A weekly round-up curated by Women’s Center staff member, Michael Jalloh Jamboria

In the spirit of my friend, who gave us the glorious name ‘Slaying on the Weekly’, every week I will be bringing you some interesting, funny or thought-provoking content from the internet! Be sure to join us next week for more and continue to slay!

Courtesy: Twitter.com, @adamrhew

 This week’s news:

This week I will be focusing on the protest surrounding the death of Keith Lamont Scott. Anti-police brutality protests have started in cities all over the country, the loudest taking place in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is now in a state of emergency.

I also just read this important and powerful post by fellow UMBC Retriever, Vanessa… please read it and consider the ways in which Black Issues Are Retriever Issues. 

Equally important, I want to make sure we are all taking care of ourselves. Engage in whatever self-care practices make you feel the best. Express and allow yourself to feel the emotions you have!

Finally, the Women’s Center and the Mosaic Center will be holding a community safe space on Tuesday 9/27. Meet in the Mosaic. Affected communities and allies are encouraged to come!

Until next week!

Fall Open House: November 11 & 12, 2016

Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College invites you to our Pittsburgh, PA campus this fall!

We're hosting a Fall Visitation event for prospective students. This two-day event will provide an opportunity to meet Heinz College faculty, administrators, and current students. You'll also learn more about the master's programs offered at Heinz College, the admissions process, and your financial aid options. Please register below.

Fall Visitation

Friday, November 11, 5:00pm - 7:00pm EST
Saturday, November 12, 9:30am - 3:30pm EST

Sessions with Faculty, Program Directors, Current Students, Career Services and more!

Online Information Sessions

Can't make it to campus for our Open House?  Learn about your program of interest without leaving your desk.

Each session is hosted by a program director as well as representatives from the Heinz College Admissions team and current students.

Click here for a list of Previously Recorded Webinars

Coming soon to a city near you- An Admissions Representative may soon be in your area.  

Members of the Heinz College spend much of the Fall season on the road, meeting with prospective students. Check out our Travel Schedule

Our Master’s Degrees

The Heinz College has master’s programs that apply Information Technology + Analytics + Management to the following areas:

Public Policy & Management (MSPPM)

Health Care Policy & Management (MSHCPM)

Public Management (MPM)

Arts Management (MAM)

Entertainment Industry Management (MEIM)

Information Systems Management (MISM)

Information Security Policy & Management (MSISPM)

Information Technology (MSIT)

Please feel free to contact the Office of Admissions to learn more. We are happy to speak with prospective students about reaching their academic and career goals.

Sincerely,

Office of Admissions

Carnegie Mellon University- H. John Heinz III College

Pittsburgh, PA | Australia | Washington, DC | Los Angeles, CA | Distance Learning

hnzadmit@andrew.cmu.edu | http://www.heinz.cmu.edu/

Phone: +1.412.268.2164 | Fax: +1.412.268.7036

 A short reflection by student staff member Shira Devorah ( She/Her or They/Them) 

I really love queer media. I’ve probably watched most of the movies in the “Gay and Lesbian” category on Netflix, as long as they didn’t look too dull or exploitative. There are some really fantastic and challenging shows and movies available at the click of a button. Why am I so drawn to television shows with women kissing, to movies with actual trans actresses playing trans women? I know I’m not the only queer woman who revels in the opportunity to see a new lesbian drama. Why is this?

Well, it all boils down to one thing: The need for representation. The queer community is constantly portrayed by the media through stereotypes and tropes that are incredibly harmful and inconsistent with the realities of our queer lives. This article from the queer- woman’s website Autostraddle recently went viral – because it listed all 162 (and counting) dead lesbian and bisexual women killed on television and how they died.

The post circulated widely using the hashtag “bury your gays,” which was created after a beloved lesbian character from The 100 was killed off as a cheap plot device – a trope all too common in any media that portrays queer women. While I never really watched The 100, I understand what it feels like when a fan favorite lesbian meets an early demise.

I remember the first time I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer all the way through. I had the complete series box set growing up and watched BtVS religiously. I was heartbroken when (spoiler) Tara, one of two lesbians on that show, was killed off. She was shot by a stray bullet, and none of the magic in a supernatural show about vampires was used to bring her back.

I was devastated.

I had clung so hard to Willow and Tara’s relationship. I didn’t yet have the labels that I use today, but I knew that I liked girls. Tara, who I had identified with because she was shy and smart and kind of a dork. Tara, who kissed Willow and held her hand and called her “babe.”  She was killed, all as a plot device. It wouldn’t be the last time a character I loved, who also loved women, would be killed in a similar way.

See the full article HERE 

Positive representation really does matter. When queer shows and films are done in more humanizing ways, they allow queer people who watch to see a reflection of themselves in beloved and complex characters. It’s incredibly validating to see someone like you given substance and meaning beyond hegemonic perception of what it means to be LGBTQ. I want to see more characters like Cosima from Orphan Black, characters who are integral to the plot of their show, have flaws, and are also LGBTQ.

Positive representation doesn’t stop there: There are so many intersecting identities that deserve more and better representation in media that are also commonly overlooked. People of color are rarely cast as anything other than “that one black friend” or “that perceived-as-white love interest.” The moment there are an array of dynamic characters of color on one show, it is labeled as “other” and often dismissed. When LGBTQ people of color do appear in media, writers are often careless when contending with the  multiple facets of their identities.

spoken by one of the few black gay men on television who isn’t a cliche, Captain Holt from Brooklyn 9-9

Often writers don’t come equipped with the ability to write complex queer characters of color – especially when they do not identify alongside their characters. Take the example of Orange Is the New Black. 90% of the writers for the Netflix show are white women, and they write for queer women of color characters. Because there isn’t enough diverse representation on staff, important aspects of identity are left out or altered, letting down major characters and long-time fans. Don’t get me started with how they let down a certain fan favorite this past season…

For a show with so many women of color characters, there sure are a lot of white people in the writers’ room.

Even with all of the negatives, there is still some very positive representation in queer media. Films like Mosquita Y Mari,  Boy Meets Girl and Tangerine are all beautiful movies written by and/or starring queer individuals that explore LGBTQ characters genuinely. TV shows like Steven Universe, Brooklyn 9-9, and Grey’s Anatomy are also really great examples of good writing for queer characters. None of these characters are perfect people, and I wouldn’t want them to be. They are just more human, more three-dimensional, more interesting to watch.

Queer people live just as interesting and complicated lives as everyone else. We deserve to see these lives reflected in the media that we consume. I can’t wait to see how media evolves further and allows for more varied storylines and characters. As viewers, we should continue to be critical of what is and isn’t portrayed on the screen. One day I hope mainstream media will be more inclusive through  authentic representations of queer characters. For now, I say you should go check out some of those titles I mentioned. Continue to demand more from your favorite shows, and don’t settle for tropes.

We’re here, we’re queer, and we deserve better!

***

If you’re interested in checking out any of the movies mentioned here, the title of the films link to YouTube theatrical trailers!

Tangerine, Boy Meets Girl and Grey’s Anatomy are currently streaming on Netflix.

The Women’s Center at UMBC turns 25 this year! We’re excited to share our important milestone with UMBC’s 50th Anniversary and will be celebrating throughout the year with the rest of campus! We were inspired by Special Collections archival project Archives Gold: 50 Objects for UMBC’s 50th and decided to do our own digging into the Women’s Center archives. Over the course of the year, we’ll be sharing 25 “Then vs Now” archives to celebrate the origin and evolution of the Women’s Center at UMBC.

This week we’re featuring the marketing and publicity the Women’s Center has created and shared with the UMBC community over the past several years. 

Before smart phones and Snapchat, there were actual hard copy brochures and flyers (pre-PhotoShop) to help spread the word about the Women’s Center. Here’s some examples!

And, before MailChimp there were newsletters printed on actual paper and then ones made on Publisher and emailed to a list-serv.

Today, the Women’s Center still has a brochure and prints flyers but we really shine on our social media platforms. That’s where every one is anyways right? So be sure to like us on Facebook, tweet us at on Twitter, follow us on Instagram, and catch our snaps on Snapchat (@womencenterumbc). You already found our blog so be sure to subscribe! And, of course, there’s our myUMBC group.

One side of the current Women’s Center brochure.

Have you followed us on SnapChat yet?!

What are the memories you have of the Women’s Center over the years that are meaningful to you? What does the Women’s Center mean to you today? Share your memories and pictures with us in the comment section below!

Stay up-to-date with our 25th anniversary on social media using #UMBCWC25. Share your Women’s Center experiences and memories with the UMBC community using #UMBCWC25 AND #UMBC50!

 A weekly round-up currated by Women’s Center staff member, Michael Jalloh Jamboria

This week, my good friend came into the Women’s Center to chat. She mentioned how I ‘slayed on the daily’, her words, not mine. In the spirit of my friend, every week I will be bringing you some interesting, funny or thought-provoking content from the internet! Be sure to join us next week for more and continue to slay! This week’s articles:

Protestors of the North Dakota Pipeline Project finally have some good news as the Departments of Justice, Interior and the Army issued a temporary halt in the continuation of the project!

Saturday Night Live finally has a Latina cast member. Hmm…it only took 41 years of being on the air. Welcome Melissa Villasenor to the cast! Also, check out the Women’s Center Blog post on some other seriously funny women.

While Donald Trump was getting ready for his appearances in Baltimore to address the National Guard, People’s Power Assembly was gearing up to protest the convention.

The women on the white house staff have been using the strategy of “amplifying” to combat mansplaining on the job. Check them out!!

Finally, the Women’s Center turned 25 this week! Check out Women’s Center 25th Anniversary Playlist!

Women Center Staff members in the Birthday Party photo booth