Issue IV
Veracium / March 22nd, 2021
Embedded Files
From now on...
Veracium will be releasing biweekly on Mondays!
Salutations! Welcome to Veracium, a newsletter published by BLS V.O.T.E. It is currently published bi-weekly on our website, and details some current events, be it local, national, or global.
This time, we'll be covering: Russia protests and election political party problems, Myanmar Civilian Leaders, Hate Crimes against AAPI, the Atlanta Shootings, the Sarah Everard Killing, the Dr. Seuss Controversy, the Stimulus Bill, Vaccine Distribution Inequality, and the Andrew Cuomo Controversy.
I'd also like to welcome Royce Huynh, Kevin Zhong, Sofia Daffin, and Lily Russo as writers for Veracium, you can read their bios on the Staff page!
-Megan Li, Co-President (III)
Articles
The rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes: How it’s connected to the Covid-19 pandemic
By Peter Guo (V)
Protestors show how they feel about the hate currently being directed at Asian Americans.
As the rate of Covid-19 rises up and down, there’s one thing that’s also been rising along with it, except this thing doesn’t go down. Its Asian American hate crimes, and in the past year, 3,800 cases of anti-Asian racism have happened. According to the reporting forum stop AAPI Hate, nearly 3,800 incidents were reported of shunning, slurring, and physical attacks. This number is a 148% increase, compared to 2600 hate crimes nationwide for 5 months the year before. Women make up 68% of these reports, while men make up 29% of the reports. The data shows that roughly 503 incidents took place in 2021, and physical assault made up 11% of the total incidents. Verbal harassment makes up 68% and shunning makes up 21%. Last week in San Jose, a 64-year-old grandmother was assaulted and robbed of cash that she had taken out of an ATM for the lunar new year. A 91-year-old man was hospitalized after being shoved to the ground, a 52-year-old Asian woman was shot using a flare gun, and 84-year-old.
Sources:
Westervelt, Eric. “Anger And Fear As Asian American Seniors Targeted In Bay Area Attacks.” NPR, NPR, 12 Feb. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/02/12/966940217/anger-and-fear-as-asian-american-seniors-targeted-in-bay-area-attacks.
Yam, Kimmy. “There Were 3,800 Anti-Asian Racist Incidents, Mostly against Women, in Past Year.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 Mar. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/there-were-3-800-anti-asian-racist-incidents-mostly-against-n1261257.
The Dr. Seuss Controversy:
6 Books Are No Longer Being Published For Racist Imagery
By Lily Russo (IV)
Dr Seuss’s books have long been loved by children all over the world, but there is a dark side to the picture books that must be acknowledged. Six of Dr Seuss’s books have been pulled for racist imagery and will no longer be published. The books that are being pulled are “If I Ran the Zoo”, “And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street”, “McElligot’s Pool”, “On Beyond Zebra!”, “Scrambled Eggs Super!”, and “The Cat’s Quizzer”. Many people have pointed out the classic children’s books have racist and xenophobic tropes embedded in books written for young children. Dr Seuss Enterprises released a statement saying that the books that they are ceasing to publish “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.”
Three of Seuss's books no longer being published.
Some conservative commentators and politicians are against the decision to stop publication of these titles, claiming that it is an example of ‘cancel culture’. But the director of the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, Deborah Caldwell-Stone, said, “[Dr. Seuss Enterprises] have not made a call for libraries or schools to remove the books from collections. ... Any author, or anyone publishing books, can make choices about what is out in the world”.
This controversy is not new. Educators have been saying for years that these children’s books reinforce stereotypes of people of color and can be harmful to students of color, causing them to internalize negative messages at a young age and discourage their interest in reading. For all of those who read Dr Seuss’s work, it is important to view these books through another perspective to see how his work can both hold the messages you remember as a child and the horrible stereotypes that are quite harmful to many.
Sources:
Adams, Char. “The Reckoning with Dr. Seuss’ Racist Imagery Has Been Years in the Making.” NBC News, 3 Mar. 2021
Schwartz, Sarah. “The Dr. Seuss Controversy: What Educators Need to Know.” EducationWeek, 2 Mar. 2021.
Pratt, Mark. “6 Dr. Seuss Books Won’t Be Published for Racist Images.” AP News, 2 Mar. 2021
Alter, Alexandra, and Elizabeth A. Harris. “Dr. Seuss Books Are Pulled, and a ‘Cancel Culture’ Controversy Erupts.” New York TImes, 4 Mar. 2021.
8 People Murdered in Atlanta Shooting
By Alessandra Woo (V)
On Tuesday, March 16, 2021, 8 people were shot in Atlanta, Georgia, by Robert Aaron Long, a 21-year-old white man from Woodstock, Georgia. 9 victims were shot, and of the 8 people killed, 6 of them were Asian women. From the victimology assessment, this is evidently a hate crime, yet the police and major news outlets refuse to claim these homicides as such in order to uphold white supremacy.
Long traveled to three Atlanta-area Asian owned spas, all of which have Asian women workers. The victims were Delaina Ashley Yuan, Paul Andre Michels, Xoaojie Yan, Daoyou Feng, Julie Park, and Hyeon Jeong Park. He also killed anyone who got in his way, including non-Asian people who happened to be at the three spas. Of the Asian American women killed, 4 were Korean and 2 were ethnic Chinese.
Mourning place for Xiaojie Tan (also known as Emily), a mother and hardworking small business owner with family overseas, in front of Young’s Asian Massage.
Long admitted to the shootings. However, unfortunately, the police, in reporting on what Long said about the shootings, gave the impression that they were legitimizing Long's actions. Long claimed that Asian women were “tempting” his sex addiction. This was a result of the fetishization and hyper-sexualization of Asian women in the media. He also claims that he therefore felt provoked to eliminate them. Long claims that race wasn’t a factor in his shootings, and officials seem to have been swayed by his words.
Captain Jay Baker, Cherokee County’s spokesperson, said that Long was, “Pretty much fed up and kind of at the end of his rope. Yesterday was a really bad day for him and what he did.” This came off as far too sympathetic towards Long, and totally failed to acknowledge that it was clearly a crime that specifically targeted Asian-Americans. It is likely that Baker will continue to refuse to publicly announce that this was a hate crime because doing so would allow people to see that he also holds anti-Asian views that have shaped his comments thus far. Baker is currently off the case, but has not yet been fired or reprimanded.
Long is currently charged with 8 counts of murder and 1 count of aggravated assault and no bond. He was scheduled to attend court Thursday (03/18) morning, but his legal counsel waived the hearing.
Xenophobia towards AAPI has always been the underlying impetus for crimes like these. It is sad that biased authorities are also vulnerable to these sorts of racist biases and too often end up justifying the oppressor rather than confronting their own racist ideology.
With the blame for the COVID-19 pandemic being unfairly attributed to Asian-Americans, xenophobia towards the Asian community has spiraled even more horribly out of control.
Sources:
Mahtani, Melissa, et al. "Asian American communities on edge after deadly Atlanta-area shootings." CNN, 18 Mar. 2021. CNN, www.cnn.com/us/live-news/atlanta-area-shootings-3-18-21/index.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.
Holcombe, Madeline, and Dakin Andone. "A trip to the spa that ended in death. These are some of the victims of the Atlanta-area shootings." CNN, 19 Mar.
2021. CNN, www.cnn.com/2021/03/18/us/atlanta-spa-shootings-victims/index.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.
Kaur, Harmeet. "Fetishized, sexualized and marginalized, Asian women are uniquely vulnerable to violence." CNN, 17 Mar. 2021. CNN, www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/asian-women-misogyny-spa-shootings-trnd/index.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.
Salo, Jackie. "'Most kind-hearted': Spa owner among victims in Atlanta shootings." New York Post, 18 Mar. 2021. New York Post, nypost.com/2021/03/18/most-kind-hearted-spa-owner-among-atlanta-shooting-victims/. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.
Feldman, Katie. "Accused Atlanta shooter Robert Aaron Long will not appear in court Thursday." Daily News, 18 Mar. 2021. Daily News, www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-atlanta-shooter-long-court-appearance-20210318-jmzkjixezfdb5pt5u3ep7t4uce-story.html. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.
"Atlanta shootings: Suspect charged with murder as victims identified." BBC, 18 Mar. 2021. BBC, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56433181. Accessed 19 Mar. 2021.
The Vaccine Disparity between Black and White Neighborhoods
By Royce Huynh (IV)
While millions of Americans are receiving their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine, in many cities there is a large gap in vaccinations between black and white neighborhoods. Throughout the US, Black and Hispanic people have lower vaccination rates, even though they account for a larger percentage of the deaths caused by COVID-19. According to the New York Times, Blacks and Hispanics are almost three times as likely to catch and die from the coronavirus. Many of these deaths are a result of the many disadvantages that minorities face, like not having the ability to work from home or being forced to share living spaces with their elderly and more vulnerable relatives. The lack of vaccinations only exacerbates the problems COVID-19 has caused to their families.
In many cities and states, a smaller percentage of minorities are receiving the vaccine compared to their share of coronavirus cases and deaths. For instance, in Washington DC, where over seventy-five percent of deaths and nearly half of all cases were Black people, only thirty-one percent of vaccinations were given to African American residents. Or in California, where forty six percent of cases and over half of all deaths were Hispanic, only twenty one percent of vaccines were administered to Latinos.
These low numbers and percentages are usually because of a lack of vaccination sites in certain areas where there are more working class people and people of color. In New York, many of the neighborhoods containing the most cases do not have as many nearby vaccination sites as less affected neighborhoods. On the other hand, more affluent areas that generally are more white are closer to many more places where they can receive their shot.
After a year marked by peaceful protests against the systemic racism that plague black and brown people, this is only another reminder of how these people are being put down everyday. While many government officials have pledged to try to ensure equitable vaccinations, there needs to be actual action to resolve this gap.
Sources:
Krishnakumar, Priya. "America's Biggest Cities Face Racial Inequities in Vaccine Distribution." CNN, 11 Feb. 2021. CNN, www.cnn.com/2021/02/11/us/data-analysis-equitable-distribution-major-cities/index.html. Accessed 20 Mar. 2021.
Oppel Jr., Richard, et al. "The Fullest Look Yet at the Racial Inequity of Coronavirus." The New York Times, 5 July 2020. The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/05/us/coronavirus-latinos-african-americans-cdc-data.html?smid=ig-nytimes&utm_source=curalate_like2buy&utm_medium=curalate_like2buy_3euQ1BMQ__adf5daf4-e1f8-4816-93d6-e1d4ca1db48c&crl8_id=adf5daf4-e1f8-4816-93d6-e1d4ca1db48c. Accessed 20 Mar. 2021.
Ndugga, Nambi, et al. "Latest Data on COVID-19 Vaccinations Race/Ethnicity." Kaiser Family Foundation, 17 Mar. 2021, www.kff.org/coronavirus-covid 19/issue-brief/latest-data-on-covid-19-vaccinations-race-ethnicity/. Accessed 20 Mar. 2021.
The Civilian Leaders
in Myanmar's Fight for Democracy
By Joshua Rand (IV)
A February 22, 2021, strike in Yangon, Myanmar,
A mostly abandoned- as a result of the strike- cargo port in Yangon.
Here is a sample of some of those who are fighting for democracy in Myanmar. Obviously, it is impossible to document every simple person, so it is important to recognize all those who have fought and participated in protests, and all those who have suffered as a result.
DISCLAIMER: Names marked with an asterisk were found via an uncaptioned video and I could not find written spellings. Thus, they may be inaccurate. I used known names from Myanmar to try and piece together the most likely spelling. Names marked with a double asterisk I could find no sources for and are written as they sound. DO NOT CITE THIS ARTICLE FOR NAMES.
Myanmar has long been a troubled nation, and the coup this February proved that more than ever in the past few years, though many other events have also occurred, such as the Rohingya crisis. The coup and its ensuing protests have now led to well over a hundred deaths, though figures range from 149 (the BBC, The Guardian) to 220 (The New York Times) to 250 (Reuters), with the latter being the most recent article (there may be other estimates). However, this has not stopped protestors from continuing to fight in what can sometimes be a fatal battle in more ways than one. In what is perhaps the greatest act of defiance since this all began, workers across the country, from teachers to dock workers to bankers, have all ceased work, letting their places of work and professions go undone. This is hitting the military hard, and while they are still staying afloat due to mainly the monetary avenues of oil, natural gas, and illegal jade and timber collection, the junta has been unable to maintain many industries, taxes and much bank service, and most trade and external interactions. However, while these mass effects are incredible, it's the people involved who can truly demonstrate the resilience of the people of Myanmar, and what they are doing to achieve a return to democracy.
Hein*, 25, a regular protest attendee, said the following:
Our people, the Myanmar people, are strong … we need to still be vigilant, that we to make sure that our voices are not silenced anymore, that we are not going back, we are going forward.
Hein*, who is 25, has gone to the protests every day (as of March 11) and he believes that the younger generation will not stand for the military regime. He thinks that this is a landmark time in Myanmar's history, and he will continue to protest, fight, and resist. Hein* says that his dreams won't happen unless democracy is restored, and so he says that the police can arrest him and stop him from speaking out, since it doesn't matter anymore.
Shwe Thaing Ei*, 20, a student union leader, has organized several rallies and has spoken out openly against the military. Also, given the leadership position she holds, there is a lot of civil dissent history baked into her position. Shwe Thaing Ei* has also called meetings to rally fellow students and call for them to not obey the false education program. She believes that the people of Myanmar, especially her generation, must fight the military and forge a new path for the following generations, and they must do so in order to ensure true education and freedom in the future. Her and her generation are now experiencing life under military rule- internet blackouts, curfews, freedom-restricting rules, death threats- and they have to fight hard to change it. In a predecessor to the current strikes, Shwe Thaing Ei* and others of the same age have called for boycotts of army products, which is dangerous and could lead to being detained. Already, she has to stay away from her family, and it takes a toll.
An unnamed (for fear of the military) doctor from a government hospital believes civil disobedience is the way to go, since it forces the government into a position where the country's workforce is at a standstill and none of the essential positions have willing workers. He says that government workers have already lost their salaries, and their jobs and freedom (they may go to prison) are in question, and doctors especially don't want to work for a system that doesn't provide the ability to give good care, that doesn't provide medicine and equipment, and that doesn't allow communication. Despite the lack of salaries and resources, he says that it is important to keep fighting and stay strong, for the sake of the future and its generations.
Nor Ester Chit** is a member of the indigenous Karen people, one of the many ethnic minorities which have joined together to participate in the protests. She is helping to unite and mobilize people that identify with 29 different groups in order to protest as one outside foreign ambassador's offices (embassies). Ethnic groups in Myanmar have suffered immensely at the hands of the military, as visible by the Rohingya crisis not too long ago, which is still ongoing. Nor Ester Chit** says that "the dictatorship government, they never take responsibility for what they have done to the ethnic people. Generation after generation, they discriminate against us. They divide us." Civil wars continue to disrupt and damage Myanmar's border regions, in which minorities are caught in the crossfire, with horrifying consequences. Ethnic minorities want more autonomy, and the military out of the constitution and politics, and that's the goal she is striving for as well.
Another member of the Karen people, Naw is the leader of the General Strike Committee of Nationalities, and as a member of an ethnic minority, she says that protesting is not new to her. While many protestors are calling for the release of leaders such as Aung San Suu Kyi and Win Myint, she says that the ethnic minorities calls are instead for more rights and a "federal democratic union with all the nationalities who belong in Myanmar." The military has been able to split them up historically, but today they have become united. Naw says she is doing all of this for her one-year-old daughter, because she wants her to have a better future without any military involvement or dictatorship. It's a matter of saving this burden from taking another generation.
Toe Saw Lat* is a long-time member of the Democratic Voice of Burma, or DVB, an independent and formerly underground/outlawed news source that provided unbiased, uncensored news of what the junta was doing during the first regime. He worked in exile in Thailand during the first military regime, and now he is always on alert for a possible need to leave the country again. As of the time of the film, DVB was only broadcasting on Facebook and YouTube, but were trying to go on satellite, meaning they'd have to go even more underground due to a crackdown. Thus, he and the rest of the DVB were planning to get the important equipment from the office in order to be able to continue, like during the original regime. Toe Saw Lat* and others have been covertly continuing to do their job to provide news that people need- both the bad and the inspiring, but always the truth and secrets of the military. He has continued to speak the truth of what the military is doing, but is afraid that the incredible protests will be shut down with a harsh and violent response from the military. His worst fears, sadly, come true in the early March crackdown.
Several of the people on this list are fairly young, and that's because it is young people who are driving this movement, and it is they who will most likely play a large role in hopefully regaining control of the country, or at least sustaining the efforts to hamper the efforts of the junta. Along with legacy champions for democracy and other normal civilians, young people are making a difference in Myanmar.
The people of Myanmar have suffered so much, and it is clear the military hasn't given up. However, despite this, the protests go on, demonstrating the incredible resourcefulness and resolve they possess. Hopefully, the strike currently ongoing, paired with increased action from foreign nations and more attention being drawn to the plight of Myanmar may signal some hope for the protestors and civilians of Myanmar.
If you'd like to view the video that inspired this article, you can watch it at the bottom of the article here.
Nor Ester Chit**, a member of the indigenous Karen people and a protest organizer, explained:
They can arrest or kill us anytime. But I'm not scared. Because I'm fighting for justice. I'm fighting for equality. I'm not fighting for myself, I'm fighting for my generation. I'm not scared to die. We have to fight for justice and peace.
We all fight together.
Sources:
Beech, Hannah. "Myanmar Protesters Answer Military's Bullets With an Economic Shutdown." The New York Times, 19 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/world/asia/myanmar-workers-strike.html. Accessed 22 Mar. 2021.
Burmese Names. 2014, burmesenames.wordpress.com/. Accessed 22 Mar. 2021.
Fowle, Ali, narrator. Inside Myanmar's Crackdown. Produced by Drew Ambrose, Aun Qi Koh, and Jenni Henderson, Al Jazeera, 2021.
MacSwan, Angus. "EU and U.S. sanctions step up pressure on Myanmar military over coup." Edited by Ed Osmond. Reuters, 21 Mar. 2021, www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-politics-idUSKBN2BE074. Accessed 22 Mar. 2021.
Tan, Yvette, and Eaint Khai Oo. "Myanmar coup: Tales from the streets of sacrifice and fear." BBC, 21 Mar. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56356213. Accessed 22 Mar. 2021.
The Murder of Sarah Everard:
It Is Time To Protect Women and Reclaim These Streets
By Megan Li (III)
Flowers being placed at the vigil for Ms. Everard on Saturday.
A photo of Ms. Everard near the bandstand on Clapham Common, where she disappeared.
Sarah Everard, a 33 year old marketing executive, went missing in South London last week, and her body was found in southeast England a few days later. Although she, like many others, was affected by the pandemic, she had just started a new job. On March 3rd, she didn’t return home. A police officer, Wayne Couzens, had been charged with her murder.
Her death came to symbolise a pervasive issue which affects many women; they aren’t safe. Jess Phillips, lawmaker for the Labour Party, read out the names of 118 women who had been killed in the past year and in which cases a man had been charged for the crime. The fear that women will come to harm while in public or private spaces is too prevalent for it to be dismissed as an unusual happening. Rosie Duffield sums this up well, saying “We are tired of having to risk-assess every ordinary everyday action every hour of every day of our lives.”
A vigil was held for her death, and it was very poorly handled by the Metropolitan police. The vigil was interrupted a few hours in, after the police felt it had become a risk to people’s health. They used force to try and interrupt the vigil, and arrested four people. Unnecessary force was used in what had been a protest meant to criticise violence against women. The vigil, which had started peacefully, ended with male police officers arresting and using force against women, demonstrating why the vigil and protest were necessary. The group running the event, Reclaim These Streets, tried to go to court to authorise the event, but was unsuccessful. In addition, there has been little clarity in what the rules against protests and large gatherings are, due to the lack of a constitution and hasty laws passed in the midst of the pandemic.
A bill which was proposed recently in the UK which would grant more power to control protests to police, and would also create harsher punishments for some serious crimes, and repeal a policy which released some prisoners after they served half of their fixed sentences. Lawmakers have fears that it would hinder protests and in general, was not well thought out. In addition, due to the proposed increase in the maximum penalty for defacing a memorial from three months to 10 years, protesters could face lengthy sentences.
Sources:
Castle, Stephen. “Anger Churns Over Police Tactics at Sarah Everard Vigil in London.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 16 Mar. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/world/europe/sarah- everard-police-uk.html?searchResultPosition=8.
Kwai, Isabella. “Policing at Sarah Everard Vigil in London Faces Official Scrutiny.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 14 Mar. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/world/europe/uk-sarah- everard-vigil-police.html?searchResultPosition=7.
Kwai, Isabella. “UK Policing Bill Examined after Clashes at Everard Vigil - The Boston Globe.” BostonGlobe.com, The Boston Globe, 16 Mar. 2021,
www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/15/world/uk-policing- bill-examined-after-clashes-everard-vigil/.
Peltier, Elian. “British Police Officer Charged With Murder in Killing of Sarah Everard.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Mar. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/2021/03/12/world/europe/uk-sarah- everard.html?searchResultPosition=3.
Biden’s COVID Stimulus Bill: “The American Rescue Plan”
By Kevin Zhong (IV)
On March 11, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill after the House of Representatives and Senate passed the bill along party lines. Named the American Rescue Package, the bill aims to address the economic and health crises caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is one of the largest economic relief bills ever passed by Congress, which includes direct payments of $1,400, extended weekly unemployment benefits, tax credits for families with children, and funding for vaccine distribution, states and cities, schools, and small businesses.
Democrats have a slim majority in the House and in the Senate evenly divided 50-50, with Vice President Kamala Harris as the tie-breaking vote in Democrats’ favor. Democrats used a process called “budget reconciliation” to bypass the filibuster in the Senate that required 60 votes on legislation, so they could quickly pass the stimulus bill without having to compromise and seek Republican votes.
President Joe Biden (right) and Vice President Kamala Harris (left) have both been trying hard to pass their coronavirus relief bill.
Republicans in Congress voted unanimously against the stimulus bill as they said it was too costly, a partisan wishlist, and unnecessary after nearly $4 trillion of COVID relief passed last year. However, polls have shown that this legislation is popular among state and local officials, and ordinary Americans of both parties. Republicans took procedural measures to delay and obstruct the eventual passing of the bill that they could not stop. They forced the 628-page bill to be read aloud by Senate clerks (a step normally skipped), taking 11 hours, and bringing up votes on dozens of amendments during the Senate’s “vote-a-rama” session.
Democrats in the Senate had to secure all of their 50 votes to pass the bill, especially Senator Joe Manchin, a Democrat from West Virginia, who is often considered the most conservative Democratic senator. Machin threatened last minute to vote with Republicans because he was unhappy with the proposal on unemployment benefits, leading to frantic, unexpected negotiations on the day Democrats hoped to pass the bill. Negotiations among Democratic Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and moderate Democrats, like Manchin, led to reducing the number of people receiving the $1,400 stimulus checks, and trimming the unemployment benefits from $400/week to $300/week. Ironically, the Republican governor of Manchin’s home state, Jim Justice, thought that Congress should “go big” on the stimulus bill. The progressive wing of the Democratic party were unhappy with these compromises.
The stimulus package Congress passed was slightly narrower than the original plan of President Biden. Most notably, the increase of the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour, which was a key priority the Democrats had hoped to pass, was removed from the final package as the Senate parliamentarian ruled that it violated the strict rules of budget reconciliation.
In the end, the Democrats delivered President Biden his first major legislative victory, and much needed economic relief to finally bring an end to this pandemic and its damaging impacts on our local communities.
Sources:
Cochrane, Emily. "Divided Senate Passes Biden's Pandemic Aid Plan." New York Times, 6 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/us/politics/biden-stimulus-plan.html?name=styln-stimulus biden®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&impression_id=&variant=show. Accessed 20 Mar. 2021.
Foran, Clare, et al. "Congress sends $1.9 trillion pandemic relief package to Biden's desk." CNN, 10 Mar. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/03/10/politics/covid-relief-bill-house-vote/index.html. Accessed 21 Mar. 2021.
Gabriel, Trip. "Jim Justice, a G.O.P. Governor, on Why Biden Needs to 'Go Big' on Covid Aid." New York Times, 3 Feb. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/02/03/us/politics/jim-justice-manchin-west-virginia.html. Accessed 21 Mar. 2021.
Tankersley, Jim, et al. "A weekslong campaign to sell the stimulus bill to the American public begins tonight." New York Times, 18 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/us/biden-signs-stimulus.html. Accessed 21 Mar. 2021.
The Andrew Cuomo Controversy
By Sofia Daffin (III)
Andrew Cuomo, Democrat, is the governor of the state of New York, and he has recently come under fire for a slew of sexual harassment allegations.
Charlotte Bennett, 25, a former aide, was one of the many who have accused Cuomo of grossly inappropriate behavior.
For the past month, the state of New York has been tasked with a political dilemma as multiple women have accused New-York governor Andrew Cuomo of sexual harassment. The allegations- primarily made by young women formerly or currently employed by the state- span from instances of inappropriate questions and behavior, to unwanted touching and kissing. The 63-year old governor, who was first elected in 2011, has since apologized for his behavior, saying that he “acted in a way that made people feel uncomfortable.” His statement, however, hasn’t prevented political tensions from rising as the fight for his resignation rapidly expands across New York and extends to both Republicans and Democrats. So what exactly happened to get to this point? Does Cuomo reserve the right to keep his power in office, or is the political outrage a justifiable response?
In December of 2020, former administration aide Lindsey Boylan took to Twitter to accuse Cuomo of sexual harassment. Along with claims of several discomforting conversations, Boylan also accused Cuomo of kissing her without consent in 2018, saying, “As I got up to leave and walk toward an open door, he stepped in front of me and kissed me on the lips.” Cuomo has since denied this allegation.
Soon after Boylan’s stance on Twitter, another former aide came out to the media with sexual harassment claims. 25-year old Charlotte Bennett detailed her experience with the governor, claiming that he asked her various inappropriate questions regarding her sex life.
As more women began to come out and elaborate on their disturbing encounters involving the governor, Cuomo eventually issued an apology, despite initially labeling his actions as “playful” jokes. In his apology statement, Cuomo admitted that he was embarrassed by his behavior, saying, “If they were offended by it, then it was wrong.”
An investigation regarding the claims has been launched by state attorney general Letitia James. Cuomo’s office has agreed to be fully cooperative, as the case could potentially take months.
Various political leaders, both Republican and Democrat, have rallied behind the young women and have asked Cuomo to resign, including senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Cuomo, however, has stayed resistant in a bid to keep his job, stating that he will not be stepping down from office and giving into “cancel culture.”
The allegations and mounting political pressure coincide with the emerging news of New York’s downplay of COVID-19 nursing home deaths. The state’s health department logged approximately 8,500 deaths as of January 2021, while in actuality, more than 15,000 people had died in nursing homes since the beginning of the pandemic.
Even as Cuomo’s controversies begin to pile up, polls have shown that the majority of New Yorkers still don’t want him to resign. In a recent Quinnipiac University poll-which retained one of Cuomo’s worst ratings- 49% of New Yorkers wanted him to stay in office and only 43% wanted him to resign, indicating that Cuomo still maintains general approval from Democrats. As long as the public continues to show support for the current governor, the likeliness of Cuomo voluntarily leaving office appears to be low in the foreseeable future.
Sources:
Ferré-sadurní, Luis, and Mihir Zaveri. “Sexual Harassment Claims Against Cuomo: What We Know So Far.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Mar. 2021,
www.nytimes.com/article/cuomo-sexual-harassment-nursing-homes-covid-19.html.
Enten, Harry. “Analysis: Cuomo Hasn't Resigned Because He Still Has Support from Democratic Voters.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Mar. 2021,
www.cnn.com/2021/03/21/politics/andrew-cuomo-analysis/index.html.
Davis, Wynne, and Emma Bowman. “Gov. Cuomo Apologizes For 'Misinterpreted' Comments Amid Sexual Harassment Claims.” NPR, NPR, 28 Feb. 2021,
“Governor Cuomo Admits to Withholding Nursing Home Deaths.” BBC News, BBC, 16 Feb. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56091682.
Russia: what’s happening now?
By Albert Chen (IV)
A few weeks ago, the Russian Federation detained over 1,800 anti-Putin protesters in Moscow. This action was condemned by most of the world, with President Biden calling Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer”. However, to understand why these protests, arrests, and attempted murder happened, we must look back. In 2011, a Russian lawyer named Alexei Navalny (Алексей Анатольевич Навальный) released a statement calling the Russian Government a group of crooks and thieves. In 2013, he was arrested and convicted of embezzlement, but had his sentence suspended. Since then, Navalny has been releasing videos documenting the corruption in Russia, especially regarding its elections. You may ask, why is he calling Russia corrupt? Russia isn’t a totalitarian socialist dictatorship anymore. The thing is, Russia’s election system has been corrupt since the late 1990s, ever since Vladimir Putin succeeded Boris Yeltsin in leading this nation. You see, many nations have called Russia out for faking its elections. Take this example: if you have two parties, party A and party B, which both have a support of 50% (theoretically), but in reality, there is no party B, but instead it is actually split into party C and party D, both of which equally get 50% of support of the supporters of party B. That means that party C and D each only get 25% of the total support, compared to party A. That means party A still ends up winning every time. If we apply that to Russia, party A would be Putin’s party: United Russia, and party B would be a messy group of Putin opponents, many of which are fake parties organized by Putin to divert support from other parties on the opposition. That is a reason why he and Dmitry Medvedev, the current Prime Minister of Russia have been in power ever since 1999. In a healthy democracy, the government should be led by people from different political parties on short intervals. A good example would be the Republic of China, or Taiwan, where there have been leaders from three different political parties, the 中國國民黨 (nationalist party), the 民主進步黨 (democratic progressive party), and Taiwan Solidarity Union (independent party) in the last 20 years. For its last two decades, Russia only had one party in control, Putin’s party. Putin has also been accused of imprisoning many large political opponents like Navalny. Most of the Western World does not consider Russia a “democratic nation” as its lack of fair elections, and alleged imprisonments.
Navalny had been making a name for himself in the last 10 years through speaking out and proving Russia’s corruption. However in August of 2020, he was poisoned with a nerve agent thought to be more powerful than VX nerve gas, (the stuff used to assassinate Kim Jong Nam) while on an airplane leaving from Moscow. Navalny was taken to a hospital in Russia where lab tests allegedly revealed no trace of nerve agent or poison, but when Navalny, who by now was in a coma was taken to Berlin, doctors there did the same tests as the Russian ones, but found traces of nerve agent in his blood and urine. Although Navalny barely survived, the world accused Russia for trying to assassinate Navalny as the agent used to poison him was confirmed to be a new chemical agent developed by the Russian military. That alone would be a breach of the Chemical Weapons treaty, as a nation must first add its new agent to a list of known chemical weapons before using it. Navalny was discharged from hospital on September 22, 2020 and he did not return to Russia until the next year. Many people also suspected the Russian doctors who treated Navalny for faking his blood test results in an attempt to kill him. In December of 2020, a Russian poll concluded that 78% of Russians heard about Navalny’s poisoning, but out of that 78%, 30% believed that the poisoning was all a mock up, 19% believed that the west had tried to assassinate Navalny while only 15% believed that Russia had tried to assassinate Navalny. That shows that either: everyone in Russia must be brainwashed, the people who completed the poll were mostly Putin supporters as the opposing people were all arrested, or that company that conducted the polls faked the results.
Alexei Navalny, the Russian lawyer speaking out against Putin and exposing his corruption.
Navalny returned to Moscow on January 17, 2021, but was immediately arrested. This caused the anti-Putin protests which are still happening today to form. On February 2, Navalny’s 2013 suspended sentence conviction for embezzlement was overturned, meaning that for the next two years, Navalny is in a labor camp Pokrov. This sparked further outrage as there was no trial when Navalny’s sentence was overturned, meaning he never got a chance to defend himself. Reuters estimated that 40,000 people attended the protests, while Russian authorities claimed it was only 4,000, which by the photos taken by protesters and the press is completely wrong. Most people estimate the number to be around 20,000 people. These protests have also been happening in St. Petersburg too, with a consensus of 5,000 people. However Russians authorities arrested 500 of those 5,000 people. In total, Russian authorities detained over 5,611 people in one day , with 1,800 and 1,300 people in Moscow and St. Petersburg respectively, and that’s where we are now. Police are still battling protesters all over Russia, and the international community is crying in outrage. In a better perspective, these protests have been the largest ever in Russian history and may finally bring change to the nation.
Sources:
"Navalny Allies Announce New Courtyard Protests". The Moscow Times. 9 February 2021.
"Акции в поддержку Навального". novayagezeta.ru. 23 January 2021.
"Police crack down on Russian protests against jailing of Kremlin foe Navalny". Reuters. 24 January 2021.
Sebastian, Clare (12 June 2017). "Alexey Navalny and Russia's YouTube insurgency". CNN. Archived from the original on 26 December 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
“Fischer, Sebastian; Gathmann, Florian; Gebauer, Matthias; Kollenbroich, Britta; Küpper, Mara; Teevs, Christian; Traufetter, Gerald (3 September 2020). "Fall Nawalny und das deutsch-russische Verhältnis An der Belastungsgrenze" [The Navalny case and the German-Russian relationship At the limit]. Der Spiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
Ku, Chuan; Kao, Evelyn (17 November 2019). "46 groups yet to transition to political parties as required by law". Central News Agency. Retrieved 18 November 2019. Republished as: "2020 ELECTIONS: MOI says 46 political groups have yet to make a shift". Taipei Times. 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
Images from above sources: in order of appearance top to bottom, left to right; Licensed Through Creative Commons
BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56218684);
New York Post (https://nypost.com/2021/03/18/most-kind-hearted-spa-owner-among-atlanta-shooting-victims/);
Kaiser Family Foundation (https://www.kff.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/FEATURE-Vaccine-Monitor-Dec-Survey_1.png)
Daily Sabah (https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/strike-launched-in-myanmar-against-coup-despite-lethal-threats);
The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/world/asia/myanmar-workers-strike.html);
The New York Times (https://static01.nyt.com/images/2021/03/14/world/14uk-everard-2/merlin_185015355_a034b42c-0fb5-46a9-945a-e3c5487bc365-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp);
Coast Mountain News (https://www.coastmountainnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/24521171_web1_LKW111-315_2021_095742.jpg);
The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/06/us/politics/biden-stimulus-plan.html?name=styln-stimulus-biden®ion=TOP_BANNER&block=storyline_menu_recirc&action=click&pgtype=Article&impression_id=&variant=show.);
The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/article/cuomo-sexual-harassment-nursing-homes-covid-19.html);
The New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/article/cuomo-sexual-harassment-nursing-homes-covid-19.html);
The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/alexey-navalnys-very-strange-form-of-freedom);
Upcoming Online Events
BLS V.O.T.E would like to recommend the following online events for both students and faculty! They are all free to attend, and hopefully will be rather informative. Please let us know if there are any events you would like to recommend by emailing us at vote.bls@gmail.com!
Lecture: Anti-Asian Violence and Black-Asian Solidarity Today (March 23rd, 6:00 PM – 8:00)
On March 23rd at 6 PM ET, join the Asian American Writers’ Workshop for a lecture with Tamara K. Nopper. This lecture will last 2 hours and is free to the public. Nopper’s lecture will examine the alarm and growing discourse regarding "anti-Asian violence," currently circulating in mainstream and social media among pundits, celebrities, and Asian American community organizers across the country. The lecture will examine the merging of fighting "anti-Asian violence" with the promotion of "Black-Asian solidarity" in the context of COVID-19. This lecture calls for defunding the police and for abolition.
Townhall on Anti-Asian Racism (March 25th, 6PM - Register Here)
The COVID-19 pandemic has fueled xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. But Asian Americans have experienced violence long before the pandemic. Join our town hall highlighting how the Asian American community in MA is organizing against racism and learn how to support our community during the pandemic.
Combating Anti-Asian Violence (March 29th, 5:00)
Join us for a conversation among community organizers and academics around misogyny, racism, and anti-sex work stigma, co-sponsored by Global Studies, the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, and the Pozen Center Human Rights Lab at UChicago.
APIA Hate: The Context and the Consequence (March 31st, 7:30 PM – 8:30)
By now we're all aware of the recent violence and hate crimes targeting the Asian and Pacific Islander American community. While this may seem like a recent phenomenon, there is nothing new about this hatred and racism. Join us Wednesday, March 31st to learn the broader historical context of this rise in anti-Asian sentiment and violence. We'll unpack present-day expressions of white supremacy, such as the perpetual foreigner stereotype and the model minority myth which pits Asian and Pacific Islander Americans against other racial groups and contributes to anti-Blackness. We'll also discuss the strategies of Asian American activists who have fought for equity, ways to act in solidarity and how to stand against hate and systemic racism, especially when it shows up in our networks and communities.
North Korean Defector Speaker (March 26th, 10:40 AM – 11:35)
BLS STUDENTS/FACULTY/FAMILIES ONLY
BLS Daily Bulletin Excerpt:
North Korean Defector Virtual Speaker (Zou) All Classes
BLS Korean Culture Club and Youth for Education Equality Club would like to invite everyone to hear the story of North Korean defectors, in partnership with Language Virtual and PSCORE. Please fill out this form if you are going to attend: https://forms.gle/JdJgciEJXmoJjGfZ9. You can also sign up via Innerview. Contact us at bostonlatinschoolkcc@gmail.com or officialyeeclub1@gmail.com with any questions!
Gratitude and Thanks
We want to extend our gratitude to our teachers at Boston Latin and BLS staff, especially Ms. Catherine Arnold, Ms. Martha Pierce, Mr. Jim Levesque, and Ms. Rachel Skerritt.
Leave a Comment or Sign Up!
Page updated
Report abuse