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T h e I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t N e w s p a p e r o f B r a n d e is U n i v e r sit y S i n c e 1 9 4 9 Volume LXXV, Number 16
Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Waltham, Mass.
INTERTWINING HISTORIES
PAZ WITH A PLAN
Illuminating historical intersections of Black and Japanese Americans ■ BBSO and JSA held
an event to discuss the similarities between their two cultures. By AMANDA CHEN
JUSTICE SENIOR STAFF WRITER
SMILEY HUYNH/the Justice
ANNOUNCEMENT: City Councilor Jonathan Paz announced his candidacy for mayor in front of Waltham residents on March 9.
On March 3, the Brandeis Asian American and Pacific Islander Department, the Brandeis Black Student Organization, and the Japanese Student Association held an educational event called ‘The Intertwining Histories of Black and Japanese Americans’ to shed light on the unspoken history of the relationship between the two communities. There were three presenters: Professor Yuichiro Onishi from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities who studies the intersection of African American & African Studies and Asian American Studies; Prof. Aida Yuen Wong (FA) who is an art and fashion historian affiliated with the East Asian Studies program; and Director of
the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Education and Learning Initiatives Charles Chip Mc Neal. Kiwa Shinoda ’25 from JSA and Madison Williams-Casey ’25 from BBSO moderated the discussion. Onishi started the discussion with a presentation on Afro-Asian solidarity and stated that there is an extensive history of camaraderie between the two communities in fighting against imperialism, colonialism, and war. Both supported each other in the U.S., but also did so on a global scale. Some Black Americans and citizens of India, China, Japan, and Vietnam shared anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and/or antiracist ideas that shaped each other’s domestic social movements. Onishi explained that the mutual support between African and Asian Americans manifested in the U.S. as the Asian American movement grew during the Vietnam War in the late 1960s to the early 1970s. He talked about two Asian American social activists, Grace Lee Boggs and Yuri Kochiyama, and
See LECTURE, 7 ☛
Waltham City Councilor Brandeis joins worldwide Jonathan Paz to run for mayor Ukraine memorial initiative EXHIBIT
■ Paz is challenging 19-year
incumbent Jeannette McCarthy and would be the first Latino mayor in Waltham. By LIN LIN HUTCHINSON
JUSTICE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On March 9, a cold, sunny New England morning, a group of about 20 people, consisting of residents, city council members, and media personnel, gathered together on the sidewalk of Moody Street. With the Charles River in the background, Waltham’s Ward 9 City Councilor Jonathan Paz formally announced his candidacy for Waltham Mayor, challenging 19-year incumbent Jeannette McCarthy. “I’m here to announce I'm running for mayor, because Waltham has amazing potential and this administration does not have a vision for our future,” Paz said. With the sound of passing trains and squawking geese penetrating through his speech he added, “I will be the mayor who puts people over politics ... I will be a mayor who will have a real plan to make Waltham affordable, sustainable, and academically excellent.” Paz is the son of Bolivian immigrants who immigrated to Waltham, but in fourth grade, he was separated from his parents due to U.S.
LEA ZAHARONI/the Justice
immigration policies. He stayed in Waltham where he attended public school and became the first in his family to attend college, at the University of Pennsylvania. After college he returned to his roots in Waltham, and in 2019, he was elected to be a Waltham city councilor, defeating a 30-year incumbent Robert Logan. This November, Paz hopes to defeat five-term Mayor McCarthy. If elected, Paz will be the first Latino mayor in Waltham’s history. According to the United States Census, Waltham’s population is made up of 14.5 percent Hispanic or Latino residents. “It would be great to make history that way, but it shouldn't be new to Waltham, because we’re a historically diverse city, historically working class, and historically inclusive,” Paz said. “But I’m here to serve all of Waltham. I do carry my Latin ethnicity with pride. I’m not ashamed to speak three different languages. I think [being Waltham’s first Latino Mayor] would mean a lot to my family.” “When I was first elected as city councilor, I led the fight for stable rents, affordable home ownership, and a modernized transit system. Mayor McCarthy blocked progress every step of the way,” Paz said. “I don't think that she has done a good job of staying in touch with the reality of everyday people.” In 2020, Paz served on the Economic & Community Development Committee and
Long Term Debt Committee where he proposed the Affordable Housing Resolution and co-proposed the Modern Bus Shelter Resolution and the Management of COVID-19 in Waltham Resolution. This year he remains on the Economic & Community Development Committee but also now serves on the Veterans Service Committee. The Justice reached out to Mayor McCarthy for comment, and received a response from Bob Di Gregorio who, in a March 13 email, denied Paz’s claims. The Justice does not have clarification of Di Gregorio’s connection to McCarthy. As a product of Waltham public schools, current member of the city council, and a lifelong resident of Waltham, Paz said the city needs more affordable housing, a better education system, and modernized transit and traffic systems. During his announcement, he expressed concerns with the current administration’s handling of what he considers are pressing issues. “This administration is beholden to special interests,” Paz said. Rather than making sure the seniors and veterans of Waltham are fed, supporting community farms and pantries, and investing in the future of students, the current administration has been threatening and harassing the programs and re-
See MAYOR, 7 ☛
■ The exhibit
commemorates Ukrainian students who lost their lives due to the war. By SOPHIA DE LISI AND BELLA BRENNAN
JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT AND CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On March 14, Sofiia Tarasiuk MBA ’24, a student from Ukraine and Brandeis International Business School MBA candidate, constructed an exhibit titled “Unissued Diplomas,” a remembrance exhibit in the Olin-Sang American Civilization Center. The exhibit honors Ukrainian students whose lives ended due to the February 2022 Russian invasion and subsequent war before they could finish their degrees. “Unissued Diplomas” is co-organized by the Ukrainian Canadian Students’ Union (SUSK), with a team of 50 Ukrainian students, both in the country and abroad — like Tarasiuk — establishing the exhibit at their respective universities. These exhibits are present in 45 universities in 20 countries worldwide. The exhibits include 36 diplomas that were issued to these students
to honor their lives, featuring a picture of them and a short biography including their university major, interests, and aspirations for the future. These stories came from interviews with the victims’ friends and families, conducted by the SUSK and its associated students. “It takes more than one person to remember all these stories. That is why we, a team of Ukrainian students around the globe in cooperation with SUSK, created the ‘Unissued Diplomas’ project,” Tarasiuk shared with the Justice in a March 9 interview. She later explained that she had substantial support from the University’s Office of Graduate Affairs and Prof. Irina Dubinina (RUS), mentioning that TPI Solutions Ink printed all of the exhibition materials for free. “We are united in our goal to commemorate the lost lives of Ukrainian students and remind the world that the full-scale war still goes on. And it takes innocent lives daily, student or not,” Tarasiuk said, outlining that one of the program’s goals is to remind others that there are students in Ukraine who fight on the front lines of the war. “Our team aims to further
See UKRAINE, 3 ☛
Waltham music store
Marvel missing marks
Teach for America hosts climate talk
Owner Bob Lupo shares his experiences as the owner of Main Street Music.
Kenyatta gives us his take on villain representation in the latest “Ant-Man.”
By RIVER SIMARD
By LEA ZAHARONI
By KENYATTA DAVID
FEATURES 8
Photo courtesy of CREATIVE COMMONS
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ARTS AND CULTURE 18
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NEWS 3
The Justice editorial board discusses transporation
FORUM 10 Brandeis Tennis off to winning ways By JOSH GANS SPORTS 15 By THE EDITORIAL BOARD
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