SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
VOLUME CLV, ISSUE 38
SPORTS
Legacies of Bruno’s first Black athletes and coaches Looking back at Jackie Court, other Black trailblazers in Brown Athletics program
BY PETER SWOPE CONTRIBUTING WRITER While today’s Brown Athletics program displays diversity among its coaches and athletes, this has not always been the case. Throughout the history of Brown Athletics, trailblazing Black athletes and coaches have battled racism and adversity to earn athletic achievements while helping to build a more equitable program. This week The Herald will feature baseball player William White, class of 1883, football player Fritz Pollard, class of 1919 and gymnastics coach Jackie Court, who each contributed to the development of Brown Athletics on and off the field. The first Black professional baseball player: William White, class of 1883 “William Edward White was the first African-American to play in the professional baseball ranks,” accord-
ing to Brown Athletics archivist Peter Mackie ’59. “He played one game for the Providence Grays … (few people know) about him, but if you look at a picture of that 1879 team, there he is.” White was born in Milner, Georgia; his mother was a formerly enslaved African-American woman and his father was a wealthy white man. White and his siblings attended Moses Brown School before being accepted to Brown through a connection via a local Baptist church. As a dually-enrolled student, White was a first baseman for the Brown baseball team while still a senior at Moses Brown. White also appeared in one game for the Providence Grays, a now-defunct Major League Baseball team, in 1879. Despite recording a hit in the game and committing no fielding errors, White did not play in another professional game. That same year, White was a member of the national championship-winning Brown baseball team, which also featured Lee Richmond, the first MLB player to pitch a perfect game. Due to his light skin color, White “passed” as a white man to his team-
SEE ATHLETICS PAGE 2
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Grad Center Bar faces uncertain future
MATTHEW ISHIMARU AND MICHAEL BASS / HERALD
The Graduate Center Bar, located in the basement of the Graduate Center complex, has been closed since March 2020 when it shuttered along with the rest of Brown’s campus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bar leadership expects future opening to bring lowered capacity, more expensive drinks BY EMILY FAULHABER CONTRIBUTING WRITER On a typical Saturday night last year, students might have been packed into the Graduate Center Bar. They would order from the bar’s extensive beer menu (Tecate, Lord Hobo, Fiddlehead
UNIVERSITY NEWS
BWC pushes diversity in first recruitment
Brown Womxn’s Collective received University approval in December
and many, many more) then cart pitchers, popcorn and cocktails back through crowded tables, bumping elbows along the way. Now, the bar sits empty, and its future as a campus institution is uncertain. Susan Yund, who has been the manager of the GCB for the past 27 years, said the bar will open, when it is safe to do so, with reduced capacity and higher drink prices. On March 14, the GCB shuttered its doors along with the rest of the University’s campus due to the COVID-19
Community fridges fight pandemic food insecurity
BY INJY EL-DIB CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The Brown Womxn’s Collective, a program house founded in the wake of a 70-member exodus from Kappa Alpha Theta last October, held its first recruitment sessions over the weekend of Feb. 6 and ultimately extended 65 bids to new members. In the fall, the 70 members who voted to disaffiliate from Theta cited Greek life’s historic exclusion of people of color and a disillusionment with Theta’s national chapter, which former members said was resistant to diversity and inclusion efforts. The vote left only seven active members of Theta remaining affiliated with the sorority. “BWC started as a group of womxn who wanted to create a community at Brown that centers around female friendships and that prioritizes diversity, inclusion and accessibility in everything that we do,” Abby Yuan ’21, outgoing CEO of BWC, wrote in an email to The Herald. With many goals for BWC in mind, Yuan wrote about the importance of
diversity and inclusion in the new program house. “Above all, we wanted to create a womxn-oriented organization at Brown that holds diversity in all aspects at its core and empowers womxn to build relationships with others who value the same,” she wrote. BWC received formal approval from the University in December 2020 to become an official program house, and launched in January 2021. BWC spent December and January developing their new recruitment process, which was mostly led by seniors. BWC’s leader-
ship is composed of an eight-officer executive board with eight additional officers comprising the cabinet. “It has been very exciting to create our own structure and start everything from scratch,” incoming CEO of BWC Emma Blake ’22 wrote. It “has allowed our members to have more input into how the organization is run.” In its first recruitment process, BWC focused on making the organization accessible and inclusive. A total of
Commentary
News
News
Editorial Page Board: U. failed to distribute CARES funds with appropriate haste during pandemic. Page 6
J. Saunders Redding, Brown’s first Black faculty member, forged paths in academia, literature. Page 11
Students found innovative ways to celebrate the Lunar New Year amid COVID-19 restrictions. Back
COURTESY OF BROWN WOMXN’S COLLECTIVE
BWC, a new program house, was created after a 70-member exodus from Kappa Alpha Theta, a sorority on campus, in October.
SEE BWC PAGE 4
SEE GCB PAGE 9
METRO
Providence Community Fridge, Refri PVD offer food, other necessities to PVD community
BY NITYA THAKKAR STAFF WRITER
pandemic. The bar, located in the basement of the Graduate Center complex, has been a long-standing favorite of undergraduate and graduate students to enjoy discounted drinks in an intimate setting in the heart of campus. The bar has been closed for just short of a year. That idyllic scene — jockeying for chairs to seat friend groups around tiny tables, sipping on cheap drinks and chatting with endless passersby — may
Due to food insecurity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, two new community fridges have been created in Providence. Providence Community Fridge and Refri PVD both encourage people to donate whatever they are able and take whatever they need from their fridges, according to Providence Community Fridge founder Sarah Federici and Refri PVD founder Dana Heng. Federici and Heng both felt compelled to take action and start fridges when they saw how the pandemic exacerbated food insecurity in Providence. “COVID has definitely totally exposed and increased all of the need (for food) around Providence,” Federici said. Still, they noted that “there’s still so much need, and there’s still not total access to food, so even once the pandemic’s over, that’s not really going to change.” The fridges take a variety of food donations. “Canned goods (and)
non-perishable items are always accepted” by Providence Community Fridge, Federici said. They also accept “fresh fruits and vegetables,” as well as “ready-to-eat foods.” Federici also hoped that the fridge could expand to offer hand sanitizer, coats, blankets, masks, condoms, Naloxone and books. Refri PVD also accepts “produce and pantry items,’’ according to Heng. “In the past we had some prepared meals, but the Department of Health (is) … concerned about food safety,” Heng said. Providence Community Fridge and Refri PVD receive electricity from their respective hosts: Project Weber/Renew, a harm reduction and recovery services organization, and New Urban Arts, an arts center for Providence high schools. Providence Community Fridge also relies on fundraising to support their fridges. Federici was able to find “a cheap fridge on Facebook marketplace,” and “through the generosity of a little over 100 people, (they) collected about one thousand (dollars) in donations.” Both fridges currently rely on food donations from residents, local businesses and local organizations.
SEE FRIDGES PAGE 2
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FRIDGES FROM PAGE 1 Still, overseeing these community fridges has not been without its fair share of challenges. “It’s just hard to coordinate schedules, especially when COVID prevents us from meeting in-person a lot of the time and (prevents us from) getting a lot of action-oriented things accomplished because we have to do things mostly over text, emails (and) Zoom,” Federici said. Although Providence Community Fridge has had their fridge since the end of November, it wasn’t fully functional until February of this year due to delays in building caused by snow, she added. Refri PVD has struggled keeping the fridge restocked because “so many people need food constantly. It’s not just a one-time thing,” Heng said. Both fridges have seen a positive response from the Providence community.
ATHLETICS FROM PAGE 1 mates, and he did not identify himself as African-American until much later in his life, according to Mackie. Not much is known about White’s life after he left Brown in 1881. Despite his lack of name recognition, William White holds the accomplishment of being the first ever African-American professional baseball player. “The greatest back these eyes have ever seen”: Fritz Pollard, class of 1919 Fritz Pollard was nothing short of a Brown football legend. As a first-year student in 1916, Pollard led the Bears to the Rose Bowl. That season, he played a key role in Brown’s victory over Harvard at Harvard Stadium. Pollard was the first African-American running back named to the Walter Camp All-American team; Camp himself called Pollard “the greatest back these eyes have ever seen.” As a first-year, Pollard nearly quit the team before being convinced to stay by Buck Whittemore, one of the coaches at the time. Pollard’s early career “was like a meteoric rise to the top, but he was an eyelash away from packing it in,” Mackie said. After graduating from Brown, Pollard was a member of the Akron Pros, a now-defunct National Football League team that won the first professional football national championship. Pollard went on to coach the Pros and became the first African-American professional football coach. Pollard began his football career playing for Lane Tech high school in Chicago, though he wasn’t able to join the team until his older brother, who also played, threatened to quit the team if Pollard wasn’t given a spot. Later in his high school career and throughout his time at Brown, Pollard faced racism and discrimination. His high school team once left for a game without him because the other team refused to play against an African-American player. Members of Pollard’s team at Brown would leave when he came into the locker room or got onto the trolley car to and from practices, and no uniforms would be left for Pollard when he ar-
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS “Sometimes I’ll encounter people who are using the fridge in some way — either dropping food off or picking food up,” New Urban Arts Executive Director Daniel Shleifer ’03 said. “They’re always really, really grateful and appreciative of the fact that it’s there.” Federici expressed how overwhelmed and grateful she is for all of the community support. She expected to have to actively seek out donations and hosts but has been pleasantly surprised with the amount of people reaching out to her. “We have a ton of people in every field (willing to help). We have scientists, engineers, artists, chefs ... people have been so generous with their money, with their time and their talent.” Heng said she isn’t surprised at the positive response due to how tangible donating food to the fridge is as a means of partaking in movements
rived at practice. One time at Brown, in an intrasquad scrimmage, a white defensive end wanted Pollard to try to run his way, taunting him with racial slurs. Pollard humiliated the defensive end, who after repeatedly failing to tackle him suggested to the coach that Pollard be allowed to play varsity. At a celebratory bonfire after Pollard played a key role in Brown’s victory over Harvard, President William Faunce said, “Now, young Fred Pollard over there, he’s as good as any white man.” Out of more than a hundred athletes inducted into the Brown Athletics Hall of Fame when it was established in 1971, Fritz Pollard was the only African-American. In recent years, Pollard has gained more respect and recognition. “He has more recognition now than he did in 1915 and 1916 when he was tearing up the gridiron at Brown,” Mackie said. The Fritz Pollard Alliance, an organization dedicated to diversity in football coaching staffs, still bears his name and honors his status as the first Black pro football head coach. Recently, NFL 360 produced a documentary about Pollard entitled “Fritz Pollard: A Forgotten Man.” He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Victories on and off the mat: Brown gymnastics founder Jackie Court’s legacy “Distinguished, honorable, trailblazing,” was how John Court, current University of Arizona gymnastics coach and son of the late Jackie Court, described his mother. The architect of the Brown Gymnastics program and the first Black woman and woman of color to coach at Brown, Jackie Court started at Brown in 1969 and made a massive mark on the University over her 32 years as head gymnastics coach. She built the program, led it to an Ivy League title and sent the first Brown gymnast to the national championships. “I’ve always treated it as her program,” current Brown Gymnastics coach Sara Carver-Milne said. “She built this program, she started it. Her vision and her legacy are what drive us today.”
to help address inequality. “It’s easier to digest for people who are new to the cause (of fighting inequality and injustice). It’s like, ‘Oh, we can give food.’ This is a kind gesture. It’s not inherently political, it’s a human right to have food, so I think that’s why it’s so positive across the board no matter what political beliefs you have,” Heng explained. Currently both Providence Community Fridge and Refri PVD host one fridge, but they hope to continue expanding as long as there is a need for it. “Food insecurity is a really, really huge concern in general, and it’s only been made worse by the economic downturn that has resulted from the pandemic,” Shleifer said. “Initiatives like this are just one one small way of hopefully turning back some of the tide around food insecurity, at least in our small community.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
COURTESY OF SARA FEDERICI
Providence Community Fridge and Refri PVD were both founded in light of the pandemic and offer free food to community members.
COURTESY OF THE SOCIETY FOR AMERICAN BASEBALL RESEARCH
William White, class of 1883, was the first Black professional baseball player. He is pictured here alongside the 1879 team of the Providence Grays, a now-defunct Major League Baseball team. Jackie Court was beloved by her coaches and athletes alike. In one instance, she promised one of her athletes, Debbi Fuhrman ’84, that she would send her to the National Championships within two years if she came to Brown; she delivered on that promise, and Fuhrman is now in the Brown Athletics Hall of Fame. Jackie Court was also deeply committed to the sport of gymnastics at all levels. She got her start at a YMCA, ran a club for local community members while at Brown, served as a judge and generally worked to help whomever she could. Jackie Court stayed in touch with her athletes even after they graduated, and she stayed connected to the program after retiring as a coach, wishing Carver-Milne luck prior to every competition. Perhaps Jackie Court’s greatest impact came in the form of her contributions to women’s sports nationwide via the Title IX movement. In the 1990s, Brown attempted to demote the gymnastics team, among others, to club status from varsity status. The team lost its funding, resources and admissions slots. This “almost destroyed the program,” John Court said, but Jackie Court kept the program alive. She continued “recruiting” athletes
and the team did whatever was necessary to keep practicing and competing — going as far as sewing their own uniforms. “Jackie rallied them to not feel sorry for themselves, but to fight for what was right in an appropriate manner with respect and dignity,” Carver-Milne said. Jackie Court faced adversity along the way: Other coaches and members of the athletics department “ostracized” her, according to Carver-Milne, but she kept on fighting. Eventually, Jackie Court and the team won the landmark Supreme Court case of Cohen v. Brown, which ruled that Brown had acted in violation of Title IX in demoting the gymnastics team, and that the team must be reinstated. While the ruling was a momentous victory for the Brown gymnastics team and Jackie Court, its impacts were far-reaching. The ruling told schools “you have to follow the laws of the land, regardless of how big your endowment is, no matter how many lawyers you throw at it,” John Court told The Herald. Carver-Milne makes sure her team knows the importance of Jackie Court and her impact on the program and on women’s sports more broadly. “It’s so extremely important for everyone that’s part of this program to
understand her legacy and how far the program has come (and) how hard she worked to create these opportunities for these young women and future young women and not take any of that for granted,” she said. The Brown Athletics Department only recently has begun to honor Jackie Court. The process of her induction to the Hall of Fame started in the past year, in spite of the fact her tenure as head coach spanned more than three decades and ended in 2001. “I applaud her career. She was a pioneer. She was the first head coach of color at Brown and first head coach of color in women’s gymnastics. It would have been fantastic if (Brown) had celebrated her accomplishments during her career and not waited until it was socially convenient,” John Court said. Despite her success, Jackie Court was not made a full-time employee and was denied requests for increased funding and resources. “With all she accomplished, she still had the obstacles of the Athletic Department that she was facing every single day,” John Court said. “If (Brown) celebrated her during her career like they’re doing now, it would have meant the world to her.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
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BWC FROM PAGE 1 123 students registered for recruitment, according to Blake. “While the logistics of a virtual recruitment were tough in planning events for that size, we were really excited about the (number) of applications we received and did our best to accommodate for that throughout our recruitment process,” Yuan wrote. BWC leaders conducted “extensive” training offered through the University prior to recruitment on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as unconscious bias, Blake wrote in an email to The Herald. Leonie Alder ’22, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer, said BWC “wanted to make sure everyone had a fair opportunity to get to know us and for us to get to know them.” Alder led pre-recruitment discussions “on the unconscious and implicit bias in our lives, especially in the context of Zoom because our interactions are much different now than they were face to face,” she added. BWC also made sure that “no prior relationships between prospective
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS members and existing members were given any priority or weight,” Blake wrote. “Rather, we sought to match BWC members with applicants they didn’t previously know” during the recruitment process, in which BWC members have conversations with applicants to ultimately choose new members. BWC sent out a form to applicants before recruitment to ensure its events met all accessibility and technological needs, Yuan wrote. Applicants were allowed to turn Zoom cameras on or off depending on their comfort level. Starting in Fall 2021, BWC will be located in Marcy House where rooms will be allotted through an “internal lottery system,” Yuan wrote. Because BWC is a student-run organization, it is allowed to determine its own dues system. “While there will be dues to pay for programming and events, BWC will be implementing a pay-what-you-can policy as one form of financial aid and is in the process of creating an alumni fund where alums can donate money in the future to subsidize dues for BWC members.” While BWC has not yet set its dues for this semester, they will be lower
than a normal semester, Yuan wrote. Most of the funds will go towards furnishing the program house’s new space in Marcy as well as offsetting some house and community service event costs in the fall. With their independence, BWC will be able to address diversity and inclusion on its own terms, without the oversight of a national organization such as Theta. “Because we are a student-run organization, we have the ability to be independent since we don’t have to follow anyone’s restrictive guidelines,” Alder said. “If there is an issue, we will handle it because we know our values and what we stand for, and we don’t have to compromise anything because someone higher up may disagree with us.” With their own set of self-determined priorities, “we have the freedom to take control of the initiatives we want to pursue and really educate ourselves about those issues,” Alder added. Alder is leading the application process for new members to join the DEI committee, as well as shaping the committee’s priorities.
“I hope it will be a really robust, large committee with lots of members who want to be involved in all areas of (it), from how we post on social media to our philanthropic efforts,” Alder said. “I’m really happy in my role because I feel like I have a tentacle in every aspect of (BWC) to make sure we are as diverse, equitable and inclusive as possible.” Yuan and Blake also expressed confidence in the potential impact of the educational initiatives they plan to lead, including workshops on “racism, gender-based and sexual violence, disability justice and LGBTQ+ rights,” Blake wrote. Yuan wrote that she is hopeful about the future of BWC, while acknowledging the work that lays ahead. “While there is still a lot of work to be done in improving accessibility and inclusivity within these types of spaces at Brown, I am hopeful that this is a step in the right direction,” she wrote. “The ability for us to have launched in January and received so much interest from prospective members is such a wonderful testament to the passion of our members, and I hope that this community will continue to grow and
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 expand its impact once Brown returns to in-person events.” Yuan also hopes that through educational initiatives and community service, BWC will be able to extend its impact to the greater Providence community. Blake echoed Yuan’s statements, noting that the excitement from the Brown community for BWC has reaffirmed their goals. “BWC serves as a really unique space in which we can pursue initiatives, events and programming in ways most meaningful to our members,” Blake wrote. “That being said, I think what ties us together as a community is our passion for living up to these goals, and so I am looking forward to building this space alongside all of our members.”
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post-
FEB 19 — VOL 27 — ISSUE 3
FEATURE
See Full Issue: POST.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
NARRATIVE
Moose House
a recollection of people, places, and things By Eleanor Peters
Family of Four
a story, or not, of gentrification by Ingrid Ren illustrated by Lucia Tian When I was in the fifth grade, my family of four moved into a penthouse studio apartment located in downtown San Francisco, elegantly named Symphony Towers. An odd location for a family, the building was filled with young, single professionals and couples—the kinds of people you’d imagine wanting to live in the center of a dense, bustling city with a history of hippies and a reputation for pricey housing. A “studio apartment” is essentially a master bedroom with a kitchen. My mom, my dad, my brother, and I lived in this 400 square foot studio for two and a half years. We had very little space by choice. We traded square footage, separate bedrooms, and a backyard for a downtown location, gorgeous bay windows, high ceilings (a penthouse privilege), two closets, a kitchen, and a disproportionately spacious
bathroom. When we first moved in, my mom excitedly invested in Murphy beds that were nailed into the wall and could be conveniently folded in to make space. In reality, it always seemed like too much of a hassle to remove blankets and pillows from our beds and fold them up for just a couple extra square feet. My brother and I shared one such Murphy bunk bed, nailed into the wall next to our office space (a table and desktop computer placed in front of the large windows). Our bunk bed faced the two closets, one of which I claimed for myself the day we moved in, leaving my mom, my dad, and my brother to share the second. Continuing along the wall to the left of the closets were a kitchen stove, oven, dishwasher, and refrigerator. Across from the kitchen appliances, my parents slept in a queen-size Murphy bed that similarly never got folded in. We talked of hanging a fabric partition to maintain some privacy between my parents’ side and that of my brother and me, but we never got around to it. Looking outside our bay windows, we could see the City Hall, which lit up at night in orange and black to celebrate the San Francisco Giants or in red and green to celebrate Christmas. I remember..
“They’re like the opposite of assless chaps! They’re assful chaps.” “I’m low-key part of a pyramid scheme already. But it’s a nice one."
The house sits above the lake, so that the water glitters through the thin grove of trees. Up there, everything spills out towards the shore, as if the floors, walls, the entire house is tilted slightly downward. I find my gaze drawn out, my feet carrying me down three short sets of stairs to the rocky edge of the water. That natural magnetism pervades my memory, blending the house and the lake together as two inseparable parts of a larger image: what I think of when someone says “Michigan,” a place synonymous with family in my subconscious. I’m always unsure what to call the house, wary of both the polished pretension of “lake house” and the overly rough connotation of “cabin.” My family calls it “the Moose House”—capitalization merited through decades of humid summers and bitter winters spent there. At some point, I suppose moose may have inhabited the wooded coasts of Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula where my family vacations, but the particular moose that inspired...
ARTS & CULTURE
Re-Finding Fantasy the revolutionary power of elves and dragons. By Adi Thatai I’ll admit it:. I love dragons. Like, I really love dragons. I always have. Ever since I can remember, my embarrassingly persistent desire to befriend and ride a dragon has been at the forefront of my birthday wishmaking, movie-requesting, and book-purchasing. As a child, the heart-wrenching disappointment of a longing so wholly unfulfilled is likely what left me disillusioned with Santa so young, but that didn’t stop me from asking the void just one more time if I could get that pet dragon for Christmas. To be fair, it’s not just dragons. Fantasy is my favorite genre. How To Train Your Dragon...
LIFEST YLE
Providence Coffee where to go when you need some joe
Long Weekend– worthy Holiday Ideas
1. Just Do It. Cut Bangs Day. 2. Snow Fell Off A Roof And An Icicle Almost Stabbed Me Day 3. Dean Zia Ate At My Ratty Table Day 4. I Woke Up Before Noon Day 5. Initiate A Healthy Dialogue About Boundaries with Your Roommates Day
6. It’s Over 40 Degrees For Once Day 7. New AHA Flavor Day 8. Online Classes Gave Me Chronic
by Elliana Reynolds Even with COVID-19 still in full swing, classes continue relentlessly, piling on what seems like more work than ever in such a short time span. What’s
9. GET Mobile Actually Worked Day
worse is that the first harrowing round of midterms is already here. Last year, I dropped a history class right before the first midterm because I was not prepared
10. Face Your Inner Demons Day
at all to take that exam (and the class was full of men majoring in econ), but this year is different. I know exactly how to refuel for my exams: coffee. It’s no secret that coffee gives you the energy to make it through a grueling study session, but do you know from where in Providence you should get that next ....
post–
Want to be involved? Email: olivia_howe@brown.edu!
February 19, 2021
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
If Brown cares, where are the CARES Act funds? BY EDITORIAL PAGE BOARD
Brown undergraduates have long opined on the costs associated with attending this institution, rightfully raising concerns over where tuition dollars go, how University funds are leveraged and the experience students receive in return. Perhaps never before in Brown’s recent history have such concerns been so cogent. Under the cloud of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial hardship has touched every corner of the country. Millions have struggled to provide for their families — let alone foot multi-thousand dollar tuition bills. But low-income families were consistently hit hardest by the virus’ dire economic effects and continue to suffer staggering and persistent economic devastation. These losses have undoubtedly impacted the lives and college experiences of scores of our peers. In April, Congress adopted legislation seeking to address this very concern. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act allocated emergency funds to universities, with the mandate that at least half of the dollars received be used for emergency financial relief for students, as The Herald previously reported. It wasn’t until late January that the University notified the campus community of its receipt of $2.4 million earmarked for the express purpose of supporting students facing exigent financial need — though the University received the emergency funding in late April. This fact alone is remarkable: At a time when low-income stu-
dents have been disproportionately likely to experience food and housing insecurity, the University has been withholding federal funds intended for their benefit for nearly 10 months. Vice President for Communications Cass Cliatt told The Herald that the University was using this time to ensure a distribution strategy that was both equitable and compliant with federal restrictions requiring that institutions avoid unnecessary layoffs. But after nearly 10 months, this justification seems inadequate in the face of student needs.
nearly 95 percent of $1.1 million as of Sept. 30. Even if the University’s administration felt that Brown faced unique constraints in allocating our portion of the CARES Act’s funds, necessitating extra time, they should have communicated that to students potentially eligible for the award long ago. According to Adela Herce ’22, eligible students have yet to receive any formal communication from the University regarding the distribution of funds. Herce, along with Sibeles Torres ’22 and Georgeara Castañeda ’21.5, wrote a widely-shared recent
“The decision to delay distributing available money intended to help students ride out the most calamitous months of this severe economic crisis constitutes negligence worthy of further conversation.” It is striking that many of our peer institutions have been able to successfully overcome these hurdles, distributing the vast majority of their funds in a timeline that more adequately acknowledges the “emergency” nature of the circumstances. Cornell has distributed nearly 90 percent of its earmarked $6.4 million for student emergency funds as of Dec. 31, supporting more than 3,800 students with grants ranging from $300 to $2,500. Similarly, Dartmouth disbursed nearly 90 percent of the $1.7 million it received as of August 2020; Rice University awarded more than 100 percent of the $1.7 million it was required to allocate to students as of June 2020; and Wesleyan University disbursed
op-ed in The Herald sharing their perspective that Brown has failed to support Undocumented, First-Generation and Low-Income students during this time. And while the University promised to release a more formal statement and timeline for distributing the funding in the “coming weeks” after The Herald’s Feb. 1 reporting on the existence of the funds, the authors and the nearly 3,000 other students eligible for the funds are still waiting for this announcement to come. The University has also yet to issue an acknowledgement or apology for the impact that this decision has had on students in need. Given the immense stress and financial in-
stability induced by the pandemic, particularly in its early months, the University should have been more transparent about potential distribution plans and timelines. It’s irresponsible for the University to have left students in the dark for this long. And while we commend the University for spending nearly $7.3 million of its own money to specifically support students with financial need, this is no justification for delaying the disbursement of other available funds. In our view, the decision to delay distributing available money intended to help students ride out the most calamitous months of this severe economic crisis — even if the University used its own funding as a stopgap measure — constitutes negligence worthy of further conversation. Now, perhaps more than ever, the University must commit itself to financial transparency. The administration cannot shroud itself behind closed doors, offering explanations only retroactively, not proactively. Brown must look for ways to actively engage in a conversation with all of its community members, not just those in the boardroom. Students, too, are stakeholders in the financial health of the University. They deserve to know where their money is going, particularly when that money has been allocated for their benefit. Editorials are written by The Herald’s Editorial Page Board. This editorial was written by its editor and assistant editor, Krista Stapleford ’21 and Johnny Ren ’23, and members Olivia Burdette ’22, Devan Paul ’24 and Kate Waisel ’24.
METRO
Polling giant Mark Mellman discusses elections, future of polling Mellman speaks about increasing partisanship, effect on election predictions, outcomes BY LIZA MULLET SENIOR STAFF WRITER Mark Mellman, the president of the American Association of Political Consultants and chief executive officer of The Mellman Group, joined Visiting Professor of the Practice of Political Science Richard Arenberg to discuss the current state and future of political polling with the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy Feb. 18. Failures in predicting the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, as well as the outcomes of several states in the 2020 election, have called polling into question in recent years. But Mellman, who has been a Democratic strategist and pollster since the 1980s and has guided the campaigns of 29 U.S. Senators, 10 governors and more than two dozen members of Congress, said that polling is “still extremely useful,” despite being “in difficult straits.” Rather, Mellman argues, the failed polling seen in 2016 can be attributed to partisanship. In 2016, many Republican voters ambivalent toward Trump ultimately “followed partisan guidelines,” Mell-
man said. This led Trump to “end up with the highest percentage of the Republican vote of any Republican candidate in the history of polling.” Mellman also cited “differential non-response” — a lower likelihood of survey participation — as a reason for actual Trump support being greater than was represented in the polls, countering Arenberg’s suggestion that the “shy Trump voter” was the root of polling error. Republicans, Mellman said, have become less willing to take political support surveys during electoral cycles in recent years as a result of political and sociological reasons such as a lack of confidence in the accuracy of the polling system. Mellman also said that pollsters often have a “voter fetish” and focus on repeat voters, which “distorts the electorate” in favor of likely voters. “One wants to replicate the likely electorate,” Mellman said. “And one doesn’t want a poll of likely voters because no electorate’s ever been made up just of likely voters.” In response to a question about the possibility of further cleavage in the current GOP into a third party composed of Trump loyalists or “never Trump” critics, Mellman said a split is unlikely, citing Duverger’s Law, which states that voters tend to favor a two-party system. The primary reason for a party
to change is a decisive election loss, which neither party has encountered, Mellman argued. “If it gets to the point where the Republicans do lose decisively,” he said, “I think we’ll see that change.” Trump’s 2016 victory, Mellman said, was the product of uniting three strands of conservatism: An aversion to big government, an aversion to change and an aversion to difference. He called these three strands a “powerful coalition” but “not a majority” of the electorate. “What holds the Trump vote together is Trump,” he said, making the future of the 2024 presidential election uncertain. The shift to mail-in balloting and the development of technology has changed the polling industry, Mellman said. With the decrease of landline usage, political polling has had to become versatile across new mediums — shifts that will have implications for the 2022 midterm and the 2024 presidential elections. The effects of COVID-19 on the political fortunes of both major political parties was also discussed. “We’re going to have COVID under control in 2022, which it certainly was not in 2020,” Mellman said, predicting that economic recovery is likely to help Democrats, but political division leaves much about the future
LOKI OLIN / HERALD
uncertain. Despite strong efforts by President Joe Biden to promote bipartisanship, Mellman said he is “pessimistic” about the improvement of political and social unity in the country.
“I don’t think there’s a lot of hope in the short-term, even in the medium term,” he said. “The lines get deeper, and deeper and deeper, so it’s a trench and now it’s a canyon.”
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | COMMENTARY
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The DNC needs to rethink the primary order BY CALEB APPLE STAFF COLUMNIST
On Feb. 14, 2020, outgoing Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Tom Perez ’83 called for the removal of Iowa and New Hampshire’s vaunted statuses as the first states in the presidential primary. While much of the focus this past cycle on these early states went to the Iowa debacle, it is clear that Iowa and New Hampshire are no longer acceptable choices as primary kingmakers: They are neither representative of the Democratic electorate nor the American population as a whole. The order of the presidential primaries plays an outsized role in determining the nominee, which is why Democrats must place more diverse and representative states first, removing unfair barriers to the presidency and ensuring a more just nomination process. These two states hold their position at the start line due to reforms enacted by the DNC in response to the disastrous 1968 Democratic National Convention, instead of any rationale relevant to the shape of modern presidential races. At the convention, anti-war and civil rights protests broke out in Chicago and were met with violence from the police. In response, the DNC attempted to make the nominating process more inclusive and give more people a seat at the table. As a result, the DNC decided to stagger states’ nominating schedules to decrease the advantage that wealthier candidates had. Iowa, with a complex process necessitating an early start, was chosen to be first. New Hampshire, on the other hand, has been the first primary (Iowa is a caucus) since 1920, and in 1948 became the first state to allow citizens to vote directly for presidential candidates. In 1972, the same year that Iowa gained its powerful position, New Hampshire was codified by the DNC as the first primary, a title it has held ever since. These two states, and the few after, set the tone for the entire campaign, even though they make up a small percentage of the nation. New Hampshire has long been perceived as an early test of the viability of a candidate’s campaign. In 1952, Sen. Estes Kefauver of Tennessee challenged incumbent President Harry Truman for the Democratic nomination, and his victory over Truman in the New Hampshire primary knocked the president out of the race. In 1968, Sen. Eugene McCarthy nearly beat President Lyndon Baines Johnson in New Hampshire, which prompted Johnson to also announce he would not seek another term. Both Iowa and New Hampshire gave Jimmy Carter the edge
he needed to win the nomination in 1976. A FiveThirtyEight analysis found that after John Kerry won both Iowa and New Hampshire in 2004, his national polling numbers jumped by 37 points, setting the former underdog up to win the nomination. Since 1972, only three non-incumbent presidents, George McGovern, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden have won their party’s nomination without winning at least one of these two states. Biden’s eventual nomination was in part due to the momentum he gained from winning the fourth state in line,
Iowa and New Hampshire’s preeminence and the fact that Klobuchar was polling much higher than Booker and Harris in those homogenous, white states. Unfortunately, existing state laws in Iowa and New Hampshire make it difficult to shift the primary order. New Hampshire law codifies it as the first in the nation primary, while Iowa’s law states that it must come eight days before any other. It is unlikely that these states will willingly cede their power. Thus, the DNC will have to step in to enact change
“The Democratic party owes its recent victories to voters of color, and it’s time that we endow a diverse group of voters with greater power to pick our next presidents.” South Carolina. That these early states can single-handedly swing the nomination is an issue, particularly considering that they are highly unrepresentative of the U.S. electorate. New Hampshire and Iowa are two of the seven whitest states in the nation, with white people making up over 90 percent of their populations. When a FiveThirtyEight study ranked every single state by its similarity to the Democratic electorate, New Hampshire and Iowa came in 34th and 42nd place, respectively. Clearly, the current system isn’t working — overwhelmingly white states and voters receive undue precedence to decide the presidential nominee. This order has also disadvantaged candidates of color and those who do not fit into the traditional definition of “electability.” While some proponents of keeping Iowa and New Hampshire first may debate this, pointing to Barack Obama’s win in 2008 in Iowa, it is but one example that can be contrasted with the many times that candidates of color were unable to win in part because of their early struggles in these states. In 1984, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, an outside chance for the nomination, ultimately won 18 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to finish third. However, from the very get go he was at a disadvantage: He won only 0.015 percent in Iowa and 0.05 percent in New Hampshire. If only a more diverse state had been near the top, perhaps Jackson would have performed far better. And from more recent memory, in 2020 Amy Klobuchar was able to outlast Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, although the three were even in many polls. This was likely in no small part due to
by, for example, threatening to strip delegates from those early states or penalizing candidates who campaigned in those early states. In 2008, the DNC sanctioned Florida and Michigan for holding their primaries on dates that the DNC did not find acceptable, halving the number of delegates each state could send to the convention. These approaches are admittedly both unlikely and perhaps too harsh, as they could lead to the party disenfranchising voters if the states refused to budge. However, Democrats must consider all avenues (ideally the carrot before the stick) to make their primaries more representative. If they are able to change the order, there are three principal parameters that the party should consider. First, Democrats must pick early states that are more representative of their electorate and the U.S. electorate at large. This would create a fairer system by not overtly disadvantaging certain candidates on a demographic basis. Second, Democrats should pick states that are still relatively small in size. This would be done to allow less well-funded candidates a chance to succeed, as larger states require more funding to run a strong campaign. Third, Democrats should try to pick states that are at least somewhat competitive to actually test their candidates in battleground states. South Carolina, for example, is not going to vote Democratic for years, so its early state status is quite unhelpful for uncovering which candidate is going to be the strongest in the general election. With these parameters in mind, there are four states that would be ideal as leaders in the 2024 primary. Nevada seems to be the easy
pick for the first state. It is the fifth most demographically similar state to the Democratic electorate, it is small and Democrats only held it by a slim margin in 2020. In addition, Nevada is already an early state, which would make this change relatively seamless. In fact, Nevada Democrats have already released a statement arguing that they should become the “first presidential nominating state in 2024.” With Nevada chosen, we should also keep an eye on geographic diversity, ideally by picking a state each from the northeast, west, south and midwest. North Carolina, New Jersey and Illinois all make good candidates. While no southern states satisfy all three parameters fully, North Carolina is relatively demographically similar, not too large and was extremely competitive in 2020. Its largest fault is a lack of Latino voters, but Nevada balances that out. In a WalletHub study, which took into account socio-demographics, economy, education, religion and public opinion to determine which states most mirror America as a whole, North Carolina placed ninth, second only to Virginia among southern states. New Jersey is diverse and relatively small, ranking second in the aforementioned FiveThirtyEight evaluation. And while not a battleground state, very few states in the northeast are. Finally, though Illinois is a larger state, according to both FiveThirtyEight and WalletHub it is the most representative state, and placing it fourth in line should help blunt its influence related to wealthier candidates. In addition, diverse and competitive states like Florida and Arizona (with their high Latino populations coming from countries of origin different from Nevada’s Latino voters), and Georgia (with its high Black and Asian-American population), should also come relatively early in the primary order. The likelihood of this reform coming to fruition is still low, at the moment. However, there is certainly public will and interest within the DNC to create a fairer primary system. Iowa and New Hampshire have played an important role in the history of the presidential primary, and Democrats would do well not to outright antagonize those states. But the Democratic party owes its recent victories to voters of color, and it’s time that we endow a diverse group of voters with greater power in picking our next presidents. Caleb Apple ’21 can be reached at caleb_apple@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald. com and op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
CA L E N DA R
COVID -19 AT BROWN LAST 7 DAYS*
FEBRUARY S
7
Completed Tests
People Tested
M
Tu
W
Th
F
S
14,479
8,451
1
2
3
4
5
6
Confirmed Positives
Positivity Rates
1
0.0%
8
9
10
11
12
13 SINCE AUGUST 24, 2020*
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Completed Tests
People Tested
241,273
10,385
Total Cases
Prevalence
343
3.3%
*AS OF FEB. 19
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
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ARTS & CULTURE
Comeback season: The queens of K-pop return with affirming messages HyunA releases minialbum ‘I’m Not Cool,’ IU updates with prerelease single ‘Celebrity’ BY IRENE CHOU SENIOR STAFF WRITER With no end in sight to COVID-19, K-pop luminaries are offering some long-awaited escapist relief from pandemic doldrums with two of the biggest female soloists in the industry, HyunA and IU, returning with a heartfelt embrace of selfhood and all its imperfections. HyunA’s seventh Mini-Album “I’m Not Cool” Released on Jan. 28, “I’m Not Cool” sees HyunA — known for her feature on Psy’s 2012 “Gangnam Style” and hit 2011 single “Bubble Pop!” — return from a year-long hiatus with another feisty set of bangers. Fans have long anticipated the return of the rapper, dancer and singer, as the past two years have not been easy on her. In 2018, HyunA revealed her steady relationship with fellow Triple H member E-Dawn (now known as Dawn). In an industry known for labels’ occasionally oppressive control over idols and the publicity of their relationships, her unauthorized divulgence was deemed a public embarrassment, and the label Cube Entertainment subsequently fired the couple, severing its 10-year partnership with the soloist in a high-profile act of ostracism. Fortunately, Psy came to the rescue, signing both HyunA and Dawn to his newly formed label P Nation. After taking a year to focus on her mental
well-being, HyunA has made her unapologetic comeback. The 28 year old is no stranger to the tumult of controversy. Her career since the tender age of 14 has been fraught with slut-shaming over risque outfits and provocative dance moves. Nonetheless, she continues to challenge the taboo of owning her sexuality in culturally conservative South Korea, where the masses often subscribe to double standards: expecting idyllic girlish innocence from female idols and muscular physiques from male idols. The title track “I’m Not Cool” examines the hardships of being a K-pop artist in an energetic blast of dance-pop infused with moombahton backing and a heavy bass. In her lyrics, HyunA opens up about constant exposure in mass media, the need to look unaffected under scrutiny and the confidence she has distilled over her years in the limelight. “I’m not cool I’m not / Cliche, that’s so funny,” she sings during the music video, while garbed in eye-popping fashion ensembles. In an ironic jab that proves the star to be anything but uncool, she offers a snarky refute against others’ hackneyed criticism. Regardless of whether it’s “cool” or not, the artist asserts, she does whatever she likes. HyunA then spreads an empowering message of self-love to fans, “Yeah eh eh to me I’m pretty / I adore myself / You should adore yourself, too.” Another highlight of her mini-album is “Party, Feel, Love,” a collaboration with her aforementioned boyfriend, rapper and songwriter Dawn. Now offered creative latitude previously inaccessible under their former label, the couple performs a sultry duet of sensual romance and spiritual companionship. Crackling with the chemistry of lovers going strong, the slow-tempo
blend showcases HyunA’s enticing lower register and Dawn’s distinct rap style. The mini-album is complete with three other tracks: “Good Girl,” “Show Window” and the pre-release single “Flower Shower.” Together, the five tracks underscore HyunA’s magnetic charm and genuine personality as a rapper, dancer and singer. Reconciling with past challenges and triumphing over shadows of doubt, HyunA presents an unabashed celebration of the self worth a listen as well as a watch. IU’s Pre-release Single “Celebrity” Released Jan. 27, “Celebrity” is a delightful, uplifting taste of singer-songwriter IU’s fifth studio album, a full-length album release fans have been waiting for over the last four years. The multi-genre track with splashes of tropical house and electronic synths veers away from the singer’s discography of moving theatrical ballads and pared back pop. Instead, “Celebrity” embraces more conventional K-pop elements, incorporating embellished production and a post-chorus drop for choreography. Still, IU (known for “BBIBBI” and “Good Day”) brings along an exploration of fame and self-doubt somewhat akin to HyunA’s. The 27-year-old singer alludes to fans’ blind admiration for the facile glory and allure of the celebrity status, reminding them not to lose themselves in the obsession over often unattainable yet insignificant facets of stardom. “The walk, the style / Through the earphones / The music is all minor,” IU sings in her signature clear, buoyant tone. What is much more important than any sort of aspirational celebrity status, IU insists in her poignant lyrics, is the realization of the self: “Can’t you see
HyunA’s latest mini-album “I’m Not Cool” features a set of catchy new hits celebrating the singer’s unabashed sense of self worth. how beautiful / A true uniqueness can certainties, IU offers some much needed be? / You’re my celebrity.” The singer warmth and geniality: “Don’t forget turns the loaded concept of “celebrity” during the long winter / A flower can on its head, replacing the image of glitz bloom between the frozen cracks.” IU’s and glam with a celebration of inner message of refreshing positivity offers beauty and authentic individuality. much for fans to look forward to as they In a drawn-out winter of isolation await the release of her album in the from social distancing and looming un- coming months.
close its doors back in March. Sobhit Singh Arora ’21 enjoyed the camaraderie that came from the intimate setting of the GCB. It was “100 percent one of my favorite places to socialize on campus,” Arora said. For RISD student Trey Hollinger, the GCB was a “sanctuary” for him and his friends. It was “the prime getaway retreat from the stresses of school.” The GCB offered students from different class years and social circles the opportunity to mingle with each other over cheap cheese boards and drinks. Any student entering the GCB “will definitely know at least one person,” Arora said. “You can walk over to their table and hang out with them and you will go home having met five new friends.” A night out at the GCB is a quintessential Brown experience that many members of the class of 2021 will have missed out on, having rung in their 21st birthdays quarantined at home. “I turned 21 last January so I only got to go to the GCB twice before COVID hit,” said Lexi King ’21. “It seems like a
bit of a staple of the Brown experience, like Blueno or seeing the Naked Donut Run, so it feels like there’s some level of commonality with the greater Brown community that current Brown students will miss out on.” Both the College Hill and the greater Providence communities have offered their support to the GCB. The University is not holding the bar responsible for rent payments and a former graduate student, who frequented the bar, even set up a GoFundMe page to support Yund and her staff. The page has since raised just over $8,200, which was distributed by Yund to the bartenders and door staff. Still, several of the GCB bartenders have had to file for unemployment while the remainder have found employment elsewhere, Yund said. If the bar does get the green light from the University to open, there will be a “six week lag time” to get things organized, though the bar will be as ready as possible, Yund said. But when the bar does reopen, it will be different than what previous patrons remember.
“The days of the GCB having a capacity of 153 (are) over,” Yund said. “It’s possible we are looking at a scenario of 25 to 40 people.” Yund believes that the drop in capacity may ultimately be voluntary, as patrons may be wary of crowded, enclosed spaces due to the pandemic. The “GCB is pretty claustrophobic in a way that’s charming in non-COVID times, but would probably be a bit anxiety-inducing in current times,” King said. But other students feel that with the frequency of Brown’s testing program and overall caution of the student body and community, they could see themselves returning to the GCB. “I would go,” Arora said. “It’s a combination of COVID-19 fatigue and feeling confident I can go to a place where (mostly) Brown students are going.” Hollinger also felt confident in the general caution that the community exercises in terms of COVID-19 safety. “I could definitely see myself going back to (the) GCB if it opened in the spring, which is a strange thing to admit, but I genuinely feel as if the student
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
GCB FROM PAGE 1 be different when the bar is eventually allowed to reopen. But, even with the GCB’s characteristic crowd thinned and the possibility of pitcher prices spiking, Yund said that “the bar will be fine and will reopen when it is safe to do so.” When Yund received the call from the University that the bar would have to close, she found the decision unsurprising due to the worsening state of the global health crisis. But Yund and her team of 10 were as prepared as they could be for the situation. Yund said she “always felt that the future at the (GCB’s) location was uncertain (and that) it was important to save up some money.” The GCB is an independent business, but still has to follow Brown’s COVID-19 protocols and guidance. Therefore, the bar cannot open until the University gives permission. Yund equated the University’s relationship to the GCB to a landlord-tenant agreement. Brown and Rhode Island School of Design students alike were just as disappointed to see the popular social spot
body and faculty of RISD and Brown has, for the most part, been extremely responsible (and) on top of COVID precautions all year,” Hollinger said. “If (the) GCB were to open again, I trust them, as well as the students, to abide (by) and enforce all health guidelines, just like they did before campus closed down last year.” Even with the GCB’s closure, many students have stayed away from bars off campus. “It’s easier for me to drink with friends at home rather than going to a bar right now,” Arora said. Staying home is also a cheaper substitute for the GCB than going to other off-campus bars, since the GCB charges less for drinks than the typical going rate. But, Yund said the necessary drastic reduction in capacity will leave the GCB with no other choice but to raise their drink prices, since the bar will “need to make more money for each drink.” Due to this, Yund is concerned that patrons may come to the bar just to socialize and not drink, which could hurt the business financially.
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
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UNIVERSITY NEWS
Ivy League’s first Black faculty member: J. Saunders Redding’s legacy Redding’s legacy marked by firsts, prejudice in academia, unconventional views BY LIVIA GIMENES UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR Just over 60 years ago, long before Brown’s Africana Studies department and concentration came to be, a course on “African Americans in American Literature” was offered. The course came with many firsts: It was the first of its kind to be offered at the University and all other colleges in the Northeast. And it was taught by Jay Saunders Redding ’28, who, when appointed to visiting professor of English for a semester in 1949, became the first Black faculty member at an Ivy League institution. Redding was also pioneer in realms beyond academia: He became an iconic figure in African-American literary canon, with The New York Times describing him as “probably the most eminent Negro writer of nonfiction in the country.” A writer in the making Born James Thomas Saunders Redding in 1906 to two Howard University graduates, Redding grew up in Wilmington, Delaware in an “upper-class Negro family,” as he later described in his first book “To Make A Poet Black.” At a young age, Redding’s mother introduced him and his brother to major canonical works in Western literature, as well as the practice of oratory. Redding first enrolled in Lincoln College, a historically Black college in Chester County, Pennsylvania, before eventually enrolling as a student at Brown. “I was lonely a good deal,” Redding wrote in his 1942 autobiographical piece, “No Day of Triumph.” He described feelings of uncertainty and lack of a purpose and motivation while at Lincoln. He spent the majority of his
time at the library immersed in various literary works. A year later, Redding transferred to Brown, where his brother Louis L. Redding ’23, the first African-American admitted to the Delaware Bar and a significant figure in Brown v. Board of Education, was enrolled. Still, Redding felt as equally isolated at Brown as he had at Lincoln. He was one of only three other Black students during his time at the University, one of whom committed suicide. Redding recalled in “No Day of Triumph” that he and the other Black students “made a great show of not seeking each other’s companionship” and would only meet “by accident” or in private spaces. This only exacerbated feelings of isolation, he wrote, adding that his “room in University Hall had almost no visitors, but it was peopled by a thousand of nameless fears.” “It was a perverted feeling of fighting alone against the whole white world. I raged with secret hatred and fear,” Reddings wrote. “I hated and feared the whites. I hated and feared and was ashamed of Negros (The memory of it even now is painful to me).” During his time at Brown, Redding became eligible for Phi Beta Kappa. But for “racial reasons,” according to Faith Berry, editor and author of Redding’s anthology, “A Scholar’s Conscience: Selected Writings of J. Saunders Redding, 1942-1977,” Redding was not awarded the honor until 1943 after he achieved literary fame — fifteen years after his graduation. From student to visiting faculty: the struggle of segregation in academia Shortly after graduating, Redding went to work at Morehouse College, where he was later fired due to controversial statements he made about Black colleges, which he said “tended to breed fascism.” After marrying his wife Esther Elizabeth James, Redding returned to the University to earn his Master’s in English and American Literature, before moving to New York to
continue his graduate studies at Columbia University. In New York, Reddings came into contact with the growing Harlem Renaissance movement, Berry wrote, adding that Reddings was much more an “interpreter” of the movement than a product of it. In 1939, Reddings published his first book “To Make a Poet Black.” The book was one of the first attempts to place not only authors, but also genres and periods, into African-American literary history, and became a classic work in the discipline, according to Berry. Reddings later returned to lecturing and taught at institutions in the South including Louisville Municipal College, Southern University and Elizabeth City State College. He then settled at the Hampton Institute, a private historically Black research university, where he stayed for 20 years and held an endowed chair. During his time at the Hampton Institute, Redding did not teach courses solely on African-American literature, but instead chose to incorporate Black writers into pre-existing courses. For a semester, Redding returned to his alma mater to become a visiting professor in the English department at Brown. Despite his pioneering efforts as the first Black faculty member at Brown and in the Ivy League, Redding’s appointment lasted for only a semester. In a 1957 letter to George K. Andersen, professor of English at the University at the time, Redding asked if there was any possibility of him gaining a permanent appointment in the department. Andersen wrote back stating that he “sympathized very deeply” with Redding’s desire “to leave the South,” but added that the department was not planning on hiring anyone for a role above associate professor and wanted to complement the department with younger scholars. “I do believe that I’ve the energy, health and will for a good many years of hard work,” Redding wrote back to Andersen, adding that he would not
be disturbed “in the least bit” to work in a lower-ranking position. Still, the University did not offer Redding any permanent faculty positions at the time. Berry wrote that Redding’s situation was not outlier at the time: Given widespread segregation in academia, many prestigious, traditionally white universities and colleges at the time would not invite Black academics to teach in roles other than visiting faculty positions. Still, Redding’s work was read by critics and widely recognized by literary prizes and fellowships. He continued to publish extensively throughout his career, shifting between fiction and nonfiction work on the Black experience. He published his autobiography in 1942, and his first novel, “Stranger and Alone” in 1950. His later books include “They Came in Chains” (1951), “The Lonesome Road” (1958) and “On Being Negro in America,” which, along with his autobiography, became one of his most distinguished works. A new era of civil rights movement and “Black aesthetics” In the 1960s, American academia experienced a shift as student movements and occupations, such as the 1968 Black Student Walkout at the University, began to take place across the country. In light of these protests and the surge of the Civil Rights Movement, Redding’s work was “brought to the front” by Black student activists, according to Berry. Not only was Redding’s work more widely read at this point, but with mounting pressures from students, universities sought to hire more Black faculty. As a distinguished figure in Black academia, Redding was able to receive permanent appointments at prestigious colleges in the Northeast. He taught at George Washington University and became a humanities fellow at Duke University, before settling at Cornell, where he became its first Black faculty member and earned a tenured position as the Ernest I. White
Professor of American Studies and Humane Letters. Redding also served as fellow of the University’s Corporation from 1961 to 1981, and continued as emeritus fellow until his death in 1988. He participated in the Third World Coalition’s takeover of University Hall in 1975, and at one point chaired the University’s minority committee. Still, despite his surge in literary popularity in light of activism during the 1960s, Redding held what were considered conservative views among Black scholars and activists at the time. He was opposed to the “Black aesthetic,” and he was “unable to convince some members of a younger generation that Blackness did not mean only semantics, name changes, dashikis, Afro hairdos and an Afrocentric approach to literature and history,” Berry wrote. “I hope this piece will stand as the epilogue to whatever contribution I have made to the ‘literature of race,’” Redding wrote in “On Being a Negro in America.” “I want to get on to other things. I do not know whether I can make this clear, but the obligations imposed by race on the average educated or talented Negro … are vast and become at last onerous. I am tired of giving up my creative initiative to these demands. I think I am not alone.” According to Berry, his views caused Redding to be an oddly-placed figure in the literary canon, considered too conservative for activists at the time but too liberal for conservatives. “He took pride in being a detached, dispassionate critic,” Berry wrote. “Redding heard a different drummer, and he had no intention of changing his message or cultural convictions to fit the trends of the time.”
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THE BROWN DAILY HERALD | NEWS
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Students celebrate Lunar New Year traditions in an unusual year
COURTESY OF BROWN UNIVERSITY
Students gathered virtually, with podmates or their families, to celebrate the Lunar New Year despite the limitations necessitated by the COVID-19 public health crisis.
Student organizations create community, adapt annual traditions to virtual settings BY LIVIA GIMENES UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR As Feb. 12 marked the transition into the Year of Ox on the Chinese lunar calendar, students turned to unheralded ways of celebrating the Lunar New Year, not only in Providence but across the world and virtually. For Bree Zhang ’22 this year’s celebrations culminated in an unexpected silver lining — being able to celebrate with all of her family for the first time in six years. Since Zhang and her older brother left for college, their family had never been able to celebrate Lunar New Year together due to their class schedules. But this year, after receiving the second dose of the vaccine back home in New Jersey, Zhang stayed an extra week to celebrate the new year with her family. Typically, the new year for the Zhang family means going to a family friend’s house to gather around traditional food and light fireworks. While the usual events were not possible due to COVID-19 restrictions, Zhang said that this year’s celebration were
not any less meaningful. Zhang’s family gathered for their traditional dumpling-making “assembly line.” Her mother prepared the dough, her father flattened it, Zhang filled and packed the dough with filling and her brother adjusted the shapes. After long hours of work, the family sat around the table to consume the food they collectively produced, which Zhang described as one of the highlights of the celebration. Zhang enjoyed “just being with (her) family, eating so much food that you feel like you’re gonna roll up back into your bed because you’re so heavy from all the delicious meals,” she said. “That’s something that I really enjoy and that I really, really missed when I was in college.” Miles away from his family, which lives in Italy, Michael Chen ’22, president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, was still able to celebrate the holiday with his pod in Providence. Like Zhang’s family, Chen and his podmates also made dumplings from scratch, and also cooked ribs. Chen appreciated being able to spend quality time with his podmates preparing food and eating it together. This was particularly special given the otherwise isolating effects of the pandemic, he added. On Lunar New Year, Chen and his
pod also took the time to watch “The Spring Festival Gala,” a staple lunar variety show broadcast annually by the Chinese government. The next day, Chen and his pod continued their celebrations around the TV in their living room to watch musical and dance performances that they had organized and put on for the The Ivy League Spring Festival Gala. A collaborative effort by the CSSAs at all of the Ivy League schools, the Gala was a collection of musical and dance performances pre-recorded by each institution, including an original song composed by Brown CSSA members. The presentations ranged from traditional performances to more modern singing and dancing, and also included guest appearances from various Chinese celebrities. The Gala was broadcast both on YouTube and on iQiyi, a Chinese online video platform, gaining around 2,500 and 19,000 viewers respectively on each platform. The Gala was “very successful,” Chen said, adding that he was heartened that it was able to reach not only students from the Ivies, but also broader audiences in China. Along with performances, CSSA also created a series of WeChat stickers including a “hongbao,” or red envelope, as well as Ox-inspired characters to celebrate the event. Jemma Xu ’23, who is currently
studying remotely from China and who helped plan the Gala, said that the event fostered a sense of community among Chinese students enrolled at Brown, whether they were in the United States or in China. Chen echoed Xu’s sentiment, adding that the event created community and connection among Chinese students across all eight Ivies. “Chinese people like having a crowd, and that’s something you cannot do under these circumstances,” Chen said. “So having a crowd who you have been engaging virtually in the planning is huge.” This new year also marked a different type of celebration for the Brown Taiwan Society, who, for the first time in recent years, decided to host an event dedicated solely to the Lunar New Year. According to Jamie Cheng ’22, co-president of BTS, many of the club’s typical holiday events center around food — events that are no longer feasible due to the pandemic. This year, in place of a food-oriented celebration, the group decided to put on a Zoom event so that other students could learn more about the Lunar New Year and its traditions. To mitigate the Zoom fatigue many students are already feeling from virtual coursework, BTS sought to make the event fun and interactive, Cheng said. The event had eight
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breakout rooms where students could learn about different Lunar New Year traditions, and attracted around 40 to 50 students, according to Cheng. Cheng said that one of her favorite parts of the event was a wish writing activity, in which executive board members wrote participants’ wishes in Chinese characters on virtual lanterns, emulating the lantern festival. For Zhang, new year celebrations this year also meant being able to reconnect with tradition. Before college, Zhang said that she did not feel as comfortable participating in more typical traditions, and felt embarrassed to wear traditional clothing. But over the past few years at Brown, Zhang said that she has become increasingly more in touch with her culture, making this new year feel even more special as the first time she fully celebrated the holiday after coming to college. “Wearing Chinese attire in the new year and feeling beautiful in it instead of feeling a little embarrassed to be wearing it because (I thought) it would look weird” was a milestone for her this year, Zhang said. Next year, Zhang hopes to be able to go to China to celebrate Lunar New Year with her extended family.