting food on the table.”)
softball questions: Is taxation theft? What’s the alternative to identity politics? Can libertarians be religious? And while at this time the spirit of discourse and discussion and debate seemed alive and well in the belly of Cortelyou, it was difficult to escape the sense that nothing was being exchanged, really. One of the most potentially interesting interactions of the evening was between Murray and Professor Valerie Johnson, chair of DePaul’s political science department. Johnson challenged Murray’s theory that class was the basis of Trump’s election because the majority of his voter base was not working class, and the exchange ended in a muggy stalemate. When Johnson said that the “critical variable was race, not class” in 2016, Murray responded by saying “that is your conclusion, not mine.”
This was, ostensibly, the freedom of speech, crystallized and hard at work. At the same time, no one ever said that open democracy After the lecture was over, Murray opened the was a satisfying process — if they did, they floor to a Q&A. Questioners lined the walls and were lying. bounced back and forth between aggressive and 48
Battle Cries Outside As the rain dampened an already bitter night, a crowd of nearly 100 protesters filed into the small strip of road facing the Cortelyou Commons’ ramped entranceway.
allowed to speak — some thought his work constituted hate speech, while others found him less inflammatory than Yiannopoulos or Shapiro — all seemed zealously committed to the cause of exposing Murray’s ideas as unfit for academic discourse.
“There seems to be this atmosphere now at DePaul that protesting is just the thing that we do. We show up for anti-racist struggles,” said Felipe Bascuñán, a recent DePaul graduate and DePaul Socialists member. “Charles MurWhat do we want? Evidence-based research! ray was met with these kind of demonstrations in the ‘90s after ‘The Bell Curve’ came When do we want it? After peer review! out everywhere he went. And I think we need to recreate some of that to politically isolate Hey hey! Ho ho! Charles Murray’s got to go! his ideas that have been actively harmful.” Murray is a racist! Murray is a racist! Murray’s 1994 publication of “The Bell Curve” The protest, organized by the DePaul Socialists was indeed met with controversy, including and Students for Reproductive Justice and ad- arguments regarding the objectivity of the vertised via a Facebook event and a scattering book’s sources, yet it spent weeks on the New of fliers, drew collections of students wanting York Times bestseller list. The book, which to vocalize their opposition to Murray’s work — is 845 pages long, cites research that black which, among other points, includes research Americans score lower on IQ tests than white that tacitly suggests racial differences in IQ and Asian Americans — and, by extension, suggests genetically designated intellectual scores are heritable. differences between races. “I think that it’s important that, as a student body, if people are going to claim that what’s Jordan Wallace and Kidjie Boyer, both first going on in there is free speech, then we com- year acting majors, heard about the protest bat with actual free speech that does not include that morning and, like many other protesters, hate speech against people of color, women were particularly upset about this point. Both and the LGBTQ+ community,” said Catherine said they feel Murray’s writings are antithetiCushing, a freshman studying peace, justice and cal to the Vincentian mission. conflict studies who came to the protest with a handful of friends. “I think it’s really important “What shocked me the most is that this was that we show our faces and demonstrate that we happening here at DePaul,” Wallace said. “When I first found out, I was like, ‘Well, do not support what’s going on in there.” that’s not DePaul’s mission. We’re about inFollowing last year’s protest at the Yiannopou- cluding everyone in the spectrum.’” los talk, which garnered national attention, DePaul has navigated controversial speaking “You’re telling us we’re inferior by bringing engagements carefully. Ben Shapiro and Gavin this speaker in,” Boyer added. McInnes, both right-wing media personalities, were banned from speaking in August 2016 and Though neither Wallace nor Boyer are inMay 2017, respectively. The university’s new- volved in any activist groups on campus, both ly formed Speaker Review Committee “did not say they felt an immediate sense of solidarifind sufficient reason to deny Mr. Murray the ty upon arriving to the event — Wallace, who opportunity to speak on campus,” according to wielded a megaphone, even led some of the chants earlier in the evening. Despite their an email sent to students and faculty. anger at Murray’s viewpoints, they see a kind Though protesters generally differed on whether of sacredness in dozens of students standing or not they believed Murray should have been in the rain to rally against him. They came armed with posters, megaphones and a collection of chants. Charles Murray was inside, and they planned to do their best to make him listen.
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Madeline Happold
“It was beautiful. I’ve never been surrounded by so many educated people,” Wallace said. “A group of people coming together and speaking their truth. To know that you’re not the only one is just great.”
we turn our backs to him and turn towards each other,” said Girson. There were no microphones. No podiums. No stages. Participants sat in circles, sharing the same space, working as equals. Girson compared the flash murmurs to performance art, open to all to participate, share and reflect.
Where There Are Shouts, There Are Murmurs “The whole purpose of this is to reflect on the Tucked away from the rain and megaphones across campus, excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr., Audre Lorde and Holocaust survivors lay spread across tables in the second floor of the DePaul Richardson Library. Quietly, groups of students and faculty traded off reading aloud, finding power through art, literature and solidarity. For every dominating voice, there are whispers below begging to be heard.
failures of democracy so we can do what we can to ensure its successes,” Girson said. Girson has been organizing monthly flash murmurs since President Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. The date also marked the 75th anniversary of the organization of the infamous “Final Solution,” where Nazi Germany began the systematic extermination of their Jewish population in earnest.
Commemorating this history and reflecting on current politics, the flash murmur on Responding to the Murray event, DePaul pro- Wednesday night was prompted by Jewish fessor Matthew Girson organized what he calls a poet Paul Celan’s Georg Buchner Prize speech “flash murmur” forum, where students, faculty in 1960 where he said: “Perhaps we can say and staff could share words of those who have that every poem is marked by its own ‘January experienced oppression, bigotry and hatred. 20?’” “I wanted to do something where we could have a productive community building event, where 50
But there are, among many others, the paths on which language becomes voice. They are
encounters, paths from a voice to a listening You, natural paths, outlines for existence perhaps, for projecting ourselves into the search for ourselves… a kind of homecoming. “It truly was such a positive atmosphere,” said Meggi Lampen, a student of Girson’s who went to the event seeking a safe space for connection and expression. “I believe that everyone left the event a better version of themselves, and a majority of us most likely felt more at peace afterwards,” Lampen said. “I know I did. Although it’s a very intense situation, human connection is an extremely powerful coping mechanism.” Sitting at a table with other like-minded students, the group shared excerpts such as Maya Angelou’s poem “Phenomenal Woman,” allowing her words to speak in opposition. Now you understand Just why my head’s not bowed. I don’t shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing, It ought to make you proud. I say, It’s in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need for my care. ’Cause I’m a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That’s me. Using the power of art and poetry, these murmurs unite to form a voice for future change and dialogue. “I decided specifically to go to this event rather than the protest at Murray’s talk itself because I wanted a peaceful, safe space to reflect,” said Lampen. “That being said, I do admire those who took the risk and felt compelled to protest in a more outward fashion. Freedom of speech is a wonderful concept in that way.”
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gaining momentum: March for our lives Across the nation Carina smith march 30, 2018
Carina Smith
“Grieve today, vote in November.� Signs and chants across the country echoed this ideology on March 24, as hundreds of thousands came together to mourn gun violence deaths and bring gun reform to the forefront of the political atmosphere. The day of the March for Our Lives protests was filled with emotion and calls for action, with people ranging from students to retired citizens coming together for the event. Taking to the streets, parks, state capitols and event spaces, marchers came to protest the current gun laws in America after Nikolas Cruz took a semi-automatic rifle and killed 17 people at his former Florida school, Stoneman Douglas High School, in February. Emma Gonzalez, a survivor of the Parkland shooting and one of the students who pushed for March for Our Lives, made a powerful speech at the Washington D.C. event that drew large numbers of people to the nation’s capital. The number has been highly debated, with 52
Digital Design and Imaging Service Inc. said there were about 200,000 protesters while organizers said it was closer to 800,000. In all, there were over 800 sibling marches in the U.S., while other events took place in places like France and Chile to show support for March for Our Lives. Though most of the march was in response to the Parkland, Florida shooting and was largely inspired by a few of the surviving students who have put themselves in the middle of the debate, their high school is far from the first school shooting to happen in 2018. According to gun law advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, there have already been 33 shootings on school property in nearly four months this year. Many protesters came ready to oppose the high amount of school shootings that have occurred followed by little to no action from political leaders. Many came in protest of their own individual run-ins with gun violence, or to denounce prominent groups like the National Rifle
Association (NRA). Others were teachers, who asked for books and pencils to be given to them rather than guns, like controversial laws about arming teachers so they can protect their classes that were proposed after the Florida shooting. A majority of protesters and organizers of the events, though, were high school students who were tired of the threat of gun violence when they go to school. DePaul students were able to join the D.C. march for free through Metro Chicago Hillel, an organization that provides a community for Jewish college students in Chicago, which sent two buses and nearly 100 students to the largest March for Our Lives event. Metro Chicago Hillel chose to send students to the event to protest for their beliefs and to “speak out against violence and also advocate for common-sense solutions to stop these massacres from occurring,” according to their trip’s resource guide. “This idea of waiting for someone else to make something happen… is something that (Metro Chicago Hillel) tries to work against,” said Anna Calamaro, director of engagement for Metro Chicago Hillel. “Rather we see it that there’s a responsibility and obligation to help your community… It’s important in Judaism for us to act and not just be watching these tragedies happen from the outside.” Each event was filled with chants, marches and speakers all aimed at advocating for gun reform. Organizations spoke on stages across the nation to declare their mission and ask people to join them, politicians made pledges to impose harsher gun laws during their time in office. High school students also took the stage and pleaded with older generations to vote for lawmakers who would follow through on promises that were made that day because they weren’t old enough to ask. 14 East editors and reporters went to different events around the country.
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texas
Meredith Melland
Meredith Melland
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south carolina
Francesca Mathewes
Francesca Mathewes
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Chicago
Madeline Happold
Madeline Happold
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missouri
Carina Smith
Carina Smith
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Wisconsin
Marissa Nelson
Marissa Nelson
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ohio
Jenni Holtz
Jenni Holtz
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The night shift Searching for answers around Guardian employees, SEIU and students Marissa Nelson, Meredith Melland november 10, 2017
Meredith Melland
Before sunrise, only street lights lit the corner of Clifton and Fullerton avenues on Tuesday, Oct. 24. At 6:45 a.m., a huddle of umbrellas and ponchos — some emblazoned with the letters “SEIU” — formed as DePaul students and community members arrived at the intersection. The rain, though only a light shower, made 38 degrees feel like a snowflake away from freezing.
is defined by The National Labor Relations Board as someone who strikes for a business practice committed by their employer. Such strikers can be neither discharged nor permanently replaced in the absence of serious misconduct. However, at this time, it is unclear how many overnight desk receptionists actually went on strike, if any did. Conflicting accounts from activists and students — coupled with deference from the university and a lack of communication between parties involved at DePaul — have all clouded the actual circumstances around the strike as well as the labor conditions they work in.
At 7 a.m., the crowd had grown to over 60 people. They gathered in solidarity with employees of Guardian Security Services who work as overnight desk receptionists at DePaul, as well as to protest what they considered unfair labor practices by Guardian. According to students and organizers, a handful of Guardian receptionists had gone on an unfair labor practice strike that morning. Beyond the scope of a simple protest, a PART 1: Take My Card strike can be defined as a “collective, organized, cessation or slowdown of work by employees, to By September, the Service Employees Interforce acceptance of their demands by the em- national Union (SEIU) Local 1, a division of ployer.” the union founded in Chicago and located in 12 cities across the Midwest, started to orgaSpecifically, an unfair labor practice striker nize in support of the non-unionized desk re60
ceptionists who work from midnight until 8 a.m. Alexandria Boutros, co-president of IMPACT They also contacted student activist organiza- at DePaul and one of the student leaders assotions in the fall, according to students involved. ciated with the protest, said Pietrick was being mischaracterized. “He’s not that aggressive,” Overnight receptionists working inside resi- she said. “He’s an organizer, and he’s passiondence halls and the Music Annex in Lincoln ate about this work.” Park are employed by Guardian and in turn contracted through DePaul. During the Oct. 24 pro- At the Oct. 24 protest, Pietrick said that test and directly after, organizers reported that Guardian employees had sought out SEIU’s several Guardian employees had gone on strike help, not the other way around. “Guardian seearlier that morning to protest what SEIU Local curity officers reached out to SEIU Local 1 ex1 described as unfair labor practices, including pressing an urge to make some changes with low wages. it because their company just wasn’t going to do it on their own,” Pietrick said. “Five out of the 15 workers went on strike. There are 10 workers that work on any given day, so SEIU’s work with Guardian employees this half of today’s shift went on strike,” wrote SEIU year is not the first time the union has tried Communications Director Izabela Miltko-Ivkov- to organize on DePaul’s campus. In 2016, repich, in an Oct. 24 email obtained by 14 East. (It is resentatives from SEIU worked with adjunct not clear how many Guardian employees are ac- faculty members — part-time instructors at tually assigned to work at DePaul. In the course DePaul with limited benefits and bargaining of its investigation, 14 East spoke to 19 differ- rights — to unionize. The effort appeared to ent overnight receptionists.) The idea behind fizzle in the spring after DePaul announced, the protests was to push DePaul into replacing “enhanced benefits and support” for adjuncts “Guardian Security with a responsible union including a change to the school’s course contractor,” according to a press release from cancellation policy and the creation of a task SEIU Local 1. force to address adjunct concerns. Around the same time, the university warned faculty and While photos of some Guardian employees ap- staff in a March 31 email about “unwelcomed peared in SEIU flyers advertising the strike, union contact” both on- and off-campus “in there is ambiguity around who contacted whom. ways that have made [the adjunct staff] unTwo Guardian desk receptionists at DePaul said comfortable,” according to an article in The SEIU Local 1 members approached them mul- DePaulia. tiple times since the summer. One employee said they were approached near the Fullerton ‘L’ PART 2: Students Act station after leaving their overnight shift. They declined speaking with the SEIU representative, Regardless of origin, SEIU Local 1 and some but exchanged phone and email information. of the Guardian employees met and discussed The representative followed up with the em- organizing. Shortly thereafter, SEIU Local 1 ployee via phone call, but it went to voicemail reached out to student activists at DePaul to because the employee wasn’t able to answer. help organize and create awareness on camHowever, they remember the representative’s pus. Among organizations that agreed to help name was Kevin. were IMPACT, (I Matter, Political Activism Can Too), DePaul’s branch of the InternationAnother receptionist also said they were ap- al Socialist Organization (ISO) and the Roosproached by two SEIU employees. Tucked away evelt Institute. The student organizations bein their wallet, this receptionist still had the gan to meet with James Povijua, community business card they left with the name “Kevin organizing coordinator at SEIU Local 1. Pietrick” on it. The same employee also said Kevin and another man had approached them At the end of September, the student activists near their car multiple times. Kevin Pietrick is collected student signatures for a petition to an organizer for SEIU Local 1 and could not be show the overnight desk receptionists had reached for comment via Facebook Messenger support if they chose to strike for better labor and email at the time of publication. conditions. According to an SEIU press re61
lease, over a thousand signatures were collected.
According to Berry, DePaul prepared for the possible strike by asking student desk recepIn mid-October, a letter of intent to strike was tionists via email to sign up for a shift outside delivered to DePaul’s Department of Housing of their normal hours. The added shift, called Services. A week and a half later, on the day “Guardian support,” ran from midnight to 2 of the strike, SEIU Local 1 and student activ- a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24. After the strike, Berists organized a protest during the final hour of ry asked a head desk receptionist how many the night shift at 7 a.m. In the days leading up students worked the extra shift. to the event, the student organizers worked to generate awareness on campus about the issue “She said that no [desk receptionists] had to through flyers, written commitments to protest stay late — they didn’t have to do the 12 to and phone calls to those who signed the petition. 2 a.m. shift because all the Guardian people showed up,” Berry said. Immediately after the protest, the student organizers were hesitant to attach a headcount to the However, it is possible that a strike could have strike. Claire Jones Anderson, co-president of occurred without requiring DePaul students IMPACT, couldn’t estimate how many employ- to fill the “Guardian support” shift. Given the ees didn’t show up to work. Anderson suggested nature of their employment, Guardian may speaking with Boutros, her co-president at IM- have supplied receptionists who do not norPACT. Boutros could also not confirm the num- mally work at DePaul to fill gaps left by strikber of strikers, but said the strike happened. ers. Guardian did not directly address ques“I was there, and saw them deliver the letter of tions related to strike replacements. intent, saw them send the email to the housing person saying there was a delivered letter of in- When asked how many of the Guardian desk tent,” Boutros said. “A one-day strike — there attendants did not show up for their schedwere guards who did not show up to work and uled shifts for the morning of Tuesday, Oct. stiked.” 24, Rick Moreci, DePaul’s Director of Housing Services, wrote that “all of them reported for, “I think five went on strike,” T.J. Watson said, a and worked the entirety of their scheduled member of DePaul’s branch of ISO. shifts.” The student activists initially planned to have “walk-backs” the following night for the Guardian workers who had gone on strike, but IMPACT informed 14 East that afternoon that the walk-backs had been cancelled. The walk-backs would have consisted of students escorting Guardian desk attendants to residence halls before their shifts started to show solidarity with the workers and their resolve to strike.
PART 3: Accounts from Behind the Desk Following the protest on Oct. 24, 14 East approached 19 overnight desk receptionists at DePaul employed by Guardian for comment, some of whom work part-time on weekends. They were cautious when asked about the labor dispute between some of the reception-
Student daytime desk receptionist Gabrielle Berry could not confirm the strike happened. On the day of the strike, DNAinfo Chicago quoted Kevin Pietrick, writing: “Pietrick said they were unsure how many of the estimated 15 Guardian Security officers were engaging in the one-day strike Tuesday.” Student daytime desk receptionist Gabrielle Berry could not confirm the strike happened. 62
ists, Guardian Security Services and DePaul University. Seven of the receptionists declined to answer any questions, but 12 receptionists spoke about their experiences — all on the condition of anonymity. When it was “no” from the desk receptionists, it was a hard “no.” Short with their words, one
Marissa Nelson
of the employees said they “could not participate at all” in the investigation. But when it was “yes,” a long conversation followed. None of the desk receptionists could confidently answer questions about the strike. One employee guessed around five employees went on strike; another did not believe anyone went on strike. Five employees said they didn’t know. One employee who believed desk receptionists had gone on strike speculated that Guardian sent other employees to fill the empty positions. On the other hand, all of the employees 14 East spoke to could confidently say they would like to see changes at Guardian, including higher wages, more frequent raises at higher intervals and more affordable healthcare. However, they varied on the best way to achieve those results. Some supported unionizing, others didn’t. Three employees who supported unionization were skeptical that SEIU was the best union to organize with. “Unions are like car salesmen and insurance 63
salesmen,” said one receptionist. This receptionist supported unionizing if it meant better working conditions but acknowledged the union dues might offset the raise acquired from unionizing with SEIU. Another receptionist against unionizing feared an overall wage increase for Guardian employees at DePaul would become too expensive for the school, leading the university to switch to a less expensive contractor and leaving all current employees without a job. They were also concerned SEIU would profit “too much” off of the employees. Employees who have worked at DePaul for at least two years each reported beginning at wages ranging from $11 to $12 an hour. Since being hired, each employee has received one to three raises. “I’ve worked for this company for two, almost three years and I’ve had one wage increase,” said Timothy Winfrey, an overnight desk receptionist, at the protest on Oct. 24.
Columbia College Chicago also contracts Guardian Security Services. Several employees at Columbia were hesitant to speak. When asked to answer questions about their experience with Guardian, an employee said, “It depends on the question; I’m not trying to get fired.” After guar-
“This is what must be done,” said Boutros. “It is making sure that the people that are being paid through our tuition dollars aren’t being exploited, because the U.S. has a history of exploitation and we shouldn’t be paying into that.”
DePaul University’s Office of Public Relations & Communications declined to directly respond to inquiries on whether or not a strike occurred and, if so, how many overnight desk receptionists went on strike. anteeing anonymity, the Columbia employees who spoke with 14 East reported starting at a wage between $11 and $12 an hour. “Guardian and I have a rocky relationship,” said one of the employees at Columbia. Both employees reported being approached by two SEIU representatives, including a man named Kevin. Loyola University does not contract with an outside company. Instead, the overnight desk receptionists, or night monitors, as they are referred to at Loyola, work for the university directly. 14 East spoke with two night monitors at Loyola about their experience. Both were satisfied with their job, co-workers, wages and health care. Both employees willing to speak had been working at Loyola for a minimum of two years making at least $12 an hour. Both employees had received a raise each year they had been working at the university.
PART 4: What Must Be Done? Many of the students involved in organizing efforts argued that DePaul has a responsibility to monitor work practices of the contractors they employ. Three of the student activists mentioned DePaul’s Vincentian question — what must be done? — when speaking about why the university should take action. With a mission tied to service and social justice, they believe the well-being of all employees, including employees through contract, should be a top concern for the university. 64
DePaul University’s Office of Public Relations & Communications declined to directly respond to inquiries on whether or not a strike occurred and, if so, how many overnight desk receptionists went on strike. Instead, the university repeatedly directed all questions regarding overnight desk receptionist wages, health care and attendance on Oct. 24 to Guardian Security Services. “Guardian Security Services has been a contractor for DePaul University for a number of years, providing overnight front desk security in our residence halls,” said DePaul spokesperson Carol Hughes. “Guardian’s business operations and employment practices are independent from DePaul.” Hughes also declined to answer questions related to DePaul’s agreement with Guardian, saying that “as a matter of practice, we do not discuss publicly terms of our contracts.” She did, however, say that “DePaul already enjoys productive relations with unions” representing its catering service, facility operations and “numerous construction trades.” Guardian Security Services management was also contacted by phone and email regarding DePaul’s contracted desk receptionists. In a statement, Guardian spokesperson Chet Strzelczyk responded to student and organizer concerns about the overnight desk receptionists. Strzelczyk did not provide the number of
overnight desk receptionists who did not show up to work on Oct. 24.
ness Practices Committee “to adopt a more transparent and equitable standard for evaluation of companies the University contracts “Our employees receive wages significantly with.” higher than the $11 per hour rate negotiated by SEIU for its members and our average length in Many students and DePaul community mememployee tenure is roughly seven years which bers continue to advocate for DePaul’s Guardfar exceeds the industry norm,” Strzelczyk wrote ian desk receptionists. in an email. Jones Anderson, speaking for IMPACT, said Referencing unionization, Strzelczyk also wrote: that “we are prepared to be advocates for “Our hard-working employees recognize that these people, even if SEIU will not.” they can achieve a better future for themselves without the interference of third parties who Additional reporting by Cody Corrall, Emma may not have our employees’ best interests in Krupp, Madeline Happold, Brendan Pedersen, Megan Stringer, and Ivana Rihter. mind.”
PART 5: Searching for Resolution Two and a half weeks after the protest, student activists are still trying to remedy the labor dispute between Guardian desk attendants, DePaul and Guardian Security Services. DePaul’s Student Government Association (SGA) and IMPACT members drafted a set of resolutions by Oct. 23, and SGA approved them at its general body meeting on Oct. 26, according to SGA Parliamentarian and Roosevelt Institute e-board member Jack Evans. “This is a formal stance that student government is taking to say that this is an issue that we want to fix,” Evans said. Evans is working with SGA and IMPACT to develop a case against Guardian to present to the DePaul Fair Business Practices Committee at their first meeting in winter quarter. “We want to make sure that the administration’s aware that this company is an unethical company and isn’t treating their workers properly,” Evans said. “So we’re not doing this to make demands on behalf of the workers; our goal is to make sure that we’re bringing DePaul to the table.” The resolutions, sponsored by Jack Evans and Josh Kaufman, said that SGA “encourages the university to push Guardian Security Services Inc. to provide a livable wage and fair benefits to the employees.” The resolutions also advocate for the Fair Busi65
the children of sarajevo Nikolai Ewert december 22, 2017
“Sarajevo… is a city that is wearing out and dying, while at the same time being reborn and transformed. Today it is the city of our most beautiful longings and endeavors and bravest desires and hopes.” — Ivo Andric (1892-1975), Bosnian writer and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. Before the bombs, there were family vacations and home recordings. “Everyone had their own businesses, multiple cars, TVs and video recorders,” said Alexandra Kovacevic. Kovacevic is a Serbian immigrant from Bosnia now living in Phoenix, Arizona.
was modern but safe, beautiful but simple, special but hidden.
For 6-year-old Salipur and 8-year-old Kovacevic, Sarajevo and the surrounding mountains were their whole world. What existed beyond it was fantasy, and what existed within it was Similarly, Ivana Salipur, another Serbian im- more than enough. migrant in Chicago, grew up in an apartment across from Bosnia’s National Museum. She vis- However in 1992, the sky seemed to darkited her grandparents’ cottage in the hills during en. The trolleys were left abandoned in the the weekends. This was life in Sarajevo, Bosnia’s street, and children could only play in boardcapital, in 1992. Children ran around freely as ed-up rooms. Childhoods turned into survivthe adults rode the trolley to and from work. It al. Reporters who had once covered the 1984 66
Sarajevo Olympics returned to the city in bullet-proof vests. This time, the story was the fall of Yugoslavia and the siege of Sarajevo.
The first time Salipur realized something was wrong in Sarajevo was in 1992 at 6 years old. She was told to not stand by the windows because it was too dangerous. Soon after began In 1992, the Yugoslav wars reached Sarajevo. the siege of Sarajevo, the longest in military Bosnia was part of Yugoslavia, a communist history of a capital city. It wouldn’t end until country in Southeastern Europe founded after 1995. World War II. It quickly outlawed the nationalist rhetoric of individual states, suppressed The hills surrounding Sarajevo were lined religious intolerance and enforced ethnic unity with Serbian forces. Utterly unprepared, the and harmony. However after the death of Yugo- Bosnian people stood still. slavia’s “benevolent” dictator, Josip Broz Tito, in 1980, nationalism began to resurface. Croatian And then the shells began to fall. patriots cried for independence and Serbian nationalists demanded expansion. Soon enough, “Let me put it to you in the best way I can,” to the disbelief of millions, the Yugoslav wars said Salipur. “I didn’t have much of a childbegan. hood when the war started. It was pretty bad, all around.” For Salipur, Kovacevic and most of Yugoslavia, the war was utterly dystopian. Marriages Food became scarce. Serbian forces would between different ethnic and religious groups only let so much aid through the siege lines. were common in Sarajevo. There were as many mosques as churches, and one’s favorite soccer At one point, Serbian forces shut off the wateam was more divisive than one’s faith. “The ter pumps. This left citizens with two options. word ‘hate’ wasn’t in my family’s vocabulary,” The first was to go collect water at the river, said Salipur. but 90 percent of civilian deaths occurred in this area. It was the most exposed to shelling In many ways, Salipur believes her childhood and sniper fire. The other option was to find before the war was definitively Yugoslavian. She the NATO airdrops containing water. In orgrew up in a communist atmosphere absent of der to cook their rice, the only food they had, religion. Her father was Slovenian and Serbian, Salipur’s family decided to look for the NATO and her mother was Croatian and Macedonian. airdrops. It was during one of these searches In addition to having grown up in Bosnia, her that a grenade flew only inches above Saliidentity reflected every state of Yugoslavia. pur’s head. At this point, she said, the reality of war was undeniable. Even before the guns and shells, Kovacevic noticed Sarajevo beginning to change. She lived in Buca Potak, a neighborhood on one of the surrounding hills in Sarajevo. Her neighborhood at the bottom of the hill was a mix of Serbian Christians and Bosnian Muslims. At the top of the hill lived mostly Muslims. In between these two neighborhoods were the Roma, commonly known as gypsies. Kovacevic had a friend who went to school at the top of the hill, and she would visit him. Nikolai Ewert
Sarajevo was filled with children like this whose identity itself mirrored the diversity of the country. Kovacevic and Salipur were the last generation to experience this national harmony and the youngest to see it disappear. 67
“The only thing really interesting about them is that their dogs were outside,” said Kovacevic. For more than 600 years, the Roma lived on the outskirts of Bosnian society, stigmatised as thieves and beggars.
Kovacevic paid little mind to the Roma until they started disappearing. A week before the war began the Roma packed up what little they had and left Buca Potak, their dogs trailing behind them. Kovacevic had no idea why. With the absence of the Roma there was now only an empty road between the mixed neighborhood at the bottom of the hill and the Muslim neighborhood at the top.
guerrilla unit of seven or eight men.
Like the Roma, Kovacevic’s first-grade classmates began to disappear. “My mom told me they were going on a vacation,” she said. “But her face told me something else.” Within a week, Kovacevic’s classroom had dwindled to four students.
After being rescued, Kovacevic was driven to her family. The family decided to leave Sarajevo for their grandparents’ farm outside the city. They loaded up all the guns they could and headed out.
On her last day in school before the war, the teacher separated Kovacevic and her peers according to their ethnicity or religion. The Muslim and Albanian boys worked by themselves, while Kovacevic was paired with the remaining Serbian girl. For Kovacevic and the rest of Sarajevo, none of this was normal.
“The main mission of the guerrilla unit was to get the families out, out of the war zone,” said Kovacevic. “Wherever that meant [going].” The man that saved Kovacevic’s life that Friday was part of this guerrilla group.
It was at this farm that 8-year-old Kovacevic and her 3-year-old brother were taught to shoot guns. The Bosnian army was advancing and there was no certainty that the fighting wouldn’t reach them. If you could pull the trigger, you were taught how to shoot. Kovacevic thought it was funny watching her young brother try to shoot a handgun. While the kickback initially knocked her down, Kovacevic got better. Her new skill, however, was never needed.
After her odd day at school, Kovacevic went back to Buca Potak to play with her friends. The missing classmates or the absence of the Roma Following a grenade explosion in combat, were more or less forgotten. However, no one Kovacevic’s father was put in a full-body can ignore a bullet. cast. Her mother had had enough. “My mom freaked out,” said Kovacevic. “She made a few “We were playing in the middle of the street phone calls, and next thing I knew we were and we heard gunfire,” said Kovacevic. “I tried leaving.” By June 1992, the family was on a to go to go to my neighbor’s house but she told plane to Chicago. me to go home. Bullets were flying past, and I couldn’t open my door, the key wouldn’t turn, While Kovacevic left in 1992, Salipur I was freaking out. Before I knew it, a guy came wouldn’t leave Sarajevo until 1995. She surbehind me from the street and opened the door, vived the war with her grandparents in the and put me in the part of the house opposite the neighboring town of Pale, not far from Kogunfire. He told me that we needed to leave. I vacevic’s grandparents’ farm. She was taken had no idea who this guy was.” here after her mother disappeared and her father was killed by soldiers. Pale was the SerThe man took Kovacevic up to her room and bian-occupied part of the city, which made it turned over her bed. To her disbelief, there was somewhat safer. a stockpile of guns hidden beneath her bed. Before the war, Salipur visited her grandparKovacevic’s family had been secretly preparing ents at their woodland cottage in Pale. These for the possibility of war. “They had military visits represent the few glimpses of a happy equipment under every crevice you could imag- childhood she had. ine,” she said. Now, that life was over. There was no more In addition, her father didn’t plan on fighting for mushroom hunting in the woods with her the national army. He and his friends created a grandfather or singing in the countryside. The 68
Nikolai Ewert
Salipur and her mother headed to family members in Macedonia. As they waited at the bus stop, she remembers hugging her mother. “My grandparents during this period wanted Then, eager to show off a new song she had to turn me to God,” said Salipur. “It was what learned, Salipur sang. “I was so happy to sing was keeping them alive. It felt very beautiful for for her. It was very liberating.” Behind tears, them to introduce me to God, but then I would Salipur’s mother said, “You’re becoming a better and better singer.” ask, ‘Why is God letting this stuff happen?’” grandfather that had once taught her jokingly how to swear was now teaching her how to pray.
Salipur doesn’t remember a response. Two years passed in Pale. Salipur and her grandparents went to church sporadically, but prayed constantly. No one had heard anything from Salipur’s mother, who had disappeared shortly after the siege. The sudden outbreak of war made life chaotic and unpredictable. Without rhyme or reason, Salipur’s mother was gone. Salipur doesn’t remember the last time she saw her mother. Then two years later, to the surprise of all, she appeared in Pale. “She wasn’t the same person,” said Salipur. There was little said about the war, where her mother had been or how her father died. Salipur could communicate just as little, suppressing most of what she had seen. They carried their trauma silently. 69
On the way to Macedonia, Salipur remembers laying her head on her mother’s shoulder. Finally, for Salipur, the war was over. After months of planning an interview, Salipur’s grandmother Kata didn’t want to talk about the war. She didn’t want to talk about the loss of her son or about the wartime experience of her granddaughter. She said she would allow a Chicago student journalist to visit, have some cake and take some pictures, but the war was not to be discussed. This changed when she saw her gift — a framed picture of her granddaughter smiling brightly with her childhood stuffed animal. I had taken the picture in Chicago and transported it to Bosnia. In the picture Salipur has a bright smile as she holds her toy puppy, from which
Nikolai Ewert
Nikolai Ewert
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she was inseparable during the war. “Cuko was like a safety blanket (during the war),” said Salipur. “You see those floppy ears. They’ve heard everything.” Kata’s lips quivered when she saw the photo. She grabbed the frame with both hands and looked longingly at the picture. She began to kiss the photo and say “my girl, my girl.” After wiping away tears, a smile formed. “During the war the doll fell apart several times and I always sewed it back up,” said Kata. “Oh, I remember when she left during the war. I could hardly bear watching her leave. Before she left Ivana said to me ‘I’ll never forget you.’”
Nikolai Ewert
When the stories became too much, Kata took a deep sigh and looked out the window. It had been a few months since Kata’s husband of almost half a century died, and now she lived alone in her small Bosnian cottage. Photos of her granddaughter and son lined the walls of her small dining room. Her husband’s hats still hung from the antler coat rack, and an old bible with scribbled red notes sat next to her bedside. The house was filled with as much tragedy as love. As our interview ended, my translator and I said goodbye to Kata. She thanked us for coming, and we thanked her for her hospitality. Before leaving, Kata stood up and grabbed our hands. With her eyes closed, she said a prayer for our safe return home.
Nikolai Ewert
While Salipur goes back to Sarajevo almost every year, Kovacevic doesn’t believe she’ll ever return. “I have a romantic image of Sarajevo in my head, and I don’t want it to change,” said Kovacevic. “Right down my street were mosques and churches, and every spring it would smell like these beautiful flowers. I know there are no jobs, I know what’s going on [in Bosnia], but in my head it’s a whole different way, and I want it to stay that way.” Interview with Kata Salipur translated by Katarina Matovic
Nikolai Ewert
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the joy of the campaign Brendan Pedersen February 9, 2018
Courtesy of Jack McNeil
Ra Joy can breathe, finally. He left his tie at home. He’s abandoned his notes on a podium he isn’t using. His shoulders are relaxed as he scans the room — Arts & Letters 101 on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park campus — and his hands rise and fall with a certain, hard-to-place ease as he talks. And really, that’s all he came here to do: talk. It’s a conversation with students, DePaul Democrats specifically.
But Joy gets it. It’s a campaign. He’s a politician now, technically. So far, the Kennedy-Joy campaign has styled itself as a “radical” solution to the state’s longstanding political dysfunction, which has left Illinoisans with the country’s lowest levels of trust in their government. If elected, Kennedy has said he plans to overhaul the state’s property tax system, move towards single-payer health care and eventually legalize marijuana (or, as Joy refers to it, “Kennedy Kush”). The polls have put him among the top three contenders for the Democratic primary alongside billionaire fundraiser J.B. Pritzker and state Sen. Daniel Biss.
“This is the first time in a long time I’ve had the opportunity to talk where I don’t have a timer,” Joy says to the room. Joy is the running mate of Chris Kennedy, a Democratic candidate in the 2018 gubernatorial race. “Public and civic engagement is ridiculous; it’s not conducive for Joy worked in policy and advocacy for over a dialogue with some of the heavy issues we’re a decade in the Land of Lincoln before joindealing with.” ing the governor’s race, first as the executive director of Arts Alliance Illinois and most reAlthough — Joy wishes it could be a bit more of cently as the director of Change Illinois. Kena dialogue.“My hope was to be unplugged today nedy and his running mate go back; accord— have a candid conversation, less digital stuff,” ing to Joy, the two have known each other for he says. A pause, then a gesture: “I see we have about 15 years. They first teamed up to send relief to Haiti after the country was struck by some reporters.” The room laughs. floods and a hurricane in 2004, along with 72
state Sen. Kwame Raoul — the son of Haitian immigrants currently running to be Illinois’s Attorney General. “This is not some politically-arranged marriage in the 11th hour,” Joy says, “which may perhaps be the case for some other tickets.” Kennedy and Joy have plenty in common. They’re both running as political outsiders trying to tear down Springfield’s Democratic establishment. Neither has held elected office, though Joy once worked for Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Kennedy is, well, a Kennedy. But the parallels don’t quite end there. Speaking to the DePaul Democrats Wednesday night, Joy tells the room that, like most people, he used to have a blackboard at the back of his head. It’s a metaphor: when it comes to life, he means, most of us have our every responsibility spelled out on a blackboard, crammed into the finite space of 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week. “Chances are, your blackboard is all the way full,” Joy says. “But when you lose a child, everything comes off that blackboard. Everything.” Xavier Joy — the oldest son — had been a student, home for the summer from Morehouse College in Atlanta. Last June, he was shot and killed just blocks from his home in Hyde Park. His family believes he was murdered for his cell phone. Xavier had been the one with political ambition, his friends and family said. He had seen a flawed world and decided it was worth fighting for, volunteering across the South and West Side for years. Then he died. “We went from one minute talking about the future, planning for the the future, in the blink of an eye, the most vital sacred part of you is taken from you,” Joy says. After June 8, 2017, Joy got on the phone and talked. He reached out to others he knew had also found themselves with a sudden, irreparable loss, including Kennedy, whose father was assassinated on June 6, 1968, during the presidential campaign. Joy doesn’t like to talk about it. Kennedy doesn’t either. But how could you ignore it? Any of it? 73
“It’s a privilege and, really, the funnest part of this campaign,” he says, “meeting with and listening to people of all colors, all creeds and all walks of life.”
How do you pretend the past is the past when it saturates every minute of the present, day in and day out? How do you — the reporter — brush past the moment Joy refers to his “middle son” when you know he only has two remaining kids, or pretend you don’t feel the shadow of incomprehensible tragedy pass directly over your heart?
has the biggest war chest and can tout a lot of endorsements from the Democratic establishment, including both U.S. senators from Illinois.
“Once you take everything off that blackboard, you’re a lot more deliberate about what you put back on that blackboard,” Joy says. “And I tell people all the time that this campaign is the challenge and opportunity of a lifetime.”
Take the money. Yes, Pritzker has it — a lot of it — and he’s using it. To date, he’s dumped $49 million of his own dollars into the campaign, outspending President Donald Trump in his primary from 2016. He’s managed to dominate the airwaves, and that’s done him well for name recognition across the state.
And yet, with one month left until the primary, there are signs the race is far from a done deal.
And what about the campaign? It depends on who you ask. By most metrics, Pritzker is the clear frontrunner in the Democratic primary. But if the latest polls are to be believed, PritzHe’s led the pack in every poll since October, ker’s lead is shrinking — fast. One poll shows 74
Kennedy will be to keep from getting boxed out by Biss and Pritzker. According to a poll released by Victory Research on Thursday, Kennedy is lagging behind Pritzker (27 percent) and Biss (23 percent) with only 17.3 percent of the vote. In the meantime, Joy will keep doing what he seems to do best: talk. I couldn’t detect any fatigue as he spoke — even bragged — about his travel schedule, leading me to believe he might actually mean it when he says he enjoys “criss-crossing the state.” “It’s a privilege and, really, the funnest part of this campaign,” he says, “meeting with and listening to people of all colors, all creeds and all walks of life.” At the end of the night, after Joy finished speaking and most of the audience had trickled out of the room, I ask why exactly he had been so relaxed speaking to the DePaul Democrats even with the student reporters lurking in the corner with their cameras, notepads and Twitter-enabled devices. He laughs. “It’s college Dems, man!” “I could focus on what’s broken, and point a finger at what’s broken,” Joy says. “Or, I could spend time and energy on how fix it. The folks that are in this room are part of the solution.” Courtesy of Jack McNeil
Biss and Pritzker in a “dead heat” lined up against Rauner, while the state senator has had a fraction of the cash. “If you’ve spent $50 million dollars to try to secure something, and you have yet to do it,” Joy says, “that is a clear message voters are looking for an alternative to JB Pritzker.”
Then, there are the undecided voters. A We Ask America poll from last month estimated that nearly 40 percent of voters were undecided in the gubernatorial race, while another poll from early February put the figure closer to 30 percent. As more voters begin to make up their minds and election day draws closer, the challenge for 75
Good Vibes Only
A Celebration of Self Love in Chicago’s Sex Shops. Cody corrall february 16, 2018 Cody Corrall
February is a bustling time for the sex industry. When most retail dies in the post-Christmas winter months, sex shops find their footing during Valentine’s Day. Anxious couples go to sex shops for the first time, or get each other toys and lube to accompany their bouquets and chocolate hearts. But with Valentine’s Day comes a lot of baggage — especially for those without partners. During this busy season, Chicago’s ever-evolving sex shop scene is trying to emphasize love and pleasure in all of its facets: sexual, romantic, platonic and individual.
Taboo Tabou: Femininity for Everyone Taboo Tabou’s pink storefront stands out on an otherwise dark strip of Belmont Avenue in Lake View. Alexis Thomas, the owner, changes the mannequins in the heart covered windows in anticipation for Valentine’s Day as ‘Lady Marmalade’ blasts through the speakers. Thomas is eccentric and perks up with a welcoming “Hi!” whenever someone walks into the store. Thomas’ parents started Taboo as a condom shop in the early ’90s. Lake View was considered the center of the HIV epidemic in Chicago, and Taboo served the vulnerable population with external condoms, internal condoms and dental dams as a part of the historic counterculture store The Alley.
quently moved across the street to their current home at 843 W. Belmont Ave. Taboo’s purpose shifted along with it to serve the ever-changing needs of the community “It kind of changed and became more about the lifestyle of being a badass b––h.” To Thomas, that means making sure femininity is accessible to everyone. Taboo carries sizes that range from XS to 5XL to ensure that anyone who wants to explore “pleasure and positivity” can do so in a welcoming environment. “You are hot regardless of your size, you’re hot regardless of how you identify. This isn’t for anyone’s gaze, this is for yourself,” said Thomas. For a first time patron, Taboo might seem overwhelming. There are glass cases filled with dildos of various shapes and sizes on one wall, ‘50s style dresses and accessories on another and a section downstairs dedicated to lingerie. Thomas believes that these pieces fit together to embody confidence in all aspects of everyday life.
“We have all these different [types] of customers coming in, but the ones that really love this store can get lost in here,” said Thomas. “I can buy a dress that makes me feel good for Thomas took over Taboo in 2015 and subse- work and I can also buy a vibrator.” 76
Taboo’s regular customers, or “Taboo Girls,” are described as part Barbie and part Elvira, and the shop reflects that. The store is proudly pink and traditionally “girly,” while also displaying PVC, or polyvinyl, material, leather and ball gags. “Our black witchy look is big for us,” said Thomas. “It’s also a little bit of an ode to our roots because it connects us back to The Alley.”
and men would get so angry that it was so feminine,” said Thomas. “They get uncomfortable that it’s exploring femininity and all aspects of it.” Now, Thomas has seen a change in attitude. Taboo exists for those who didn’t find comfort or positivity in sex shops, and the quirks that originally confused patrons are now what sets them apart for the better.
As Taboo gears up for Valentine’s Day, they are putting a focus on self care and platonic love. They hosted a “Galentine’s Day” inspired BFF “I feel like before people had this very conspeed dating event and offered sales throughout crete idea that sex shops were supposed to be lesbian sex shops, gay male sex shops, here’s the season. the couples sex shop. And sex shops are defiWhile the commercialization of Valentine’s Day nitely marketed like that, but I feel like we’re is focused on partnership, especially in the sex pushing the boundary because even though industry, Taboo is trying to use the holiday as an we’re feminine and pink, we’re not ashamed of it.” outlet for self care. “I think this time of the year gives everyone permission to splurge on themselves because they think they’re splurging on someone else,” said Thomas. When Taboo in its current form opened in 2015, people were confused and even hostile because it didn’t reflect the typical sex shop. “Women
Early to Bed: Pleasure in Activism Early to Bed is Chicago’s first and only feminist sex shop, as described by owner Searah Deysach. The shop opened up on Chicago’s North Side in 2001, but relocated to 5044 N. Clark St. in Andersonville in 2013. Early to
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Bed is bright and inviting — illustrations of vibrators line the purple walls and pyramids of dildos greets you upon entrance, as does Deysach’s hot pink hair and effervescent curiosity. EtB’s feminist label is important to Deysach because her personal politics help shape how she runs her business. She doesn’t sell toys made of unsafe materials like jelly and tries to make the shop as much of a community space as it is a for-profit business. Because of this, EtB often helps facilitate community outreach and donates proceeds to local organizations like Chicago Women’s Health Center. Deysach runs two websites in addition to EtB that have grown out of needs from the transgender community. FtM Essentials provides binders, packers and other gender expression gear for transmasculine or otherwise interested individuals. TransKids offers gender-affirming products for transgender youth aged 13 and under. “It’s hard to access gender expression gear if you’re not going through sex toy store channels. I feel like that’s a little bit weird especially for younger folks who don’t need to be exposed to or have conversations about butt plugs when all they need is a binder.” Interactivity and education are what set EtB apart from other sex shops. Instead of being behind a case or in packaging, many of EtB’s products are open to feel and compare — which wasn’t the case for other sex shops when EtB first opened. In the 17 years since EtB opened its doors, Deysach has seen a shift not just in sex in mainstream popularity, but in the industry as a whole. “It’s changed a lot in a lot of ways, and in a lot of ways it’s still the same white-guy-fueled industry. The acknowledgement that women are consumers of these products has made a lot of changes in terms of packaging and quality,” Deysach said. “I think more people who are women and feminist and radical sex-loving people getting involved in the industry has changed it as far as safety is concerned.”
“Except people plan less far in advance,” Deysach quipped. For many couples, Valentine’s Day is a time to take risks; it may be the first time they go to a sex shop together or buy a toy for their partner. Deysach acknowledges that Valentine’s Day can be stressful and loaded, especially for those not in relationships. “I think if you’re a flower store or a candy store it doesn’t behove you to focus on [relationships],” said Deysach. “But as a sex toy store, I think we have a moral obligation to not eliminate people who aren’t in partnerships and to not shame them. I try to make it a happy time even though it can be fraught for a lot of people, so we try to remind people that they are their own best lovers and that taking time for yourself is also a really good thing.” Deysach is constantly curious. She looks for what’s next in toy innovation, both in terms of technology and inclusion, and cannot contain her excitement for what’s in store for the industry. “I love vibrators,” said Deysach. “I started in this industry because I love vibrators and I wanted to have a great place to buy vibrators…I still get excited about new products and how this industry is evolving to encompass more genders and more identities.”
Foreplay Chicago: Ownership and Orgasms Foreplay Chicago is the new kid on the block, opening their doors in January 2018 at 1804 W. Addison St. in North Center. But Jamesey Tompkins, Foreplay’s owner, is no newbie to the industry. Tompkins has worked in sex shops for most of her life, and worked in the industry as a distributor until she was fired for being a transgender woman in 2016. She called two of her clients from her previous job in May 2017 and worked together to open up a store of her own.
From the outside, Foreplay is a mystery tucked under the Addison Brown Line — the windows are blacked out, with just their logo and an open sign visible. Foreplay’s atmosphere inside is what makes it North Center’s For EtB, Valentine’s Day is like Christmas. best-kept secret. The shop maintains a clas78
sic beauty: chandeliers hang from the ceiling, a it kind of takes everyone’s mind off of it if you crackling fireplace video streams on a monitor have an inanimate item there that you don’t and luxurious sex toys are on display. have to get jealous about.” “We tried to make it as beautiful and inviting as possible because traditionally there’s bad mojo about sex shops,” said Tompkins. Tompkins has seen a drastic change in the industry over the years as women became involved as consumers and collaborators. “It [was] no place that any woman would want to go to or feel comfortable going to. I’m sure there were women customers, but it was a seedy place to go and no one felt safe or comfortable… In the last 10 years the stores have all geared toward women and making women feel comfortable in the store.”
Tompkins is passionate about the industry she’s worked so much of her life in. She’s seen it change from a seedy, male-dominated space for money laundering and crime into a celebration of sex positivity and authenticity for everyone. “I can be who I want to be,” said Tompkins.
As sex positivity becomes mainstream, even in pop culture phenomenons like “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Tompkins is determined to make sex and kink as welcoming and accessible as possible. “In the last two or three years, anal has really taken off and that’s been after “Fifty Shades of Grey,” said Tompkins. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ was a lot of kegel balls, and people who wanted to get a whip and experience being tied up and all those sorts of things.” Now all types of people can engage in healthy, informative conversations about sex when it was previously seen as forbidden or taboo. Valentine’s Day is an exciting and busy time for business, especially because this is Foreplay’s first. For most retail businesses, there is a significant lull after Christmas. For the sex industry, Valentine’s Day gives them a huge boost in an otherwise difficult time for local businesses. “It’s usually first or second largest month of retail for adult stores,” said Tompkins. “Halloween sometimes beats out Valentine’s Day.” Along with running sales throughout the season, Tompkins is excited to help people experience pleasure in all of its forms — from new couples trying to shake things up, to more experienced lovers to people wanting to get in touch with themselves. “If you’re in an established relationship, an item [from a sex shop] can add a difference. You don’t want to eat the same cereal every day, so having something different in the bedroom helps, and 79
Cody Corrall
on our way to Agémont Agathe muller february 16, 2018
“Because I love him a lot,” was my response when I was asked why I wanted to write a piece about my grandpa. And to say that is truly an understatement. My relationship with my grandparents, especially my grandpa, Robert Bassot, has grown and matured over the years, but it remains one of the strongest bonds I have in life. The love and care I have for him overflows my heart. My grandpa comes from a modest French family. He was born on April 10, 1930, at 8 Rue du Berger, Agémont. (the address). He is a child of war and to this day remembers it all. His dad was rescued from battle for medical reasons, and lived in this little village in Lorraine, Agémont. In 1939, his family was forced to host a young German soldier in their home, and my grandpa had to give up his room for him. My grandpa experienced traumatizing things during the war that he cannot talk about. But often he cries in his dreams. And in that dream, which takes place during WWII, he cries out for his mom — a high-pitched cry resembling the voice of a young boy, and probably the voice he had during the war. This dream comes back whenever he talks about war or sees some footage of WWII on TV. It breaks my heart every time. But these unknown, horrifying events that happened to him shaped his character and the values he has today. He is kind, loyal, generous, hard-working, passionate, smart and so funny. Now, you should also know about Agémont. Agémont is the village where my grandpa was born and raised, in the east of France. The village has a total of 30 habitants, and probably an equal amount of cats and cows. It has a church. It had a school that became the public library in 1960. It has a washhouse where my grandpa’s 80
mom would wash her clothes. The village has many fruit trees that overflow in the summer. And in that village, at the end of a cul de sac, is the house my grandpa was born in, which he now owns. The village is my grandpa’s heart. It gives him life, and therefore gives me life as well. And the amount of memories that have been created there is absolutely incredible. My heart is beating faster just by thinking about it. Agémont is also the place where my grandpa met my grandma and began their journey, hand in hand. Mauricette Leclerc sat on her regular bus in 1956. Robert Bassot sat next to her. They fell in love, took the bus together for a few months and vowed to always love and care for one another until they died. And they still do this 62 years later, sometimes taking the bus together and reminiscing about the past, or simply doing daily banal things, like going to their favorite cheese merchant at the local market and getting a fresh camembert from a local farm. My grandparents are always there for their community. They gift neighbors with leeks from their garden, or my grandma makes a plum tart with fruit from Agémont and offers it to the lonely lady down the street. They love to go shopping and even sometimes stop for a little coffee on the main square of their town. And they can people watch for hours, commenting on the funniest things and very often seeing someone they know. I have so many memories with my grandpa. One that is especially dear to me is when we would pick mushrooms in the forest and in some cow fields. It would take all day. We would wake up early and have a filling breakfast, usually toasted brioche with butter and
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jam, with a coffee for my grandpa and hot chocolate for me. We would grab cookies and water in our pockets and went on the road. We would drive 20 minutes or so and park the car at the start of the forest and start walking. My grandpa would know every mushroom, its name and if it was toxic or not. He would recognize them from far away by their appearance, color and smells. We
The compassion between my grandparents and I is as large as our age difference.
would fill wicker baskets full of mushrooms, big, small, brown, beige, and grey and continue our promenade. We would spend hours there and sit on a tree swing and eat our cookies. When we would bring our mushrooms home, we would put them on the living room table and count them. And after having sorted them and made sure they were comestible, looking in our mushroom encyclopedia, we would make them into an omelette, a rich, buttery mushroom omelette that was always so delicious. It would melt in our mouths and we would be so proud to have everyone taste our recolte. We still do it to this day. And the omelette is still as good as the one I had 20 years ago. The compassion between my grandparents and I is as large as our age difference. We have an unshakeable bond that has always united us, right since I was born and they became grandparents for the first time. A precious time together is always cherished to its fullest. My grandpa and I always go grocery shopping together, roaming the alleys, looking for snacks or for meal ideas for the days to come. Just being with each other makes the the day worth it. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. There is always something to eat on my grandparent’s kitchen table. Always homemade. Ever since I was born, there have always been cakes, cookies, tarts, cream choux puffs, and everything imaginable. And every night, at such a casual routine cadence, we surround the dinner table and drink verbena herbal tea from the garden and a square of dark chocolate. It makes us feel warm inside and sleep well. My love for them overflows my heart. And my time in France with them is just always marvelous.
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Should we tip baristas? How the culture surrounding tipped workers affects an employee’s wage. Emma krupp, megan stringer february 23, 2018
If you’ve ever gone out to eat, you probably know it’s customary to leave your waiter a 15 to 20 percent tip. But do you tip your barista?
a barista’s overall income.
Some baristas, similar to servers or bartenders, are paid what is known as a tipped wage, After six years working in coffee shops, Aiki which is less than the state or federal miniCoxhead — a 24-year-old DePaul student — mum wage. In these instances, the difference had come to rely on extra income she picked up between an extra $1 an hour and $5 an hour through tips. On good days at her job as a barista can be the difference in making minimum at Dollop Coffee in the Loop, she could net about wage or below. $5 more per hour than her base wage, enough to comfortably cover basic necessities. Coxhead So how much do your tips matter? How does said that extra tip money made a substantial dif- your extra dollar affect the livelihood of serference in how anxious she was about grocery vice industry workers? To learn more about money or just paying certain bills. how tips and tipped wages affect Chicago baristas, 14 East talked to local experts and “I was making probably $18 an hour with credit conducted a survey of 25 coffee shops across card tips,” Coxhead said. “Which as a student, the city. Here’s what we found. like, oh my God, yes.” First of all… why are baristas considered But at her other barista gig at Colectivo Coffee tipped workers? And why does it matter? in Lincoln Park, the tips were “a joke,” Coxhead A tipped worker is an employee whose direct said. According to a manager for the chain, Col- hourly wage is under the legal minimum, with ectivo doesn’t have a system in place that allows the law requiring that they will make up the customers to tip when they pay on a card, which difference through tips. In Chicago, where means Coxhead only received cash tips. This minimum wage is $11 an hour, the tipped amounted to $30 a week, she said — working wage is currently set at $6.10, though emfull time, that meant tips were only about an ex- ployers can set their rate for tipped wages tra $1 per hour on top of her $13 an hour shift anywhere between the two. lead wage. For the most part, any employee who receives After three and a half years, the loss of tipped a base amount of monthly tips may be considincome was enough to make her quit her job at ered a tipped worker. According to the U.S. Colectivo in October 2017 after the company re- Department of Labor (DOL), Illinois employpeatedly failed to implement a credit card-based ees receiving more than $20 in tips a month tipping system, even after multiple employee can be paid a tipped hourly wage. appeals. (Colectivo, which is based in Milwaukee, did not respond to a request for comment That’s a lower threshold than the federal before publication.) standard, which rules that employees have to be paid $30 a month in tips to be conMany customers don’t realize their seemingly sidered tipped workers. The federal tipped small tips — doled out mostly on a whim or by minimum wage is also much lower at $2.13 circumstance — can have a significant impact on an hour, though only 18 states use that rate. 84
Twenty-four states — Illinois included — allow employers to pay above the federal tipped wage but below minimum wage. The remaining eight states have abolished the tipped wage, meaning all employees make at least an hourly minimum wage. Wage rates can vary by municipality, too, which is why Chicago has a higher tipped wage ($6.10) than Illinois ($4.95). Chicago City Council passed an ordinance in 2013 that will raise minimum wage to $13 by 2019. As a result, Chicago’s tipped wage will be adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI), a metric that
you have baristas who are being considered tipped employees, it can obviously become problematic,” said Alison Dickson, an instructor in the School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. “Most customers aren’t thinking of them as tipped employees.” Basically: tipping in coffee shops isn’t as culturally ingrained as tipping in a restaurant, yet some baristas are just as reliant on tips as servers to make a minimum hourly wage.
Kathleen Fatica
catalogs the average prices of consumer goods and is often used as an economic indicator of inflation.
What happens if a barista realizes they are not making minimum wage?
Like Coxhead mentioned, tipping depends on a host of factors — store location, season, whether or not customers have an option to tip with credit card. But beyond that, many customers simply don’t know whether or not they’re “supposed” to tip baristas, or if it’s just a gratuity for especially good service.
If a tipped worker’s wages do not add up to Chicago’s standard minimum of $11 an hour, their employer is legally required to make up the difference. However, Dickson said, it may be difficult for employees to seek recourse if their employers fail to adequately compensate them. Employees can file complaints with the Illinois or federal DOL, but that process may be slow and arduous.
“When you have a place like a coffee shop, where 85
Even when a state-level DOL rules in an employee’s favor, enforcement often lacks teeth — a Politico report released last week found that most states often lack the resources to ensure employees receive those wages after an investigation. According to the report, Illinois has fewer than 10 investigators to enforce the minimum wage across the entire state. In August 2017, the Chicago Reporter argued that because of ineffective enforcement, wage complaints decreased 40 percent from 2010.
Act. Before taking legal action, a group of employees can approach an employer about a violation of their legal rights (such as not making the minimum wage) and provide a written list of demands, establishing a timeline for when their rights should be met. Having demands in writing — and signed by each individual — provides documentation and protection under the law.
When we began our reporting, we wanted to know whether any coffee shop employees were making below minimum wage because Dickson said the better option would be to con- of their tipped wages. Of the 25 coffee shops sult a worker center — an organization designed we surveyed, six employees reported being to provide support and mediation for nonunion- paid a tipped wage, ranging from $8.25 to ized low-wage workers. $10.50 an hour. However, none of the coffee shop employees we spoke to reported being Carolyn Morales is a worker center organizer paid less than minimum wage, even those at Arise Chicago, where she helps coordinate who were paid a tipped wage. workers into campaigns. Arise’s goals are to educate, organize and send employees back to their Looking Forward workplace to further educate their co-workers. Morales said the direction she’ll point an aggrieved employee in depends on a variety of factors, such as whether they want to keep their job or if they want to deal with the legal system. Arise hosts a “Know Your Rights” workshop around once a month at their home base in the West Loop, where staffers give a brief overview of employees’ legal rights in English, Spanish and Polish upon request.
The issue isn’t limited to coffee shops, either. Dickson and Morales both stressed that tipped workers are cheated out of wages throughout the service industry, whatever the reason.
“People have rights they didn’t know they had,” Morales said. “For instance, the minimum wage is the minimum wage. You literally can’t pay anyone under it.”
According to a 2010 study by the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago, 15 percent of sampled tipped workers experienced violations of the tipped minimum wage in Cook County — in some instances, they did not even net the base $6.10 an hour. The tipped workers from the survey were employed in a variety of jobs, the most common being restaurant workers, car wash workers, housekeepers and other “personal service workers.”
Morales often sees employees who may not be aware they’re being cheated until they undergo the process for documenting hours and wages. She said the easiest way to discover if an employee is making minimum is to show them the amount of money they should be making, assuming their employer complies with the law. Once they have that number, they can compare it to what they’re actually making.
“[We] show them this isn’t a problem with your one industry or individual workplace,” Morales said. “It’s a systemic problem across industries.”
Even when a worker documents and reports their case, they still might not earn the minimum wage they’re entitled to under the law — Whatever the workplace issue is, Morales rec- whether because of ineffective enforcement, ommends that all action be taken along with a immigration status or unscrupulous employgroup of co-workers — this legally creates a form ers. of collective bargaining that protects them from Moreover, the minimum wage rate can vary retaliation under the National Labor Relations widely depending on the city and state of the 86
A map of Chicago coffee shops. Red locations hourly pay below minimum wage. Cody Corrall
workplace. A barista in the nearby suburb of Cary, Illinois — where minimum wage is $8.25 an hour — may be paid the state tipped wage of $4.95 an hour. Across the border in Gary, Indiana, a different barista could be paid the federal tipped wage of $2.13 an hour.
employee to know what experience each individual person is inclined toward, unless they’re a long-time regular.
“When you look across the board, food service workers and tipped workers are some of the most poorly paid workers of any industry,” At the end of the day, tips aren’t just goodwill Dickson said. “Just to make that situation — for tipped workers, they’re a part of the wage. even more vulnerable is problematic. Looking In most industries, an employee’s wage is de- to states like California that have completely cided by the employer. But for service workers eliminated this tiered system is the way we and other tipped employees, tips mean a final should be thinking.” wage can be decided directly by the client that employee is serving. This is a rarity outside the Additional reporting by Madeline Happold, service sector. Cody Corrall and Francesca Mathewes Because of this, eight states — such as California, Oregon and Minnesota — have completely eliminated the tipped wage. This means tipped workers are paid the state’s hourly minimum wage. Midterm elections are forthcoming, but none of Illinois’s gubernatorial candidates — Democratic or Republican — has made eliminating the tipped wage part of his or her campaign platform. It’s important to recognize that there is no standard for why a customer tips. People are looking for different experiences from their baristas and servers, and there’s no way for the 87
Modern Day Jane Carina Smith March 2, 2018
Every Friday night, members of an unofficial DePaul student organization sit around and wait for the phone to ring from students who are in need of contraception, pregnancy tests or lubrication. From 6 until 11 p.m., the members of Students for Reproductive Justice (SRJ) hang out near campus — but never on campus — waiting to get a message on Google Voice. SRJ isn’t allowed to distribute condoms on campus. They can’t hang flyers in the Student Center, they don’t have an OrgSync account and DePaul largely ignores them — they aren’t considered a campus organization because of their mission and values. When SRJ began, they mulled over the idea of registering as an official DePaul club, but they knew if they were to try they wouldn’t be able to hand out anything controversial like condoms, pregnancy tests or lubrication — an aspect they still aren’t willing to give up.
DePaul’s Catholic values have kept condoms at bay, but the students who run SRJ want sexual health to be discussed more widely at the university. The opposing views and a university policy that prohibits the distribution of “medical or health supplies/devices” on campus that the university has deemed to be “inappropriate from the perspective of the institution’s mis88
sion and value” have kept SRJ officially off campus. The Office of Health Promotion and Wellness was not available for a comment before the time of publication. “Health Promotion and Wellness is currently in the middle of an extremely busy time for our office,” director Shannon Suffoletto said. “I try and do whatever I can to meet the needs of those of you working on these important health topics, however, this week I do not have a staff member available to accommodate your request.” Despite the university’s stance, students in need of condoms grab their phones and text the number that’s been distributed through fliers, social media and word-of-mouth. Privately, SRJ will provide anyone in need of their services with free contraceptives — no
Annie Zidek
questions asked. The program was named Text Jane after an organization started in Chicago over 50 years earlier that echoed a similar message for reproductive rights. The fight for rights over one’s sexual health and livelihoods isn’t a fresh battleground. The debate over what is legal and morally right
has been tossed over legislative bills and dinner tables for years, with students at the forefront of the argument. With a similar fight to provide resources to their community while staying out of the limelight, the modern-day Text Jane is the aftermath of an era when women in Chicago called a private number and asked to speak to “Jane” in the hopes of terminating an unwanted pregnancy without risking their life, in a time before abortions were legal in the United States.
it grew through hushed whispers that came behind closed doors, spreading to the women who were stuck between a rock and a hard place and had nowhere else to turn.
The group’s mission reached the ears of women around the city, and eventually around the state. Access to safe and affordable abortions wasn’t a possibility before, but now women wouldn’t have to worry about bleeding out on a bathroom floor just to receive an abortion. It all started in 1965. At the time, abortion Organizers for the Abortion Counseling Serwasn’t as easy to access as it is today. Abortion vice manned the phones and waited for the was largely illegal, but instead of unplanned voice on the end of the receiver to ask for Jane. pregnancy statistics spiking across the nation, desperate women turned to expensive and dan- Seeing the rating that DePaul had gotgerous avenues in order to terminate a pregnan- ten from Trojan in 2011 about campus sexual cy. Women ran the risk that the physicians they health, SRJ founder Amy Weidner realized were trusting could be completely unqualified there was a problem on campus. Trojan bases or they could be charged an excessive amount of their ratings on the strengths and weaknessmoney for the procedure. The term “coat-hanger es of health centers on campuses, and DePaul
This wasn’t a group that plastered their name on billboards overlooking the interstate. Rather, it grew through hushed whispers that came behind closed doors, spreading to the women who were stuck between a rock and a hard place and had nowhere else to turn. abortion” wasn’t a punchline to a middle school joke, but the reality that many women put themselves through in order to self-induce. Over fifty years ago in the city of Chicago, a girl approached her sister’s friend, Heather Booth, about her unplanned pregnancy. She was scared and didn’t know what to do. Booth, a student at the University of Chicago at the time, was able to find a doctor who would perform the procedure. However, she knew something had to be done for the other women who were in a similar position.
didn’t offer enough programs, services and handouts available to make their way off the bottom of the list. Weider knew that despite DePaul’s low rating, students could emphasize sexual health themselves by offering education and materials on campus. The latest Trojan Report Card came out in 2016 and showed DePaul had moved up to 125 out of 140 overall in sexual health.
Weider met Melissa Haggerty, a student at Loyola who started the first Students for Reproductive Justice. When the first SRJ was formed, the Loyola students decided to take Eventually, too many women were calling and matters into their own hands. Reaching out looking for help. Booth gathered some other and talking with friends, Weider realized that women, and together they started the Abortion there was a need at DePaul for reproductive Counseling Service of Women’s Liberation. This rights and accessible protection. wasn’t a group that plastered their name on billboards overlooking the interstate. Rather, Once the Center for Identity, Inclusion and 89
Social Change shut down in August, Weidner knew it was time for something to be done. The founding members felt there was no active feminist or social justice group on campus that students could turn to. The founders wanted to bring reproductive justice to the forefront at DePaul, putting in their mission statement that they see “gender and racial violence, police brutality, mass incarceration, and the brutality of war” as “attacks on reproductive justice.”
Jane initially set women up with doctors who could perform the abortions discreetly and safely. Over time, the collective started to rely on one doctor, nicknamed “Nick” by former member Laura Kaplan in her book “The Story of Jane.” Nick was seen as one of the most trustworthy doctors to the collective because he allowed members to remain present during the procedures, ensuring them of their client’s safety.
Cody Corrall
Taking a firm stance on feminism, pro-choice laws and protecting every aspect of reproduction rights, the unofficial organization wanted to push past merely providing condoms on campus to creating a space for DePaul’s student body that promotes inclusivity and justice under the umbrella of the original reproductive justice mission.
One member was trained by Nick to help perform abortions. She demanded he show her how, because in her words, he shouldn’t be able to hold all of the knowledge. As time went on, though, many started to question Nick’s qualifications as a doctor. He carried no license, and other doctors pointed out his discrepancies. The suspicion grew within the collective that maybe Nick had lied — perhaps he wasn’t a doctor.
Last August, Students for Reproductive Justice was born from both a lack of condoms and a space for healthy sex talk on campus. People were shocked when the leaders finally announced that Nick had lied about being Social media wasn’t even an inkling of a licensed physician. They felt deceived, disan idea in the ‘60s, making the Jane Collective credited and untrusting. Many left the group, an immense undertaking for the founders of losing faith in Jane and its mission. But this the underground abortion hotline. Every ques- wasn’t about to slow them down. Through tion and problem was addressed early on in the Nick and other physicians, the women who collective’s history. When a woman called, she remained learned techniques to perform an was directed to a Jane member who could talk abortion themselves. to them about their pregnancy and the possible procedure. The collective rented two apartments Nick helped with some abortions, but by 1971 at a time in the city — one for women to initially nearly all procedures were done by the Jane show up at so they could wait, the second to be women. They lowered the prices for proceused for the actual procedure. dures and started offering pap smears for women who needed them. They were not only 90
becoming well-known by women across the city, according to founding member Jenni Holtz. but also to the officials who wanted their practice to stop. Though known for their free condom distribution every Friday night, SRJ takes all forms of Condoms in hand, SRJ brought the conversa- sexual health into account for students. tion about sexual health on campus. They chose to remain an unofficial organization after seeing “I think the appeal with Text Jane is that we the way that Loyola’s administration, another offer more than condoms,” founding member Catholic university, handled the original chap- Charlotte Byrd said. “We offer internal and ter. Loyola’s SRJ was not allowed to become a external condoms, pregnancy tests for free, campus organization when they first formed. lube and dental dams as well. So it’s not just However, the founders at DePaul still wanted to a condom that fits someone’s perhaps prebe a part of campus life. At the beginning of the ferred sexual activity, but also anyone who is new school year, they were passing condoms out involved in any sexual conduct.” to students as they made their morning treks to class. DePaul’s Office of Health Promotion and As time went on, SRJ realized that DePaul stuWellness quickly ended the morning campus dents needed more than just a condom after a handouts due to a strict university policy. date. In January, they helped form a counter protest against the annual March for Life with According to SRJ, the university told the new or- other DePaul organizations. At the same time, ganization of their policy, titled “Restrictions on the students are also in the process of creating Public Distribution of Inappropriate Health and a self-defense class for students and those in
Weider says the organization “grew from caring about just STIs and STDs and sexual health on campus, to being about reproductive justice as a whole.” Medical Devices/Supplies.” This policy allowed for the university to effectively put a stop to the ‘condoms on campus’ crusade that SRJ took on, but it’s also a rare one to be on the books at a college campus. As of 2011, the most recent data available, approximately 84.9 percent of all schools distribute condoms to students, but most faith-based universities do not. Both Providence College and Marquette University explicitly state that they do not hand out condoms. So while DePaul may be in a minority by not offering condoms, they are on par with many religious schools across the country.
Chicago, and a space for sexual assault survivors to talk and find help. Weider says the organization “grew from caring about just STIs and STDs and sexual health on campus, to being about reproductive justice as a whole.” SRJ has grabbed the attention of those around them. They receive condoms and donations from a private donor, the Howard Brown Health Center and Catholics for Choice. They also won the best campus organization award from Bedsider, an online birth control support network. In September 2017, classes hadn’t been in session for a month when SRJ received a grant from Bedsider that has allowed them to keep everything free — and accessible — to students who need them.
Regardless, it hasn’t slowed SRJ down. When they first made their appearance in fall quarter last year, they started with a Text Jane initiative. Named after the Jane Collective, SRJ set up a Google Voice number for students to call if they needed a condom late at night. It became more popular than they realized, with students even “Bottom line, we encourage the healthy sexual asking if they were around over winter break, lives of all people and the access to have safe 91
sex,” Byrd said. The Jane Collective ran for a number of years, right under the noses of the Chicago Police Department. They always stayed one step ahead, never quite got caught and continued to help as many as 10 women a day, four days a week. Eventually in 1972, two women went to the police and said their sister-in-law was planning to get an abortion and they knew the organization that was planning to help her. Two homicide detectives traced the women in the group and found the collective in a South Shore apartment. They arrested seven of the members and took the patients who were waiting for an abortion to the hospital.
many students will say reproductive rights matter to them and they talk about how they want to help bring supplies to other students or get the university to change its stance. But when it comes time to organize, there aren’t students there to help back them up. For SRJ, pushing their members to get involved and show they care in person, and not just on social media, is a part of their ultimate goal. “A big thing about being [at] a Catholic university is trying to shift the narrative a little bit, because you get a lot of ‘I care about these people’ but not a lot of actual caring,” Weider said about student activism. “It’s a lot of talk but no action.”
Despite the struggle to work around university policies while bringing safe sex resources to DePaul’s Catholic campus, SRJ continues to open their doors for anyone no matter the situation. They are active every Friday night responding to Text Jane messages, and setting up spaces for people to talk about every aspect of reproductive rights on campus and in the The women who were caught were indicted and community. released on bail. While awaiting trial, the Supreme Court ruled in the 1973 decision Roe v. Fifty three years after the Jane Collective startWade, and abortion was made legal across the ed in Chicago, SRJ continues to organize the country. Women were able to legally access fight for people to have a say when it comes to abortions by licensed doctors, and the need for their bodies. They are the modern-day Janes; Jane no longer remained. With the decision, their goals of creating justice aren’t too far the charges against the Jane members were off the mark from that University of Chicago dropped. student who wanted to help a woman find an abortion. The members all went on to live their lives. Some became activists, while others continued with “We’re here for you,” Weider said. “If you’re their previous careers, had children and hoped needing anything, if you need a feminist space that their services would never be needed again. for any reason, we’re here for you and we’ll support you.” SRJ continues the battle for safe sex and safe abortions — no matter the social class, economic status or previous life choices of those who seek their services. While in the police van, one member pulled a stack of cards out of her purse containing patient information. They took the part of the paper that held names and addresses, and ate them to avoid police tracking down the women who had received, or were going to receive, an abortion.
“When people hear ‘reproductive justice’ they think it’s just about condoms and just about women,” Holtz said. “But the term reproductive justice is so much broader than that. Basically, it understands that anything that is a threat to reproductive rights is a threat to the community.” As they continue to grow, members work to push activism into the community. Weider noticed 92
A day with the pokedémons Dylan van sickle March 30, 2018
I’m up to about three packs a week now, and I just can’t seem to quit. No one could have told me that, at 26, I would be sneaking away to Target on my lunch break to buy packs of Pokémon cards, but here I am, and I’m loving every minute of it. I’d be silly to try to convince you into thinking that Pokémon isn’t on the fringes of geekdom — it absolutely is. But it’s also a supportive, tightknit community and the highest-grossing media franchise of all time.
ing card game I stopped playing as a teen? Do people even do this anymore? “That was the general mindset for a long time until 2016, when Pokémon Go came out. Then it became this fad that any person could pick up,” Ryan Hebert, DePaul sophomore, said.
Hebert is President of the DePaul PokéDemons, an organization that welcomes “the hardest of hardcore to people who have a mild interest in our club,” according to their Twitter page. He first started getting into I mean, it’s not like I had some grand plan to get Pokémon in the early-2000s, when he was back into Pokémon or anything. It just sort of around six or seven, and played until he startfound me — again, this time in a booth across ed middle school. After picking it back up from my friend at Brownstones. As we sat around his sophomore year of high school, he down, he reached in his backpack and handed never stopped. me a lime green, faux-snakeskin binder. Inside, Pokémon cards were organized three-by-three “It’s statistics, rock paper scissors with 20 in protective plastic sheets. As I slowly flipped different ways to throw rock, and then rolling through the pages, he handed me something. the die,” Hebert said. “You stack these three things on top of each other, and you have [the “A welcome back pack,” he said. game]. Yeah, it’s pretty geeky, I’ll say that. Most people like to embrace it because it’s I carefully separated the plastic foil packaging, something they like to do.” respecting the fragility of the ten round-edged pieces of paper I would soon own. In the five Hebert, along with several of his fellow seconds or so before the cards were revealed, the PokéDemons, don’t just embrace the game — possibilities seemed endless. It had been some they play it competitively at Pokémon Regionthirteen years since I last opened a pack, but in al Championships all over the U.S. that moment last month the only thing that mattered was whether I’d score an ultra rare or not. “In the past three regional events, the turnout has been record-breaking,” Hebert said. “The Nothing. last one I went to in Dallas had over 1,400 people competing in the video game and card No matter. The cards were secondary to the game.” feeling. It was this safe place where warmth and imagination crossed to give me a much-needed Competitive players, or trainers, are sorted dose of some healthy nostalgia. into three divisions determined by age. After which, the most victorious Junior, Senior But why, with a year left in college and a very and Master division trainers battle it out for a adult life ahead of me, am I returning to a trad- chance to earn — based on attendance — up 93
to $5,000 in the form of a scholarship, cash or a Pokémon Visa Prepaid Card. However, the prizes at regionals are peanuts compared to the spoils from the big dance: the Pokémon World Championships. At worlds, over $500,000 worth in prizes are doled out, with the winners of each age division taking home a cool $25,000.
alized that 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. time slot in the library was only halftime. Because from 1 to 4 p.m., most of the PokéDemons head over to the neighborhood Good Games for Pokemon League, a weekly gathering of local trainers interested in trading, chatting or battling. Well, usually. We made the three-block trek only to confirm our deepest fears — that an army of over 50 Magic the Gathering players had taken over the space to hold a tournament.
Let’s face it though, if people really played for money, it wouldn’t be Pokémon. That’s because it isn’t just a game, it’s a lifestyle demonstrated to the fullest extent every Saturday morning I remember seeing backs, not faces. Rows of when the DePaul PokéDemons meet. white tables housed the predominantly-male group of Magic players who, at that point, I have to admit, I was nervous. I’ve been out were too deep into their game to notice we of the game for quite some time, and I had no were there. It stood in almost symbolic con
clue what to expect from a group of people who meet every week to discuss all things Pokémon. However, as soon as I entered the library room in Lincoln Park where the meeting was held, my nerves were replaced with affirmation. The DePaul PokéDemons were just as advertised — kind and catering to both hardcore trainers like my friend and amateurs coming out of retirement like yours truly. There were matches being held, trades being made and a rundown of future events and tournaments. As we approached the end of the meeting, I re94
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trast to the group of PokéDemons who welcomed me as one of their own a couple hours ago. Despite the setback, hope was not lost. The remaining PokéDemons alerted their fellow league members of the change, and told them to meet back on campus. There, we met up with the rest of the league, including league owner Matthew Verive. Verive first got into Pokémon in the mid-2000s, but he’s played competitively since 2009.
“Then to now, I’ve been playing and seeing how the game has expanded in popularity,” Verive said. “We went from our biggest tournament being like 600 people to now over 1,000 in a single age division.” Even though Verive is a competitive player, it is clear that he enjoys the responsibility that comes with leading a Pokémon League. “League is good for getting practice in before tournaments, trading with other players and generally just hanging out with other people who play Pokémon.”
While some may laugh-off Pokémon as some “kiddie game,” people like Verive and Hebert prove that there is nothing wrong with keeping one foot forward, and the other in the familiar. While some may laugh-off Pokémon as some “kiddie game,” people like Verive and Hebert prove that there is nothing wrong with keeping one foot forward, and the other in the familiar. “Go to a Pokémon tournament, and just see what goes on,” Verive said. “See the variety of people that are there, the amount of just camaraderie and friendship that there is. And you can see that some of that is definitely a family. That’s the best way I can explain it — The Pokémon community is a second family to me.” In the afternoon I spent with the PokéDemons and the Pokémon League, I understood exactly what Verive meant. As I looked up and down a long table littered with sandwich wrappers, binders and empty packs of Pokémon cards, I felt like a guest at the most welcoming family gathering ever assembled. A family where there were no fights — only battles, and a casual confidence that only comes from feeling at home.
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the discourse of death Rachel fernandez April 6, 2018
“My name is Dennis White. I’m 63 years old. And my brain is dying.” Dennis White, a Massachusetts resident, was diagnosed with a terminal neurological illness called Primary Progressive Aphasia. The illness affects the brain, impairing the speech and memory of those who have it over time. In a 2015 documentary where White talks about his struggle with the disease and his death, he speaks his sentences slowly, as if he is deliberately thinking of each word that comes out of his mouth. “I never thought about death until I was diagnosed, and then it suddenly became urgent,” he says. “And I want to go out with a bang, like I’ve lived most my life.” Cue White’s inspiration: an (end of) life-changing TED talk about the Infinity Burial Suit.
and completely covers the body, including the hands and feet. It also includes a hood that covers the face but can be removed for postmortem viewings. The biomix is infused in crocheted lines, which look like roots or veins on the suit. With such a new product, White, his family and Lee faced several logistical issues, such as fitting the suit to his body, planning a funeral that would appease his whole family and finding a cemetery that would accommodate his unusual burial. For some reason, it’s hard to imagine anything other than literally burning a person’s corpse or putting it into a human-sized jewelry box and burying it like a morbid time capsule.
In fact, modern funeral practices didn’t start developing until the Industrial Revolution. The Infinity Burial Suit, created by entrepre- An article by criminal justice scholars Virginneur, artist and designer Jae Rhim Lee, is a bio- ia Beard and William Burger in the “Omega: degradable garment worn by someone who died Journal of Death and Dying,” says that before to help the natural decomposition of their body. the end of the 17th century, funerals were According to the website, “the Infinity Burial small, short and informal with nothing but Suit has a built in biomix, made up of of mush- the family and a simple wooden casket. rooms and other microorganisms that together do three things: aid in decomposition, work to The rituals became more ceremonial in the neutralize toxins found in the body and transfer United States as cities began growing econutrients to plant life.” It is currently also one nomically and culturally. Scientific and inof the most environmentally friendly ways to get dustrial innovations allowed for a cultural rid of a dead body. shift in death views and practices. People had railroads and medicine, and as lives became In the wake of his diagnosis, White and his fam- longer, so did the funerals. ily found themselves needing to prepare for his rapidly approaching death, and after seeing the This, however, also began further dividing TED talk about the mushroom death suit, White classes with the more wealthy people buryreached out to Lee to be the experimental sub- ing their loved ones on plots in churches and ject for her new product. “commoners” using family-owned farms and cemeteries. Basically, death practices became The customized suit, which Lee refers to as “nin- a way to show wealth and affluence. Around ja pajamas” in her talk, comes in black or white the Civil War era, people also began using 96
metal coffins, headstones and flowers to show their status. The ritual evolved, and what we think of as the “traditional” funeral — embalming, visitations, burials — became the norm in the 1920s, and ever since, the funeral industry experiences significant changes each time society undergoes an increase in wealth.
In the midst of covering all of the logistics, White’s family entered unfamiliar territory: talking frequently and openly about the impending death of a loved one. They found themselves needing to balance their emotions and logic while planning his burial.
“In some respects, dealing with the logistical things is, I think, a way to cope with it without having to deal with the emotional half,” said According to the Parting, the average funeral to- White’s son, Marshall White. “I figure there day can cost anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000, will be plenty of time for that.” and the cost grows higher each year. The Bureau of Labor Statistics cites that funeral expenses
Rachel Fernandez
rose 227.1 percent between December 1986 and September 2017.
For the months after learning about Coeio, the company that manufactures the Infinity Burial Suit, almost all of my conversations (both The Infinity Burial Suit costs $1,500. Most peo- reporting-related and otherwise) started with ple in the United States, however, choose a fu- the question, “Would you ever get buried in a neral and burial or cremation, even with other mushroom death suit?” The general responsoptions available. es were blank stares and confusion. As someone who has never felt uncomfortable about White died on September 22, 2016 in Woburn, death — a death enthusiast, even — I thought Massachusetts, at 64 years old. His body, wear- the answer would be a unanimous “yes.” It’s ing the Infinity Burial Suit, is buried on a plot in cheap, practical and good for the environMaine. ment. But people seemed a lot more reluctant to challenge death traditions than I expected. 97
Cremation or coffin; it’s weird to think of anything else.
the tour is a grave marked by an ominous bronze figure worn a minty green by time. The name of the statue is Eternal Silence but is As a society, we tend to avoid talking about dy- sometimes referred to as The Statue of Death, ing although it’s a reality every person will have and legend has it that if you look into his face, to face — the situation is inevitable. But speak- you can see your own death. ing with people who are routinely more open about death can give a peace of mind about the As the tour continued, we followed his lead as subject. Selzer stopped in front of a gravestone with the name “MANUEL” displayed on the front To get a grasp on the lengths people will go for 40-year-old anesthesiologist Christopher to for a fancy grave, I took a tour of Graceland Manuel, who died in 2005. On top of the Cemetery with some other death enthusiasts on death-stone sat an iron figure of a young man a cloudy October morning. Adam Selzer guided playing a flute. Inscribed on the side of the our group around the famous cemetery, giving grave were lyrics from the Donny Hathaway us facts and stories about some of the plots. Red jazz standard “For All We Know.” and yellow leaves scattered on the walkway and crunched under our shoes as he led everyone “It always makes me think, ‘What do we want from one intricate grave to the next. on our gravestones?” Selzer said. “For me, I want a bit of Fiddler Jones epitaph from the The cemetery stretches 119 acres, and buried six Spoon River anthology: feet beneath its soil are notable names like famous German-American architect Ludwig Mies The earth keeps some vibration going van der Rohe, Hall of Fame Chicago Cubs base- There in your heart, and that is you. ball player Ernie Banks and Charles Dickens’ And if the people find you can fiddle, “no-good” (according to Selzer) brother Augus- Why, fiddle you must, for all your life.” tus. He adjusted his thick-rimmed black glasses Selzer is a Chicago-based author and tour guide, that had the phrase “nothing is real” written and a field agent for Atlas Obscura. His research in white on the sides (an intriguing Beatles and area of interest primarily center around the reference for someone who gives cemetery history of ghost stories, grave robbing and other and ghost tours) and shifted the crowd onto aspects of the bizarre and supernatural (he also the next death display. has a range of young-adult novels, with my favorite title being “How to Get Suspended and Death lives beyond cemeteries, though, so Influence People”). might as well tackle the subject in school. Kyle Nash is a professor at DePaul University Along with writing novels and nonfiction history who regularly teaches an online course called books on the supernatural subjects, Selzer gives Death and Dying: Facing Mortality, Celebratcemetery tours where he talks about notable ing Life. She created the class because she graves and people buried at the locations. His felt that other classes centered around dying line of work requires him to constantly be sur- and death that she encountered were more rounded by the concept of mortality, and since didactic and taught in a way she referred to the topic is omnipresent in his work, Selzer finds as “out there” or emotionally unattached. She it easier than many to speak more openly about had seen classes that talked about the histodeath. ry of death practices and how other cultures viewed death, but nothing that looked inter“You kind of get jaded to it after a while,” Selzer nally at how people process death. said. “You can’t let death have too much power over you. It’s got all the power over you that it “I believe that everything starts with us,” Nash needs, but if we laugh at it a little bit, we can said. “Our experiences create the filter which keep it at a distance.” we take in information, process it, and then it comes back out.” Near the entrance and one of the first stops on 98
Rachel Fernandez
Nash’s online course aims to create a more open and honest dialogue about death. Through initiating this new outlook, Nash hopes her students become better prepared for conversations about the subject. Her course involves some of the didactic “out there” material, but she specifically formulated it to be experimental so students can learn to process feelings of loss themselves. The students are graded through discussion boards and self-guided activities that make them think deeply about death, loss and the way they grieve because, in Nash’s experience, “it’s not a matter of if people grieve. It’s a matter of when and how.” Mirroring the name of the course, Nash assigns her students to do something where they’re celebrating life and write a personal reflection on their experience. This could be as small as watching their favorite movie or as big as traveling to a new place. Later on in the course, the students take the same concept, but apply it to facing mortality. 99
They can tackle anything from starting to plan a funeral with a family member, writing a will or looking into how they would like to have their bodies disposed of after their own death. “The key component is personal experience where people, through these exercises and discussions, are tapping very deeply into their own loss issues that may not even be related to death,” Nash said. She finds that teaching her class online and not forcing her students to meet face-to-face encourages them to think more deeply about death and loss, since they can be more vulnerable on their own and not have to worry about getting too emotional around other students in a classroom. Although Nash and Selzer are among those trying to change the dialogue around death, it is still a largely taboo topic among the general population.
While a class is one practical approach to getting people to create a more open dialogue about death, it’s impossible to know how anyone will respond to the situation until they are actually faced with it — and even when they are in the situation, the choices may feel overwhelming. One way people can tackle this anxiety is through hiring an end-of-life doula. Unlike a regular doula, who is trained to assist people during childbirth, an end-of-life provides support during the process of dying. According to the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA), doulas “assist people in finding meaning, creating a legacy project and planning for how the last days will unfold.” Their work does not stop with their clients, however, but extends to providing support for their loved ones in the grieving process. Haley Broadway is an end-of-life doula based in Chicago whose main job is to provide emotional, spiritual and physical support to people who are dying. Broadway’s clients range in age from elderly people to children. Her goal is to make people directly facing death more comfortable with the topic and situation. Although relatively similar, her work varies from that of a hospice in that she is able to give more physical support when her clients need it. “Sometimes people just want to be held, and that’s what it really comes down to,” Broadway said. “Being a doula offers a sense of intimacy with our clients, and that sense of being held and being loved and that sense of security is really important.” Her support subsequently extends to the family, and she helps them cope after their family member’s death. One of her missions is to help make post-death arrangements for her dying clients. The specifics vary greatly from person to person because of culture and tradition. “We talk about funeral plans, burial options, whether they want to be embalmed or not, cremated, whether they want to have a funeral service,” Broadway said. “We want to make sure that we talk about everything beforehand so we’re really able to advocate for them and create the space for them that they wanted.” Broadway’s clients get an emotional pillar and a hand to hold during the most vulnerable times 100
of their lives, and more voices are being heard as the conversations about death continue to grow, like mushrooms from a burial plot in Maine.