Volume XX Issue 4

Page 1

17 November, 2016

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Claremont colleges unite against hate By Anna Liss-Roy ‘20 Staff Writer

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n Friday, November 11 at 2pm crowds of students, faculty and community members assembled at the steps of the Claremont Colleges Library for a student-organized rally called “Claremont Colleges United Against Hate.” In a public Facebook group summoning the local community to action, its organizers described the event as an effort “to condemn the vitriolic hate spread by Donald Trump” and to “demand and reaffirm the Claremont Community’s dedication to protect LGBTQ+ rights, racial equality, disability rights, religious freedom, and all other marginalized communities attacked by Trump.” Protestors were asked to wear all black. The event commenced around 2:15 p.m. with opening remarks by chief organizer Jacquelyn Aguilera PZ ’19, who recounted her shock and terror in response to Trump’s presidential victory. Standing on a raised platform, one fist gripping the megaphone, the other raised in the air, Aguilera asked the crowd to repeat a quote by Assata Shakur: “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love and support one another. We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Photo by Jessica Padover ‘18

To the beat of a pounding drum, Aguilera and several other organizers led the mass of protestors in a route around the consortium, chanting “America Was Never Great,” “Black lives matter,” “Migrant rights are human rights,” and “El pueblo unido, jamás sera vencido.” After the march, students and faculty shared personal experiences and discussed what it means to be an ally to marginalized groups, as well as possible routes of support to take. “It is not wrong to support our Muslim brothers and sisters and to fight Trump’s promise to ban them,” said Pitzer professor Jose Calderon, who emphasized the importance of

working to “create a kind of equal and just world that we want to live in in our dorms, in our cafeterias, in our classrooms, and in our communities.” “We stand in solidarity against the hate that has become normalized discourse in this campaign…we do not believe in building walls,” said Nigel Boyle, Interim Dean of Faculty at Pitzer. Fo l l o w i n g f a c u l t y s p e a ke r s , undocumented students from the Claremont Colleges stood in front of the crowd, arms around each other. “I am speaking to our allies,” one student speaker said. “It matters.” In Aguilera’s closing remarks, she listed three possible courses

of action: supporting the Inland Empire Immigrant Youth Coalition, continuing to express dissent, and self-educating, listening, and practicing radical self-love. “For many of us, existence itself is an act of resistance,” said Aguilera. “[Self-love] is especially important for marginalized communities now that our identities are under attack. Without self-love and understanding you are both worthy and capable of love, it would be difficult to continue the battle.” The protest itself was a flurry of different components met with applause and the occasional standing ovation, bound together by forwardlooking rhetoric and the theme of enduring-- no matter how difficult the next four years may prove to be. “Those not shaken to their soul with agony have no say in how we feel, deal, or fight. This election was never a game for if our survival would be comfortable or awkward, it was a question of if our survival would be possible at all,” said Eliamani Ismail ’20 in a poem she had written that she read into the megaphone, as protestors jumped to their feet in a standing ovation. “The march was not an action but rather a call-to-action,” said Aguilera. “We have nothing to lose but our chains.”

Students come together to celebrate diwali Emily Diamond ‘20 Staff Writer

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n S u n d ay N ov. 1 3 , ove r 1 0 0 students and community members gathered inside McKenna Auditorium to celebrate Diwali, a Hindu holiday widely commemorated throughout India, South Asia, and the world. The holiday, which coincides with the Hindu New Year, represents the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The celebration in McKenna Auditorium included a prayer session, a traditional Indian dinner, a henna/mendhi table, performances from several groups, and

Inside This Issue:

open dancing. Before praying, students of the Hindu Society led an informative session regarding the history and traditions of Diwali. Students explained that Diwali lasts five days. The first day is known as Dhan Tera, and people worship to Dhanvantari Trayodashi, the teacher of physicians; the second is Naraka Chaturdashi, and is a day to abolish laziness and evil; the third is Deepavali, which translates to Diwali and marks the end of the financial year; the fourth is Annakutsav, considered the first day of the new year; and the final day is Bhai Beej, which celebrates siblings.

Page 2 - Diwali

Discover more about the Hindu festival of lights

Following the prayers, students ate an assortment of traditional Indian food and chatted about traditions at home. “During Diwali, everyone goes home and spends time with their families. It’s different here in the sense that I’m with friends instead of family on Diwali,” said Aakriti Anand ‘18 at Claremont McKenna college. “What I miss from back home is we play cards. It’s like a mini casino. We always played the game called Rummy,” Bhabika Booragadda ‘18 at Claremont McKenna. Shringi Diva Vikram ‘20 said her favorite part about celebrating in India is looking at the beautiful candles and

Page 9 - SCAMFest

Check out what SoCal A Capella groups had to sing about

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lamps, but here she feels a great sense of community. “It’s comforting to be surrounded by others who are also celebrating this holiday and can relate to my traditions. I really miss home right now but there is still something really special about this,” she said. “The celebration at the Claremont Consortium is a place where your culture and religion are respected and where you can still act accordingly to it and celebrate all those major times,” said Meghana ‘17, President of the Hindu Society. “Other people are just as excited about it even if they’re not Indian or Hindu. Everyone

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Page 12 - Protest

See the most compelling images from the Trump march


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