I Rise For Those Who Are Silenced In Our Society…

What does this mean? Who is actually silenced? Of course, everyone can speak up... right? Not necessarily. Growing up was interesting for me. I was born in the United States (Arlington, Virginia to be exact)  and I definitely pride myself on my nationality... and yes I will still do an internal eye roll whenever I get the question “So, where are you from?” as if my brown skin was somehow not “American”. But don’t get me wrong, I am just as proud about my “Americaness” as much as I am about my Mestizo Salvadoran heritage.

But the funny thing is that I was only given this opportunity to experience this pridefulness because of the hard work and dedication of my parents taking the risk of crossing the border and trying to create a better life for my sister and me. Can you imagine having one decision like this having such a dramatic effect on everything that defines you as a person? The accessibility to a public education, to feel safe while queer, to be anglophone, to have a more solid roof over your head, to even be able to have a small chance of getting a higher ed degree and to not go hungry.

It’s scary to think that if things went just a tad different, I would be a stranger to myself - which makes me have a “Man in the Mirror” moment.

These were some of the things my parents could only dream about when they were children. They were living in an environment where the social infrature was failing them and they had no opportunity whatsoever to experience any socioeconomic mobility where they were living. My parents didn’t meet until they got to the United States but this just shows the prevalence of these social problems in their country of origin. So my parents “added’’the undocumented immigrant identity to their roster of other identities despite them knowing the challenges they may have encountered once entering the United States.

So why did I just share this vulnerable piece about my family’s identity? Well first off, it is a reminder to myself that I should think constantly of where I come from and to not have shame in it! Society somehow socializes us to not share our vulnerability with one another because you don’t want to be perceived as the perpetual victim or even worse; having others blame you for your misfortunes, as if anyone has any real power over when, where and what family they’re born into. As a social scientist NOTHING is concrete, clear or absolute, we must look into all the details! Second, I think we need to become mindful of when we all say blanket statements about groups of people. I will admit, I am triggered when I hear people speaking badly of immigrants, because that is not only where I come from but because I know the amount of hard work my parents have put in every day of their lives to be able to get naturalized. We were fortunate that my sister and I were brought up comfortably enough that they were never concerned about the same issues their parents thought about when they were children.

Although my parents came to the States during the time of war in El Salvador, the country is still healing from the scars the war left on Salvadoran society. Unfortunately, both young and older generations are paying for it. I also know El Salvador is not the only country experiencing this which is why we have people from all over entering this country. Newer immigrants have continuously come into this country and will continue to do so. It is never really a “choice” for anyone to make the difficult decision to leave family without knowing when you will see them again. So to demonize them is a complete dismissal of their stories.

I acknowledge the privilege my parents “gifted” me upon my birth and whenever possible challenge those who have a negative view of the communities where I come from. So I Rise to get voices similar to my parents heard in a place where it's not too common, particularly in higher ed, where Hispanic immigrants make up a minority on a national level due to the various levels of stratification that affect the community. I would like for others to not only listen to my second-hand account of this story, but to sit down and do the uncomfortable research of hearing what stories other immigrants have to share with us. My hope is that through this, immigrants not only feel heard but validated for making the decision to come to this country.

Get ready for Critical Social Justice: Rise with our What You Need to Know series. Written by Marie Pessagno.

Three years ago, the idea to incorporate a walking tour of Baltimore during Critical Social Justice week came into fruition. Since its implementation, it has been an integral part of CSJ. You may be asking yourself: “Why it is important to include a walking tour of Baltimore? How could walking through Baltimore possibly have anything to do with Critical Social Justice?  These are both great questions to ask, and so to give a thorough answer, I met with Baltimore implant, history enthusiast, and walking tour guide… Dr. Kate Drabinski.

In talking to Dr. Kate, I was made aware of the fact that not all UMBC students are familiar with the city of Baltimore outside of Camden Yards or the Aquarium. Dr. Kate expressed to me that “In order to fully understand and comprehend the complexities that the city of Baltimore represents, it is important to physically experience it.” The walking tour is only one (of many) ways in which we as a community can bring UMBC to Baltimore.

Baltimore is a city that has been recently been the object of many news stories because of the politicized and highly publicized experiences of violence and police brutality.  This has most recently been seen during the unrest that occurred after the death of Freddie Gray.  There is an upcoming HBO special set to air November 20 that is centered on the years of economic disenfranchisement as seen through the eyes of activists, journalists, and community residents to better tell their stories in hopes to be understood.  

The systematic racism and segregationist efforts in Baltimore began in the early 1900’s and continue to occur today.  The walking tour helps to “enable students to broaden their view” of Baltimore outside of the classroom and to give a first-hand account of where and how history shaped the city.

Following the walking tour, Charm City Connection is hosting an event to link UMBC students to organizations that do work in the Baltimore community. Check out the flyer here! This is a great way to extend your knowledge of the city and the many opportunities and resources that are available to help serve our local community and to help better the city.

A team effort by some of the Women’s Center staff!

So in 2015, UMBC brought Hannibal Buress to campus as our homecoming comedian. We rejoiced. We love him as Lincoln in Broad City, we appreciate his stalwart bend toward social justice, and he’s hella funny.

We were ALSO frustrated. For every UMBC Homecoming comedy event, we have invited men. Nick Offerman. B.J. Novak. Bo Burnham. Donald Glover. Lewis Black.  Hannibal Burress. All funny folk, but also male folk. And we’re not trying to pretend this is an issue isolated to UMBC. The general global representation of women in comedy is dismal. So at the time, we wrote it out and we compiled a list of awesome women in comedy with the hopes that someone at UMBC would say, “Oh wow. Sexism. It exists here, too. You know what would exemplify our campus values of inclusive excellence and commitment to diversity? A lady!”

Unfortunately, our naive hopes were dashed again this year. Trevor Noah is coming.

Don’t get us wrong, Trevor Noah is a cool dude. But he’s a cis male dude.

A dude who is critical of oppression and injustice, but also one who has a past that includes some disturbing episodes of sexism.

So again, the Women’s Center is dusting off its trusty soapbox and presents our dear readers with a humble compilation of awesome comedians who also just so happen to be women.

Aparna Nancherla – Amelia’s Pick

Maybe she’s born with it, maybe she’s born into a societal prison of impossible standards.

– Aparna Nancherla,  “Just Putting It Out There”

Aparna is a comic that has been all up in my social media feeds, podcasts, and Netflix-ing, so I decided to check her out—and now I love her and am a huge fan.

Aparna is a stand-up comedian. She recently released her debut album, “Just Putting It Out There” (the first release on Tig Notaro’s new comedy label Bentzen Ball Records), which I can’t recommend enough. Her subject matter is dry, observational stuff, but she’s also just goofy and off-kilter. She talks a lot about being a woman, a woman of color, a woman with anxiety and depression, and all of these things at once (that’s called intersectional humor, friends). At one point she describes her anxiety as a really bad, but enthusiastic improv group who keep taking suggestions from a sadistic audience—and that description is the closest anyone has ever come to defining what my anxiety is.

Aparna is a writer and performer on Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell, has done work on Master of None and Bojack Horseman, can be heard on a whole bunch of big popular podcasts, has features in really notable papers and magazines, and has opened for numerous big names like John Oliver, Tig Notaro, Maria Bamford, Kristen Schaal, and Hari Kondabolu (just to name some of my favorite folks).

Her Twitter, Facebook and Instagram are LI-HIT. She is very awesome, and I hope you also check out the video below.

Kristen Becker – Marie’s Pick

In 2006, I had the privilege of meeting and becoming friends with Kristen Becker while she was performing in Santa Fe, New Mexico on a Dykes of Hazard Tour.  She has been named “One of America’s Funniest Lesbians” by CURVE magazine, and has opened for national comedy acts, and even for Ani DiFranco.

Not only is Becker hilarious, she works extremely hard as an LGBTQ activist and supporter of social justice.  While touring with her current project “Loosen the Bible Belt,” she was able to successfully complete her first “Summer of Sam” endeavor in her hometown of Providence Rhode Island.  If you have a few minutes to check out her comedy…do it..it will be worth your time!

Samantha Bee – Hannah’s Pick

The first version of this post pointed to a gender disparity in comedy on a level greater than UMBC—there were no female late-night talk show hosts. But even though we are still writing this article, progress is being made; Full Frontal with Samantha Bee broke that glass ceiling in February 2016 with Bee as the creator, writer, executive producer, and host. Before that, she was the longest tenured correspondent for The Daily Show, and was the only woman for five years before being joined by Kristen Schaal (who is another great woman in comedy you should definitely check out).

In addition to her humor, I love the fact that she uses her platform as a woman in a male-dominated field to do good for others. In hiring writers, she and the producers set up a blind process which hid the gender, race, and experience level of the applicants. As a result, the writing staff is about 50% female and 30% non-white. Additionally, proceeds from the show’s merchandise go to organizations like Planned Parenthood, the Karam Foundation, Distributing Dignity, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the Hispanic Federation

Negin Farsad – Sydney’s Pick

I first came across Negin when researching many, many women for this post. I was instantly intrigued with the short clip I saw in which she made jokes about dating while being Muslim and her mother’s expectations of her as a Muslim woman. Negin considers herself a social justice comedian who uses her platform to discuss pressing issues in a way that makes them easier to talk about and get a dialogue started. She was named one of the Funniest Women of 2015 by the Huffington Post and one of the 10 Best Feminist Comedians by Paper Magazine. Due to her work in social justice through comedy she was also named a TEDFellow (watch her TED talk here), has written for major networks, published a book, and hosts a podcast. She also has a documentary, The Muslims are Coming, which follows comedians across America as they try to combat issues of Islamaphobia while facing backlash from both non-Muslims and Muslims throughout.

Leslie Knope (AKA Amy Poehler) – Jess’s Pick

Okay, I know Leslie Knope isn’t a real person. Amy Poehler is the real person who makes Leslie Knope come alive on a regular basis in my living room via Parks and Rec. This show makes me laugh and rejuvenates my soul after a long work day. Leslie is also present in the Women’s Center, because she makes me giggle in my office when I’m looking for the perfect reaction gif (almost always from Parks and Rec) to send in an email.

Thank you, Leslie Knope/Amy Poehler.

Ellen DeGeneres – Samiksha’s Pick

I really struggled to think of female comedians when I was asked to write about them, my mind was blank. That is until I watched an episode of Ellen interviewing Michelle Obama, and it clicked. Ellen is definitely a female comedian, but sometimes we forget because she’s become so ingrained in our lives. She’s the funny best friend we’ve always wanted and the big sister that always makes us feel better when we’re down.

The Ellen show has been airing new episodes since September of 2003 and still going strong. That’s 14 years, and most of my life.  What’s great about her humor, in the words of Barack Obama, is that it “has a way of making you laugh about something, rather than at someone.” Ellen’s humor doesn’t need to put anyone down to get a laugh out of you, and trust me, she will have you laughing till you cry. After watching her show, I guarantee you will have a smile on your face as I always have.

On top of that, Ellen is a prominent humanitarian. Ellen has used her show as a major platform to do humanitarian work; she has given away more than $50 million dollars on her show to various causes. She has been involved with causes like fighting breast cancer, Hurricane Katrina disaster effort, St. Jude’s Children Hospital, and for families struggling economically. It’s hard not to find something to love about Ellen!

This is not an exhaustive list by any means! Who are the funny women you would add to the list? Let us know by commenting on our social media pages.

Have you completed research that you want to refine and publish?

Would you like to be able to put “published author” on your resume?

Would you like professional criticism on your writing from a peer and faculty reviewers?

Submit your paper to the 2018 UMBC Reviewfor consideration. Direct all questions to our editors at umbcreview@umbc.edu.

The Deadline has been extended: September 27, 2017

Note: You can submit even after you graduate, as long as the research was done while you were an undergraduate at UMBC.

OCT 23 | MONDAY

OCT 24 | TUESDAY

OCT 25 | WEDNESDAY

• Dr. Marina Adler (Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy, Professor)
• Corinne Janet (Student Life, Coordinator for Leadership)
• Romy Huebler (Student Life, Coordinator for Student Organizations and Involvement)
• Dr. Jana Rehak (Anthropology, Instructor)
• Dr. Kimberly Moffitt (American Studies, Associate Professor)
• Rabbi Jeremy Fierstein (UMBC Hillel, Executive Director)

OCT 26 | THURSDAY

OCT 27 | FRIDAY

Special thanks to our Critical Social Justice co-sponsors:
Student Life’s Mosaic Center, Residential Life, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Honors College, Off-Campus Student Services, Counseling Center, University Health Services Health Promotions, Human Relations/Title IX Office, LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association, Relationship Violence Awareness and Prevention (RVAP), The Social Work Program, Student Disability Services, Department of Psychology, Women Involved in Learning and Leadership, Sociology, Anthropology, and Health Administration and Policy (SAHAP), Department of American Studies, Department of Media and Communication Studies, Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication, Race & Inclusion Scholars