22 West Magazine - 2022 March Issue

Issue 88.01 · Mar 07, 2022 · 22westmedia.com

Women’s Issue 22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 1

1

3/1/22 1:04 PM

G IN

NG TI

I W EIG H T G A

N

GOAL SETT

INTUIT IVE EA

W E ME NT

VE

N TIO I R UT

LOSS HT IG

SPORTS N

N O PE I G T N I I E R N U T R SEL N U CO HE

Looking to adopt a healthier lifestyle through nutrition? Work with a peer nutrition counselor to discover eating habits that best suit your lifestyle, dietary preferences and individualized goals.

Receive a set of reusable utensils after completing two sessions.

**Clients seeking counseling for an eating disorder or complex medical condition will be referred to Student Health Services.

A L T H IM

PR

O

Virtual and In-Person Sessions Available Registration Period: Feb. 14 - April 29 For more information, visit asirecreation.org/nutrition-counseling.

To request disability-related accommodations, complete the Bob Murphy Access Center Event Request Form at asicsulb.org/calendar. asirecreation.org

2

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 2

@CSULBSRWC

@CSULBASI #MySRWC

3/1/22 1:04 PM

3

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 3

3/1/22 1:04 PM

LETTER FROM AN EDITOR

T

he first magazine of 2022! I’m so happy to be at 22 West Media for another semester and to watch all the amazing people in the magazine department create. Please stay tuned and see what other content 22 West Media comes out with this year!

This month’s issue is covering women from all walks of life to commemorate Women’s History Month.

We did the same issue theme last March, and I’m happy that we’re revisiting it. Not to be biased (because I am being biased), but I think women are truly something to be celebrated. I also think that we should bring awareness to the pains that women must face including societal pressure, beauty standards, hormones, an encyclopedia’s worth of side effects that comes with every pack of birth control pills, all of it. I’ve met some absolutely resilient women in my life and I stand in awe watching them continue to strive against all odds.

To wrap up probably the only letter they’ll let me write after realizing why I don’t write for the magazine; I want to acknowledge the Black, queer, trans, disabled, and other minorities of women who deserve the spotlight this month and every other month of the year. I would also like to remind you that there are resources for women in need of help. I’ve listed two numbers below and please check https://www.csulb. edu/campus-resources for more.

U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233 Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860

- LIANNA SCHIEBER, DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

MAGAZINE STAFF Andres Leon, Editor-in-Chief editorinchief@22westmedia.com Jensen Puckett, Managing Editor managingeditor@22westmedia.com Avery Keller, Lead Copy Editor copyeditor@22westmedia.com Lianna Schieber, Distribution Manager distributionmanager@22westmedia.com Jake Winkle, Art Director artdirector@22westmedia.com

COVER DESIGN Patrick Daugherty, Illustrator @theworldsmostaverageman

VOLUNTEER MEETINGS Tuesday @ 4PM Zoom ID: 883 7808 9878 Passcode: Mag!

CONTACT US Email: info@22westmedia.com Mail: 1212 Bellflower Blvd, Suite 108 Long Beach, CA 90815 Disclaimer and Publication Information: 22 West Magazine is published using ad money and partial funding provided by the Associated Students, Inc. All Editorials are the opinions of their individual authors, not the magazine, ASI nor LBSU. All students are welcome and encouraged to be a part of the staff.

All letters to the editor will be considered for publication. However, LBSUstudents will have precedence.

Please include name and major for all submissions.

They are subject to editing and will not be returned.

Letters may or may not be edited for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and length. 22 West Magazine will publish anonymous letters, articles, editorials, and illustrations, but must have your name and information attached for our records. Letters to the editor should be no longer than 500 words. 22 West Magazine assumes no responsibility, nor is it liable, for claims of its advertisers. Grievance procedures are available in the Associated Students business office.

4

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 4

3/1/22 1:04 PM

CULTURE

PHOTOS PROVIDED BY LORI BARALT

MOLDING MINDS OF FUTURE ACTIVISTS

BY LAUREN GALVAN

WE ARE A RESOURCE TO THE CAMPUS

A

fter growing up in a conservative family, Lori Baralt had no idea others had progressive thoughts as she did, let alone a whole major and career centered around it.

Baralt, an associate professor and department chair of the women’s, gender, and sexuality studies at Long Beach State University, is striving for a better future for all. While attending college at the University of Florida, she changed her major at least four times until she finally settled on political science.

“Then I took a women’s studies class and at that time, it was just called women’s studies,” Baralt said. “I loved it like I was excited to do my readings and to write things and I felt like it was relevant to my life.”

Even though Baralt had found her calling, she still had a very conservative family who would never approve of her being a women’s studies major. So, she decided to double major instead of telling them that she switched.

After graduating, she had no idea what she wanted to do, so like many other lost students who have graduated, she went to grad school. Once she received her graduate degree in sociology, Baralt ended up taking a position at LBSU and has been with Long Beach since

2009.

Now, Baralt is set on helping students fall in love with women’s, gender, and sexuality studies like she did when she was in college.

“I don’t even remember what class it was but I remember the books,” Baralt said. “It resonated with me deeply, and it gave language to things I saw and knew were wrong, but if I said it to my parents, they would tell me, ‘that’s just how it is.’”

As a professor, she feels like she is helping make a difference in the world and that it is very rewarding. Of course, the pandemic has made it difficult to connect with students and see them have the experience that she once did.

Through the years that Baralt has been at LBSU, her favorite classes to teach are the introduction class, gender, race, sex, and the body, as well as the reproductive justice course.

“Students are already really passionate about the topic [reproductive justice] and we get to delve into it together and think about social change,” Baralt said. “I love that class every single time.”

According to Baralt, she believes it is important for this subject to be taught because it is relevant to everything and it allows everyone to understand their place in the world. She also hopes it will help guide people in dismantling structural inequalities. Not only is she teaching the facts, but Baralt is also exploring frameworks and helping others create change through activism.

She hopes that those who leave her class become agents of change either by taking what they’ve learned and applying it to their

professions or going into direct activism.

“To me, it is allowing students to look at the world through a very critical lens so they can apply it to everything else they do,” Baralt said.

“I can’t imagine how it wouldn’t be important.”

When Baralt feels as though the world is failing and there isn’t much hope, she looks to her students and she can’t help but feel a lot of hope for the future, knowing they will be in it. As far as activism and taking charge, Baralt has done plenty of research for women and social justice over the years, from her dissertation on breast cancer activism with a critical lens on the model of breast cancer advocacy in the U.S. to serving on the board of Breast Cancer Action.

This semester, Baralt is currently not teaching in order to do research on academics who are parenting and caregiving during the pandemic.

“School’s were closed, and daycares were closed, but our jobs didn’t really stop,” Baralt said. “There is already a gender equity gap among women of color and women parents, and COVID made it worse than it already was.”

Baralt has also been very focused on seeing what is important to students at LBSU. In fact, she has collected data on the reproductive health of students and what they need from the university.

According to Baralt, there is a place for everyone in social movements, even for those who don’t like being loud. You can take charge and get involved in all kinds of ways, whether it be making spreadsheets or making signs. Baralt recommends finding your people and then finding your place.

“Students should know that we exist and that we are here,” Baralt said. “We are a resource to the campus.”

5

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 5

3/1/22 1:04 PM

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 6

3/1/22 1:04 PM

FEATURE

ILLUSTRATION BY ARIELLE ZEPEDA

NOT FEMME, BUT FEMININE IDENTITY GOES BEYOND LABELS, PEOPLE CANNOT BE DEFINED BY CATCH ALL TERMS MADE BY SOCIETY

In the fall of 2019, I lived with four roommates in a modest apartment on East Anaheim Street. My second year at Long Beach State had begun and with it, my coming out journey. I was so relieved to be out to my close friends and a select few relatives, but a relentless sense of impostor syndrome kept overhauling my joy.

I didn’t know where I fit within such a diverse queer community of gay women because my identity was in its infancy. And there was so much about myself that I needed to unpack after enduring 19 years of religious shame and internalized homophobia.

Figuring out that you’re queer in college is more or less perceived as cliché nowadays. But for many people, there still aren’t as many shortcuts on the road to an open closet.

My childhood was shared with seven brothers between divorced households; Mom kept a strictly Christian home and Dad leaned more

conservative the older I got. It wasn’t until I left my hometown in the Central Valley, where casual bigotry is more commonplace, that I felt safe enough to reflect on my identity as an individual.

“What kind of a woman do you think I am when you look at me?” I asked my roommate, Juls, as we were fixing dinner one night.

With her mellow disposition and many years of being an out lesbian, she had a comforting presence in spite of my waywardness.

“You’re just… very cute, you know?”

Juls calmly replied. “I think you’re like, soft butch, in a really sweet way.”

“Soft butch.” With my limited frame of reference, I likened it to the happy medium between undercut fades with Oxfords and a long updo with Chelsea boots. Not too masculine, not too feminine… just alright, I guess.

That assessment would not make things any easier. In the mirror, I still saw a broad,

BY LEAH OLDS squarish jawline clashing with the chubby curves of my upper body. My hands felt small and disproportionate to my otherwise solid arms.

And how was I supposed to dress? It seemed that my insecurities were a steep price to pay for the Goldilocks-ian level of gender equilibrium that I had so comfortably maintained.

The more I focused on aesthetic designations, the more apparent the root of my uncertainty became. I convinced myself that the answer to disorientation was placement within a reductive binary. It was the same ‘this or that’ rhetoric people expected me to provide for my sexuality, only now it was my womanhood that was in question. Such thinking would be no more.

Almost three years have passed since my initial coming out. Despite the isolating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the loving solidarity exhibited by my queer community of friends shines brightly. I am also extremely fortunate to have found a caring partner at a point in my life defined by thoughts of ineptitude. Every day, she regards my idiosyncrasies with gentle affection, even when I do not.

I am of the belief that many of the dysmorphic feelings I dealt with were symptoms of a larger problem within queer culture. Sometimes we can be so desperate to find community that we find ways to stereotype or compartmentalize ourselves in a rather superficial way.

Those binary designations have yet to be revealed to me in a tell-all crystal ball, but I keep learning new things about myself all of the time.

For instance, I get teary-eyed when I see distressed children in movies. I would go straight to bed in my jeans if they were suited for sleeping. I struggle to let go of friends who drift apart from me. I occasionally fantasize about getting into fights on the street. I’m a total flirt with earrings, so I really just need to wear them more.

And no, I’m not butch but I’m most definitely masculine. I’m not femme either, but a fully feminine woman nonetheless. Being queer, and just being a person, means that I can be all of these things and none of the these things on any given day. There is real complexity in simplicity, and I’m so grateful to experience it.

7

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 7

3/1/22 1:04 PM

STUDENT LIFE

PHOTO BY ANDRES LEON

BY JOEY MARTINEZ

THE PR OLYMPICS WITH BRENDA MELARA

DIVE INTO THE LIFE OF THE PRSSA PRESIDENT AND BATEMAN TEAM

B

renda Melara is a Long Beach State public relations major and marketing minor graduating in the spring of 2022.

She is the president of the Public Relations Student Society of America’s chapter here in Long Beach, also known as the PRSSA, as well as an intern at a healthcare specialized public relations agency, Samson PR Group.

In addition to Melara’s busy schedule, she is also involved with the Bateman team at LBSU. The Bateman team is composed of five PRSSA members who spend the semester creating, implementing, and promoting a real campaign for a client.

They then present their results on a campaign book in competition with tens of other schools doing the same campaign. The school that has gotten the most impressions from their campaign wins.

Melara has fittingly named it the PR Olympics.

Long Beach actually holds a bit of a reputation in the PR Olympics, winning first place in 2019 and beating 66 schools across the nation.

Applications for the Bateman team are open to PRSSA members in the fall, and final decisions are reached by the end of winter break.

The process of making and going through a PR plan with the Bateman team

includes first doing research, then the planning process like creating objectives for spreading information about a national to world issue.

Next is implementation and the tracking of people they reached out to, such as keeping track of signatures and participants at an event. This semester, the Bateman team’s client is the Lymphoma Research Foundation, a group dedicated to researching and spreading awareness of lymphoma cancer with implementations of the campaign beginning February 7.

They then determine whether their campaign was successful.

“The women in the chapter from the executive board are doing great things“ “Even if you don’t meet the criteria that doesn’t mean your campaign wasn’t successful because it doesn’t matter if it was a hit or if it could just reach a couple of people.

At the end of the day you spread awareness on lymphoma. Like you didn’t know that lymphoma was common amongst teenagers rather than everyone else and now you do you know?”

She got me, I didn’t. Of course, either way they have to keep track of their outreach otherwise the client wouldn’t know what they were doing for them.

“Just by doing something, just by

thinking critically and examining your audience and having a purpose and actually doing something, you’re already making a difference rather than if you weren’t doing anything.”

On what Melara does in the PRSSA: “My duty as president is to be there for my team.”

She keeps track of everyone and their projects while trying to find any way to assist them.

“The women in the chapter from the executive board are doing great things. I find that if I give them the freedom to explore and make something of their own that is so much more rewarding for them and for me rather than micro-managing all of their projects… I love it.”

Melara was elected president after spending one semester as Director of Events, one as Director of Alumni Relations, and another implementing her fundraising ideas.

When recounting her experience on the board, she mentions that “It was definitely a plus because I think I can relate and I can understand them better because I was already in their shoes once and I understand the amount of work that many of their roles require.”

Melara and her experience in the PSSRA “One piece of advice that recently stuck with me was ‘don’t be afraid to make mistakes.’

8

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 8

3/1/22 1:04 PM

This profession is really broad and there are so many options on what you can do and what you want to go into… I would say don’t be too hard on yourself.”

When asked about the most memorable experience she’s had in her career, Melara recalls the time when she was director of alumni and had the goal of starting a mentorship program.

If the plan worked out, members of PRSSA would be able to sign up and be paired with professionals in the field they were interested in.

She didn’t have the time to implement it, however she was elected president the semester afterwards. Once she was president though, the new director of alumni took over the

project.

Melara worked with them to bring the project into fruition in the fall of 2021, pairing over 20 students with mentors with both students and professionals alike giving thanks to them for the newfound connections.

“It was great to see how something I started was picked up by another person and I was able to guide them to the point where they are now confidently running that project.”

The mentorship program now has more and more students applying.

“It was something that previous chapters had wanted to incorporate for a long time and we kind of made it a reality.”

If you are interested, go to PRSSALB. com and become a member.

“This profession is really broad and there are so many options on what you can do...“

Melara advises to apply this semester as most of the executive board members will be graduating and there will be more opportunity.

You don’t have to be a public relations major.

“This was an opportunity for me to look at all the sides of public relations because there are many areas of PR… so this gave me the opportunity to try them out, make mistakes, think of a project that might be interesting and go from there.”

9

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 9

3/1/22 1:04 PM

10

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 10

3/1/22 1:04 PM

CULTURE

ILLUSTRATION BY MADISON HOIBY

BY JUDE DE LUNA

THE PERFORMANCE

OF FEMINISIM THE FAÇADE OF PERFORMATIVE FEMINISM DAMAGES THE ACTUAL CAUSE

A

re you a good person? How about you prove it by reposting pretty pastel-colored infographics on your Instagram story? Surface-level allyship is a glaring issue that sprouted after the George Floyd protests in 2020. People rushed to do the bare minimum and post black squares to show their support, not really contributing to the actual movement at hand. This has also long been a problem in feminism. Performative white feminism, propagated by media such as Buzzfeed, has plagued the feminist movement, ultimately steering the conversation away from intersectionality and treating such issues as a trending topic.

In the mid 2010s, large media company Buzzfeed started to post thought-provoking “woke” videos on Youtube.

Certain videos of theirs include “Women Try Manspreading for a Week,” “36 Questions for Men,” and “9 Comebacks Feminists Would Be Proud Of.” These videos surely tried to put a spotlight on what vexes women, but the meaning twisted into the notions of “Men ruin everything” and “Men’s existence is terrible.” It also culminated into a new wave of “white feminism.” The movement shifted to focus on men and white women’s feelings rather than advocating for women’s rights and equality between all genders overall. Buzzfeed never made the same amount of content or put in the effort

“but people stop posting about it when these issues fade away“

about intersectional issues, leaving people such as women of color behind and isolated.

One of Buzzfeed’s most controversial videos was titled “Women Paint with Their Period Blood.” This extremely performative video got its expected backlash, but the issue remained that white solutions such as this were put at the forefront instead of actual ways to contribute to the movement.

Due to these empty actions and toxic ideas promoted by Buzzfeed, white feminism permeated society. Why should we be focusing on manspreading when there are more pressing issues at hand? Where is the same energy for problems such as trans women’s health and safety, bias in the medical field against black women, or pay inequality between white women and women of color? This also bleeds into the performative posting. Infographics posted on people’s stories echoed the same ideas reminiscent of Buzzfeed’s videos. Most of these infographics of white feminism promote “girlboss” solutions, watering down intersectional issues to just diversity and inclusion.

Posting about these issues on Instagram and other social media sites has also served to trivialize the problem. There is information spread around about intersectional issues, but people stop posting about it when these issues fade away from the spotlight, even though that is not the reality of the world. Problems do not just disappear when they are not trending anymore. It must be an ongoing conversation, not a temporary pretty story that is only up for 24 hours at a time. It is also a problem that people can tap through

“listen to those around you and acknowledge the privilege you may have“ five posts in under thirty seconds. Social media is fast, people scroll away as soon as they are bored. Of course, these types of posts do spread awareness, but it overall does nothing to help when there are no resources or citations provided. There are also rarely any tangible actions attached to the simple post. At this point, posting such infographics only points to virtue signaling.

In order to dismantle white feminism and to actively promote intersectionality, people must put in the work. Instead of blindly reposting pretty graphics that echo empty words such as “EMPOWER WOMEN” or “BE A GIRLBOSS!”, go beyond temporary stories that a person can easily swipe through. A good start to removing that internalized white feminism is a powerful book titled “White Tears/Brown Scars: How White Feminsim Betrays Women of Color” by Ruby Hamad. The book explores the history of white women’s role in white supremacy and why we must confront it to further promote equality for all. Additionally, make space to listen to those around you and acknowledge the privilege you may have. Learn how you can truly help your community and actually dedicate your time to places such as women’s shelters in your area or your local Planned Parenthood. Putting on a show on social media that you are a good person does not mean you’re a good person. Act on it, and truly enact change.

11

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 11

3/1/22 1:05 PM

OPINION

PHOTO BY FABIAN RUBIO

BY JOSHUA BIRAGBARA

HOW LBSU FAILED

RECRUITING BLACK STUDENTS

W

alking into class, 21-year-old Public Relations major Trinity Beasley notices something vastly different between her and her classmates. “I see two to three other Black students in all of my classes,” she said. Beasley attends Long Beach State University, which is known to be a diverse campus with Hispanic/Latinx students making up 46.1% of the student body population and Asian students making up 20.7%, according to LBSU’s Latinx Faculty & Staff Association.

Despite these numbers, one demographic remains noticeably minute, that being the Black population who consists only 3.8% of the student body population despite making 13% of the City of Long Beach’s population. For some

reason, the school has failed to attract Black students as opposed to other minority racial and ethnic demographics.

Black representation in all areas of life came to the forefront in the post-George Floyd era, especially in the field of education. For the dearth of Black students at LBSU, specifically, Africana Studies assistant professor Keith Claybrook discussed the reasons behind this dilemma and the solutions that come with it.

“There’s three [important] reasons for that, I think,” Dr. Claybrook explained. “One of them is the perception of Cal State Long Beach in the Black community at large, [in the past] the buzz was that Greater Los Angeles area Black students wanted to go to Long Beach,

Northridge and San Diego State. But the buzz now is that Cal State Long Beach is not welcoming. So that feeling that not being welcome is a major obstacle now,” he said.

Dr. Claybrook also believes that poor outreach efforts by the university have been a factor. “Traditionally, Long Beach reached out to local high schools and did the generic ‘Hey, come to Long Beach’ spiel. But I’m not aware that there’s any high schools that are predominantly Black anymore. Milikan, Jordan, Poly and even St. Anthony [High Schools] look very different now. So, if we want to increase Black student enrollment, then we can’t have a generic going-to-a-high school campaign. We need to be more targeted to the Black Student Unions at

12

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 12

3/1/22 1:05 PM

these high schools and even employ some of our current Black students here to go and speak to these Black middle and high school students and recruit them,” Dr. Claybrook said. “Recruitment [as a whole] could be better,” he said.

Getting Black students is not the only challenge that the university is facing when it comes to diversity. Black students already enrolled at LBSU have the second-lowest graduation rate, with 62% graduating within six years in 2020. Although this is a higher percentage compared to other CSU campuses and the national average, the low numbers are still indicative of a larger problem. Dr. Claybrook attributes the problem to not only the typical financial gaps that Black students face but also to the sense of alienation that Black students at the university face. “We [LBSU] have to support the programs and the initiatives we already have in place to help [retain Black students],” Dr. Claybrook said. “So that means not only supporting the Black Student Union and Greek organizations financially but highlighting them in the community beyond Cal State Long Beach but throughout the Greater L.A. area,” he expounded. “That means providing staffing and financial resources to the Black Resource Center and spreading awareness to the Africana Studies Department. It is about providing resources and increasing their visibility on-campus and off-campus so we change the narrative to one that makes CSULB a more welcoming [experience] for Black students,” Dr. Claybrook said.

“Then we can’t have a generic going-to-a-high school campaign“

Racism has been cited as a problem for Black students on campuses across the country and at LBSU. In 2015, the University of Missouri was rocked by a series of protests about racial bias and aggression that allegedly ran rampant on the campus. The protests garnered so much national attention that it led to the resignation of the university system president and the campus chancellor and led to a decline of students of all races applying and enrolling there some two years later. Part of the student protestors’ woes at Missouri were that Black students were a small percentage of

the student body, causing their demands to be neglected at best and ignored at worst. LBSU differs from Missouri in that the majority student body population consists of non-Black people of color which, according to Black LBSU students, alleviates the problem somewhat. “I’m from a predominantly white city so I just seek out any type of diversity in general. Long Beach is a pretty diverse school with its Latinx/Hispanic and Asian student populations. So that attracted me,” said Beasley. Biomedical engineering major Ayoola Fadonougbo, concurs. “It makes a slight difference. With a majority non-Black person of color population, the Black population does get some allyship,” he said. Despite this contrast to Missouri and other Eastern universities where racism may be more explicit, microaggressions against Black people remain a daily fact of life at LBSU. Beasley, Fadonougbo and Dr. Claybrook all said that they either directly experienced microaggressions and or heard from another Black student or faculty member who experienced it. Additionally, Beasley and Dr. Claybrook even take it further to say that these problems will still be present on campus even with a larger Black student and faculty population.

“I doubt a larger Black population would prevent racial incidents. Racism is everywhere, even in communities with majority Black populations. The number of POCs doesn’t really dictate the number of racial incidents,” Beasley said. Dr. Claybrook expanded on her views that more Black people means less racism. “Having more Black people at CSULB doesn’t hurt, but at a school like Cal State Dominguez where it was 40% Black, there were still incidents of racism.

You can go to HBCU’s in the South, and racial incidents still happen. Racism and microaggressions are a part of a larger conversation even if you increase the number of Black students and faculty. Anti-Blackness is still present in various degrees amongst non-Blacks and even Black people themselves,” he said.

The solutions for anti-Blackness at LBSU and higher learning in general? Reorganization. “There’s a couple things. At some point it is revisiting the goals, objectives and structures of higher education itself. Thinking about the curriculum and procedures that are so commonplace that we don’t see how bias is infused in it. There must be a broader societal shift,” Dr. Claybrook said. “The issues of race and racism often center around the victims,

“How are we going to fund our [Black] students beyond grants and loans?” where we should shift our focus to those who benefit from it, whether they are conscious or not,” he said. “We need to look at every aspect of society. We can increase the number of Black students, faculty and programs but without an in-depth-look at some of the structures we have in place then [these problems] will reproduce in another form,” Dr. Claybrook said. “When Affirmative Action was first enacted in the late 60’s [in California], white women benefited from it most and when it was removed in the 90’s, Black people were the most affected in the hiring and college admissions field. This calls for some very deep reflection for every party involved,” he said. “The short-term solution for this is looking at certain policies our institution has. That means having scholarships that are not only merit-based but also income. We need to look at how we are advising our students. How are we going to fund our [Black] students beyond grants and loans?” Dr. Claybrook said.

In response to these issues brought up by Black students and faculty, certain sectors of Long Beach State have attempted to make a more inclusive space for them. The CSULB Lobby Group, the official student lobbying committee, plans to address and provide solutions for the low numbers of Black and Native students in their Spring 2022 newsletter. The Black Student Union at LBSU continues to hold recruiting events to create some sense of community in the post-COVID world. But according to Fadonougbo, much more needs to be done. Ending his interview, he said this: “There is still so much work to be done. CSULB needs to return to its status as the HBCU of the West.”

13

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 13

3/1/22 1:05 PM

CULTURE

ILLUSTRATTION BY ARIELLE ZEPEDA

BY LAUREN GALVAN

FEMININITY

EMBRACING

ATTACKING PATRIARCHY

EMBRACING FEMININITY SHOULDN’T HAVE TO BE A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE

G

rowing up, I wanted nothing more than to be what I thought my dad wanted me to be, a boy. I knew I could never be that so I strived for the next best thing, being a tomboy.

For as long as I could remember, being feminine was frowned upon by those who were around me. So anything that was considered a trait of a girl, I got rid of to the best of my ability. I didn’t cry, I didn’t wear pink, and I especially didn’t wear dresses.

I remember disliking others who were too “girly” and expressed their feminine side. Looking back, I think I was jealous because they were allowed to be what I couldn’t: themselves. The girl I deemed my “enemy” was the one who wore pink every day, put on makeup, or in her case, lipgloss and glitter from Claire’s, and she wasn’t afraid to let her emotions shine. She might never know that it wasn’t her fault and that it was my issues overtaking me.

I surrounded myself with friends who dressed like me and boys who I played sports with. In my mind, if I hung out with boys and was able to fit in, it was like I was one of them. If I was good enough to be in their friend group, I would be good enough for my father. I would later learn that nothing was ever going to be good enough.

I let my grades slip and I put everything into being the best on an all-boys baseball team. I felt like

I had something to prove. It was a hell of a lot of work just to have him show up to one of my games every season.

It worked for a while, but when middle school came around, everything changed. I changed.

Even though middle school was an awkward time for all, it was when I started to dress how I wanted and express myself more than ever.

Around this time, I moved in with my mother and realized that I didn’t have to change myself to earn love from a parent. With my mother, I was “I found myself surrounded by female teachers who radiated badass energy” my most authentic self and I was the happiest I had ever been. She taught me how to never take any crap from any man and to never back down from a staring contest with a guy who is trying to make you feel uncomfortable.

When I was young, I was always led to believe that being a woman was a weakness and showing just a hint of femininity would be my downfall. However when I got to high school, I quickly learned that femininity didn’t equal fragility, and being a woman came with more power than I had ever realized.

In high school, I found myself surrounded by female teachers who radiated badass energy

and held so much power in their hands. My male classmates and heck, even the male teachers at my school feared them and felt threatened by them. Seeing their strength made me realize why men want women to reject themselves and cast away their feminine sides. If all women knew the control they could have over themselves and others, we could take over the world.

We would be unstoppable. Most importantly, we wouldn’t need men anymore.

I’ve come to understand that being like “one of the guys” and viewing other women as the enemy was embedded into my brain by a man who didn’t want to see me succeed. Now in the age of social media, I’ve seen solidarity and empowerment between women, especially on TikTok. I remember the times when I would roll my eyes and pretend to gag anytime I thought someone was being “too girly,” but now I cheer them on and smile.

Growing up for me meant learning that I didn’t have to change and hide my true self in order to please men. I know now that I can dress however I want and show as much emotion as I please because pleasing men is the last thing women should care about.

If you’re scared of women rising up against the patriarchy, taking over, and creating the perfect utopia that is safe for women everywhere, just say that.

14

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 14

3/1/22 1:05 PM

15

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 15

3/1/22 1:05 PM

ILLUSTRATION BY ARIELLE ZEPEDA

Young women poised in their full glory.

While others are allowed to tell them why they’re worthy.

Be my visual, be my muse!

Anger driven men when women refuse Oh, that’s ok I didn’t want you anyway But he’s mad because I was the one who walked away Sittin’ here in their voluptuous folds Masculinity walks by and says, dayummmm girl you look thick But behind closed doors, fat girls make me sick.

In hierarchy, women are to entertain

BY ARIELLE ZEPEDA

B BBODIED

FFF FFFFULL

ART

for the people who are extremely vain.

Deprivation of the things they love, some of those ”big bodied” women need a hug. stomach’s round and unique With stretch marks to add to her gorgeous physique Night and day starvation excites -the thought of fitting into something nice and tight.

Go on, that’s how you wear them right!

Let those nalgas stand out big and bright We don’t do it for the others who despise They’re not the ones with these big ol’ thighs.

16

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 16

3/1/22 1:05 PM

ART

ILLUSTRATION BY NINA WALKER

VITALITY Words launch like asteroids and howl towards the World– a blinding inferno that paints the sky like blood that never spills.

Of frigid, crystallizing grass.

Until the sun blazes again, they never bloom nor wake.

And still, She resigns to every asteroid

And the World holds Her breath, tilting on Her axis like a crumbling tower and exposing a frail surface, waiting for the familiar embrace of fire.

Because the quiet World is familiar.

These dusty asteroids can be housed And the Apocalyptic asteroids cannot.

The ones that explode and

Because She knows asteroids.

How they crumble to dust and ash, strangling Her, blanketing the sky with noxious clouds.

Score Her surface with craters and blast plants and felines and consume them all with fire and floods and fractures that can’t be repaired–

Yes, the sand seeps into canyons and trenches, slipping through every crevice– wriggling its way into history, a parasite detected, yet never exterminated.

The asteroids born of speech cannot do this.

If She must choose between the two, She will resign herself To the familiar World of ash.

The sun winks into a memory, flowers and trees wither and decay, and even the roaring tiger collapses for a deep, weary slumber in a bed

- ANNA BROWN

17

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 17

3/1/22 1:05 PM

OPINION

ILLUSTRATION BY KELSEY GERMAN

BY JUDE DE LUNA

OUTSTANDING

FEMALE ARTISTS HERE’S MUSIC TO GET YOU THROUGH 2022, FROM THE BEST FEMALE ARTISTS being a cow, Doja Cat has shaken off the title of being a “meme” artist, skyrocketing to fame with her pop R&B/hip hop raps. “Planet Her” is a magical visual project, with Doja Cat exercising full creativity. “Love emotions such as anger and sorrow, to Dream,” a song fantasizing about resonate with the listener. In “fallen a better love, is one of the songs alien,” twigs relates her feelings on amongst this no-skip album. not fitting in with the conventional woman, something that contributed 5. Taylor Swift - “Fearless (Taylor’s to said breakup. version)” [2021] - “Love Story” Throughout the years, Taylor Swift 3. Japanese Breakfast - “Jubilee” has been an artist that people unfortu[2021] - “Paprika” nately love to hate, but she has always The band Japanese Breakfast is worked through the media’s misogyny. headed by Michelle Zauner. AlterAs the ownership of her old songs was native/dream pop album “Jubilee” sold away, she has been rerecording is a poignant celebration of joy after her songs to reclaim what was once Zauner dealt with the grief of losing her lost, starting with “Love Story.” mother to cancer. The album opens with “Paprika,” an ambitious song that 6. Britney Spears - “Oops!... I Did It feels like a dreamy parade, representAgain” [2000] - “Stronger” ing that anguish is not needed to expeBritney Spears is and always will be rience delight. an icon of this millenium. After unfairly forced into a conservatorship, with her 4. Doja Cat - “Planet Her” [2021] father as one of the conservators, she “Love to Dream” rarely had her freedom. However, after First popularly known in 2018 for her her situation was exposed, countless song “MOO!”, where she raps about

There are countless female artists that have changed the music industry. It is impossible to list them all, but here are ten that deserve recognition and praise.

1. Rina Sawayama - “SAWAYAMA” [2020] - “STFU” Born in Britain, Japanese artist Rina Sawayama has always used her music as an outlet for her culture and personal experiences. Her electropop, high-energy songs explore multiple stories personal to her, such as capitalism in the face of climate change, pansexuality, and racism.

Heavy/nu metal song “STFU” in the album “SAWAYAMA,” for example, is Sawayama’s expression of rage at others’ casual microaggressions against her as a Japanese woman.

2. FKA twigs - “MAGDALENE” [2019] - “fallen alien” fka twigs writes her songs with care, mixing painful autobiographical anthems and surreal revenge ballads. “MAGDALENE” is twigs’ R&B intimate narrative after an intense public breakup. Her songs, filled with

18

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 18

3/1/22 1:05 PM

people on the internet fought for her freedom and she successfully broke away from her family. “Stronger” from her 2000 album encapsulates the situation perfectly, as she powerfully sings “I’m not your property as from today.”

7. Lorde - “Solar Power” [2021] “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)” Although only releasing a few albums, her meaningful and formative songs have shaped many people since 2013.

In her latest memoir album “Solar Power,” Lorde delves into her feelings of adulthood and growth. “Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All),” one of the psychedelic indie folk songs on her album, is a love letter to her younger self, imparting all of the secret wisdom she’s learned over the years.

a transitional time in her life, dissecting her history and future. “Weary” is Solange’s way of showing she can prove herself in the world, but it is also a commentary of how weary she is of the inequality of the world.

Me More,” in particular, shows her wanting someone’s love, but really needing to love yourself first.

10. Mitski - “Laurel Hell” [2022] “Love Me More” Mitsuki Laycock, popularly known as Mitski, is beyond “sad girl music,” which others mistakenly label her as.

With her newest album “Laurel Hell,” Mitski exemplifies the meanings of one’s true self and vulnerability. “Love

Laufey: “Let You Break My Heart Again” Olivia Rodrigo: “jealousy, jealousy” Raveena: “Spell” Remi Wolf: “Liz” Mereba: “Black Truck” Faye Webster: “I Know I’m Funny haha”

Honorable Mentions/Songs to Further Diversify Your Listening!

8. Willow - “lately I feel EVERYTHING” [2021] - “Lipstick” Making herself stand out beyond her own last name Smith, Willow has broken out in the music industry, most recently with pop-punk/indie rock album “lately I feel EVERYTHING.” Confronting her own mental issues with songs like “Lipstick,” Willow is vulnerable and honest with her audience, creating a sentimental soundscape.

9. Solange - “A Seat at the Table” [2016] - “Weary” Although her older sister Beyoncé is certainly a model figure in the music industry, Solange has also worked hard to create her own music. Neo soul album “A Seat at the Table” embodies

19

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 19

3/1/22 1:05 PM

GRUNION

BY CAROLINE SMITH

ILLUSTRATION BY NINA WALKER

WE DEMAND

PADS!

WHY WE NEED FREE PADS AND TAMPONS IN ALL UNIVERSITY BATHROOMS, BEFORE IT ’S TOO LATE

L

ong Beach State really needs to up its game in accommodating students with periods, but the least they could do is supply free pads and tampons in all campus bathrooms. It’s really not much of an ask, and we all know that if cis men demanded it, they would be given whatever they want in a heartbeat.

But let’s face it, if pads and tampons were available in bathrooms, life would be infinitely easier for us period-having-peeps.

Men just don’t get what a hassle it is to deal with. You feel like you’ve been stabbed in the gut twenty times, you have the weirdest appetite, and you want nothing more than to create a nest in your bed and do absolutely nothing. I mean, I remember what it was like having my first period. I was so confused on how I was supposed to reabsorb my blood I just Carrie-ed myself (i.e. pouring a bucket of blood on my head).

Personally, I employ the tamponback-in-the-nose method in order to regain my lost blood. I know it gives you nosebleeds, but I find it the most convenient. The more popular method is of course swishing the blood into a Hydro Flask of moon-water and lavender and

chugging it, but I know people who like to make a face mask or use some complicated Gregorian chants.

Of course, when us gals and pals don’t reabsorb our blood properly, Gaia becomes enraged. I cannot believe I have to explain this, but the reason women bleed once a month is not because of ovulation or the forbidden fruit, or whatever you’ve been led to believe.

We bleed to keep the demons at bay.

It’s like tying a carrot on a stick to make a horse move. The illusion of our blood, our presumptuous injury, leads creatures from their realm to Earth. They are enticed long enough by our blood until they stay too long (about a week or so) when they die of exposure to like 5G or something.

Of course, after that little ruse we have to reabsorb the blood. I mean duh, right.

It’s a very simple process really: bleed a little, trap and kill the monsters, reabsorb lost blood.

No matter how tedious it is though, failure to reabsorb blood would throw off our cycles, and chaos would reign.

Here’s the thing, this isn’t just an article, this is an ultimatum. On May 16 a total lunar

“This isn’t just an article, this is an ultimatum” eclipse will occur over Long Beach, at which we can make no promises over the effects of our unabsorbed blood. We could see the campus squirrels turn rabid and eat through the walls.

The Japanese Gardens could burst, leaving koi fish in the Psychology building. The grass lawns could become biodiverse! Total chaos!

So let’s avoid that. Give us free pads and tampons in the bathrooms. Heck, while we’re at it, include a cauldron and a few eyes of newts, you never know when you’ll need one of those. Maybe add some ancient texts on curses too. And for personal reasons, can I get a little boat shaped like an upside-down toadstool so I can adventure down the lagoon to the sea?

20

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 20

3/1/22 1:05 PM

21

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 21

3/1/22 1:05 PM

ART

BY LEAH OLDS

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JAKE WINKLE

“BUFFY” 2 5 Y E A R S L AT E R ,

STILL SLAYS

REMEMBERING “BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER” FOR THE PROGRESSIVE SHOW IT WAS

C

lutch your crucifixes and wriggle into those leather pants, Scoobies! This month marks the 25th Anniversary of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,”, a series which bears no shortage of groundbreaking drama, tantalizing romances and epic battles to preserve the future of humanity. The show debuted on March 10, 1997 and ran until May 20, 2003, for seven complete seasons.

Note: Gasp-worthy BtVS spoilers will be avoided in this article.

Synopsis: What happens in Sunnydale stays in Sunnydale Expelled from her former school, teenager Buffy Summers moves from Los Angeles to the fictional town of Sunnydale. There, she meets Sunnydale High School’s pragmatic librarian Rupert Giles, played by Anthony S. Head, who is revealed to be her “Watcher,” and serves as

her mentor and trainer. With the help of her two best friends Willow Rosenberg, portrayed by Alyson Hannigan, and Xander Harris, played

by Nicholas Brendon, she protects the evil-infested town from “vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness,” as recited in the inaugural season’s opening prologue.

Throughout the series, Buffy and friends, also known as the “Scooby Gang,” came of age and found themselves confronted by unlikely friends, hellraising foes, and one of the most polarizing love triangles to ever be televised.

The show’s story structure was hybridized, being partly episodic and partly serial in nature. Viewers could bounce from a multi-episode arc beckoning apocalypse to a one-off installment whose big baddy is just… a horny haunted house? Oh yes, such an episode exists.

But when it comes to delivering an enticing narrative, “Buffy” satiated. Danger

was always imminent, but survivability was not always guaranteed. Compelling storylines showcased talent behind the camera, where top-notch screenwriting reflected the show’s evolving stakes and emotional resonance.

A new age of representation: Characters who changed the game Buffy Summers There are many attributes that elevated Buffy to iconography, including her fierce physicality, quick wit, and chic fashion sense. But even though such traits are inseparable from the character, they do not make the character.

Rather, it was Sarah Michelle Gellar’s adaptive performance style, where she fulfilled the precise and shifting tonal demands of each and every episode, that made Buffy a truly dynamic heroine. The character embraced traditional femininity but remained empathetic, strong-willed, and vulnerable; a complete subversion of a typical horror trope

22

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 22

3/1/22 1:05 PM

“Danger was always imminent, but survivability wasn’t always guaranteed“ of the era, whereby the blonde, female character was fated to be murdered with ease. Buffy Summers is certifiably badass – “one girl in all the world,” as the Slayer is described in the prologue – and is a lead character whose fan adoration is totally earned.

ably complicated. One of the three main Slayers in the series, Faith arrived after the unfortunately trope-ish departure of Kendra Young, the show’s first Black recurring character. She is known for her blatant sexuality and brutish violence, which makes her such an exciting foil to the more calculated Buffy Summers.

Indeed, she makes a number of questionable choices that compromise her relationship with Buffy and even lead her to battle depression and crippling guilt. Faith eventually undergoes a redemptive arc that restores her alliance with the Scooby Gang and adds more dimension to the character, who is perhaps the darkest in the show.

Lasting legacy As a cult hit, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” had a humble following during its run, but has amassed a reverent, multi-generational fan community after wrapping in 2003. Merchandising, syndication on streaming services, and the annual “Hellmouth Convention” make its brand appeal evident in pop culture today.

Its remarkable contributions to the silver screen, namely the depth of storytelling and memorable characters, are what established the series as prestige entertainment for the past 25 years.

Here’s to another five by five!

Willow Rosenberg and Tara Maclay The friendship of Willow and Buffy was one of the most endearing of the franchise. Where most superpowered heroes have a best friend that is relegated to a sidekick role, Willow came into her own as a formidable heroine who wielded powers of witchcraft and intellectual brilliance against the powers of darkness.

She also brought cultural representation to the forefront, as both a Jewish woman and an openly bisexual character; her longterm relationship with fellow Wiccan classmate, Tara Maclay, portrayed by Amber Benson, was historic and beautifully written. A deep sense of trust and understanding sanctified their romance, making the characters’ partnership “a gift” for their actresses to deliver to fans, as remarked by Hannigan in a cast reunion special for Entertainment Weekly.

Willow and Tara’s relationship was one of the first televised same-sex romances to feature two main characters. Their relationship was sincere, intimate, and it lasted until the series finale, which was a breath of fresh air for queer fans who endured a slew of performative and forgettable ‘lesbian kisses’ featured in programming throughout the late 1990s.

Faith Lehane Love her or hate her, Faith Lehane is undeni-

23

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 23

3/1/22 1:05 PM

24

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 24

3/1/22 1:05 PM

GRUNION

ILLUSTRATION BY KATELYN BERNARDO

BY CAROLINE SMITH

QUIZ FOR THE GIRLS! FIND OUT WHAT KIND OF GIRL YOU ARE BY TAKING THIS QUIZ! LET ’S HOPE YOU’RE LIKABLE!

1. When I have free time I like to… a. I don’t have freetime! The grind doesn’t stop! b. Game or watch something, but only cool things c. I don’t know, make plans with my friends?

2. Boys like that I… a. Am cool with splitting a check, even though I make less than him b. Look like that anime character he objectifies c. Have a good personality, I guess? Shouldn’t it be important what I like about myself?

3. My best feature is… a. My Mercedes b. My interests, that can be the same as yours! c. Huh? These questions and answers are a little one-dimensional right?

4. My hair is… a. Highlights $250 Cut $100 Dyson AirWrap $160 b. Pigtails, held back by my headphones, gotta stay cute c. I dunno, it’s down now, but like isn’t the whole point of hair is that you can change it?

5. The app I use most is… a. Bank account, gotta keep track of that cha-ching b. Twitch, gotta stream! c. I mean probably TikTok or Instagram. Seriously, how is that girl’s most-used app a bank app?

6. My nails are… a. Acrylic, with swarovski crystals

b. Painted black, but they’re chipping, too busy gaming to clean them up c. Ok how is this supposed to indicate anything about my personality?

7. My favorite school subject is… a. Business! Love knowing how to make money! b. Whichever is your favorite! I can like history! c. How are those my only choices? What if my favorite subject was P.E.?

8. My favorite book is… a. “Work it Girl!” by A man that doesn’t believe in the wage gap b. “Why Girls Can’t Game” by A man with a fragile ego c. These books aren’t even real!

9. What’s on your desk? a. A personalized Starbucks cup with my name on it and a plaque that says Girlboss b. Behind all my monitors? Some mountain dew and chips! c. Like a planner? Pens? How do these girls even live?

10. My deepest concern is… a. I am not worthy of respect unless I am working and making money b. I don’t have any interests of my own, I am just a reflection of what others want me to be c. Woah, uh. Maybe that I will never be able to escape being perceived from the male gaze and that I am always watching myself from that lens. Can women ever just be their own person without having every aspect of themselves judged?

Mostly A’s You’re a total girlboss. You know what you want, and that’s money baby!

Join corporate America. Pretend the wage gap and sexism isn’t a thing and accept that men will just always make more money than you! Yass girl, be a totes capitalist! Slay! Practice your MLM sales pitch to DM, “It’s totally not a pyramid scheme, girl-from-7th-grade.”

Mostly C’s Yeesh, horrid wench… Ok so this is kinda embarrassing, but this is like the worst case scenario. You need to try harder to appeal to the male gaze and stop having thoughts of your own.You can have friends, but don’t get any ideas! You’re trying too hard to like, be your own person, so you’re just seeking attention! Gaslight yourself! Think about what men want!

Mostly B’s Woah Girl! You’re totally a Gamer Girl Waifu! This may sound confusing but it’s totes rad. You can be totally appealing to men by appealing to their fantasies. They like that you like the same things they do, just don’t like those things more than they do. That’s what gatekeeping is for... If you’re playing a 2-player game, let them win. Adopt a high pitched voice and infantilize yourself!

No Majority Found?

OMG congrats! You’re not like other girls! This is a high honor and makes you totally interesting. You’re not one way or another. You’re cool, and people, especially guys, like that about you. You’re mysterious, spontaneous, and fun. With vague qualities like this you could be the manic pixie dream girl in some lame-o’s sad life and enrich it by being his girlfriend or dying. Dye your hair, invest in an alternative mode of transportation.

25

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 25

3/1/22 1:05 PM

OPINION

ILLUSTRATION BY CAROLINE BAE

BY SETH HADEN

BACK TO NORMAL MY THOUGHTS TWO YEARS AFTER THE PANDEMIC

R

oughly two years ago, spring break was extended an extra week for faculty and students to prepare for the shift to online learning. Part of the student population returned to the campus for the fall 2021 semester, but now in the spring 2022 semester almost all students are back on campus and most classes are in-person. During these two years, I had forgotten how many people attended LBSU, and upon returning in February my senses were dazed by all the stimuli. The sound of feet clattering against the pavement, hundreds of halfshown faces to see, and the occasional slight shoulder bump or run in. I realized that this was the first time in two years I had been surrounded by this many people. Even though it was a lot to take in a first, part of me will admit that I missed it. It’s nice to see that my classmates are more than names attached to a black box.

Now a month after returning to campus, I overhear conversations and listen to sighs of relief. Everyone seems to be happy that “it’s all over now” and “that things are going back to normal.” I’m not sure what they mean by normal. Solicitors ask me to sign their petitions, but still I say no, I continue to walk through The Gap, and I can depend on the escalator to

malfunction in the future. Everything feels like it’s back to normal, and yet part of me knows this isn’t true. I don’t think there is a normal to go back to.

All of us are eager to return to our pre-pandemic way of life, but a lot has changed for us over the past two years. People lost their jobs and couldn’t afford to pay rent, watched their loved ones pass away from Covid-19, and felt their mental health deteriorating from the isolation. While we’ve endured through the pandemic and made it this far, many of us are not the same as before. Everyone is running towards the future, so that the pandemic may be put behind us. One day, when we look back we’ll hope to have the faintest memories of these years, and that all of it will appear to be the fragments of a dream. Even though we may feel like we are moving forwards, we are only reaching for a life that is in the past.

Progress cannot be made as long as we keep bargaining with Time, asking to take us back two years ago. We must face the fact that the pre-pandemic world is lost to the past, and we must leave it behind as we find our way into a post-pandemic world, one that will inevitably be new to us all.

I’m not saying Covid-19 will rule for the rest of our lives and we will have to wear masks until the day we die, because I believe that to be too dramatic. Eventually, most people will have gained resistance either by vaccine or natural immunity. The end will be anticlimactic and we’ll hardly feel victorious. All that will be left are the smoldering ashes of a once great fire as the last of its smoke dissipates into the atmosphere. Life will carry on, and many of us will forget everything we learned during those two years. We are bound to repeat our mistakes, because that is human nature, and so I’m left wondering if all of the lives lost during the pandemic were in vain.

Even though it might feel as such, I don’t believe this has to be our conclusion. I know everyone wants to move on with their lives and cast these events into the deepest pits of our minds to be forgotten, but that cannot be our solution. All of us have changed during this pandemic, and so lives may never be the same again, but that is okay. We must hold on to everything we have learned during this time, in order to not repeat the same mistakes in the future. Everyone holds the same responsibility, and so if another pandemic were to cause havoc on our world again, we can this time approach it as a collective. Maybe then we won’t have to put our lives on pause for two years.

26

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 26

3/1/22 1:05 PM

27

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 27

3/1/22 1:05 PM

28

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 28

3/1/22 1:05 PM

ART

ILLUSTRATION BY PATRICK DAUGHERTY

BY PATRICK DAUGHERTY

BEHIND THE COVER

ART WITH PATRICK DAUGHERTY “THE REASON BEHIND MALALA YOUSAFZAI BEING OUR COVER“

I

chose Malala Yousafzai because I believe she is the living embodiment of what it means to stand against oppression. The simple act of receiving an education was considered rebellious for women in Pakistan.

Despite the relentless danger lurking among the region, she carried on with her education. Malala nearly paid the ultimate price for pursuing an education, when she was brutally attacked by the Taliban, on Oct. 9, 2012. The Taliban attempted to silence Malala permanently with a bullet to her head, but Malala survived the gunshot wound, and would go on to become the youngest person ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Her activism for women’s rights and severe criticism of oppressive governments has energized an entire generation of activists fighting for women’s equality. Malala reminds us about the pedestal we stand on when we receive our education, how lucky we are to only have to worry about the fragile fabrics of reality that make up the college student psyche.

She is a breathing reminder to the privileged educated class that we must never settle for oppression, and must endlessly fight the treacherous battle for educational equality no matter what flag we fly.

Note from an editor: I wanted to acknowledge that while the topics in this issue of 22 West Magazine were mostly focused on identity and were light-hearted, there are still many injustices against women that were not covered. I would also like to apologize for the absence of a Black History Month issue. It would have been published in February, but the timing was off as the semester had just begun. Hopefully next year the interest in volunteering for this magazine will be more present so that we are able to cover more topics to represent marginalized groups on campus better. Nevertheless, thank you for your support thus far and I look forward to bringing more awareness to various issues using this magazine.

- Andres Leon, Editor-in-Chief

29

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 29

3/1/22 1:05 PM

30

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 30

3/1/22 1:05 PM

CONTRIBUTOR LIST Anna Brown, Writer Joshua Biragbara, Writer Lauren Galvan, Writer Seth Haden, Writer Jude De Luna, Writer Joey Martinez, Writer Leah Olds, Writer Caroline Smith, Writer

Caroline Bae, Artist Katelyn Bernardo, Artist Patrick Daugherty, Artist Madison Hoiby, Artist Kelsey German, Artist Fabian Rubio, Photographer Nina Walker, Artist Arielle Zepeda, Artist & Writer

Volunteer Meetings Tuesdays @ 4pm

Zoom ID: 883 7808 9878 Passcode: Mag! PHOTO BY FABIAN RUBIO

31

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 31

3/1/22 1:05 PM

Follow Us @22WestLB 22WestMedia.com

32

22W_MarchIssue_InDesignFile.indd 32

3/1/22 1:05 PM