Issue V
Veracium / April 5th, 2021
From now on...
Veracium will be releasing biweekly on Mondays!
We'll be introducing a Contributors section for those who worked on this issue!
Hello and good day! 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 the death of the Congo's only major opposition leader, Virginia abolishing the death penalty, representation of AAPI in Biden's Cabinet, and the mass shooting in Boulder, Colorado.
We'll be holding a meeting Thursday and Friday of this week here for anyone who is interested in joining our club!
-Megan Li, Co-President (III)
Articles
The Death of the Congo's
Only Major Opposition Leader
By Joshua Rand (IV)
DISCLAIMER 1: Any statistics or evidence provided to back up the state that the Republic of the Congo is in in terms of poverty or democracy are not intended to reflect badly on the people of the country. It is not their fault, and most have no say in the situation they find themselves in.
DISCLAIMER 2: Please note the distinction between the Republic of the Congo, capital at Brazzaville, which is the topic of the article, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (commonly abbreviated to the DRC), capital at Kinshasa, it's larger and more well-known neighbor to the east.
Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas, former opposition leader and head of the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (MCDDI) Party, as well as the founder of the Union of Humanist Democrats (UDH-YUKI), which he ran for in 2021, speaking to his supporters while deathly ill. He told them in this message, "to stand up and vote for change.” He died three days after the recording of the message, most likely as a result of COVID-19 complications, since he tested positive.
The Republic of the Congo, also known as Congo-Brazzaville (referring to the country's capital) or simply mononymously as Congo, is an incredibly impoverished country, to say the least, where about half the population (the percentage fluctuates) lives in poverty. According to statistics compiled and published by the World Bank, the poverty rate has in fact increased as of 2016, after a decrease between 2005 and 2011, and its human capital index rating is below middle income countries' average. This is accompanied by high infant and maternal mortality rates, significant chronic malnutrition percentages, lack of widespread child academic proficiency, and it ranks very low in terms of business regulation compared to most world nations. Also, while the country is rich in oil and it's one of its most major industries, most of that wealth doesn't go to the people.
Sadly, it's world standing in terms of democracy and fairness in government is not at all in a better position.
The country places 129th in the Economist Intelligence Unit's 2020 Global Democracy Index, firmly within the bounds of what is considered an authoritarian regime, and 165th in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. This makes a lot of sense given who is at the helm of the Government. President Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congolese Labour Party, a former military officer, who has held power without interruption since 1997, and he initially gained power in 1977, though he lost in the Rep. of the Congo's first multiparty election in 1992.
Despite the fact that his 2009-2015 term was supposed to be his second and last, Nguesso succeeded in removing a constitutional age limit in 2015 that would have restricted him from even trying to run in the next year's election (the age limit being 70), and he changed the term limit and structure for two seven-year terms to three five-year terms. His government has been accused by rights and democracy activists of restricting freedom of speech and creating an environment unsuitable for any proper and fair elections or a democratic process. The most recent election certainly seems to enforce these claims with the internet being blocked across the country for Election Day, restricting people's ability to monitor the situation overall, and supporters of the current government paying people to vote.
Denis Sassou Nguesso voted in the capital, Brazzaville, while wearing a mask. He has been in power for nearly 40 years.
However, President Nguesso has opponents, or at least, had one. Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas, son of former prime minister, Bernard Kolélas, and the current president's biggest and most outspoken opponent, has been extremely critical of the Nguesso administration, and declared some days before his death that the Republic of the Congo had become "a police state." Kolélas has held numerous positions, including interim president of his father's party, the Congolese Movement for Democracy and Integral Development (MCDDI), being a minister under President Nguesso, being the founder of his own party, the Union of Humanist Democrats (UDH-YUKI), which he ran as the representative of on the 2021 ticket, and a candidate who finished second in the 2016 elections. Kolélas fought incessantly for democracy in the Republic of the Congo, and while most did not expect him to win at all, he was definitely the only one truly standing in Nguesso's way. He tested positive for the coronavirus, and was diabetic, making him at a higher risk, and so likely died from COVID-19 complications. He passed away on the medical aircraft which was to take him to France for treatment on March 22, 2021. He was 61.
Kolélas's death is a blow to many who wish to create a less corrupt and broken democracy in the Republic of the Congo, but they will keep fighting- his campaign director still called on his supporters to rally. While Kolélas likely never would have won- it is in question whether or not the results of the election, which gives Nguesso a 88.57% win, are at all indicative of how the people really fell, given the questionable circumstances surrounding the election- it's still a sad series of events for many that he first died and then only got 7.84% of the vote.
The Republic of the Congo has also been struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, and testing is extremely spotty and uncommon.
Despite its low representation on the world stage, perhaps it would be good to not always forget about the Republic of the Congo, because like so many other countries, it is struggling with achieving democracy and freedom of speech.
Sources:
"Congo-Brazzaville." Reporters without Borders, rsf.org/en/congo-brazzaville.
"Congo-Brazzaville: Guy-Brice Parfait Kolélas dies from Covid on poll day." BBC, 22 Mar. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-56474855. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
"Congo Republic's Denis Sassou Nguesso re-elected with 88% of vote." Al Jazeera, 23 Mar. 2021, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/23/congo-republics-sassou-re-elected-with-88-of-the-vote. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
"Congo's opposition candidate Kolelas dies a day after elections." Al Jazeera, 22 Mar. 2021, www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/22/congos-opposition-candidate-kolelas-dies-a-day-after-poll. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
"CORRUPTION PERCEPTIONS INDEX." Transparency International, www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2020/index/cog. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
"Global democracy has a very bad year." The Economist, 2 Feb. 2021, www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/02/02/global-democracy-has-a-very-bad-year. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
"Guy Brice Parfait Kolélas." Wikipedia, 4 Apr. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Brice_Parfait_Kol%C3%A9las. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.*
Maclean, Ruth, and Mady Camara. "Presidential Challenger Dies of Covid-19 Just Hours After Voting Ends." The New York Times, 22 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/world/africa/republic-of-congo-election-Kolelas.html. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
"The World Bank in the Republic of Congo Overview." The World Bank, 21 Oct. 2019, www.worldbank.org/en/country/congo/overview#1. Accessed 5 Apr. 2021.
*Wikipedia is not usually reliable; the author only used it for the names of a few organizations and dates, not events.
Virginia Abolishes The Death Penalty:
Should other states do the same?
By Alessandra Woo (V)
On March 24, 2021, Virginia became the first Southern state to abolish the death penalty. Virginia has the second highest execution rate in the United States, so abolishing the death penalty could be a bold step in getting other states to follow suit. “Justice and punishment are not always the same thing, that is too clearly evident in 400 years of the death penalty in Virginia,” Governor Northam of Virginia said.
While some may say the death penalty offers a way of vengeance against the criminal, the process is all-too often racially biased and targets the most vulnerable of our citizens, such as the poor, mentally challenged, and African American communities. We risk executing innocent people when we kill to justify killing.
Of all western industrialized nations, the United States is the only one that uses such extreme practices. The majority of the 1,400 people who have been executed in Virginia alone have been African American. Of the 1,390 documented executions carried out in Virginia since 1608, only in one in four homicide cases that resulted in the executions had white men killing a black person.
Throughout history, the criminal justice system has disproportionately targeted the African American community through the death penalty.
An example of a recent unjust death sentence in the United States is the case of Pervis Payne, a likely innocent African American and mentally disabled man currently scheduled to be killed for a crime he evidently did not commit. Lower income and racially marginalized communities cannot utilise the same legal advantages as more privileged citizens can, such as good lawyers. Their voices will often not be heard in court and so they are unable to fight for their cases and their lives.
Many Americans are beginning to see the bias of the death row in the criminal justice system. Although it is statistically impossible to know how many prisoners have been wrongfully executed, it is not common that prisoners are found innocent after their executions take place by use of a DNA test.
Not only is the death penalty immoral, it costs states a lot of funding to carry through executions. Tax payers in California have spent more than 4 million dollars for capital punishment since it was reinstated in 1978.
The death penalty has not been proven to better deter crime than long term imprisonment. We cannot continue to risk so many innocent lives in exchange for ineffective closure that can be achieved in more accurate and equitable ways.
Sources:
"Death Penalty Issues." California Innocence Project, californiainnocenceproject.org/issues-we-face/death-penalty/
#:~:text=Research%20proves%20that%20the%20death,individuals%20wrongfully%20sentenced%20to%20death. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.
Virginia becomes 1st Southern state to abolish death penalty as governor signs law. NBC, 24 Mar. 2021, www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/virginia-becomes-first-southern-state-
abolish-death-penalty-governor-signs-n1261974. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.
Lavoie, Denise. "Virginia, with 2nd-most executions, outlaws death penalty." AP News, 24 Mar. 2021, apnews.com/article/virginia-to-end-death-penalty-ralph-northam-
0a5b51f2e4458a0600bce6b75e6389bd. Accessed 25 Mar. 2021.
"THE NATION'S RACISM, VIRGINIA'S DEATH PENALTY." Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, 5 June 2020, www.vadp.org/racism-and-death-penalty-june-5-2020/.
Accessed 30 Mar. 2021.
Joe Biden’s 15 Cabinet secretaries: grey pictures are white men; colored pictures are either women, racial minority, or LGBT; none of them are Asian American.
Holding Biden Accountable:
Where is the AAPI Representation in His Cabinet?
By Kevin Zhong (IV)
Despite President Joe Biden having one of the most diverse White House Cabinets, there is one group missing: Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) representation. It is the first time in 21 years where none of the 15 Cabinet department secretaries in a White House administration are Asian American.
On March 23, Democratic U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is Thai American, threatened to vote “no” on any future “non-diversity” Cabinet nominees until the White House addressed the lack of Asian Americans in Biden’s Cabinet. Duckworth noted that when she raised her concerns in a conference call with Biden’s aides, the only response she received was about how proud the White House was of Vice President Kamala Harris, who is of South Asian descent.
Duckworth called the White House’s response “incredibly insulting” and a “trigger point” for her planned opposition of Biden’s future nominees. Duckworth explains how the White House would never say to the Congressional Black Caucus that there is no need for Black Cabinet secretaries because of Vice President Harris, yet they say it to Asians.
Duckworth was joined by fellow Democratic U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono, who is Japanese American. Hirono made clear that they were not “pitting one diversity group against another,” as they would still vote for other racial minority and LGBT nominees. They want, however, to raise awareness over the lack of Asian American representation amid increased violent anti-Asian hate crimes since the pandemic began.
Biden defended his Cabinet as “the most diverse Cabinet in history” when asked about the senators’ threat. The White House assured Duckworth and Hirono that they would listen to their concerns and appoint a senior AAPI White House official, and more Asian Americans to key positions. Both senators backed down from their threat following the White House’s commitments, and are hopeful that Biden will fulfill his promise to include more Asian American leaders in his administration.
Sources:
Madhani, Aamer, and Will Weissert. "Senators Say They Won't Back Nominees Who Aren't Diverse." NBC Chicago, 23 Mar. 2021, www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/duckworth-threatens-to-withhold-vote-on-biden-nominees-over-lack-of-diversity/2469309/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Robinson, Adia. "Why Sen. Duckworth reached a 'trigger point' with White House over AAPI representation." ABC News, 31 Mar. 2021, abcnews.go.com/Politics/sen-duckworth-reached-trigger-point-white-house-aapi/story?id=76788302. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Wu, Nicholas. "Duckworth backs off threat to oppose Biden nominees over lack of Asian American representation." Politico, 23 Mar. 2021, www.politico.com/news/2021/03/23/tammy-duckworth-biden-cabinet-477676. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Zurcher, Anthony. "Five takeaways from Biden's White House cabinet." BBC News, 1 Apr. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56596839. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Mass Shooting in Boulder Intensifies Calls for Gun Control
By Royce Huynh (IV)
The police response and presence at the King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado, where 10 were shot dead on March 23.
On March 23rd, a mass shooting occurred at King’s Soopers, a grocery store in Boulder Colorado, leaving 10 dead. Out of all of the victims, many of whom employees and customers, police officer Eric Talley was hailed a hero for responding to the scene. The shooter responsible for these deaths is twenty-one year old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa. Alissa was known for having a history of violence, including a misdemeanor in 2018 for beating a fellow classmate. But because this was only a misdemeanor, and not a felony, he was still able to pass background checks and purchase his gun days before the attack.
Following the shooting in Atlanta, many activists and lawmakers are calling for further gun control. This is especially prevalent as the weapon used, an assault-style pistol, is designed to bypass the stricter regulations and background checks on actual assault rifles. While Boulder had a ban on those types of weapons since 2018, a judge recently blocked it, allowing people like Alissa to obtain the gun.
After both shootings in Boulder and Atlanta, many Democrats are calling on Republicans to help regulate the types of guns that are similar to those used in the shooting. President Biden is also seeking Republican help to pass gun control legislation, stating, “This is not and should not be a partisan issue — it is an American issue.” With their majority in the House, Democrats have already passed two bills to expand and strengthen background checks, both without a single Republican vote. Now that it is in the Senate, Democrats will need 10 more votes to end the filibuster and pass the bills. However, many Republicans are completely opposed to the bill, preventing any real change.
Sources:
Behrmann, Savanna. "More than 100 Lawmakers Call on Biden to Regulate Weapon Used in Colorado Shooting." USA Today, 31 Mar. 2021. USA Today,
www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/03/31/lawmakers-call-biden-regulate-gun-used-boulder-shooting/4823342001/. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Karni, Annie, and Catie Edmondson. "Biden Seeks Assault Weapons Ban and Background Checks." The New York Times, 27 Mar. 2021. The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/23/us/politics/biden-gun-control.html?action=click&module=Spotlight&pgtype=Homepage&action=click&module=RelatedLinks&pgtype=Article. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Lyons, Patrick. "A Judge Recently Blocked Boulder from Enforcing Its Assault Weapon Ban." The New York Times. The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/us/boulder-colorado-gun-laws.html. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Nieburg, Patty, and James Anderson. "Colorado Shooting Suspect Passed Check in Legal Gun Purchase." Associated Press, Mar. 2021. Associated Press, apnews.com/article/boulder-shootings-colorado-boulder-supermarket-shooting-new-zealand-mosque-attacks-cb51a70ec5bdaa98247e3b3b636a91fe. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Romo, Vanessa, and Jaclyn Diaz. "10 People, including Police Officer, Killed in Colorado Grocery Store Shooting." NPR, 23 Mar. 2021. NPR,
www.npr.org/2021/03/22/980163048/multiple-people-including-police-officer-killed-in-colorado-grocery-store-shooti. Accessed 3 Apr. 2021.
Images from above sources: in order of appearance top to bottom, left to right; Licensed Through Creative Commons
New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/22/world/africa/republic-of-congo-election-Kolelas.html);
Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/3/23/congo-republics-sassou-re-elected-with-88-of-the-vote);
Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (https://www.vadp.org/racism-and-death-penalty-june-5-2020/);
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!
Redlining and the Climate Crisis (Tue, April 6, 2021, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM EDT)
Understanding structural racism and the climate crisis is key to shaping urban governance and the future of America’s cities. The co-authors of a recent study on the correlation of redlined areas and the location of urban heat islands will discuss their participatory research on the spatial distribution of climate impacts, involving communities in measuring heat in cities. Their interdisciplinary approach offers a compelling perspective on how scientists and residents seek to address disproportionate vulnerability emerging from climate change.
Taking Stock: The Societal Impact of the 2020 Election (Thu, April 8, 2021, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM EDT)
This is the 2nd of 3 events leading up to the release of the new book “A Return to Normalcy?: The 2020 Election That (Almost) Broke America” edited by Larry J. Sabato, Kyle Kondik and J. Miles Coleman. Contributors include: Alan Abramowitz, David Byler, Rhodes Cook, Theodore Johnson, Mary Frances McGowen, Diana Owen, Grace Panetta, Madelaine Pisani, Michael Toner, Karen Trainer and Sean Trende. Panelists will examine what 2020 taught us about the people who run for office in a highly polarized America and how the country’s deep divisions may impact the future.
The Performance of Power: Black Lives Matter and American Democracy (Fri, April 16, 2021, 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM EDT)
The Simon Fraser University Department of Political Science is proud to present Professor Alvin Bernard Tillery, Jr. of Northwestern University, who will be giving a virtual talk on "The Performance of Power: Black Lives Matter and American Democracy."
Spotlight on Secession Movements (Mon, April 19, 2021, 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM EDT)
Secession movements and calls for devolution and greater local autonomy have gained momentum in Europe and elsewhere in the past decade. And nation-states have responded to these pressures in very different ways. Using a comparative approach, four renowned scholars will discuss the cases of Ireland, Scotland, Spain, and Canada, so to highlight the particularities and commonalities of secession movements on both sides of the Atlantic. SIS Professor Carole Gallaher will moderate the discussion, followed by a Q&A with the audience.
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, and Ms. Rachel Skerritt.
Contributors
More information can be found on the Staff page.
Megan Li
She/They
Co-President, Senior Editor, Senior Writer
Albert Chen
He/Him
Co-President, Senior Writer, Senior Editor, Graphics
Joshua Rand
He/Him
Senior Writer, Senior Editor, Article and Layout Editor
Alessandra Woo
She/Her
Associate Writer
Kevin Zhong
He/Him
Associate Writer
Royce Huynh
He/Him
Associate Writer