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A student voice of Saint Louis University since 1919
Vol. XCV No. 10
Trailblazer Laverne Cox comes to SLU Acting and activism intersect for ‘Orange’ star
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Living Jesuit values in a moment of crisis By PATRICK HYLAND Senior Staff Writer
By CHAD MAXWELL Staff Writer
“Ain’t I a woman?” The words bounced around the walls of the Center for Global Citizenship during a speech given by the Emmynominated actress Laverne Cox last Monday, Nov. 9. Cox delivered a speech hitting on the idea of intersectionality — the cross sections of identities, normally focused on in discussions of minority groups. She spoke on her own personal story as a black, transgender woman from a working class background in Mobile, Alabama. The actress, made famous for her role as Sophia Burset in the hit Netflix original “Orange is the New Black,” was the first trans woman of color to hold a leading role in any mainstream show as well as the first to produce her own television show, VH1’s TRANSform Me. Along with her successes in the world of media, Cox’s role as an activist has been incredibly important to the trans community. Her voice has been a large one in improving the way trans* people — especially trans women of color (22 trans women of color have been murdered this year alone) — are seen in America.
Emily Higginbotham / The University News
ADVOCATE: Cox delivers an engaging speech for students, recounting many episodes from her life in which she overcomes social obstacles. Laverne Cox has used her position of fame to bring to light the stories of other transgender women and to talk about the cross-sections of identities in regards to race as well. Oftentimes, the face of LGBTQ movements has been stereotypically white (Ellen DeGeneres, Harvey Milk, and Caitlyn Jenner), while important people of color, like Sylvia Rivera and Bayard Rustin,
Returning adjunct professor
rises above his past By PATRICK HYLAND Senior Staff Writer
Just as philosophy is not just the writings and ideas of a bunch of dead white men, professors are not just a bunch of book worms with no real life experience. Dr. Leamon Bazil is a case in point, having been arrested and convicted of drug possession and distribution while working on his dissertation at SLU back in 2003. Bazil was taken into custody on his way to class in McGannon Hall. After serving three years in jail, Bazil eventually returned to SLU to complete his Ph.D. in philosophy and is now teaching in the Philosophy Department, offering a course next smester called, “Race, Social Justice, and the African-American Experience.” Students are likely to find Bazil as easy to talk to and as unassuming as his office. His academic degrees hang not towering over his desk, but
actually at waist level. Three posters, instead, are prominently featured above his higher education degrees: one of the notorious BIG, one of 2Pac and the last of Jimmi Hendrix. When asked to describe the importance of each, Bazil turned in his chair, stared at Hendrix as if at an old friend, and talked about him as a revolutionary, an openminded avante guard and inspiring musician who played like no one else. Turning and looking over his other shoulder, Bazil seemed to pay reverence to the Notorious BIG poster, then talking of Biggy Small’s taking on the experience of the average black kid in New York City, painting vivid pictures through words, and, as Bazil described, being nothing short of an existentialist. Lastly, Bazil confessed that it was 2Pac that really
have often been erased from history. Cox, during her speech, mentioned that every one of her identities intersect in her life and she cannot remove any one of them from who she is. She talked about her experience growing up in a predominantly black area; where her queer identity at the time and the dysphoria she often felt led to her face bullying and violence from
those she interacted with. When she left her hometown for art school, she was then exposed to hatred of a racial variety. Her story includes struggles from multiple, difficult angles; but through it all, she stuck to her values and beat the odds to become the icon she is today. Currently, Laverne Cox is See “Cox” on Page 3
On Nov. 8, at St. Francis Xavier College Church, Saint Louis University President Dr. Fred Pestello shared – with a mostly older crowd gathered in the church’s ballroom – his personal experience of leading SLU through the OccupySLU movement in October 2014. He gave a short note about his background: Pestello hails from Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended a Jesuit university, John Carroll, and then worked for 25 years as a sociology professor, provost, and then senior vice president at the University of Dayton; the next six years were spent as the first lay president of Le Moyne College, a Jesuit College in Syracuse, N.Y. After that, Pestello began his presentation. Pestello said that his initial questions in time of crisis are first, “what is going on?” and second, “how do I resolve it?” These questions came to mind when Pestello faced what he calls the largest crisis of his career in October of 2014. Pestello mentioned that bias-related incidents, or more accurately, racism, during the spring
of 2014 had left many students dissatisfied, prompting letters to the editor of the University News and to the former president of SLU. After the killing of Michael Brown, a SLU faculty member approached Pestello for permission to host speakers on campus for an event to be held on Oct. 12. Pestello agreed, and about 1,500 people attended. There were many leaders who spoke, but there was a divide between the older speakers and the younger protestors in attendance. The divide manifested itself in protests that started in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis, and then approached campus. At 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 13, Pestello awoke to a phone call from Jim Moran, Vice President of Public Safety. Moran was predicting that the protestors were heading for SLU’s campus and wanted direction from Pestello as to whether or not they should be allowed in. Pestello deferred to Moran’s judgement, since although protestors could be prevented from entering campus initially, the campus is ultimately too See “Pestello” on Page 3
SLU students join D.C. teach-in Event gives them the tools to catalyze change By EMILY HIGGINBOTHAM Associate News Editor
On Saturday, Nov. 7, 20 students from Saint Louis University arrived in Washington D.C. to take part in the annual Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice in order to learn more about social justice issues, and then advocate for those issues in front of members of Congress. These students are now bringing the lessons they have learned about social justice and reform to SLU and are making real change at the university, as well as the world. The Teach-In began in 1996 as a way to remember and protest the deaths of Jesuits who were killed at the University of Central America in San Salvador, El Salvador in 1989. The Salvadoran
soldiers who were responsible for these deaths received their training at the U.S. Army School of the Americas. Since then, the Teach-In has developed from this protest into a weekend meant to educate young people about issues concerning U.S. policy in Central America, immigration reform and environmental protection. This year, there was also a special emphasis on criminal justice reform and the death penalty. “Advocating is such a tangible way to speak for those who are unable to speak for themselves,” said Abbie Amico, a senior at SLU and one of the research-team leaders. Amico and the other students who made up the leadership team - Hannah Vestal, Lija Siliunas and Timmy Pazderka - were tasked with
picking the delegation that would be representing SLU at the conference, as well as heading up research teams and helping these teams prepare for their presentations in front of their respective members of Congress. Following keynote speakers and breakout sessions, Monday’s ‘day of advocacy’ allowed students to meet their respective members of congress or their policy advisers, and bring attention to the bills and acts regarding all of these social issues on which the Teach-In focused. “We would have a meeting with one or two of their staff members and we would sit down and they would just let us talk. They were so respectful, so genuine,” said Siliunas. She continued, “What they said last year,
and I think what I felt was reinforced this year, was that they appreciate people coming with no other motivations than their convictions.” Each member of the leadership team was in charge of their own research team and promoted their justice issue. Amico advocated for foreign policy in Central America, Vestal talked about environment justice, Siliunas spoke on immigration reform and Pazderka presented on criminal justice reform. These pairings were not random. At least for Amico, Vestal and Siliunas, they had been advocating for these issues since they had participated in last year’s Teach-In, and they were all inspired to See “Teach-In” on Page 3
See “Bazil” on Page 3
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Courtesy of Hannah Vestal
D.C.: Members of SLU’s delegate pose in front of the White House. Since 2010, our fellow students have taken part in the Teach-In and have advocated for social justice issues by lobbying to members of Congress on Capitol Hill.