marginalized-voices

Performative activism has been widely discussed on Columbia’s campus, but what about another type of activism that is similarly misguided—one that has all the necessary components but lacks the backing of experiential knowledge? Nowadays, many “activists” who jump on the bandwagon of popular ideas like criminal justice reform and prison abolition aren’t able to provide comprehensive solutions that fully grasp the scope and nuances of the issues at hand because they aren’t from the impacted communities.

A woman with curly black hair stares intently at the viewer as fast jazz music plays in the background.

Coming into Columbia’s heavy discourse surrounding Israel and Palestine is difficult when you’ve grown up within Jewish communities, but that does not mean you should shy away from critical thinking and education from the opposite side.

Let me begin by stating some crucial facts: I am a queer, multiracial woman of color. I am a survivor of sexual assault and suffer from multiple mental illnesses. I am a low-income, first-generation student.

It's Friday night, so you very well might be heading out to a party.