Dear UMBC Political Science Students,

Political history is being made: are you involved? Send us your posters, your photos. We want to amplify the political advocacy of our students.

Please send any questions or information to forestie@umbc.edu

An Invitation to Return...

Cocoa Energy Bars 

After engaging with each one of these texts, I was fully reminded that the United States still functions off of hate for Black people. I was aware of it, yes, but I often felt like many of the challenges Black people face were due to apathy. People simply did not care to fix the issues facing Black people that had been created out of a system based on profit ― but no.

Hatred is a part of the active maintenance of the oppressive systems that exist today. These sources explore a range of Black experiences in a variety of mediums including biography, documentary, realistic fiction, fantasy and memoir. They deserve to be seen and read on both the merit of the works themselves as well as their relevance to present day U.S.

Watch: “When They See Us”

The indelible link between hatred and the U.S. is undeniable as we watch children being sent to jail for a crime they did not commit because of the color of their skin. Even at age 20, I still consider myself a kid in many ways, which made watching children between the ages of 14 and 16 wrestle with a centuries-old-hate all the more heartbreaking. When I learned of the story years ago, I was distraught. But watching people embody the pain and suffering as the events played out in front of me made my feelings even stronger. All of the grief and outrage ripped through my body like a tornado. I am not usually one to cry, let alone admit it, but when I was watching this, I couldn’t help it. I probably could have given Viola Davis a run for her money. Watch this mini series, and do not forget for a second that you are watching something based on a true story of persecution and injustice. As Kevin Richardson, one of the men who became known as the “Central Park Five,” said of watching the series, it is “painful, but necessary.”

Watch: “Fruitvale Station”

This biographical film is also based on the story of Oscar Grant, a 22-year-old who was murdered on New Year’s Day 2009 by a transit police officer. Over the 85 minute run time, a complicated portrait of a man, a father and a son unfolds. Audiences follow Oscar’s last day and see how he struggles to provide for his family while trying to be the best version of himself. Many of his challenges and triumphs are relatable in the grand scheme of things. The film communicates Oscar’s full personhood and the complexities that can make up a human life. Most of the film shows Oscar as a young man who had a life to live, even if he did not know what it would look like. He never got to find out, and neither will we. This film takes one of the many figures whose name has been in headlines and explores who he might have been other than someone who was murdered. When so many Black people’s lives have been and still are being stolen, it is important to remember that they are more than names on a list of tragic events.

Watch: “13th”

“13th” tracks the evolution of slavery through the history of the U.S. The film deftly explains the way slavery has persisted since it was institutionalized in the U.S. Any notions you may have learned in AP Government or your political science course regarding the thirteenth amendment abolishing slavery are quickly dispelled upon watching this. This documentary was made for anyone who wants to understand what mass incarceration really is and where it came from. One of the mechanisms that have allowed an act as morally reprehensible as U.S. slavery is the way that slavery was rebranded, fooling people into thinking it had disappeared. This means that, in addition to revealing how we came to have the current U.S. prison system, the film arms viewers with the knowledge they need to reexamine how far the U.S. is from true criminal and racial justice. Watching the film alongside people who were less familiar with the ways that slavery in the U.S. has transformed, I was able to see how much they felt they had learned in such a short period of time. “13th” teaches you what our education system should have.

Read: “Between The World And Me”

I could not help but think of water. The prose is like poetry, yes, but more like a rushing current than anything else. I was swept up, at times supported and others submerged, fighting hard not to sink. The book confronted me with what I felt were the limits of my own intelligence as I attempted to translate the profound truth of Ta-Nehisi Coates’s words; something felt into something understood. I will let you know if I ever manage it.

One thing I can say for certain about the book is that through every syllable, Coates’s love for his son was present. His earnest desire to impart the wisdom he gained through 40 years of life and study as a black man drive the work. As Coates suggests, many of his revelations raise more questions, which is part of the point. Wrestling with the ideas in the book is only appropriate since the book is born of a struggle for Coates himself to unpack weighty ideas including race and class. This book bears multiple readings and some quiet contemplation.

Read: “The Hate U Give”

While “Fruitvale Station“ follows the story of a specific man before his life is taken by the police, “The Hate U Give” follows a teenage girl who could represent numerous people after their friends are murdered by law enforcement. Starr Carter, a 16-year-old girl, takes us through her life at an incredibly difficult time. After seeing her childhood best friend get shot by a police officer, her world changes forever. She is forced to reckon with the forceful and uncomfortable collision of the two separate versions of herself that she has created, the one she needed in her suburban prep school and the one from her neighborhood. This book communicates the experience many Black people have of trying to succeed with expectations of who they should be weighing on them. The honest portrayal of that challenge is made all the more impressive by the fact that author Angie Thomas balances it with the story of a community that is hurting after losing a member to premature and senseless death.

Read: “Children of Blood and Bone”

This book explores a magical world inspired by West African culture. If you’re not familiar with the Afrofuturism genre, this book is an amazing introduction, and lovers of fantasy and epic quests have a great deal to enjoy. As someone who is of Yoruba heritage, the book spoke to me in a special way. It was amazing to see the food, the fashion and the language reflect things that I have seen all my life but have not necessarily been represented in popular culture, let alone in my favorite genre: fantasy. Not only does the book represent one of the many vibrant cultures of Nigeria, it serves as an allegory for the racial oppression found in the U.S. Tomi Adeyemi felt compelled to write the book largely in response to the instances of police brutality that have been widely publicized in recent years. The book recontextualizes the struggles of Black people to make strides toward equity, equality and justice in a system designed to work against them.

Engage with these stories with an open mind. There are no excuses to be uneducated right now.

The post We’ve compiled a multimedia list of stories that explore Black experiences appeared first on The Retriever.

This post was written by Heidy George, Program Associate for Student Diversity and Inclusion.  

“No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”

-Marsha P. Johnson

June is PRIDE season. A month where we celebrate all things gay with loud parades, gender bending drag shows, thumping music, rainbows, and glitter. So much glitter. This year is particularly special, as it is the 50th anniversary of the very first PRIDE parade held in the 51 blocks of Central Park in New York. This milestone made me reflect on how our community has gotten here. New York, however, as well as many other cities look different this year...

It is PRIDE season, where amidst the celebration - most non-Black, mostly cis, LGBTQ+ folk forget that Black and Brown trans and queer people carved this month out with their bodies.  Black and Brown trans women (especially) led the struggle and the riots that started the revolution which gave us the rights we enjoy today. These riots, coupled with those bloodied and bruised bodies, were the catalysts for what we now know as PRIDE.

It is PRIDE season, during an utterly unforgiving global pandemic. And if I didn’t understand how systemic racism actually works, I would certainly call Corona a racist. 

It is PRIDE season, as our world protests white supremacist and  government sanctioned police violence that forced countless Black, Indigenous and Brown families to bury their children. 

It is PRIDE season, but right now, I can’t celebrate.

It is PRIDE season, and I honestly don’t know how any of my Black siblings still have any fight left in them.

It is PRIDE season, yet Nina Pop, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray, Korryn Gains, Atatiana Jefferson, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin, Aiyana Jones, Mike Brown, Eric Garner, Philando Castile, Walter Scott and countless others are no longer with us.

So I ask, how many names do we have to see before we do something?

We need to do better.

If you ain’t Black, YOU need to do better. Full stop.

If you ain’t Black but you’re LGBTQ+, YOU need to do better. You don’t get a pass for being LGBTQ+. Period. 

So, what are you going to do? 

Are you going to prioritize Black and Brown voices?

Are you going to take the time to learn Black Africana history and Black Africana contributions?

Are you going to celebrate instead of appropriate Black culture?

Are you going to listen?

Are you going to donate?

Are you going to protest?

Are you going to organize?

What are YOU going to do?

If you're willing to do any of this, look for some roadmaps to guide you by visiting our page, our IG, the Women's Center, and the Office of Equity and Inclusion to get started.

Happy PRIDE everyone.

Citizens’ recordings of the police beating and killing black men, women and children have been crucial in exposing the racist violence ingrained in police departments across the United States. People post these videos on social media, calling for action and fueling protest movements like those ignited by the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police officers. 

On-the-ground recordings and depiction of the protests become further evidence of police brutality as people upload videos of police shooting tear gas at distant protestors, police instigating violence and police SUVs driving into crowds of protestors. As major news media like CNN and FOX fail to contextualize and accurately depict the violence protesters face at the hands of police, people’s videos and live accounts become important in accurately documenting the protests. These are often picked up by local news media and help correct the narrative around protesters. 

If you are one of these people tweeting, recording and distributing live information about the protests, you are participating in citizen journalism. Citizen journalism is reporting on news events by people who are not professional journalists, usually shared via social media.

This definition encompasses a lot of people posting right now, so it is important to know how to protect yourself and your rights.

Pack your bag with the protest essentials: food, water, identification, portable chargers, and, if you can, enough cash to post bail. Bail varies person to person and crime to crime, but the National Press Photographers Association says people should carry between 75 and 200 dollars.

Travel in a group of friends, acquaintances or coworkers. If going to a protest alone, tell a friend or family member that, if you do not contact them by a certain time, they should assume you were arrested.

Whether traveling in a group or not, write down the name of a lawyer or a family member who can get in contact with a lawyer on your arm in permanent marker. This ensures that you have someone to call if you are arrested and the police confiscate your belongings. If you do not have a lawyer, The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press offers legal aid to any reporter arrested while covering an event.

If getting arrested, Rima Kikani, a lawyer with Rollins, Smalkin, Richards & Mackie L.L.C and professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, emphasized that anything you say during the arrest can and will be used against you. She specifically advised to not say anything once your arrest begins.

“Do not talk to anyone except your lawyer,” Kikani said. “You don’t know how those statements will be used against you or twisted.”

Videos of your arrest or the arrests of others are crucial in accurately depicting the police violence occurring at the protests. You, as both a citizen and a citizen journalist, have the “right to film government officials, including law enforcement officers, in the discharge of their duties” as stated in Glik v. Cunniffe. 

However, Kikani says if you continue to record after an officer tells you to stop, you can have the additional charge of disobeying an officer brought against you even if the charge would not hold up in court. Dr. Eric Easton, a professor of law emeritus at the University of Baltimore School of Law, also counsels citizen journalists to follow any orders given by the police.

“A journalist receiving an order to cease and desist and move on, it may be prudent to comply with that order, whether it turns out to be a proper order or lawful order in the long run,” Easton said. 

While Easton advises citizen journalists to obey officers, he does say that you can later question the police officer’s order and infringement on your First Amendment rights in court. This is particularly important as many members of the press have followed orders only to be pepper sprayed or detained. 

If you do have video, photos or writing on your phone, camera or another device that you believe are important to your case or that could be used against the police, hand that device off to a trusted individual during the arrest. While it is illegal for police to seize, unlock and delete videos, photos and other content off a person’s device without a warrant, as stated by the Fourth Amendment, giving your device to someone prevents it from ever being held by police. Easton explains that newer technologies like the use of facial recognition to unlock phones have yet to be ruled as unlawful for police to use, so it is in your best interest to ensure your devices are not in the hands of police.      

While these are all ways to protect yourself, it is important to note that there are no special legal protections for citizen journalists.

“When you’re actually out there on the streets protesting, you’re following the same laws as everyone else,” Kikani said.

In general, Easton advises citizen journalists to be careful and try to identify yourself as a member of the press, even if you do not have official credentials, as that might prevent your arrest.

“You don’t do any good as journalists when you’re taken out of the picture,” Easton said.

The post From bail money to filming the police, here’s how to protect yourself as a citizen journalist at protests appeared first on The Retriever.

Here are a few key provisions of Coronavirus related distributions permitted under the ORP:  

Eligibility:

During this time in America, each of us is faced with the challenge of understanding our position in society and our role in dismantling structural racism.

It is important to say the names on our minds—George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Sandra Bland, Korryn Gaines, Freddie Gray—and speak out against the police brutality that resulted in their deaths and the deaths of so many other Black people in this country. Action is essential to the future of our society, and action can take many forms, including protest, voting, and publicly acknowledging the pain of others.

It is also important to name the countless other forms of inequality that are just as deadly, including inadequate educational opportunities, lack of living wages and affordable housing, and unequal access to healthcare, healthy food, and high-quality public transportation. It is clear from recent protests across the nation and world that more people of all races and ages are seeing that structural racism permeates our society—our policies, laws, financial institutions, workplaces, academic and faith institutions, and our own actions and inactions. This recognition, while painful to many of us in different ways, should lead to actions that can build a stronger society.

Many in our community are asking what actions UMBC is taking now and how we can do more, both as individuals and as a campus. One of the most important things we can do is acknowledge that we as a campus and a community still have much work to do. We must take action, both on campus and through our engagement in the larger community, to address the impact of structural racism and inequality.

Moving forward with “business as usual” without acknowledging the lived experience of Black and other marginalized community members contributes to a pattern of harm for those directly affected. It is also important to learn about the historic roots of white supremacy, structural racism, sexual violence, gender discrimination, and other forms of systematic oppression and marginalization—in the wider world, and on our own campus.

We will continue to communicate about ways in which we are addressing these issues. Here are some examples of work that is underway.

• The Division of Student Affairs has developed a five-part workshop series focused on equipping faculty and staff with the tools and skills to engage in ongoing advocacy, self-work, and self-care in response to ongoing racial injustice and our current climate. Sessions will be open to faculty and staff across campus.
• There is a new [Free]dom Fridays weekly Webex. This student-centered program is designed to provide a virtual space to have an open dialogue about social justice and identity-based issues.
• The Black Faculty and Staff Association will be holding a Community Care Space for a facilitated discussion focusing on self-care, healing, shared processing, and resource sharing to support community members who may be feeling overwhelmed and angry.
• The Office of Equity and Inclusion has created this resource for Inclusive Excellence in Action, which provides resources for allies who are interested in actively supporting those most directly impacted by systemic racism and recent events.

UMBC was founded in 1966 in the midst of the Civil Rights Movement. Our campus continues to partner with public officials and communities across the state and nation to address societal challenges. Faculty, staff, and students are supporting teachers, children, and families in Baltimore and surrounding school systems; helping young people develop job skills; activating communities to tell their stories through the arts and humanities; using the social sciences to address inequalities resulting from racial status and poverty; and working to address violence and enact criminal justice policy reforms, with special emphasis on youth.

We realize there is much more work for all of us to do. As we grieve over the many lives unjustly lost or limited by racism, we are encouraged by the outpouring of statements of solidarity and caring conversations happening within our campus community and beyond. Recalling Civil Rights protests of the 1960s led by Black children, we are moved to see people of all races and ages around the world risking their health and lives to demand an end to systemic racism. We must not let this opportunity pass.

– President Freeman Hrabowski and Provost Philip Rous