BY VICTORIA WANG ’20
There is no better place to look for a good Singaporean breakfast than a hawker center, according to Karisa Poedjirahardjo ’20. Hawker centers are open-air complexes where street food vendors congregate. They are commonly seen in fast-paced, urbanized Asian cities like Singapore.
BY CASEY ROEPKE ’21
When asylum-seekers reach the U.S.-Mexico border, they have not yet reached the end of their long journey — they are only at the beginning. After traveling for days or weeks with limited resources, migrants still have to go through legal processes of requesting asylum. On Nov. 25, tensions around the border escalated to a visible breaking point at the San Ysidro Land Port of Entry in San Diego, California.
BY SAMAN BHAT ’22
Students were greeted by twinkling lights and decorations as they entered Chapin Auditorium and took their seats on Friday, Nov. 30, ready to celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. Mount Holyoke’s annual Diwali celebration was hosted by the South Asian Student Association (AWAZ) with over 140 people in attendance.
BY LEEN RHAZI ’22
The 2018 U.S. midterm election results have fostered mixed reactions from those interested in world politics. According to NPR, record numbers of Native Americans, Muslims and women of color ran for office in 2018. After the ballots were counted, the winners of these races made notable “firsts,” including Ilhan Omar (DMN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the first Muslim women elected to Congress, and Deb Haaland (D-NM) and Sharice Davids (D-KN), the first Native American women elected to Congress.
BY VICTORIA WANG ’20 AND CHRISTINE XIAO ’21
Hosted annually for more than 20 years, VariAsians is an iconic Mount Holyoke event celebrating Pan-Asian culture with a blend of conventional and modern performances by student groups. This year’s VariAsians brought fresh energy to the beloved Mount Holyoke event, with familiar acts joined by new student performances that brought a fresh take on an already popular celebration. Students and community members from across the Pioneer Valley filled Chapin Auditorium on Friday, Nov. 9 for dinner and a performance starting at 7 p.m.
BY CHRISTINE XIAO ’21
After weeks of anticipation following the initial Brazilian presidential runoffs, which culminated in results below the threshold majority for any candidate, far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro defeated Fernando Haddad to win the Brazilian presidency on Oct. 28. In his victory speech, Bolsonaro called his win a “celebration of freedom: freedom to come and go, walk on the streets, in all places of this country.” He backed up his rhetoric of “freedom being restored” by stating that he would protect citizens who “follow their duties and respect the laws.” The statement seems incongruent with the rest of his behavior, which has leaned towards authoritarianism.
BY CASEY ROEPKE ’21
President Donald Trump announced plans for an executive order to end birthright citizenship for Americans on Oct. 30. Political pundits and journalists were quick to announce that birthright citizenship is a constitutional guarantee that would take an act of Congress to amend. According to the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”
BY SAMAN BHAT ’22
Within Mount Holyoke’s centralized Dining Commons, there are countless options for students to choose from. From the Grill station to design-your-own sushi rolls, sandwiches and omelets, diners rarely want for choice. But, some students head to a food station meant to cater specifically to their religious identity — and are met with lackluster options.
BY GABBY RAYMOND ’20 AND VICTORIA WANG ’20
Every weekend of her childhood, Tenzin Tseyang, a Tibetan student currently attending UMass Amherst, was packed into her family car to go to the five-hour Sunday school with her Tibetan community in Boston.
“I remember arguing with my dad on the way there and not wanting to go,” Tseyang said. “But now looking back I’m so thankful he made me go because now I can speak Tibetan and I have personal connections [to Tibet] — not just by being Tibetan, but also having a strong sense of a Tibetan identity.”
BY SAMAN BHAT ’22 AND GABBY RAYMOND ’20
The Trump administration announced last month it was cutting more than $300 million in aid to the Pakistani government. The Pentagon claimed the move responded to Pakistan’s failure to act against militant groups in the country. The change has yet to be approved by Congress, but has already struck a huge blow to the fragile U.S.-Pakistan relationship.
BY LEEN RHAZI ’22
As the decennial census date approaches in 2020, Middle Easterners and North Africans in America are urging the U.S. government to widen ethnic categories. The census currently lists “White, Black or AfricanAmerican, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander” as official races in the United States, but does not classify people from the Middle East or North Africa (MENA) region as a separate race.
BY SAMAN BHAT ’22
The world has been left in suspense since the Brazilian general election on Oct. 7, when Brazil’s front-runner, Jair Bolsonaro, obtained 46 percent of the popular vote, a mere four percent away from the 50 percent he needed to win. His closest contender, Fernando Haddad, landed far behind him, coming in second with 29 percent of the popular vote. Brazil will decide the fate of the country on Oct. 28 in the runoff election between the two candidates.
BY VICTORIA WANG ’20
The efforts to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal are dominating discussion at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly Session, which opened on Sept. 18 in New York City and will last for 3 weeks, until Oct. 5. The annual session gathers its 193 leaders of member states to debate on pressing global issues of the year, ranging from national security disputes to environmental concerns.
