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.
Event Statement created by the art collective "Be A Human"
"We are Be a Human, an art activist collective taking charge of our education. Our goal was to educate ourselves and our campus community on racism, ableism, transphopia, and queerphobia. We are pissed off because sh*t that contradicts what it means to be educated, kind and socially aware keeps happening on our campus. The three installations we put together were a means to combat the violent speech acts that go unrecognized in the classroom, in the dorms, in the bathrooms, in the commons, and on social media. The first two installations were held in classrooms as a means to fill spaces that often go unchecked with white supremacy. Students and professors who used these classrooms were forced to engage with images that demanded a recognition of privilege – the privilege to study here, to teach here and to disrupt this space.
We chose to place our last installation on queer and transphobia in Shaw [the Westminster College Student Center] as a means to address the lack of visibility for the LGBTQ+ community. We also decided to include material from past installations that address the need for more discussions on intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality and ability. We hope these installations provide an opportunity for the viewers to think critically about the information we have presented. Learning about privilege and starting to give a sh*t will allow us all to be a human. " (Event Statement)
~Eileen Chanza Torres
