Dear Globalist readers,
What kinds of spaces, ideas, and labor do we hold sacred? Recent events on or near campus, including the shooting of Stephanie Washington, draw attention to the value, or lack thereof, placed upon the lives of people of color and marginalized communities in New Haven and elsewhere. The Easter Sunday bombings on churches in Sri Lanka, in addition to the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Christchurch Mosque Shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, are evidence of the rising threat to places of worship and people of faith, spaces that in the past have been sacred. And our planet, a universal treasure, is under constant threat from rising sea levels, extreme weather patterns, and insufficient moral and political will to fight climate change.
In our last issue of the school year, we consider sacred spaces, ideas, and dreams that capture our imagination, humble our hearts, and stir our bodies and minds to action. Karen Lu ‘22 visits an Asian American Art Installation and ponders what it means to be an Asian-American. Hal Reichard ‘19 writes about theater as a sacred space for artists of color. Alma Bitran ‘21 considers how the mysterious Voynich manuscript has enthralled our curiosity and imaginations for centuries. Keigo Nishio ‘21 reminds us of the sacredness of labor and worker rights in Japan. Alejandro Ortega ’22 traces the history of ethnic studies at Yale and writes about its current state of crisis. Ariq Hatibie ’20 highlights Students for Yemen, a new group on campus raising awareness about the humanitarian crisis and challenging American intervention in Yemen. Abigail Grimes ’22 writes about a sacred mountain in Tibet and multiple approaches to combating climate change. And Ananya Kachru ’22 and Siddarth Shankar ‘22 shine a light on the state of Kashmir, educating us on its forgotten history and calling for a cessation of human rights violations in the region.
We call our readers to take a stand to protect that which is beautiful and vulnerable, rare and threatened—our planet, our ideas, and each other—here in New Haven, in our hometowns, and everywhere our respective paths take us this summer.
Best,
Aastha and Claire
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Aastha KC is a junior majoring in Anthropology in Pauli Murray College. You can contact her at aastha.kc@yale.edu.
Claire Zalla is a sophomore majoring in Global Affairs in Pauli Murray College. You can contact her at claire.zalla@yale.edu.