Em-URGE-ing Voices

Anna

Major: Neuroscience
Hometown: Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Favorite writer: This is almost impossible to answer, but because of how much the Harry Potter series has influenced not only my love for books, but writing as well, I have to say J.K. Rowling.
Favorite sex scene from a movie/TV/book: Keira Knightley and James McAvoy in Atonement. I loved the novel Atonement, but I almost love the movie more for being such a faithful adaptation, especially when it comes to the characters. So many scenes do a good job of portraying emotions, especially with how tension is used in the scene between these two characters in a library. Plus, James McAvoy.
Hidden Talent: I’m kind of a pop culture guru and know a ridiculous amount of information about film and television.

Posts By: Anna Khan

Climate Change Is Not, and Never Has Been an Elitist Issue

Representative Cortez said it well herself, but I want to dive into more of why climate change is not an elitist issue at all–moreover, why it’s been seen that way for many years. In fact, the pressing realities of climate change will affect the disenfranchised and marginalized groups of the world well before it hits the upper classes. Last year, the United Nations published a report calling for immediate and “unprecedented” changes in order to deter the rising global temperatures; doing so might prevent the projected famines, flooding, and extreme weather to affect our planet within the next twenty years. And yet, social scientists report that wealthy people are considerably more concerned about climate change than the average person. But when it comes to regulating climate change, we need all… Read more »

Remember These Muslims, Remember Islamophobia

Ashraf Ali was known to have a quiet laugh. Husne Ara Parvin was trying to save her husband, Farid Uddin, who was in a wheelchair. Naeem Rashid’s first instinct was to grab the gun from the shooter. Mohammad Imran Kahn owned two restaurants. Linda Armstrong was known for “always being excited to do a good deed”. Haroon Mahmood was working at Canterbury College as an assistant academic director. Haji Daoud Nabi leapt in front of another person to save them from the gun. Ahmed Jehangir’s brother is trying to fly to New Zealand on behalf of their family to visit him in the hospital. Abdullahi Dirie, four years old, was the youngest in his family. Mucad Ibrahim, three years old, was fleeing for his life. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi… Read more »

Five Movies of 2018 Better Than Green Book

At the Oscars last weekend, there were a lot of historic wins. Black Panther won three Oscars and is the first movie of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to win any. No female directors were nominated in the feature directing category, but for the first time in Oscars history, women won all the best short film categories of the night. Spike Lee, arguably one of, if not the most, prominent Black American directors, collected his first competitive Oscar in his three-decade-long career. Mexico took home its first win for best foreign language film with Alfonso Cuaron’s Roma. To top it all off, Olivia Colman won best actress for portraying a lesbian queen of England. All in all, some really great and progressive wins until we got to best picture. I won’t go into the plethora of… Read more »

Everyone Deserves Comprehensive Sexual Education

Sexual education doesn’t tend to stray anywhere past preaching of abstinence accompanied by mortifying stories about sexually transmitted diseases, but for people with disabilities, it’s not always considered a problem. A general idea perpetuated through the media attains that people with disabilities have no interest in sex, thereby making it unnecessary for them to see the pictures of people inflicted with chlamydia. Anyone from marginalized groups, including LGBTQ+ people of color, isn’t going to find themselves represented in their high school education classes, but the kids in the special needs program aren’t even given the opportunity to participate at all. School districts find it difficult to address these issues in sexual education classes. Since there are a variety of disabilities that need a specific method of teaching, teachers feel uncomfortable… Read more »

Don’t Be Afraid of Checking Yourself. We Have to do Better.

Earlier today, it was reported that openly gay and black actor Jussie Smollett was the victim of a hate crime in Chicago that left him hospitalized but in stable condition. A horrific act of violence like this not too long after comedian Kevin Hart refused several times to apologize for his homophobic remarks in the past isn’t surprising in this country. Homophobia and racism are rampant, and people found in the intersection like Smollett are particularly vulnerable. And as news reports were quick to call it a “possible” hate crime, referring to it mostly as “racially charged”, a phrase which almost always simply means racist, I can’t help but marvel at the aversion the media has at referring to a person as a racist. It’s as if they fear the word… Read more »

The Intersection Exists

Last week, it was announced that Kevin Hart would host the 2019 Oscars ceremony. Not long after, he stepped down after old homophobic tweets resurfaced on the internet. The Academy told him they would let him go if he did not apologize for those tweets which he refused to do. Hart addressed the tweets in 2015, claiming the “jokes” had come from a place of fear. The jokes consisted of Hart essentially saying he would never want a gay son, and if he were to get one, he would try to make him straight. In a world where conversion therapy is harming several LGBTQ+ kids everyday, it’s hard to imagine anyone finding something like that funny now, let alone in 2011 when he made the jokes. Still, in regards to critics who… Read more »

Who Is The Good Guy with a Gun?

Last week on the night of Thanksgiving, a shooting at the Riverchase Galleria mall in Hoover, Alabama killed a 21-year-old black man, E.J. Bradford, home for the holidays. Official media coverage of the shooting reported that the police had killed Bradford, because he was the initial shooter. However, in the following days, local social media reported a very different story: Bradford did not shoot anyone. He was simply one of the very many Alabama citizens who pulled out their guns at the sound of a gun going off. Regardless of your feelings on guns, Bradford wasn’t doing anything wrong. He was the “good guy with the gun” and he was black. And not only did that lead to his death, it lead to warped media coverage, because the police lied… Read more »

It Was Never A Secret

Victoria’s Secret chief marketing officer Ed Razek has come under fire after an interview with Vogue where he insinuated that trans and plus-size models are not attractive enough to be a part of the “fantasy” of their brand. The brand has been met with criticism since his comments, and #boycottvictoriassecret was a trending topic on Twitter. But let’s be honest: even if you haven’t seen what the models look like in the annual fashion show, anyone with a passing familiarity with Victoria’s Secret knows the brand always has been a blatant catering to the white male gaze. Look back at the “Perfect Body” campaign from 2014 that showcased only one type of body. Or the many extreme uses of PhotoShop. Not to mention the many instances of cultural appropriation over… Read more »