The Wake - Issue 1 - Fall 2020

student magazine

Activism in Quarantine

p. 8

Staying Home in Style A Voter’s Dilemma

volume 20 — issue 1

Q&A: Yung Gravy

p. 22

p. 10

The Social Dilemma

p. 25

p. 13

Woke Review

p. 27

ART

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Art by Tala Alfoqaha

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

VOLUME 20, ISSUE 1 EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief

Tala Alfoqaha

Managing Editor

Marley Richmond

Cities Editor

Ian Knoll

Voices Editor

Sylvia Rani

Music Editor

Tosin Faseemo

Online editor

Na’Jai Wilson

Copy editors

Autumn Sanders Hannah Haakenson

Multimedia Editor

Sebastian Alfonzo

Multimedia Producer

Cynthia Maya

Editorial Interns: Mitchell Levesque, Holly Gilvary, Sydni Rose,

BMM EBZ

Jemma Keleher, Izzy Teitelbaum, Ellie Roth, Avery Wageman, Macy Harder, Peter Nomeland Multimedia Interns: Brianna White, Amy Halbmaier, Linnea Baerenwald, Parker Smith

PRODUCTION Executive Director Creative Director Finance Manager PR/Ad Manager Social Media Manager Art Director Designers

Esther Chan Chae Hong Hannah Dove Udita Goel Grace Augustin Sydnney Islam Anna Aquino Gavin Schuster

Web Manager Distribution Manager

Makenna Larson Natalie Bluhm

Shannon Brault Production Interns: Skylar Neubar, Tymia Phathachack, Amy Haslerud Art Interns: Audrey Rauth, Isabel Atkinson, Megan Bormann, Madison Kuehn

Š2020 The Wake Student Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Established in 2002, The Wake is a fortnightly independent magazine and registered student organization produced by and for students at the University of Minnesota.

THIS ISSUE Writers Marley Richmond, Jemma Keleher, Macy Harder, Mitchell Levesque, Emily Baude, Amanda Christensen, Lincoln Arora, ZoĂŤ Kondes, Vishalli Alagappan,

The Wake was founded by Chrin Ruen & James DeLong.

Katie Clark, Khilav Majmudar, Kylie Heider, Grace Davis, Peter Nomeland,

Disclaimer: The purpose of The Wake is to provide a forum in which students can voice their opinions.

Opinions expressed in the magazine are not representative of the publication or university as a whole.

To join the conversation email eklingler@wakemag.org.

Funmi Banjoko

The Wake Student Magazine 126 Coffman Memorial Union 300 Washington Avenue SE Minneapolis, MN 55455

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Art 1 Audrey Rauth, 2 Isabel Atkinson, 3 Megan Bormann, 4 Madison Kuehn, 5 Meredith Song, 6 Sydnney Islam, 7 Joseph Hillenbrand, 8 Funmi Banjoko The Social Dilemma, Fetch the Bolt Cutters, and RTJ4 art from original sources Cover and Feature art by Sydnney Islam

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wink! one page magazine

2020 CAMPUS NON-ESSENTIALS FOR ZOOM UNIVERSITY Backpacks Travel mugs U-Card Deodorant Yaktrax™ Gopheralls Fat cash to buy textbooks $200 non-refundable parking pass Winter coats Cute outfits Lunch bag Hope 4

OCTOBER 9—18

INSIDE 6 Letter from the Executive Director 8 Activism in Quarantine 9 UMN Response to COVID 10 How to make your space fun & fresh 11 Art that was done in response to George Floyd 13 Choosing not to Vote 17 The Master Plan 18 Treating the Disease, Not Just the Symptom 19 A Gen-Xer amidst the Gen Z 20 The Death of Expertise 21 Sports and Fans and COVID-19

UPCOMING EVENTS 10/19

10/15 & 10/22

Scarecrows & Pumpkins at the Arboretum

Hippocampus Dream Streams

Minnesota Landscape Arboretum 9AM – 6PM

Online event Livestream starting at 8PM

10/24

10/27

St. Paul Ghost Walk

Empower ME! Women’s Conference

Explore the real-life ghost stories, haunted history, and urban legends of downtown St. Paul.

Examine how women of color have been excluded from these stories, and how they are showing up now in 2020.

American Ghost Walks 7:30PM – 10:30PM

Online event 9AM – 2PM

10/31

11/3

Hold Hands Minneapolis

Election Day March to the Polls

Form a human handheld chain around the perimeter of downtown Minneapolis.

March to the polls in solidarity.

Stroll through the grounds and see the scarecrows and pumpkin/gourd/fall decor.

Downtown Minneapolis 3PM – 4PM

Hosted by First Avenue & 7th St Entry

U.S. Bank Stadium 10AM – 10PM

22 Q&A: Yung Gravy 25 The Social Dilemma 26 Fiona Apple and Run The Jewels 27 Woke

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Letter from the Executive Director You don’t need me to tell you that we’re living in uncomfortable times.

What else am I supposed to say that hasn’t already been regurgitated in every public statement? I suppose my duty is to justify your time reading this wonderful first issue of “The Wake” when I know we all have class readings to catch up on or other worries to tend to.

My justification is simple: empathy.

By all means, this is not an ignorant “we’re all in this together” platitude.

In fact, I would even say we’re not all in this together when you consider our societal divisions. All I am saying is that what makes society, well, a society, is our willingness to bridge the gaps between our differences, even if it is only by a few measly steps and even if it requires encountering unfamiliar views.

“The Wake” is filled with various points of view, and this is not a call for you to agree with them all. However, I hope you can resonate with the shared emotions woven through each individual’s work—shared fear and anger and joy and curiosity. Each word and piece of art dances across the pages in its own genre, but their purposes are the same: to tell a story, to share a perspective, to bring creativity and knowledge and a pigment of color into the default gray of this world.

Admittedly, pure sincerity can rarely, if ever, be truly guaranteed, but what I can guarantee is we are doing our due diligence as a platform that uplifts student voices. I hope you’ll find that a tangible sense of genuine expression weaves itself through these pages like a golden thread that reminds you, reminds me, of our humanity and shared emotions.

Maybe in these times, flowery prose about unity is the last thing you need. However, I hope you also recognize that a little shred of empathy is something we can never take for granted. Soon enough we may find ourselves grasping for it only to find empty air. So why not tug on that thread?

Warmly, Esther Chan Executive Director

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OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

ART

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Art by Sydnney Islam Out of my Mind

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CITIES

Activism in Quarantine

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How to keep your foot on the gas, even from the confines of quarantine.

BY MACY HARDER I think it’s fair to assume that six months of being in quarantine has wreaked havoc on all of our lives.

Our daily routines have been completely uprooted, our social lives exist on group FaceTime, and going to the grocery store has gone from a mundane chore to the highlight of our day (and an excuse to put together a real outfit). But more recently, being in the confines of our own homes has also affected the way many people practice activism.

After the murder of George Floyd, masses have taken to the streets to protest the state-sanctioned violence against innocent Black people by police.

Day and night, crowds fill the streets to stand up against injustice. Pandemic-related concerns run high as organizers and activists on the front lines remind everyone to take necessary health safety measures, especially because Black Americans are at a higher risk for COVID-19 related health complications.

However, even in the presence of these precautions, physically attending a protest is not an accessible option for everyone. But luckily, there are a multitude of ways we can show up for Black lives and livelihood everyday, while keeping public health in mind during the pandemic.

1. Uplift and prioritize Black voices, especially those of Black women: If you, like myself, are white, it’s crucial that we listen to Black voices and use our privilege to highlight them. We should make sure that we consume content and news in which Black voices are held in the spotlight. On social media, we should fill our timelines with Black women and focus on amplifying their ideas and work.

Outside of cyberspace, this means listening to our Black friends and colleagues first and speaking second. It also means making sure Black voices are included in areas of our work where decisions

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are being made. We need to not only give Black women a seat at the table, but always make sure that they have a head seat at the table.

2. Support Black businesses and Black creatives: Instead of ordering those skincare products from a large corporation or buying that candle from Amazon, try looking for a Black-owned business online to buy them from. For practically any product, service, or food you can think of, there’s a Black-owned business that can provide it, many of which offer online or curbside service during COVID-19 times. The Twin Cities is home to Trio Plant-based, Black Garnet Books, Sammy’s Avenue Eatery, and a wide range of other Blackowned businesses to check out. There are also tons of talented Black creatives on social media.

Whether you’re interested in artwork, clothing, music, or anything in-between, there are plenty of opportunities to support Black business and talent.

3. Educate yourself, while also working on unlearning: For most of us, the history curriculum we were fed in middle and high school is incredibly white-washed, inaccurate, and oppressive. It’s crucial that we do our own research to become more knowledgeable about systemic racism, knowledge which can and must come from learning from BIPOC speakers, authors, and educators. With this learning comes an element of necessary unlearning: undoing our implicit biases and “decolonizing our mind,” so to speak. In order to engage in anti-racism work, we need to examine the harmful implications of the way we were taught about the world.

your classmates make ignorant statements under the guise of “playing the devil’s advocate.” We cannot pick and choose where we stand up for Black lives.

5. Financially supporting BIPOC in your community and beyond: While donating to organizations is helpful, it’s also important that we directly help BIPOC in need, and services like Venmo and Cashapp make it easy to do so. Keep an eye out for posts on social media about individuals who need financial support, and if you are able, send some money their way.

The last several months have challenged all of us to adapt to new ways of life, and for some, new ways of engaging in activism and anti-racist work. But if anything remains certain during these “uncertain times,” it’s the fact that we need to support, fight for, uplift, and protect Black lives every single day.

4. Have important conversations: Call out your Uncle Steve when he makes a racist comment at the family dinner. Speak up to your friends when you catch them using microaggressions. Don’t let

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

CITIES

On Higher Education: Policies, Provisions, and Us in the Time of COVID-19 What is the University of Minnesota’s plan for COVID-19, and how will it be received?

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BY MITCHELL LEVESQUE Since the advent of the coronavirus, college life for students has changed significantly. For University of Minnesota students, this fact is also true.

Students still remain on the East Bank mall, playing frisbee, participating in lively conversations, or just relaxing. What’s different now is the lack of passing time: the busy moments when the campus buzzes with hurried students ready to get to their next class. This shift is, of course, a result of the University’s new hybrid model, which prescribes most classes to be online, with some being allowed in-person segments. However, the largest change, and perhaps biggest challenge for the University, comes with how college students socialize. It is well known that much of the college experience is based on life outside of the classroom, so much so that the right to socialize freely can seem constitutional when discussing the privileges of a student. The fact is, however, that this fall there is an amendment to said constitution, one that comes in the form of social distancing, required masks, and limited contact with individuals. The question remains: How will we respond to these requests?

This amendment, speaking more specifically, is the University’s Gold and Maroon plan, the basics of which rely on limited exposure and enforced rules. Step one states that “students will live and learn almost exclusively within the residence halls for ten days,” which includes a 9 p.m. curfew. The following steps outline similar provisions, only with

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more and more access to campus facilities and later to no curfews. While a specific timeline has been set for these steps, the University can also move steps backwards or forwards based on available data concerning the spread of the virus on campus. Understandably however, students not included in this plan are those living off campus.

Despite this, the University supplies much of the same help to these students, even providing a dedicated webpage to find places to get food, ideas for safer housing, and resources to find lowcost community clinics.

Another part of the University’s plan comes with testing. At the time of writing this, only symptomatic individuals are being tested.

According to the school, this decision was guided by their own public health team and Minnesota’s Department of Health. Similar to testing sites in many other places, the University is conducting tests in tents just outside the Boynton Health building. Those who test positive will be informed by a clinician within two to four days. Those who test negative will have their results delivered via the MyBoynton Patient Portal within three to seven days, according to Boynton Health.

links to resources that students may find helpful.

Moreover, on the University’s website there is a COVID-19 tab that contains the details of their plan, as well as statistics on the virus within the school.

The issue of this, however, is how much of this the students will pay attention to.

In terms of a response, by many standards the University has done a good job with the cards they have been dealt. The crux of this issue, however, lies with us, the students. It may seem unprecedented for such requests to be made of us, but those are the times we’re living in. Many around campus will likely agree with these provisions and will chide at the generalizations often given when discussing college students.

However, speaking this generally is not done out of laziness, but rather necessity: In the context of a pandemic, the actions of a few affect just about everyone. If we are to imagine a community in which we support one another and respect one another, we owe it to ourselves to be serious about those ideals together, both in words and action.

Provisions and testing secured, one factor still remains pertinent to a successful fall plan: providing students and staff with the necessary information. So far the University has done a good job, sending regular emails that often contain

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CITIES

Staying Home in Style Keeping your space feeling exciting and fresh is a necessity, especially now when you have to spend all your time in it.

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BY AMANDA CHRISTENSEN With the coronavirus pandemic keeping everyone at home for hours, even days, at a time, the space we live in has become an important factor in determining productivity, moods, and mindsets.

For those who could never study or do homework in their bedroom, quarantine has more or less provided an opportunity to change that.

Now, I’ve always been one to get restless with the set up in my bedroom, rearranging it sometimes to switch things up. This remodel includes moving my desk, changing the posters on my wall, or adding plants to my windowsill. It seems to put me in a fresher mindset—almost like it was my first day living there again, ready to take on whatever work I couldn’t complete with where my desk was beforehand. Quarantine especially has forced me to take the time to invest in the space I now do everything: working my two jobs, homework and studying, FaceTiming my friends, and sleeping. It’s like giving your space a spa treatment, leaving it pampered and fresh just for you.

When it comes to room decor and keeping my space feeling like me, I always go for a new plant.

There’s hundreds to choose from, whether it be a succulent, vine, or flower, and they’re generally pretty low maintenance. They also provide the benefit of taking in the carbon dioxide you breathe out and turning it into fresh oxygen, keeping the air in your space fresh and clean. I feel as though that is an especially important benefit as we endure a pandemic with an airborne virus. Plants can also brighten up a space with their colorful leaves and petals. My favorites at the moment are my bright red moon cactus (which looks like a prickly, red, misshapen ball on a thick green stem) and my bright green pothos plant with its big green leaves growing down like a vine. They are simple, low maintenance, and very pretty on

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my big windowsill. I highly recommend a new plant buddy if you’re in need of some greenery to freshen up your space.

If you’re looking for a more creative or personable method of bedroom revamping, consider some wall decor. I am no artist, but I, along with many others stuck at home, picked up painting as my new in-house hobby over the past few months. I buy little canvases for a dollar or two at Target, search up inspiration on Pinterest, and paint (to the best of my ability). If I end up liking what I created, I’ll hang it up on my wall or prop it up on my desk. These little pieces make for perfect little decor around your bedroom or whatever space you spend time in. Speaking of Pinterest, mood boards representing your aesthetic or interests are a great option to spice up blank bedroom walls.

This is an easy way to bring out your personality and style in a space. Another option to fill blank walls is posters, and you can find a plethora of online stores that offer a variety of them with a simple Google search. I tend to go for music artists, with my “Vote Igor” poster of Tyler the Creator, or ones that reflect things I value, like my Black Lives Matter poster.

Whether it’s total rearrangement or simply a new plant, treating your space to little upgrades here and there will be reflected in more comfort and productivity during our pandemic-induced stayat-home requirements. Indulge in it like you would yourself, and it’ll provide a safe space to spend all the time in it you need.

As boring as it may seem, a simple cleaning of your space is another important method to keeping it fresh with the amount of time we are now spending at home in Zoom class and remote employment. Get a vacuum, some disinfectant wipes, a duster, and whatever else you may need.

It always helps me to crack open a window and let the fresh air in, (until it starts getting too cold out), and turn some music on. I also throw my bedsheets and pillowcases in the wash when I deep clean my room—it makes my space feel even cleaner and more orderly.

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

CITIES

Community Art for Floyd George Floyd’s name and face may not be on Minneapolis buildings forever, but the art will live on.

BY EMILY BAUDE Shortly after George Floyd was killed, Cadex Herrera, Greta McLaain, and Xena Goldman gathered on 38th Street and Chicago Avenue.

“Let’s get to work,” Herrera said.

These three artists painted the now heavily photographed mural behind the memorial for Floyd, a 46-year-old man killed by Minneapolis police.

Throughout the city, artistic tributes to Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement have provided an outlet for many. Minneapolis saw an outcry following Floyd’s death, which caused local artists to use their talents as a voice.

Wherever you go, Floyd’s face and name can be seen on murals, buildings, and boards over businesses. Some artist’s, like Herrera, painted large-scale murals, while others painted on boards covering businesses, initially put up as a safeguard against vandalism.

Today, over four months later, that art is still inspiring action. Leesa Kelly and Kenda ZellnerSmith saw the importance of the smaller works of art being created within their community.

“I was physically and emotionally drained after Floyd died,” Kelly said. “I thought, I have to do something that will outlive the riots. I have to do something that would honor [Floyd’s] legacy and continue to spark action.”

That’s when she started thinking about how the art could be used as a tool in the future. In collaboration with the Minnesota African American History Gallery and Museum, she started Memorialize the Movement, a group working to

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preserve the art that was made for Floyd and the community.

Kelly and Zellner-Smith agree. “Why shouldn’t this art be in museums?” Kelly said. “It’s a reflection of how the city felt in the aftermath of Floyd’s death.

His face and name are a part of our history, and the art is just one facet of that.”

Zellner-Smith also realized that the art would eventually come down. “I felt hopeful driving to work and seeing people painting on Hennepin,” she said.

“People [in the community] noticed we can speak through art,” Herrera said. “Personally, I think that’s where a lot of that art came from. It was a reaction to the movement.”

“I had this feeling that the pieces made during the unrest were gonna get looked over,” Zellner-Smith said. This may be because not all of the boards were tagged or have been taken credit for. Most artists weren’t creating for that reason, ZellnerSmith said.

The boards will be on display for the community at the Minnesota African American History Gallery and Museum next spring. In the meantime, Kelly and Zellner-Smith are still collecting the boards they can find.

This inspired her to save the art around Minneapolis. She asked businesses to donate the boards to her instead of throwing them away and created an Instagram account under the name of Save the Boards.

“We all decided we have to fight for this man and this life that was taken… It was a wild and hectic time but it was really powerful. We set the tone that people are going to hear us,” Zellner-Smith said.

Both Kelly and Zellner-Smith see the importance of the art that has been created for the community, in tribute to Floyd.

Through efforts from Kelly, Zellner-Smith, and Herrera, the impact of Floyd’s death and the art that was subsequently created will last in the community forever.

“The art is such an iconic aspect of the movement and a beacon of hope for the community,” Kelly said. Through protecting it, she and Zellner-Smith are protecting the healing that came to the community through creating the art.

Speaking to this local effort, Herrera said as he worked on the mural, he was approached by passing people and asked to help, to which he responded by handing them a paint brush. “We had little kids from the community work on the outline and coloring the letters, and it was an amazing and a real sort of experience,” he said.

Herrara said this is art for the community, and

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ART

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Art by Vrishali Salian Waves

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

A VOTER’S DILEMMA Recognizing systemic failure rather than shaming alienated nonvoters.

THE WAKE

BY MARLEY RICHMOND & JEMMA KELEHER

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VOT FEATURE

Voting is often hailed as the pinnacle of civic engagement, and in an election like this one, there is no mistaking the drastically different futures riding on the next elected president. Yet while voting can be a powerful tool of democracy, an emphasis on voting as the sole form of political action is misguided and can alienate individuals who don’t feel represented in the current political system.

Instead of shaming those who choose not to vote, one must recognize that voting is not the only way to make one’s political opinions heard—in fact, it might not even be the most effective. This article should not be construed as an argument against voting; rather, it is a critical look at the practice of voting and its role in political engagement.

Regardless of if—or for whom—one is voting, it is easy to question the impact of a single ballot.

Between the almost incomprehensibly large number of ballots cast, complicated electoral districts, historical voting tendencies of given areas, and disregard for the results of the popular vote, the American electoral system is alienating to many.

“It’s a mistake to think you’re exercising political power [by voting]. What you’re doing is registering a preference,” said August Nimtz, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota.

Nimtz was clear that a vote does not directly impose one’s will upon the political system as many believe it does. Nimtz also argued that the action of voting is the opposite of most meaningful political action: it is one taken alone, and is often over in a matter of minutes. Real political change stems from sustained collective action.

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Lack of Representation

Progressive Voters: Where Do They Belong?

Both of the major party presidential candidates have harmed people of color with their words and actions. Earlier this year, Joe Biden, the Democratic presidential nominee, stated matter-of-factly, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.” Donald Trump, while he has stated that he has a “great relationship with the Blacks,” consistently uses his position of power to undermine the rights of such communities.

Although both candidates may be flawed, or even harmful to their constituents and the country, there is a pressure on liberal voters to “vote blue, no matter who.” This sentiment ignores the problems of the Democratic Party and assumes the support of more progressive voters while excluding their viewpoints from the campaign.

“Electoral politics has continued to fail marginalized groups,” said Bri Sislo-Schutta, Director of Governmental and Legislative Affairs for the Minnesota Student Association. Sislo-Schutta recognized that the system has not provided justification for everyone’s participation. When potential voters are faced with a choice between two parties that have wronged communities with which they identify, the most logical route may be to abstain from voting altogether, rather than participate in one’s own oppression.

Furthermore, lack of participation by people of color in electoral politics is often by design. While the Voting Rights Act of 1965 prohibited overt racebased disenfranchisement, the practice of racially targeted voter suppression has persisted. Voting restrictions often masquerade as neutral attempts at voter security yet in reality disproportionately bar racial minorities from voting. For example, in 2018, about 80% of people who were blocked from voting by Georgia’s “exact match” law, which required that voters’ names on registration records perfectly match that on a government-issued ID, were people of color.

In the first presidential debate, Trump accused the Democratic Party of adopting “socialist” policies, many of which liberal voters support, but Biden quickly denied that. “The party is me. Right now, I am the Democratic Party.” As the Democratic Party leans towards the center in an attempt to sway moderate Republicans away from Trump, leftist voters are increasingly deprived of an opportunity to push for further progressive change from inside the electoral arena.

There is a clear reason why many working class Americans feel left out of the current political system. “The United States is the only advanced capitalist country where the working class does not have its own political party,” said Nimtz. Yet voting for a third party is rarely seen as a valid option.

By continuing to assert that a third party vote is essentially equivalent to a vote for Trump, political media coverage limits opportunities for citizens to register their preference as someone other than Donald Trump or Joe Biden. This emphasis on “settling” in turn suppresses the proliferation of third parties that represent different interests. But while a third-party vote signals dissatisfaction with the current two-party system, it is also one less vote for the candidate who will not continue to degrade American democracy.

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

TE? The Pressure to Cast a Ballot

The outcome of the 2020 presidential election means the difference between leaving the Paris Climate Agreement or committing to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. It is the difference between America remaining in the World Health Organization or not, let alone maintaining the Affordable Care Act. At such a pivotal juncture, it is easy to place unquestioning blame on those who choose not to vote.

Today, influencers have taken on some of the responsibility in getting out the vote. Vloggers, TikTok stars, and even “Animal Crossing” characters are pushing for a higher voter turnout. Social media has become a place where many folks are using peer pressure and guilt to encourage their friends to register and vote.

But guilting eligible voters into voting is not the affirmation of civic duties that many think it is. This perspective fails to recognize problems in the political system that alienate voters. Neither party offers much promise to those who cannot afford the ever-skyrocketing prices of medication or who fear for their futures with climate change. People of color are increasingly the target of hate crimes, which are often met with a blind eye from Washington. We must shift the misplaced rhetoric of blame from individuals to the institutions that are failing all but the most privileged in our society.

Political Change Outside of Voting Rather than pouring money into the political campaigns of national-scale politicians, some activists call for contributions to local mutual aid and bail funds, providing direct, tangible support for those

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FEATURE

in need. Sislo-Schutta said, “Marginalized communities, and groups that have been historically oppressed and excluded from systems of electoral politics, have continued to do community care and mutual aid in their communities. And so that work has existed, and it will continue to exist.”

Mass mobilization in the streets is a proven and effective way of exercising political power, as well as an opportunity to advocate for changes to the system from the outside. Nimtz pointed to the George Floyd protests over the summer as an effective example of political engagement outside the electoral arena. He attested that because there were protests, there were indictments.

Voting is an opportunity to become complacent, one which we must not allow to lull voters into the false belief that their work is complete. While the importance of a vote should not be undermined, it also should not be perceived as the only—or strongest—means of political engagement. Rather than placing blame upon non-voting individuals alienated by the United States’ political reality, pressure must instead be applied to the political system to serve those it represents. Real change takes time and community effort, and those things—no matter who wins the election—will always be tools available to us.

“Electoral politics has continued to fail marginalized groups” 15

CREATIVE WRITING

Loathe

BY NAISARGI MEHTA I could not tell if it was the sea, the sky or myself that reflected one another.

And who would it be, the one to suffer?

All I was sure of was the downfall But who was falling?

Was it me? Or was it the globe?

All I was sure of was the collision; But of all the things that I had braced myself for Boy I was not ready, at all, for A mirror.

I loathed the path now I loathed the destination; I loathed the fact that all I could possibly loathe now was – My reflection.

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OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

VOICES

The Master Plan How Trump incorporated a government agency into his election strategy 7

BY LINCOLN ARORA The United States government has seldom been an optimistic topic of discussion for the millions of American families who chat across the dinner table every evening, but in recent months, one of our last federally funded pillars of optimism has been crumbling. The United States Postal Service has consistently been among the most trusted governmental agencies. A 2019 Gallup poll found that 74% of Americans surveyed believed that the USPS was doing an “excellent” or “good” job, a higher rating than any other comparable federal department. In this seemingly apocalyptic year, however, a concerted effort to sabotage the agency by the Trump administration is crippling its effectiveness and tarnishing its reputation.

Scrutiny of these efforts reveals that they divide neatly into 3 stages of what appears to be a methodical endeavor culminating in election fraud.

I’ve summarized those stages below: Stage one: Turn COVID-19 into a politically polarizing issue by making baseless claims about the scope and severity of the virus.

Stage two: Isolate supporters from opponents based on voting method by assuring the Republican base that in-person voting is safer than mail-in voting.

Stage three: Use executive power to undermine the USPS and disproportionately disenfranchise mail-in Democrat voters.

When Donald Trump’s circus of a presidential term commenced in 2017, I was inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt. The notion of an incompetent and misinformed president, as frustrating as it can be at times, felt far more acceptable than the idea of a cunning, manipulative leader who

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takes advantage of the people who have pledged their support to him. After his initial response to the COVID-19 pandemic, I can unfortunately say with the utmost certainty that he is an example of the latter. Instead of a failed businessman and bungling founder of Trump University, we see President Trump as the man who somehow leveraged his numerous bankruptcies and abandoned ventures into becoming an international sensation with a global media empire.

According to revelations in Bob Woodward’s bombshell of a new book, Rage, President Trump was explicitly warned by his National Security Adviser on January 28 about the magnitude of the COVID-19 crisis, over two months before the pandemic took the United States by storm. The president was not ignorant of the harms this outbreak could cause. He knew the ramifications of this novel, deadly virus far earlier than the rest of us.

In April, Trump blocked a USPS plan to mail five face coverings to every household in the United States, claiming that such a move would cause mass frenzy. I can only wonder how to quantify the damage this did to the national coronavirus response in the early weeks of the pandemic. It is apparent that our president is more concerned with his approval rating than the lives of his constituents.

In the months since his appointment, DeJoy has made his intentions clear. USPS facilities around the country, including in key swing states like Michigan and Florida, were instructed to dismantle hundreds of mail-sorting machines, citing “declining mail volume.” This seems imprudent to me, seeing as how the USPS is expected to receive the largest quantity of mailin ballots it ever has this November. Dejoy also cut overtime and late trips for carriers, which has resulted in measurable slowdowns. In the postal service’s Eastern region, for example, the proportion of first-class letters delivered on time dropped from 91 percent to 79 percent in July.

Mere months before timely vote counting will be needed to ensure election integrity, DeJoy’s policies are decelerating the mail. This is not an accident.

I previously referred to these sketchy affairs as a “sabotage,” but perhaps a better term for what the Trump administration is attempting to do to the USPS is a “weaponization.” The president and his team have subverted a publicly trusted organization and are using it as an instrument to orchestrate electoral success. Although I have grown to expect nothing less from the man who publicly implored the Russians to interfere in the 2016 election, his conniving actions in this arena strike fear into my heart. Never before have I feared for the sanctity of our democratic institutions as I do today.

In May, the Trump-appointed USPS board of governors selected Louis DeJoy to be the newest Postmaster General. Immediately, Democrats called for an ethics investigation, as DeJoy still owns at least a $30 million stake in XPO Logistics, a U.S. Postal Service competitor.

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VOICES

Treating the Disease, Not Just the Symptom A nursing student’s perspective on why we should still care about the defacement of the George Floyd memorial

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BY ZOË KONDES On a Tuesday night back in August, a community member was lighting candles at 38th and Chicago when he witnessed a guy in shorts, flip flops and a hoodie spraying black paint on the mural of George Floyd. The vandal blacked out Floyd’s eyes, bringing the paint down in an ugly “X” over his face. Others present managed to take a photo and within hours, he was identified as Daniel Michelson, a medical student at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Within days, students at the U and his peers in the medical school were calling for his expulsion. Within weeks, Michelson confirmed he was permanently discontinuing his medical education and stated he was working on reconciling with the community. Despite his attempts to dodge culpability by claiming he was drunk, the incident has left a stain on his name as dark and corrosive as the paint he put on Floyd’s eyes. So, why should we still care?

Though the former medical student’s vandalism has been addressed, his behavior reflects a larger problem. From forced surgeries on enslaved Black women without pain relief to the egregiously unethical Tuskegee syphilis study, medicine and the health sciences have been developed and used to the detriment of Black communities for years. Black people suffer significant health inequities to this day at both the state and national levels, across age groups, across different markers of wellness. Black women are significantly more likely to not have their pain believed and die from preventable causes than white women. White, upper class citizens contribute most to air pollution,

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yet Black, Indigenous, low-income citizens of color disproportionately breathe it in.11 In a healthcare system that is so deeply broken, the vision needs to be larger than just individual accountability. Many of those at the Square and in the surrounding community have already been channeling their energies into restorative justice, creating collaborative solutions and models that don’t just respond to current wrongdoings, but prevent future ones.

Healthcare professionals have an ethical and moral obligation to take part in the movement for preventative justice, the precedent for which lies in their ethical codes. The Code of Medical Ethics states that physicians need to reflect on how they personally contribute to systems of oppression within their individual practices and challenge others when they see bias and discrimination in their care.12 Not only that, but the profession as a whole has a responsibility to call attention to healthcare inequalities, actively support initiatives that reduce those disparities, and diversify their workforce.12 The Nursing Code of Ethics goes on to emphasize that structural inequalities “exacerbate the incidence and burden of illness, trauma, [and] suffering.”13 Medical racism isn’t just about the impact we can empirically observe, it’s about the compounding of suffering, the inheritance of intergenerational trauma.

accountable for their own judgements and actions, “responsibility may be borne by both the nurse and the institution,” reinforcing that these events don’t occur in a vacuum.13 Physicians are asked to hold their colleagues to a certain standard while also thinking critically about the circumstances or events that precipitated their behavior.12 Even as a student, Michelson was beholden to that code. It is why his peers in healthcare voiced their outrage and supported the community, and it is why they must continue to fight for justice.

The role of healthcare professionals first and foremost is to listen to the patient and treat them as the authority on their pain and lived experience.

They collaborate with their patients to figure out how they can feel most empowered in their health, never forgetting that their wellbeing is influenced by their environment, social supports, access to resources, and so much more. It is not enough for us to put band-aids on cuts and generate quick solutions when we know the true work and deep healing lies in pulling racism out at the roots. It was necessary to call for Michelson’s white coat, it is also necessary to set our sights further by cultivating an antiracist practice.14 Not just in the healthcare field, but in every discipline--from the metaphysical sciences and physical sciences, to the industrial and fine arts. That is how we treat the disease and not just the symptoms.

Keeping that balance between individuals and the larger systems in which they operate, the Nursing Code also states that though nurses are always

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

VOICES

A Gen-Xer amidst the Gen Z A bystander amidst activists in a society of shame

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BY VISHALLI ALAGAPPAN As I scrolled through TikTok aimlessly one weekend, I came across a video of the infamous @thatveganteacher. Ms. Kadie Karen Diekmeyer, better known as @thatveganteacher on TikTok, is an elementary school teacher who creates TikToks that promote veganism in an unusual manner. In the particular video that I encountered, Ms. Kadie replies to a comment that said, “It’s ok to be vegan, and it’s ok to not be vegan. It’s your choice.” Ms. Kadie then compares the commenter to a racist and homophobe based on the assumption that the commenter does not care about animals. She even went to the lengths of saying that veganism is the only pathway to heaven. As a recent vegetarian convert myself, I do not advocate for vegetarianism or veganism by shaming others. In fact, I do not advocate for this lifestyle at all. I do believe that veganism can be beneficial to the environment, but I do nothing to promote it. This realization felt like a threat to my ego. I felt like a Gen-Xer in a Gen Z world. My brain overrode this feeling and defended my intrinsic worth by concluding that Ms. Kadie was delusional. I scrolled away with an air of dismissal and a protected ego. Such unconscious conclusions are very common when shame is so pervasive in activism.

Shame in activism can be as direct as Ms. Kadie telling you that you need to be vegan to get to heaven or as indirect as an activist holding a banner telling you why they want to hold a certain authority accountable. However, it is important to distinguish being shamed and feeling shame in activism. Michael Apathy, an ecotherapist at Lucid Psychotherapy and Counseling, describes such an anecdote on his company’s website. He illustrates

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his interaction with a woman waiting to cross a busy intersection while he holds up a banner that promotes fossil fuel divestment. Apathy explains that ANZ bank had invested over 13.5 billion in fossil fuels, and that to reduce global warming, the coal must stay in the ground. The woman replies, “We’re all funding it, so what do you think you’re going to accomplish?” The lights change and the woman walks away unconvinced. In the scenario with Ms. Kadie, it is apparent that she is shaming her audience and alienating them, whereas with Apathy holding a sign to promote fossil fuel divestment, no one is being morally targeted. To understand the shame in this incident, we must analyze the manner in which the woman reacted.

She clearly cared enough about environmental issues to engage in a conversation affirming climate change, but she could not support the sensible solution of divesting fossil fuels. The woman attacks and devalues Apathy’s work—a shame-based response.

The woman’s thought process during this incident is similar to mine during my TikTok scrolling.

The “I believe in this cause, and I do nothing” realization threatens our intrinsic worth. The shame associated with this realization makes us question how our inactivity reflects on our identity.

This shame is difficult to cope with and invokes destructive responses like invalidating the work of another or concluding another is delusional.

There is a popular parallel between shame in activism and the prison-industrial complex. The retributive model of justice heavily relies on shame and does not address the cause of the crimes and may even exacerbate the issues. When

translated to activism, the retributive model looks like Ms. Kadie’s TikTok page where she responds to negative comments in a punitive fashion and further alienates non-vegan members of her audience by structuring her advocacy around shame-based attempts at changing the behavior of others. The alternative, the restorative model of justice, focuses on the behavior that has caused harm and addresses the needs of the victim, offender, and broader community. Although this may not be the perfect model of justice, it has shown significant decreases in the rates of recidivism in offenders. When the restorative model of justice is translated to activism, the answer presents itself as empathy.

Apathy wrote that he wishes he had told the woman the following statement instead of simply defending his position: “We can really feel hopeless in the face of climate change, like nothing makes a difference... and it still feels important that we don’t let our message get silenced.” Apathy elaborated on why “empathy is the antidote to shame” in saying that there are numerous activists out there who have burnt out or who have never started their activism because they push back against the feeling of unworthiness and shame in the face of extensive systematic challenges of our society.

Activism is more important to our generation than ever before, and shame is so normalized within activist circles that we often fail to address it. As advocates we need to work towards dealing with conflict compassionately and justly and be aware of the role that shame can play in activism.

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VOICES

The Death of Expertise An exploration of truth

BY KYLIE HEIDER For every truth we encounter, there exists an opposite un-truth. A realm of impossibility which occupies the negative space left in the wake of the fact, a space which is naturally questioned and scrutinized and which taunts its observer with the promise of a superior reality known only to a select few believers. If the earth is round, the earth cannot be flat, right?

In the digital age, it is no secret that information—and misinformation—spreads at greater speeds and further distances than ever before. The rise of conspiracy theories such as Flat-Earth is often attributed to the online communities that have formed around a conviction to such alternative beliefs. At first glance, the flat-Earth conspiracy theory seems delusional but ultimately harmless. However, the further you go into the conspiracy, the darker it becomes. Many flat-earthers hold the anti-Semitic belief that the narrative of the “round earth” is perpetuated by a Jewish “ruling class” in order to maintain power over the global economy.

The internet has also given rise to a phenomenon of right-wing hate groups such as QAnon, a pro-Trump right wing group that believes that Trump is battling a war on pedophilic sex-trafficking ring consisting of Democrats. Among the right-wing, even the pandemic has also come under suspicion as a hoax, just another way the government is trying to control us.

Despite facts, evidence, and science, it is likely that most of the people who hold these beliefs will not be swayed. With the onset of information in the internet age, the word of studied experts can often be disregarded. This “death of expertise” is a two-sided coin.

On one hand, divergence from academia to explain social issues (not so much scientific issues, however) is probably a step in the right direction. The idea of what constitutes an “expert” is in many ways confined to a wealthy, white patriarchy which agrees on a history that suits the same wealthy, white, patriarchal hierarchy.

However, there is also a real harm in people willingly blinding themselves to an obvious truth. In order to combat the onslaught of information we are given every day, it is imperative that we be able to question everything accordingly, to listen for the voices that are not being heard, and to live in a truth that is just that—truthful.

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Expectation vs.

Reality in a Comparison Culture Mental health fueling proposed U.K. law to require users to declare digitally altered photos

BY KATIE CLARK Tweet: After concerns about mental health and body image, a recently proposed law in the U.K. would require advertisers and anyone posting paid-for content to distinguish that an image subject’s body has been digitally altered. This would not include filters, but would specifically target images where a person has been airbrushed, photoshopped or retouched.

The average person sees 5,000 images a day. Even though many of us are aware that images are edited, after absorbing so many images, it can become difficult to distinguish which ones are altered and easy to begin comparing ourselves to impossible standards. As social media becomes a channel for advertising and influencers, regulations of sponsored content have appeared as well. With such content, research has proven that mental health and body image, specifically for women, have been negatively impacted.

A recently proposed law in the U.K. would require advertisers and anyone posting sponsored content to distinguish that an image subject’s body has been digitally altered. This would not include filters, but it would specifically target images where a person has been airbrushed, photoshopped, or retouched. This law would not target individual users, but it would hold large companies and accounts with large followings accountable—a step in the right direction since so many people are viewing their posts and replicating them. While this proposed law may sound unrealistic, France passed a similar law in 2017 due to high rates of eating disorders, with a hefty price tag of $44,000 for companies that failed to comply.

If accounts with large followings labeled that their photos were digitally altered, it would raise awareness to users that such an image is not actually possible. Social media creates large amounts of revenue for brands, and with this revenue should come increased regulation. These images are specifically dangerous for adolescents who are socially developing and most present online. They can impact mental health and have been linked to increases in eating disorders. While the proposed legislation would not solve these issues, it would be a push in the right direction to eliminate the false idea that a perfect body exists.

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

VOICES

Sports and Fans and COVID-19

Live sports have returned, and oh what a godsend it has been!

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BY KHILAV MAJMUDAR Early in the year, if I had been asked to imagine the rest of the spring without any sports coverage, I would have brushed aside the idea like a pastor when invited to contemplate a world without God. It is a sickening thought, and I don’t see any reason why one would be willing to poison their brain with it. However, what I or others like me might think has no bearing on the actual state of natural affairs. A few tiny mites from China decided to go on a world tour using humans as a means of transportation. Fast forward to March and the unthinkable happened.

The major European soccer leagues were suspended mid-season, and a similar decision was made by the NBA. These are just a couple of examples among many more sports whose competitions were forced into cancellation or suspension around the world. As you might have guessed, I do not deal with e-sports here. I do not remember a time in my life when I spent a weekend without watching at least the highlights of the matches that had been played during that gameweek. It was an integral part of my existence, and more than a few social engagements have had to be moved around or canceled because of important matches.

While the four months of no live sports did not do fans any favors, I wondered how the players were dealing with it. They would have to commence and maintain their off-season training schedules with no concrete end in sight. Quite a few home workout and practice videos were doing the

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rounds on the usual social media platforms. One vexing issue was that of pay. News of non-playing staff being furloughed or having their salaries cut became a daily feature. Not all players were immune from this, though. For example, soccer players from several German Bundesliga clubs agreed to wage cuts for the duration of the lockdown. When international cricket finally began gingerly in July with the West Indians touring England, it was with the men from the Caribbean playing with half pay. This tour was financially important for both the respective cricket governing bodies, as the pandemic and its ensuing lockdowns have inflicted serious damages on sports revenues throughout the pipeline. It is interesting to note here the West Indies are among the regions least affected by the virus, while the United Kingdom has the highest number of deaths in Europe.

It was, and to some extent still is, a gloomy time.

When decisions were finally taken to resume seasons—like the NBA did—it was with some trepidation, and no plan went ahead without hiccups. The words “biosecure bubble” were on everyone’s lips, with almost every returning sports team using this hitherto bizarre concept. The wheel of life was given a spluttering jump start, akin to cajoling a stubborn old lawnmower.

I was glad. I was guilty of spending the barren four months simultaneously improving and destroying my intellect. This was achieved by the contradictory effects of reading more philosophy

than usual, watching some of the worst movies ever made, and binge-watching shows I “normally” would take months to finish. I wouldn’t be lying if I said that I don’t particularly miss this aspect of the spring.

The long period without any live sports coverage made me think about why we want to watch people play games in the first place. Is it not, after all, just a childish pastime? I believe it is for the sense of spectacle, of grandeur, of the primal need to win—which is achieved through “our” team and players. And this is true even for such a sport where portly middle-aged men mostly drink beer and sometimes shoot darts at a board. You want him to hit that third triple 20 to get a perfect score of 180, just as you want Anthony Davis to score that buzzer beater 3-pointer in the conference finals.

This rush of adrenaline by proxy makes us want to watch these people fling and sway their limbs with the hope that they will create beauty and drama, and this craving was at its peak following a dormant spring. It is safe to say that largely, they don’t disappoint.

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Q&A

Yung Gravy

BY TOSIN FASEEMO Yung Gravy is a Minnesota-born rapper. He initially posted his music online anonymously, but eventually revealed his identity. Keep reading to find out about the origin of his stage name, his writing technique, and more.

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: How did you think of your stage name?

: Who inspired you to start making music?

Yung Gravy: I used to freestyle with friends in high school. I had a few names: Mr. Butter, Lil Steamer, Jimmy Continental. I had a lot of names, but one time, I rapped a line about ‘wavy’ and ‘gravy,’ and it just kind of stuck. I went with that spelling because I was inspired by Yung Lean.

Yung Gravy: I had a really good friend who went to high school with Lil Yatchy, and he had just put out “1 Night.” I remember him showing me the song when it had 60,000 plays on Soundcloud. I just watched it blow up within a month. That inspired me because he just used Soundcloud.

: Why did you keep your identity a secret when you started making music?

: Was “Gasanova” entirely made in quarantine?

Yung Gravy: I was going to the University of Wisconsin and I had a job working for a startup accelerator, and I didn’t think they’d be super into hearing what I rapped about. There were probably six months to a year where I didn’t show my face at all.

Yung Gravy: I started this project in January or February when I was in LA. In March, I flew back to my mom’s house in Minnesota, where I grew up. I spent like three months getting it all together.

I figured, if I can’t do anything else, I might as well make an album. I think it’s a little different from any other work I’ve made because I didn’t have a lot of people working on it with me. It’s just coming straight from me.

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Q&A : How would you describe your sound?

A: Fun music, happy music, mom music… there are a lot of ways to describe it.

: What’s been the biggest change in your writing style over time?

A: I’ve been doing a lot more toplining. I’ll go in the studio, freestyle, create different flows, then go back to build lyrics off of that. I’ve found that I like going in the studio and BSing for a while, then figuring out what I like.

: What’s the coolest fan interaction you’ve had?

A: At a meet and greet in Dallas, this guy was taking a picture with his girlfriend, and he got down on his knee and proposed to her. She said yes and they got engaged, then they invited me to the wedding. I couldn’t go because my flight got delayed, but they sent me pictures and it was really cute. That’s easily my favorite one.

: You have very distinct cover art for your music. How important are visuals to your creative process?

A: I feel like visuals are more important than people think. To me, if an album has a really dope cover, I’ll be more drawn to it. I think it’s really important, so I’ve always put a lot of effort into that. It takes a lot to find the right person to put that stuff together, but it’s awesome to be able to connect with artists and see them in action.

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ART

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Art by Megan Conner

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

REVIEWS

The Social Dilemma

BY GRACE DAVIS If you’re someone who owns a mobile device or has access to the Internet, it’s likely you’re one of billions of people who have social media. And let’s be honest—if you don’t have social media and you live in the 21st century, one might have to assume you live under a rock or you’re over the age of 60. But it may not be a bad thing to be an outcast in the world of social media, according to “The Social Dilemma.”

“The Social Dilemma,” directed by Jeff Orlowski, is a disturbing but captivating documentary that explores the dangerous impact of social media. “The Social Dilemma” follows a fictional family who are addicted to their phones—not an atypical family nowadays. The film is guided by narration from engineers and software developers sounding the alarm on their products, which we use every day—who claim to have had no idea of the political, social, and economic changes they would spark.

The main techie in the film is Tristan Harris, a former Google Design Ethicist who now works at The Center for Humane Technology, a company he co-founded. Tristan is known in the media as Silicon Valley’s “closest thing to a conscience.” Tristan started at Google and found himself becoming addicted to the product he was designing, Gmail, and felt concerned that no one wanted to do anything about it. Harris worked on a presentation every night for months, showing that the product was addictive and it was their job to do something about it. The presentation spread like wildfire among Google employees and everyone agreed that they felt it too, but nothing changed. Harris left Google because he felt that “the tech industry was losing its way.”

Harris gave us insight into why our social media accounts don’t cost any money. Before watching this documentary, it had never crossed my mind. In short: “If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” Social media platforms are funded by advertising, and advertisers are fiercely competing for our attention. In the world of

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advertising, there has never been more certainty than social media— everyone uses it, and advertisers use the data that we naively allow them access to to easily place ads where they know their target audience will be. Jeff Siebert, former Twitter executive and serial tech entrepreneur, spelled it out, saying, “What I want people to know is that everything they’re doing is being watched, is being tracked, and is being measured.”

This made me think about the idea that our phones are listening to us—but really it’s even worse because they’re watching our every move. Our social media accounts are curated—social media platforms know what we like to look at, what we like to watch, and pretty much everything you could think of. This is important to realize when thinking about politics today. What a right-wing conservative sees on their Twitter feed is drastically different from what a leftleaning liberal sees.

In the documentary, they stress how social media has divided us politically more than ever before. This was shown when Facebook conducted a massive scale emotional contagion experiment that found that through subliminal cues on some users’ feeds, they were able to get more people to vote in the midterm election. Facebook, along with other social media platforms, has found a way to affect real world behavior and emotions without triggering user awareness.

Social media does an incredibly efficient job at amplifying gossip and hearsay to the point that we don’t know what’s true. I think we can all relate to this with COVID-19. I hear different things about a COVID-19 vaccine every day. It’s talked about so often on the Internet that I don’t know what to believe. Another fact the documentary highlighted is if you go into Google and type, “Climate change is...” you’re going to get different results based on where you live. This is all important to take into consideration when you form biases off of what you see on your phone—because it could be, and most likely is, totally different than what someone else sees.

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REVIEWS

“Fetch the Bolt Cutters”

by Fiona Apple and “Run the Jewels 4”

by Run the Jewels The two best albums of the year also warned us of it

BY PETER NOMELAND Singer-songwriter Fiona Apple and hip-hop duo Run the Jewels, despite having made music since the late ’90s, have not only released two of the best albums of the year and arguably the best of their careers, but have also conveyed the experience of what it’s like to live in 2020 better than almost anyone else. With Apple’s critically acclaimed return to music, “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” and Run the Jewels’ ferocious call to action in their fourth self-titled project, “Run the Jewels 4,” the two veteran artists have created what many have considered the soundtrack of the pandemic and the movement this summer. But the most impressive part of the two records is that they aren’t in response to these times: they predicted them.

Most of the time, the records that connect with our “current moment” are in response to the world around them. And in the broken simulation that has been the Year of Our Lord 2020, many artists have gone ahead and attempted to capture that exact feeling. Charli XCX and Taylor Swift have both dropped albums written and recorded in quarantine as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, while artists such as Wale and J. Cole have released music in response to the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd that reference events that have happened in recent months. These projects succeed in that they will very likely become time capsules of what these

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unprecedented times were like.

What separates “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” and “Run the Jewels 4” from these other albums is that they were written and recorded before the events of 2020. “RTJ4” is the fourth project from Killer Mike and El-P. The duo has been extremely outspoken about their progressive views, but this album has a wave of anger and urgency to it that their previous works did not. Released a few days before its initial release date, in reaction to the protests sweeping the nation following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police Department, the record sees the duo tackle issues such as economic inequality, the legacy of slavery, and the abuse of power at the hands of police. The duo’s usual incredible production remains the same and the chemistry between Killer Mike and El-P continues to be the best in the game right now. But as entertaining as the album is, it is difficult to listen to and not think of the time of protest and rage that coincided with its release, and the lyrics from the group and their features, such as Pharrell, make you want to do something.

The album, mostly recorded from her home, includes the acoustics of her room, GarageBand recorded instrumentals, and even her dogs barking in the background. The project was met with overwhelming critical praise, including the first “10” grades given by the music publication “Pitchfork” in almost a decade. Many people commented on how not only the aesthetic of the album felt impactful during the time of its release, but also it’s content. Apple is as angry and poetic as ever, solidifying herself as one of our greatest songwriters, commenting on things like sexual assault, the male gaze, and her own past. You can almost feel her getting a monkey off her back with how cathartic this project must have been for her. And if the past few months have taught us anything, it’s that we probably need to reassess our past and ourselves.

Apple is a more complicated case. Her record is not about a certain event, but about a feeling.

She is an artist who has been lauded for always going against the grain but has held her fans hostage with the amount of time between her releases. But with “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” her first release in 8 years, she created a cultural moment.

OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16

REVIEWS

Woke Hulu’s new series, “Woke,” paints a picture of what being black in the US is really like

BY FUNMI BANJOKO The Hulu series “Woke” is a satirical look at a black cartoonist’s reckoning with racism. It is largely autobiographical as Keith Knight chronicles his experience through a fictionalized version of himself named “Keef” Knight. Keef prides himself on being a black cartoonist who “keeps it light” and doesn’t use his art to talk about racism. But after a traumatic encounter with the police, his eyes are opened. He becomes “woke” and realizes that as a black cartoonist, his work is racialized, no matter what he does.

The story follows Keef trying to incorporate his experience into his art, while trying to understand it himself. Mixing animation with live action, inanimate objects voiced by recognizable black actors serve as both teachers and foils for Keef. He is confronted by everything from a brown paper bag voiced by Cree Summer to a Sharpie voiced by JB Smoove.

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I found out about this series from ads on YouTube and Instagram, and after I saw that the cast included some of my favorite actors, I decided to give it a try. I binged all 8 episodes in one day and I loved this series. It’s funny and well written, the cast is great, and it tells a genuine story about being a black creative in America. Most of all, in this time of Instagram activism and racism being a trend, the show portrays in Keef a very real picture of what being black in America is for a lot of us: a tightrope walk of trying to be yourself without being a stereotype and also living with the feeling of never being quite black enough.

Oftentimes, when we see black people on screen, we are defined by a handful of stereotypes and if that’s not the case, black characters are whitewashed and their black identity is simply ignored. What “Woke” shows viewers is that there is no one way to be black in America. Being black doesn’t make one privy to special information about racism or the world. The humility that Keef shows in his journey is validating, the frustration he feels is relatable, and most of all, the hope and determination he has is inspiring.

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OCTOBER 19 — NOVEMBER 16