December Musings
Endings are the one thing that tells us something new will start soon Whether or not this new beginning is actually anything new to us at all, it always feels like things are going to be different. Given the days and times we are living in, 2021 isn’t anything we ’ re trying to hold on to We find ourselves reflecting every December, oh the things we lived through the past year! There are new beginnings with each month, and each season, let us embrace the newness of the day As we reflect on 2021, we can not only think of the things ending but of all of the new beginnings too
Let’ s think about all of the versions of ourselves that emerged this year.
Did we start saying yes to the things we want and no to the things we do not? Did we set up boundaries and not allow anyone to breach them? Did we think about boundaries we should set? Did we question the systems put in place? Did we see ourselves in a new light? Here we are, at the end of 2021, entirely different than we were at the beginning We have changed and seen new beginnings every single day, not only in the world but within ourselves.
Let us see 2021 drift away, not only to have high standards for 2022 or expect better from it Let us sit in the comfort of knowing that for every day we see, we ’ re experiencing a new beginning
Melanated
T H E C O L U M B I A U N I V E R S I T Y A C T I O N F O R B L A C K L I V E S I N I T I A T I V E N E W S L E T T E R D E C E M B E R 2 0 2 1
Sending you love and light ✨
Spotlight: Bliss Davis
BY KALEA WOODS
CREDIT: BLISS DAVIS
Bliss (she/her) is a political science and economics major at Columbia interested in a human rights or public health focus She is a bisexual Jamaican woman and was raised in Dallas before moving to DC in 2008 when her father began working for Obama
Why Columbia? The human rights program here has a lot to offer me. I get to be around people like Cornel West, Kimberlé Crenshaw and Michelle Alexander The school also links me to good work in advocacy and policy, and the people here are very forward-thinking
Where do you see yourself afterward?
Maybe I'll be at a think tank doing policy work. I am interested in sex work, drug policy and public health, and would like to be in New York or DC where this work is ongoing on the ground!
What has been most rewarding part of your program? Holding space in scholarship with other women of color who have so much passion for what they do!
How are you practicing self care? can always be better about it, but right now it's being compliant with my meds, resting, asking for help, and engaging my hobbies and friends as the extrovert that I am
Any advice for an incoming Black student?
As a Black student it's extra hard to ask for help because we are expected to be excellent at all times Be more forgiving to yourself and lighten your load. It's not healthy to need to be the best
What are you looking forward to in 2022? Being more of who I wanted to be when I got here I want to be more involved in clubs and advocacy work, which I didn't do sooner because of stress and mental health challenges
FUN FACTS
Zodiac Sign: Sag sun, Cancer moon, Cap rising.
Hometown: Dallas TX
Current Home: Bronx
Favorite Food: Oxtail with rice and peas
Hobbies: drums, reading, watercolor
Favorite Authors: Lorde, Baldwin
Current Read: Women, Race and Class (Davis)
Favorite artist: Erykah Badu
PHOTO
What's Happening in the Lab
BY CHANTEL PLUMMER
Ebony Tower Podcast has relaunched episodes 1-3. Check them out on Spotify!
Episode 1: "Social Justice for Whom?"
Episode 2: "Race and Ethnicity Studies: Decolonial Joy"
Episode 3: "A Decade of DEI Initiatives in STEM: Where Are We Now?" **********************************************************
BLACK CAUCUS
Coming into the new year, the Collective Care Project within the Action Lab is preparing to host a Gender Affirming Clothing Swap on January 12th and 13th. Please follow @csswaction for updates and the specific location; you can also text Kalea regarding contributions at 760-560-8871.
Congrats are in order for the Umoja Circles team on being one of CSSW's COVID-19, Racial Justice and Mental Health Micro-Grant recipients. Umoja Circles will utilize the funds to further extend its reach in facilitating healing and processing spaces for Black individuals within the NYC area
The Black Caucus carries on its mission of supporting the Black community at CSSW and the Black community at large. The Black Caucus is under new leadership with students from this academic year's cohort as previous leaders who have helped lay the groundwork have graduated and passed on the legacy of this important work
Stay tuned for getting to know the new Co-Leaders and learning how you can become involved. You can reach the Black Caucus via email at swbc@columbia.edu.
Uplifting Black Artists at Columbia: Mishael Sims (She/Her)
Home is Not a Place
By Mishael Sims | MSW 2023 | Columbia School of Social Work | Black Caucus Co-Leader
Home is not a place It is not four walls
Not where my family lives
Home is where I am at peace
Or where my love lives
Home is wherever I want it to be
Home is waking up to the sunlight and feeling alive
Home is lying in bed and watching TV all day
Home is quiet
Home doesn’t need other people
Home only needs me
Home makes me feel happy
Home is where I breathe with my mouth open for so long my mouth gets dry
Home is where I forget about the rest of the world
Home is where I forget about everything outside of me
This is the closest I’ ve felt to home, in probably forever
It feels good to have silence and sigh
And the sound of my breath being the only thing around I’ m not sure I can create a home with someone else
When a home with just me feels so good
Home is when I can put my phone down and not care about what’ s going on anywhere else
Home is when I’ m writing late at night and the only sounds I hear are my fingers typing
Typing Until I pause
And the silence is back It is warming
Silence reminds me that I am alive
een or heard makes me feel more real
Because
me I can feel me
I am aware of myself at I am thinking and feeling
And at home
Thoughts flow in
e at a time
lowly, or not at all an just lay and stare
Is this self-care?
g peace is my self-care
e is wherever you find
PEACE
Artistic Highlight: Boubou Niang
What We're Currently Reading: An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Senegal-born artist, Boubou Niang, has made his mark on social media with a style and approach that sets him apart from other artists Boubou continuously amazes his audience by ditching the paintbrush and opting for random objects such as a basketball, shoe, or toilet bowl (yes, a whole toilet bowl) to produce immaculate portraits of his models, including some of our faves like Beyoncé and The Rock And just when you thought that it couldn't get more impressive, Boubou further wows us by creating these portraits upside down and sometimes blindfolded! His work is fascinating, to say the least So if you haven't already, check him out on his ever-growing Instagram page @bouboudesign
If you live for the drama, this book is it This story takes us on the unthinkable journey of a young, Black couple as they experience the impact of the American carceral system on their relationship Their love is tested and tried, and we get the unique perspectives of the players involved in a series of entanglements that will have you questioning yet somehow understanding their motives and desires As each character grows, we witness the fight for love and fulfillment along with certain unrealized dreams battling to come to fruition Needless to say, this book will have you in your feelings and anticipating each new chapter
PHOTO CREDIT: WWW GOODREADS COM
PHOTO CREDIT: NEWS PAPERLEZ COM
Job Opportunities
Manager, Revenue OperationsPlanned Parenthood (NYC Based)
(Still Hiring; Temporarily Remote)
Shoot your shot. Responsible for entering contributions received in-house into the donor database. Review and resolve errors in-house and from external vendors for quality assurance. Work with the Associate Director, Revenue Operations, and Finance department to identify and resolve issues surrounding gift and donor coding. Ensure that seasonal staff are properly trained and develop appropriate onboarding procedures Apply here!
Summer Fellow - Youth Sentencing and Re-Entry Project (Philadelphia Based)
(APPLY ASAP; remote opportunity for students only). Shoot your shot
Support youth in their reentry to the community by working on a number of projects including mitigation investigations, report writing for YSRP’ s client-partners, research to support policy advocacy efforts, and community outreach. Requires interest in criminal justice reform, working knowledge of criminal procedure, and commitment to providing holistic, comprehensive, partnership-oriented support to the youth and families served by YSRP Apply here!
Community Organizer - Harlem Children's Zone (NYC Based)
(Still hiring) Shoot your shot Create and build a network of community members to encourage and support residents' participation in activities and events. Identify and collaborate with grassroots leadership to build and develop strategies to advocate for Harlem residents Extensive experience performing community outreach and mobilization preferred At least 1 year of experience in community organizing and/or advocacy; event planning and coordination MSW not required. Apply here!
Social Worker, Inpatient | United States Veterans Administration (NYC Based)
(Still hiring. Great compensation. Need to have LSW or LCSW accreditation; it does not have to be for NYC). Shoot your shot, but they ain't playing regarding the licensure! Great career opportunity for someone looking to serve the veteran population in an inpatient psychiatric setting. The candidate will be responsible for care referrals for treatment services, and case management services for Inpatients, and psychiatric clients He/She/They will create discharge plans and goals in tangent with the care team, client, and their support community. The candidate will also provide counseling services to the patients in the inpatient unit. Apply here!
Some 2021 Gratitude
Finishing another semester
My dog
Healthin this pandemic
HEERF (ColumbiaStimmy)
Action Lab Community
Supportive Friends
Quality timewith(some) mfamilyembers Shelter Food
WPotable ater
The passing of time, to heal
To be able towspendtime ithfriends Notlosing someonetoCOVID
Celebrate Yourself
BY SEYI SEGUN
Fam, this semester TRIED. IT. Like we actually don't know what to say. Parts of it have been a blur, while others have been a little too real for our liking A resounding comment this semester has been how hard it was and that constant desire to give up
Regardless of how these last four months went, you did your best Don Miguel Ruiz's fourth agreement states to "always do your best, no more and no less But keep in mind that your best is never going to be the same from one moment to the next (Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements). Comparison culture is REAL. "That person is taking five classes, field, and works. Why can't I even handle my four?" "That colleague can do twice the work that I can even accomplish in two days. Should I really be in this role?"
Fam, you are in grueling programs and professional positions At an ivy league university at that Don't fall into comparison culture, which at times is part of the structures of inequality we work to dismantle (aka ableism) You made it to the end of a semester that was just a little too eventful for some of our liking Not all the colleagues you started with are there now People lost loved ones They got very ill from COVID-19 Some of us dropped classes at the last minute Some of us took leaves of absence And, some of us straight up left
The Melanated team wants to give you all your flowers. In a culture that pushes productivity by any means necessary (sorry, Brotha Malcolm; we needed to use that quote in this context), you all listened to your body and mind more than ever. You also prioritized your peace over anything else This is why we say: celebrate yourself. Accolades and a 4 0 are not the only things that should be celebrated Have a little non-alcoholic sparkling cider for us!
A Letter to My Younge Self: Save Yourself First
BY ANONYMOUS
Hey, YOU!
What did you learn from TV growing up?
That there’ s always a villain and a superhero
A villain committing the crime
And a hero stopping them to save the world
But what if you are both?
What if the “world” is your life
And the “crime” your actions?
Think about how often you lose sleep
For friendships that weren ’t even that deep
How much time was lost
Because you were too involved
What if you saved yourself first?
What if you went to bed when your body told you it w
What if you listened to your head throbbing for water
What if you took a break when your anxiety was at its
What if you sought support when you were at your low
What if you saved yourself first?
Please stop committing these crimes against yourself
The first step to saving the world is by saving yourself firs
How can you help others if you are drowning alongside t
Take that nap, drink some water, embrace your breaks
Don’t get lost in the crime of putting everyone else befo
Be your own superhero, because nobody likes a villain
You are strong enough to let go of those holding you ba
You are capable of being a hero
You are important
You are worthy
You are YOU
Save yourself
Production Team
DECEMBER 2021
Editorial & Design Team
Seyi Segun (She/Her)
Editor-at-Large
Chantel Plummer (She/Her)
Senior Editor
Kalea Woods (They/Them)
Senior Editor
Mishael Sims (She/Her)
Senior Editor
Want to Contribute to Melanated?
We're accepting short stories, poetry, art, photography, Op-Eds, and letters! All items should be under 400 words. Written pieces should be submitted as a Word document; photos in JPEG or PNG format; and video and audio as Mp4s and Mp3s respectively
We remain available to answer any questions you might have. Please submit your artistry here!
Contributors
Student Highlight
Bliss Davis
Action Lab for Social Justice
What's Happening in the Action Lab
Uplifting Black Artists at Columbia
Mishael Sims
