Arts & Culture

Elfbar Ideology, Dialogues: Levi Pierpont

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Levi Pierpont reached out to me after I cited his Guardian Op-Ed in my own piece about the death of his friend, Aaron Bushnell. We ended up having a conversation about his experience in the Air Force and the involvement of Buddhism in his decision to become a conscientious objector (i.e. leave the military due to moral principles). We also discussed Palestine and how the Philippine languages reflect an imperialist component to language diffusion. This is that conversation, continued.

Columns

PLOWE | Human Rights Activism at Cornell: Interview with Suha Khan ’24

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On Saturday, Feb. 11, Cornell students rallied in Washington, D.C. with politicians, community leaders and students from other universities to reiterate the demands of the Uyghur Policy Act and Uyghur Human Rights Protection Act in response to the genocide in China. 

Their stand reflects an important statement of solidarity amongst those who value human rights. The rally had support from The Hong Kong Student Association, Cornell Chinese in Ithaca, Free Tibet, Free Uyghur Now, Athenai Institute, Uyghur Human Rights Association, the Uyghur American Association and others.

I spoke with Suha Khan ’24, a Cornell Interfaith Council leader who drummed up support for the rally. Zoë MeiLing Johnson-Berman ’24, who fostered solidarity amongst organizations through social media networking, also joined us for the conversation. This interview is lightly edited for clarity.

Arts & Culture

Turkish Students Raise Funds in Klarman Hall, Dozens Walk on Unconcerned: The Performative Activism Issue

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Following the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria, the Turkish Student Association students set up a table in Klarman Hall to inform passersby of the incident and collect donations on behalf of the victims. As of Tuesday morning, the death toll in Turkey has risen to almost 36,000, with many injured and still trapped under the rubble. Combined with Syria, the death toll has reached more than 41,000. And yet, Cornell students walked on, disinterested. Friends of Turkish students waved and continued on their merry way. But of course, the Instagram posts detailing the catastrophe and calling for donations received empathetic messages and sincere concerns. 

As the clock hit 5 p.m., a business fraternity set up a banner next to the TSA table.