Join us for URCAD Online, April 19-25 at URCAD.umbc.edu
Tristan Heibel | Agency In The Representations Of Medieval Aristocratic Women In The Illuminated Manuscripts Of Chretien De Troyes | Mentor: Gail Orgelfinger | English
Zoe Hwang | We Were Never Welcome Here: How American History Predicted The Rise Of Racism And Xenophobia During COVID-19 | Mentor: Elaine MacDougall | English
Emma Jett | Castles In The Air: Queer Childhood In Little Women and Little Men | Mentor: Lindsay DiCuirci | English
Calista Ogburn | this Is It - A Poetic Response To The Anti-Asian Racism During The COVID-19 Pandemic | Mentor: Lia Purpura | English
Ryan Saladino | The Gospel Of Evangeline: A Fiction Project Exploring The Power Of Childlike Wonder | Sally Shivnan | English
Join us for URCAD Online, April 19-25 at URCAD.umbc.edu
Dawn Baskin | Stories of Adult Music Learners | Mentor: Ashley Minner | American Studies
Cameron Rybacki | Voter Suppression in America: How Voices are Kept Quiet | Mentor: Sarah Fouts | American Studies
Monday, March 29, 2021, marked the first day of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s criminal trial for the murder of George Floyd. Although this trial comes 10 months after George Floyd uttered his last words “I can’t breathe,” the trauma may still be fresh for many of us.
If you are choosing to tune in to listen to the trial, you may be reminded of the history of systemic racism, discrimination, and injustice that plagues our society and negatively impacts members of our UMBC community. When we are treated unfairly or when we witness discrimination of others that look like us or our loved ones on a day-to-day basis, we can start to feel helpless and hopeless. In these moments of increased distress, it is important to cultivate hope through positive acts of self-care.
If you are intentionally not choosing to tune in to the trial because of the impact it may have on you, that too is self-care. Here are other ways that you can make sure you’re taking care of yourself while continuing the fight for social justice:
Listen to your body’s needs. Your body needs consistent nourishment, upkeep, and exercise. That includes eating a nutritional diet, grooming, moving regularly, getting enough sleep, and addressing any health issues. Find activities that make your body feel well-loved and comfortable, and schedule out some “me time.” Remember, self-care is not selfish.
Find your community. Surround yourself with people who affirm your experiences and support you. Join communities that are inclusive and care about social justice. Talking with others not only sparks new relationships or re-sparks ones that may have been fading, but it also works as a therapeutic method to express your thoughts and feelings, bounce ideas off each other, and even engage in conversation outside of current events. Even though everyone copes differently, that does not mean we need to do it alone.
Know your limitations and avoid burnout. Over-information is a real thing. With how quickly information spreads in today’s society, it is easy to always be consuming, summarizing, and distributing information often without proper evaluation of what information is key or accurate. Protect your mental health and emotional energy by knowing when to turn off your newsfeed and social media notifications. Give yourself room to reflect on and process the information covered in the meantime.
Get help if you need it. If you would like to process your emotions with a mental health professional, consider contacting the Counseling Center between 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM at 410-455-2472 to schedule an appointment or 410-455-3230 after hours. You can also reach out to the Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI), Initiatives for Identity, Inclusion, and Belonging (i3b), or the Women’s Center.
Support others if you have the emotional capacity. Check out these anti-racism resources curated by UMBC offices:
The Counseling Center’s resources to address systemic racism, racial trauma, and anti-racism, and ways to get involved
OEI’s non-exhaustive list of anti-racism resources and UMBC resources for allies
I3b’s community call to action
The Center for Social Science Scholarship’s anti-racism reading and resource guides
The Women’s Center’s how to be an ally
Dresher Center for the Humanities’ list of Baltimore and national organizations to follow
We Believe You’s petitions and funds
No matter what your self-care practice looks like, don’t forget to incorporate it into your daily life as you continue to fight for social justice.
]]>Join us for URCAD Online, April 19-25 at URCAD.umbc.edu
Madeline Arbutus | Uncredited: Uncovering The Names Behind The Colonized Modern Design Canon | Mentor: Margaret Re | Visual Arts
Iman Asfari | Reflection (A Short Animation) } Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Faith Carter-Nottage | Painting With A Camera Lens | Mentor: Lynn Cazabon | Visual Arts
ryy casper | 16mm Film Archive For Visual Arts Department | Mentor: Cathy Cook | Visual Arts
Lujane Elkhati | A Cloud Of Worries - Animated Short | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Angela Endres | Familiarity In Change | Mentor: Evan Tedlock | Visual Arts
Kelly Horn | Burnout | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Biff Katoski | PARABOX | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Sohei Matsui | The Tortoise and the Bear | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Manal Murangi | Terms And Conditions Of Sex - A Short Film | Mentor: Sarah Sharp | Visual Arts
Chase Nickoles | "Ice To Meet You" A Holiday PSA | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Noah Nies | Good Time Charlie: An Animation In Cyanotype | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Camille Ollivierre | Blows!: Exploring Traditional Caribbean Whaling Culture Through Paint On Glass Animation | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Kevin Pounds | Hair Cut Roller Coaster | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Matthew Ratcliffe | Changing Leaves | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Joann Sunday | Generational Wealth | Mentor: Peggy Re | Visual Arts
Aaron Wescott | Essential | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Aaron Wescott | Jump Starters | Mentor: Marc Olano | Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
Michelle Young | Finding the Sun | Mentor: Corrie Parks | Visual Arts
Join us for URCAD Online, April 19-25 at URCAD.umbc.edu
Caitlyn Hooper | Why Intimacy Direction Is The Way Forward For Theatre | Mentor: Susan Stroupe | Theatre
Ayodele La Veau | The Process - Exploring Creative & Agricultural Processes As A Means To Promote Mindfulness & Social Emotional Learning | Mentor: Eve Muson and Nicole Smith | Theatre
Duncan McAdam | Mono-logging On: Writing Solo Performances In Virtual Space | Mentor: Lynn Watson | Theatre
Join us for URCAD Online, April 19-25 at URCAD.umbc.edu
Michael Lunz | Using Anchor Fingers To Help Beginning Guitar Students Switch Between Chords | Mentor: Brian Kaufman | Music
Michael Vekstein | Learning To Play Musical Dynamics In A Virtual World Preferred Presentation Format | Mentor: Brian Kaufman | Music
Join us for URCAD Online, April 19-25 at URCAD.umbc.edu
Angelika Albertorio | MotionWriters: Choreographing Syntactic Knowledge Awareness | Mentor: Ann Sofie Clemmensen | Dance
Greta Zinski | The Obedient Body: Investigating Trained And Culturally Informed Movement Biases | Mentor: Ann Sofie Clemmensen | Dance
]]>Senior Calista Ogburn wasn’t planning on publishing a book at all this year, but when the pandemic struck, so too did inspiration. As anti-Asian sentiments flooded the world and Ogburn herself faced hateful glares, she knew she needed to pour her frustrations into her poetry. A few months later, her poetry book “this is it” was born.
Around late March, when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County sent students home, Ogburn had writer’s block. Her last poetry book, “a splash of yellow” came out in July of 2019, and she hadn’t written much since. “I thought last year’s book was it. I even contemplated whether I was a poet anymore.
“I wanted to draw attention to what’s going on right now [with anti-Asian sentiments], because I feel like it’s not really talked about anymore, but I recognize there are other things going on right now. I was afraid to put out my book last week, because I didn’t want to distract from [the Black Lives Matter movement]. I was really worried about selective activism, but I really want to say that this book is literally for everyone. Anyone can relate to this kind of pain and rage,” she said.
-from The UMBC Retriever, March 31, 2021
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This year, however, TDOV comes at a time of deeply harmful political movements to suppress the trans community’s access to health care and sports. As of today, three state governors have signed off on anti-trans legislation that bans trans women and girls from competing in sports and, coming down the pipeline, are more laws like those being voted on in Arkansas that would prevent gender affirming health care for trans people under age 18 (ironically, this bill is called the “Save Adolescents from Experimentation” (SAFE) Act). South Dakota bill to ban transgender girls and women from sports was vetoed by Governor Kristi Noem (R), but Governor Noem quickly passed two executive orders that effectively replicating the law.
Chase Strangio, deputy director of transgender justice at the ACLU, recently told CNN, "There have been many existential threats to trans existence, but there's something uniquely dangerous about what's going on right at this moment with the combination of the sports bills and the health care bills… I think the impulse underlying both is to try to establish governmental policy that it's harmful to be trans."
This TDOV, we hope you consider taking action and actively fighting against these measures. Some suggestions for next steps include:
writing the governors of the various states that are considering and passing these bills,
donating to trans organizations working to fight against this bigotry,
and/or calling your own state and federal representatives to demand they stand up for trans people’s right to both healthcare and participation in sports.
For all of these actions, you can find/send pre-formed emails here and even more easy action items here.
In addition to doing this important work, consider simply learning more about the transgender community by centering trans creators, authors, activists, artists, scientists, policy makers, etc. Below, we have gathered resources to read/listen to/watch and folks to follow on social media. These are just a very few of the people and groups that you should look into--so please do explore further!
Visibility is a small step toward progress, but it’s only the first of many. There is still so much work to be done, as we can see by today’s news, but we can continue to build the futures we imagine. We can keep dreaming up utopia, uplifting transgender voices, and constructing bridges between difference.
Chase Strangio, deputy director of transgender justice for the ACLU
Alok Vaid-Menon, author, performer, and artist
Katelyn Burns, journalist with VOX
Chase Mosier, professional athlete and founder of transathlete (see below)
Raquel Willis, activist, writer, and organizer
Schuyler Bailar, first trans D1 athlete, speaker, and advocate
Wednesday Holmes, illustrator and writer
Ericka Hart, sex educator and writer
Intransitive was founded by two Trans people in response to the gap of intersectional Trans spaces in Northwest Arkansas. From its inception, Intransitive took on shutting down TERF recruitment events by organizing local and regional Trans people in the state.
FORGE reduces the impact of trauma on trans/non-binary survivors and communities by empowering service providers, advocating for systems reform, and connecting survivors to healing possibilities. FORGE strives to create a world where ALL voices, people and bodies are valued, respected, honored, and celebrated; where every individual feels safe, supported, respected, and empowered.
TransAthlete is a resource for students, athletes, coaches, and administrators to find information about trans inclusion in athletics at various levels of play. This site pulls together existing information in one central location, and breaks down information into easy-to-reference areas to help you find what you need.
ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." The ACLU works at the national level and has affiliate locations throughout the U.S.
Trans Women in Women’s Spaces: A Reflection of the Transition of Privilege and Belonging
By Autumn Cook, March 26, 2020
Genderqueer & Trans Fashion Zine
By Scout Hertl, Spring 2019
By Dan Willey and Amelia Meman, 2017
How Many Trans Kids Will Die While We Await This Mythic Trans Sports Takeover? by Chase Strangio
Transgender Week of Visibility and Action (Google Doc with information and resources for activism)
Trans Athletes Bills Explained by Katelyn Burns
Myths About Trans Athletes Debunked by Chase Strangio and Gabriel Arkles
Trans History You Never Learned in School by Thomas Page McBee
Visibility Alone Will Not Keep Transgender Youth Safe by Chase Strangio and Raquel Willis
Youth Activists Lead the Fight Against Anti-Trans Bills by Jo Yurcaba
As we gain more information and folks share resources, we are updating a Google Doc with this information. You can check that out here.