NOTE: ‘My father decided to cut ties with me for standing in solidarity’ with #BLM
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: The Beacon removed this story, titled “‘My father decided to cut ties with me for standing in solidarity’ with #BLM,” after hearing feedback from communities of color on campus and several current and former staff members who took issue with the article.
Rather than centering on the Black Lives Matter movement, the article focused on the situation of an individual student, who was white, and needed assistance after a member of her family cut financial ties. The story redirected attention away from the ongoing fight for racial justice and Black lives both within our campus and nationwide.
The Beacon understands the emotional repercussions of the article’s initial publication on members of the BIPOC community and other people of color. It lacked the necessary context, the inclusion of Black voices, and essential information about the Black Lives Matter movement at large. Per the advice of multiple staff members, The Beacon’s managing team chose to delist the story from our primary distribution platforms. Instead, it is now housed at this link for educational and reflective purposes.
The story was published online for almost three days starting around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2020. It did not appear in the Sept. 3 print edition.
Though our institution fell short in this particular instance, The Beacon stands in solidarity with the BIPOC community, its non-Black allies, and all people of color. We are committed to doing the work necessary to rebuild our relationships with the BIPOC community at Emerson, although we recognize this will take time and may never be fully repaired because of our actions.
We do not expect your support, but we hope community members recognize we are an imperfect group of people willing to do the work to stop this from happening in the future.
To learn more about Black Lives Matter, see here.
To donate to the Black Boston fundraiser, see here.
To learn more about the Massachusetts Bail Fund, see here.
Diti Kohli, Editor-in-Chief
Domenico Conte, Content Managing Editor
Tomas Gonzalez, Visual Managing Editor
Dylan Rossiter, Operations Managing Editor
Kim McLarin / Sep 7, 2020 at 8:31 pm
In addition to all the rest, please make sure the reporter knows that Greensboro is not a small, rural town. Greensboro is a city of about 300,000 people.
Anne M. Khaminwa / Sep 7, 2020 at 6:41 pm
I think you have all lost your minds. Your lack of compassion for Gina Martin’s plight is appalling. At the same time Gina Martin calling for violent protests is wrongheaded. You all need to take a step back from your idealism. At the end of the day this is about what happens to people. Individuals. Ideals are all well and good but what matters most are people. You are not in Minnesota or Kenosha so what you can do there is limited. But you are at Emerson and Gina Martin is your fellow student. And what you can do for her is ao much more. So be human beings first. Idealists second. Gina advocate for peaceful protests. That is the legacy of the Civil Rights movement that you empathize with. BIPOC community et al, treat your fellow student in a humane way. Share with Gina what you know about peaceful protests and empathize with her plight.
Sincerely,
Anne Khaminwa
MIT alumna
Stephanie Davis / Sep 7, 2020 at 3:36 am
It’s regrettable that journalism: who, what, where, when, how and why, has given way to parochialism and emotionalism. Doubly so when it occurs within the setting of a university-college setting, where free thought and debate should flow freely. How prescient Allan Bloom’s 1997 work: https://books.google.com/books/about/Closing_of_the_American_Mind.html?id=cfr2ePZfFC4C.
Christopher Lucy / Sep 7, 2020 at 1:07 am
Thankfully I’ve never been married @almost 65 yrs.old and wouldn’t have children ever..but living near Emerson in Boston and a friend of mines son wrote the article. I wanted to read it..it appears that is difficult if not immpossible which appears as censorship..Christopher Lucy
Amy Kresloff / Sep 2, 2020 at 3:30 pm
I am a mother of a new Emerson Freshman. I wanted to let Gina know that in NJ where we are from and with my experience with the National Org for Women, we got laws passed here that required parents to pay for college of their children as part of divorce agreements when it was always considered a promise prior to the divorce or if the parent had already been paying for school and that the parent did not have a financial change. It was reasoned that this was a continuation of promised child support. I do not know what the laws are like in NC but it might be possible to sue your parent for financial support for school. Know that this was brought up in NJ because “Father’s Rights groups (ultra conservative) fought to cut off their children along with their spouses financially. I hope that you are able to find a way to continue your education. good luck with your future.