Be a Human: Student Led Activism at Westminster College, 2016

In 2016 a group of Westminster College students created three art installations that demanded a new approach to addressing systemic racism and its effect on marginalized and vulnerable populations on the Westminster College campus. These students set out to create and fight for habitable spaces through a queer, Black feminist, trans inclusive, disability studies model that centered on the lived experiences of marginalized groups in a predominantly white institution. This intersectional interest in habitable spaces emerged in part from classroom conversations, discussions sparked by Black Lives Matter rallies in Salt Lake City, and late-night chats in Cafés about the extraordinary political events that would ultimately lead to Donald J. Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States. Made up of students who had experienced marginalization in the classroom, in the dorms, at the gym, in the Financial Aid Office, or just walking on the quad, this extraordinary group of students launched "Be A Human." This exhibit presents images from the "Be a Human" installations created by Emerson L.R. Barrett, Mariela Vazquez Gordo, Ryan LaRe, Nicole Tyler, Jane Jerman, Ebony Tyler, Josie Stoker, Cozy Huggins, Estephanie Mercado, Angie Mock, Olivia Green, Christina Bedford, Kiera Stukey, Emma Metos, and Marlene Mercado.