No. | A poem

A response to rape culture: a poem included in the 2016-17 Dominican University literary magazine, Stella Veritum, entitled "No."

I hurt for this country | A response

The sadness and disappointment today was tangible. I have lost all faith in this country as a people; you have voted for a man who has stolen the safety of so many. My heart hurts. I hurt for my safety as a woman. I hurt for my friends' safety as POC, women, LGBTQIA+, etc. and all combinations. I hurt as a woman who has so much acceptance and peace and love in her heart; I feel crushed by the men who now represent America.
 

I want everyone who now fears for their future to know that I will be here. To cry with you. To hold your hand. To make sure you know you are not alone.
 

We are about to enter a four-year period of hatred. If we make it out of that, we can make it out of anything. I may have lost my faith in the American people, but I will not lose my faith in love. I will not lose my belief that peace and love is the right path. If anything, we must love harder - out of spite.

I have an obligation to respect the title of the presidency and vice-presidency. But I do not respect these men as individuals.

Gender Inequality of Olympic Proportions | A response

Among the coverage of Olympic events, there are statements made which insult the battle of feminism thus far. I will remind you, as the term is often confused with a concept of female superiority (a connotative definition which better fits misandry), that feminism is primarily about gender equality.

A popular example is the disregard of female competitors by identifying them in headlines by their relationships to men - and for the majority, not even other competitors. Rather than congratulate them by name, big-name news outlets write that girlfriends, fiancées, and wives have done well in their competitions; there has been at least one apology, by the Chicago Tribune, for their specific incident. Others compare winning women to winning men, such as Michael Phelps, when these women won on their own and are overall incomparable. As the gold medalist put it herself, "I'm not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps. I'm the first Simone Biles."

In addition, there is a double-standard hidden in this coverage, as the ever-popular Buzzfeed has published several articles featuring male competitors in lists of attractiveness, pictures in and focused on their swimwear, praising their bodies sexually, and otherwise objectifying them in much the same ways as women are often subject to. While Buzzfeed specifically objects the sexualization of women, and promotes friendly body positivity, they don't seem to have any qualms with completely sexualizing men. Unrelated to the Olympics, there has also been a newsletter on Buzzfeed dedicated to pictures of attractive men; there are much more appropriate things to subscribe to, which Buzzfeed could support, such as a Twitter account that rates puppies based on cuteness.

The goal is to be as attentive to female athletes for their sport as is common and expected for male athletes, not to turn the traditional tables. Olympic women are not successful because they know men; Olympic men are not successful because they look nice; Olympic athletes are successful because they're exceptional at what they do.

Neutrality is Not an Option | A response

I joined my first protest this weekend (Saturday, July 16). We marched through our community against discrimination; this specifically started because some businesses (e.g. bars) were choosing to be neutral in situations involving anti-black actions and words.

Anthony Clark, a high school teacher, created an event to stand up against discrimination and to emphasize unity and peace. He spoke with the local police about having an organized march, and they collaborated with our group to make the march work with traffic and a music festival occurring over the weekend. We walked on the sidewalk, the police blocked traffic so we could cross, and the commander even walked with us in full support.

We chanted as we marched: United we stand; together we are better; more love, less hate.

At the end, Clark talked about his happiness in our support and actions, and described the pledge to stand against discrimination in the community. He had gone to local businesses, and is still talking to more, about signing this pledge and joining the movement to end discrimination and to unify the community.

Others spoke about their experiences from that night, including community officials, a woman who fought for civil rights in the 1960s, and two high school students.

After weeks of violence associated with protests, community members had voiced their expectations that this too would end in violence. The worst thing to happen was, amid supportive honking and cheering, a passing driver flipped us off. One person - no biggie.

But let's talk about "taking sides." Many do not believe that the term Black Lives Matter is inclusive; they believe that all lives matter, whether or not they are against the true message behind Black Lives Matter, or that they are inherently trying to end the Black Lives Matter hashtag; they believe that they have no place in movements like these. I have even heard that Black Lives Matter is racist.

First, you should understand: you do not have to be black to support Black Lives Matter. The message is not that Only Black Lives Matter; it's Black Lives Matter Too. All Lives Matter, as a movement, roadblocks the Black Lives Matter movement. We can tell this because a) no one said or pushed All Lives Matter until Black Lives Matter came as a hashtag, and b) the language parallels Black Lives Matter, as to overrun it. And just so we're clear, racism, by definition, can only come from a group in a systematic position of power; white people are the only people that can be racist. Please, take a look at the documentaries I'm Not Racist... Am I? and/or Dear White People.

The third stance isn't really a stance at all. Neutrality. You can't be neutral in situations of justice. When you're neutral, you're inadvertently siding with those against us.

"I support you, but I can't do anything about it because..." Great. No, really. You've chosen to stand with us. Let's talk about this. Whether you're not active about it because you can't donate, because you're afraid to join physical protests, or because you think you aren't welcome, let's talk about it. You have all kinds of options!

"I can't afford to donate to the cause right now." - Understandable. You can still talk about it. Start a discussion about the social problem of your choosing on social media or in person! Attend a protest. Be vocal about your support.

"I'm afraid a protest might get violent." - Of course you are. The march I attended specifically emphasized peace; Clark said that if we give in to the expectation of violence, we're letting the haters win. Make peace a big part of your message when you go out. Talk to the police about your protection. Remain calm. Stay on social media. Emphasize peace, friends!

"I do not belong to the group being discriminated against, so I must not be welcome." - Not true! Several people at the march said that everyone has seen or experienced discrimination, whether you're a woman, black, gay, tall, etc. And even if you don't recognize discrimination happening in your own life, that doesn't mean you can't have empathy for those who do experience it. Go with friends who share your belief in the cause, talk to people from the group about attending an event, or ask someone who is hosting or attending if you can go with them. Support is always welcome.

Even if you still don't want to go out to spread your belief, try spreading it on your favorite social media platform. Talk about it. Educate people. If you hear someone say "I heard there was a protest going on for [this cause], and I'm offended," start a dialogue.

If you disagree with movements like Black Lives Matter, I urge you to do some research and be open to listening. Or, look into movements like the march I joined, the Suburban Unity Alliance; this one doesn't focus on one specific group (if that's why you don't support Black Lives Matter), rather it focuses on bringing together all groups to end discrimination. It's hard to be against unity, right?

And for those of you who are already out there in action, good for you! Keep at it. Bring your friends. Don't stop talking.

Let's remain united and keep a conversation going to end discrimination. Let's focus on togetherness and peace.

Watch for these hashtags: #suburbanUNITYpledge #morelovelesshate

Harambe | A response

Yes, the mother should have been watching. The gorilla should have acted like the female gorilla at Brookfield* in 1996. The zoo should have had a better and stronger separation between the public and animals. The child should have known better not to have gotten into the exhibit. Et cetera.

Parent's can't possibly watch their children every second of the day; I have certainly gotten out of view of people in charge of me when I was younger, and am lucky nothing happened. Gorillas are animals; they act instinctually, they do not have the morals we do and think not to hurt children specifically, and they will have differing reactions based on gender instincts (see: Disney's 1999 Tarzan, Kala vs Kerchak and their first reactions to baby Tarzan; Kala wants to protect him, like Brookfield's gorilla; Kerchak does not see him as part of his family). The zookeepers are more experienced in handling animals than we are; they knew this was the right call in the moment and still stand by it; think of their loss, too, of a beautiful animal whom they knew very well and for longer and better than any visitors.

This is a horrible loss of an endangered creature, yes. It is right to feel poorly that the zoo had to kill him. We need to remember, however, that trying to tranquilize him before he killed (intentionally or otherwise) the child on his own would have taken too long to act, angering him, and possibly directly causing the child's death. We can miss Harambe, we can mourn Harambe, but we cannot place malicious blame on the zoo, the mother, or anyone else.

Instead, see the zoo makes better effort at making sure small children cannot fit through any opening that could lead them to enclosures. Instead, donate to help the protection of silverback gorillas and other endangered animals, such as through the WWF** or to zoological societies. Instead, look for future solutions, rather than blame.

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* Watch the video of a gorilla saving a toddler (Washington Post).

** Adopt an animal through the World Wildlife Fund.