Fades to blue with Brandeis logo in white to the right of the screen. White text at the top of the screen reads: “Brandeis University. Class of 2021. Departments of African and African American Studies, Sociology, and Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies.”
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Good morning. My name is Professor Siri Suh from the Department of Sociology, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 2021 graduation ceremony for the Departments of African and African American Studies, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Brandeis University. To the graduates in these three departments, we as family, friends, and faculty members are so thrilled to come together today to recognize and honor your momentous accomplishments. While this milestone would under normal circumstances be celebrated in person, the fact that we are joined virtually through Zoom today is yet another sobering reminder of how your lives have been touched in myriad ways by the social, economic, and political upheaval of the global COVID-19 pandemic. In the last 14 months of your academic journey, you have had to transition to online classrooms, socially distance yourselves from family and friends, and redefined the meaning of campus life. Some of your family members have been ill with COVID and some of you may have lost loved ones to COVID. Some of your family members have lost jobs and homes. Some of you have had to support your families through full or part-time work or the provision of child or eldercare. Your completion of this degree in the face of such immense obstacles bears witness to your incredible drive and resilience and to the care and support of those who have cheered you on from the sidelines throughout your academic journey.
As graduates of the Departments of African and African American Studies, Sociology, and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, you have acquired theoretical and methodological tools to trace how the COVID pandemic has rendered profoundly visible the racial, gender, and class inequalities that have long structured our society. You are keenly aware of who the COVID pandemic has revealed us to be. A country where George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed in broad daylight by police officers in the City of Minneapolis. A country where communities of color and religious and sexual minorities are continually subjected to verbal threats, physical attacks, and murder. A country where an armed mob incited by President Donald Trump attacked our Nation's Capitol in an attempt to hijack a national election. A country where billionaires like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have gained in wealth by about $1.2 trillion since the beginning of the pandemic, at the same time, the middle-class families’ share of aggregate wealth in this country has declined since 1987 from 32 percent to only 17 percent in 2016.
Throughout the COVID pandemic, racial disparities and disease outcomes and experiences have been very much anchored in persistent social and economic inequalities that shape exposure to infection, access to treatment, and likelihood of survival. Racial minorities and low-income populations are more likely to live in overcrowded housing, to be employed in essential work that cannot be performed from home, and to rely on public transportation. The populations at greatest risk of COVID infection have also historically lacked access to health care. Racial minorities and low-income populations are disproportionately burdened with comorbidities such as hypertension, obesity, and diabetes that increase the risk of hospitalization and death. Immigrants, regardless of citizenship status, may avoid the health care system altogether due to fear of deportation or denial of future immigration. Racial minorities are more likely to report loss of employment, food insecurity, and inability to pay household expenses as a result of the pandemic.
The COVID pandemic has also disproportionately affected women with children and LGBT folks. Following the closure of schools and childcare centers in the spring of 2020, 5.1 million American mothers stopped working for pay. Today, 1.3 million of them remain out of work. Up to 56 percent of LGBT households have reported job loss since February 2020 in comparison to 44 percent of non-LGBT households. Although the average number of new cases reported in the US is on the decline, racial disparities are emerging yet again in the roll-out of vaccinations. As of May 10, 2021, in 42 states, 40 percent of white people have received at least one COVID vaccine dose in comparison to 27 percent of black and 29 percent of Hispanic people.
As graduates of the Departments of African and African American Studies, Sociology, and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, you have been equipped with the skills to challenge common sense explanations that would conveniently frame COVID inequalities as natural or even immutable. You have learned that racial and gender disparities and disease are not rooted in biological differences but emerge from the social and physical environments in which people live, work, and play. You have learned that poverty is not an individual choice, but is instead sustained by discriminatory and exploitative systems of labor, education, immigration, and housing that favor wealth accumulation among the most privileged Americans. The COVID pandemic may have shown us who we are, but you are graduating today with the capacity to imagine who we could be.
As you depart Brandeis and move into the next stages of your lives, we look forward with great hope to how you will transform this knowledge into practice and action that centers justice, equity, dignity, and inclusion for all Americans. It is now my pleasure to introduce the first student speaker for today's ceremony, Kwesi Jones, from the Department of African and African American Studies who will be reading a poem.
Transition to Kwesi Jones in front of a virtual background of a desert blanketed by blue moonlight.
Jones speaks:
One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other. One foot in front of the other, the path I've walked has been beaten down by the calloused feet of the millions that walked before me. One foot in front of the other. My ancestors braved through the wilderness of a world and never truly embraced civilization. A path littered with the thorny vines of adversity and antagonism. The road they tried was stony and the chastening rod was bitter, but they walked, one foot in front of the other. Begetting my own feet that stumble forward and the naïveté of thinking, I'm the first to ever dare to walk. The first to have ever dreamed and imagined a future for myself and for my world. We are not the first. Each step we take is shadowed by thousands of feet more worn than ours. Feet that sprang forward even when chains clothed their ankles, when the smog of oppression baited their breath and here we are. The progeny of the slaves and the dreamers and the refugees and the immigrants and the persecuted. Here we are on this never-ending path and we dare to call it the end of the road just because we cannot see through the bushy outgrowth of the path ahead.
We fix our mouths to sing, we have come over a way that with tears has been watered. We have come treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered. Yes, we have come but we are not there. Yes, we've reached the clouds but we have not reached the mountain top. The wings of knowledge have lifted us to heights that our ancestors had only dreamed, and yet there is so much farther to go. The road does not end with us. It does not end here. Today, I have no time to be tired. Today, I do not pant and look backward to mourning the miles I've walked. Today, I look up, past the wilderness of a forward path that I cannot see, past the clouds of ascension and I guide myself by the brightest star in the sky. The star that lighted my ancestors' steps as they trekked to freedom. The one they prayed and cried to and danced under knowing that the soles of their weary feet were not bloodied in vain because I, you, we, us were there shining brightly in the sky reminding them of what they worked for; their children. So now we must let the same light guide us, the light of a future that we beget with our steps, with our own bloodied soles, one foot in front of the other, cherishing the journey. One foot in front of the other, gleeful to forge new paths. One foot in front of the other to the mountain top, where we were saying, out from the gloomy past till now, we stand at last where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
Thank you.
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Thank you, Kwesi, for sharing that beautiful, powerful, brilliant poem with us. Next, I'd like to introduce our second student speaker, Quinn Weiner from the Department of Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Transition to Quinn Weiner, dressed in regalia.
Weiner speaks:
Hello, everyone. I hope my fellow graduates will accept my sincere congratulations and that our families and friends will accept my gratitude for their support. I also hope the Social Science faculty and staff will accept my appreciation and gratitude for empowering myself and my fellow students throughout our educational journeys. It is an honor to address you all as a graduating student of the Women Gender and Sexuality Studies Department, as it has been an honor to participate within the program over the past four years. I've had the opportunity to watch as the program became a department, just as I, within the welcoming and challenging environments of its classrooms, have evolved from a clueless teenager to an aspiring scholar I am today. I find it hard to believe I've only taken 12 courses listed or cross-listed as under WGS in my four years at Brandeis. Some part of that surprise is based on my constant focus on gender. I've definitely pressed some gender focus projects upon unsuspecting sociology and English faculty. But I believe there's something else at play.
When I came to Brandeis and enrolled in WGS classes, I entered the program selfish. I hope that for some reason, courses would focus around my questions, my interests, and my perspectives as a white trans queer and non-binary person. Luckily, each class refused my desires. Instead, they taught me about oppressions other than my own and the interconnectedness of those oppressions. They taught me about the ways my queer and trans predecessors have worked to combat those oppressions and how I too may strike the balance between capitalizing upon those abilities I already have and acquiring new ones in order to create a positive impact. They taught me that gender studies is never just about gender. In some ways, it is always about power in its various forms. The application of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies then is about the pursuit of justice whenever it is possible and wherever it is possible. I entered hoping to further the mission of equity, equality, and justice for transgender people, ignorant of how I might do so.
Today, with academic writing, creativity, and compassion, I fight for black trans people, indigenous trans people, and more trans people marginalized because of their race. I fight for impoverished trans people and trans people with disabilities, trans people affected by the climate, refugee, and immigration crises, trans people impacted by the prison industrial complex and by human trafficking. In doing so, my struggle becomes a global struggle and my efforts become a contribution to a broader world of efforts. Now, whether you're graduating with a WGS major like I am, or you're just finding out what all those letters stand for, I hope that you'll join me in carrying this central theme with you to graduate school, to your career, or wherever else might be waiting for you. You may fight for whichever causes speak to you with whatever tools resonate with you, as long as you do so with the knowledge that no cause exists in a vacuum.
With this connection and compassion in mind, I'm sure you will discover your efforts, your passions to be just one small, if impactful step, toward a more just world for everyone. I ask each of you now to do what WGS asked of me. Pick your causes, pick your tools, and look beyond yourself. I look forward to living in the world we are building together. Thank you and congratulations again to my fellow graduates.
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Thank you, Quinn, for that rousing statement. Next, I'd like to introduce our third student speaker, Jonah Nguyen, from the Department of Sociology.
Transition to Jonah Nguyen.
Nguyen speaks:
Greetings, families, friends, professors, faculty, alumni, and especially the class of 2021. First of all, I want to congratulate all the graduates here today, but especially all the sociologists Brandeis has decided to release into the world since yesterday. The world will never be the same given all the brilliance in this Zoom call. We've made it! As a first-generation low-income student, I never thought that I would be given the opportunity to say that to myself, and I've been thinking about saying that in front of hundreds of people virtually today. Graduates, give yourself a pat on the back because you're all about to enter a whole new era. Class of 2021, we all are so lucky, we got to experience something that many graduates cannot brag about in the future. We got to experience our first two years in person, and the last few years virtually.
Now, I want to bring you all for a short memory lane as a sociology major at Brandeis. I'm sure that my fellow colleagues will relate. My love for sociology was unexpected. I vividly recall on the last day of shopping period in my second year, I stumbled upon Professor Vijayakumar's HIV AIDS class, and within 90 minutes, I knew I wanted to stay in that class. From then on, I was hooked. Another memory I had was walking up and down the Rabb steps to go to Sociology of Body and Health with Professor Shostak to Introduction to Sociology with Professor Cadge within 10 minutes. I will miss that. [humorously] Said no one. Although I do not think parents will miss this as much as the graduates, I'm going to miss packing my entire room at home and the Target store itself into my parent's tiny SUV. Because this is what a Thai needs to survive the 3 1/2 years or four years at Brandeis. I realized I did not need the string lights that change colors or a fluffy white rug to find my community and have an amazing experience at Brandeis.
Nevertheless, for the last two years, we had the luxury of being able to go from one class meeting to another by just clicking a Zoom link on LATTE. [humorously] For the parents and family here, LATTE is a type of coffee that has a little bit of espresso and a little bit of milk. Just kidding! But for Brandeis, it is more than that. It is a software that we check frequently. I finally understand why Brandeis calls it LATTE. You don't want it but you need it to survive! Back to the Zoom world, I remember learning about Patricia Hill Collins and Bell Hooks with Professor Strand, and having conversations with students who are six feet apart in lecture halls, and with students who are at their home, whether it's in the Boston area or in Asia. I realized that the Brandeis community is not only in Waltham, Massachusetts, but globally. I realized that surviving university is more than putting string lights on your dorm as well, it's the community that you surround yourself with.
As Brandeisians, I'm sure you've heard the word community at least once in your entire college career. Majoring in sociology is no different, we got to be a part of a community and have the privilege of writing five or 10-page essays about communities. What is a community? A community is not only a place that has a sense of belonging. As sociologists, we re-examined the inequity that was placed towards certain communities because of their social identities, whether it is race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, or culture, it's our duty to apply what we learned from our professors and the famous trailblazing theorists into the contemporary world. I want you to take a moment and also I want to take a moment to thank the Sociology Department and their initiative on tackling racial inequity in the United States. It is our duty to make these changes, it is our duty to make sure the communities we are in still feel appreciated every day. It is important to nurture the communities we are in. Making changes does not happen overnight. [humorously] Well, maybe that essay that you need to submit by May 10th to graduate on time.
As graduates, we now have the lens that not only allows you to see the world as a place that needs change, but a place that needs assistance in making sure people feel like they belong here. Graduates, I want you to look back at the communities and the people that have paved and guide you to who you are today. Today, I would not be on the Zoom diploma ceremony without the Department of Sociology professors and their amazing wisdom, the Intercultural Center's constant support and the awesome student staff. Ms. Lopez, Julie, Tara who were not only my boss on campus but my mothers away from home. The friends I've made in the Southeast Asia Club, my roommates, the năm anh em which means my cousins, my aunt who is watching this ceremony in heaven, my sister, my father, and my mother who worked overtime to make sure I'm on the stage today.
Today is a celebration. Today, we celebrate you and your communities, the individual that told you to take those risks and be okay with whatever the results are. Whether it is applying to more education, jobs all across the world, or to take a step back and reflect on all the accomplishments that you have achieved. What's next for the class of 2021? As I look at the amazing panels of graduates, I see future masters students, future PhD students, future professors, managers, lawyers, activists, social workers, singers, authors, entrepreneurs, and problem-solvers. Wherever you go in the world, the Brandeis community will always support you. Congratulations again to all the graduates. Thank you.
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Thank you, Jonah, for those words of motivation and wisdom. Now, I'd like to introduce our fourth student speaker, Zoë Fort, from the Department of African and African American Studies.
Transition to Zoë Fort.
Fort speaks:
Greetings, friends and family, and a special hello to my AAAS family. We made it you-all. Graduates, over the past four years, we have demonstrated grit, courage, ambition, and above all, resilience, especially this past year. We are truly our ancestors' wildest dreams. I am so proud of us, and I know they are too. Upon entry, our cohort was a division that came in eager to immerse in the rich history of Black Studies at Brandeis. We learned of our predecessor's strife through Ford Hall 1969, Ford Hall 2015, and other sagas of crusading, and we made a stark commitment to carry on their legacies. Legacies of activist labor, resistance, black excellence, black scholarship, and most importantly, the black radical imagination. In September 2018, we were there for the inaugural orientation made exclusively for minority students where a host of black alums returned to the school for the first time in decades since their own graduations.
Shortly after, in February 2019, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Ford Hall 1969 and the 50th anniversary of the department. It was such a critically momentous occasion. We heard from luminary alums like Hortense Spillers, Roy DeBerry, Julieanna Richardson, my now good friend, Randy Bailey, and Angela Davis. We relished in how far we had come as a department and made a renewed commitment to fighting for an equitable and just experience for the Black Brandeis community. In May of that same semester, under the leadership of black women like Chariana Calloway, MK. Richards, and Victoria Richardson, we marched throughout campus with old and new demands for Brandeis to show up in the way for black students that we required in order to survive at PWI. Our demonstration still concerned students 2019, made special appearances at Rabb steps, DCL, public safety, Bernstein-Marcus, while our peers carried out a 13-day student-led occupation four years prior, and ended at the site where our ancestors led an 11-day students sit-in in the then Ford and Seidman halls, 50 years prior.
Now, we are in the age of one of the most active movements for black lives since the Civil Rights Movement. A very peculiar time saddled with continued state sanction anti-black violence, hyper visibility, and communal grief, and still, we rise. When the pandemic struck and the university evacuated, we rallied around one another. We laughed and cried and braced for the unknown. Since March 2020, COVID-19 has revealed so many structural inequalities, not only in healthcare but across the spectrum. As institutions go, Brandeis has bought a microcosm of this. In addition to the mutual aid that redistributed capital to ensure our comfort and safety during the chaos and trauma of the pandemic, we held one another down during this time. Just like in our first three years, we have continued to rally together and behind each other. We have gone to bat for one another and shared talents, gifts, secrets, good times, and lots of good food.
Throughout this past year, we have made the best of our time as seniors, although it has looked quite different than we expected. We didn't have the chance to learn together in Rabb classrooms, gather together on the second floor of Mandel, or march throughout campus. But nonetheless, we loved each other through Zoom, FaceTime, texts, and small gatherings in Waltham, Boston, and beyond. Shout-out to ATL. Wow, so much just happened since we were those fresh on this scene, fresh meat, freshmen. I could keep going until next year's graduation but for the sake of time, I would like to end my reflection on what the AAAS department has meant for me and probably many of you. These last four years have been quite a whirlwind, but somehow, I have always felt peace, tranquility, and stillness when I sat in an AAAS class, met with an AAAS professor, or passed by an AAAS friendly face on campus.
I've had some trying times at Brandeis, but pressing floor two on Mandel's elevator, walking past Professor Smith's door, and carrying into the pod for Betsy and students staff comforted my heart even on my worst days, and so it has for all of us. When we felt homesick or like we were barely staying afloat, we found refuge and the sense of belonging we so desperately needed in AAAS. As freshmen, we entered Brandeis with this idea of what it could and should be, and many times we were disappointed. When we were ready to do something about it, when we wanted to exercise our right to rally and protest at a school that promotes itself as a beacon of social justice, AAAS stood by us even when many others would not. When the isolating awkwardness, that is Brandeis University, fell almost inescapable, AAAS connected us and gave us the most singular and unique memories that we could have imagined.
Thank you, AAAS, for affording us such a rich experience. To our wise and brilliant and wonderful professors of AAAS, the beautiful individuals who served as our family away from home, thank you. The individuals who served as our oars in the water, umbrellas in the rain, our comfort during chaos, courage during fear, morning after dawn, and strength through the storm, thank you. Thank you all collectively and thanks to each and every one of you individually for modeling excellence, for teaching us the most critical of theories, for being there for us, loving us and holding us down, and for generously pouring into us, imparting in us lessons of self-efficacy, advocacy, resistance, and the black radical imagination. Fellow graduates, being a student in this department and in this community is such a unique undertaking. As we each move on to the next chapters of our stories, I hope you will hold near to you these one-off, irreplaceable experiences and the warmth of our small but solid community. We should be very proud of our journeys thus far and for all we have accomplished.
Now, we move into bright and wonderful futures, but in a world still deeply mired by systemic complexities. But no matter how deep or complex the world's problems, Brandeis has prepared us to be soldiers who are part of the solution. Brave, brilliant soldiers prepared for whatever lies ahead. Indeed, the woods are lovely, dark, and deep, but we, Class of '21, have promises to keep and miles to go before we sleep. Class of 2021, congratulations. Here's to us. Thank you.
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Thank you, Zoe, for that powerful reminder of a long tradition of radical activism by Brandeis students. It is now time to recognize the graduates who have received prizes from each of our departments. I'd like to invite Professor Vijayakumar to kick off this process by reading the names of graduates from the Department of Sociology. As a reminder to our wonderful graduates who are receiving prizes, if you would like to be spotlighted on Zoom when your name is called, please keep your camera on.
Transition to Gowri Vijayakumar.
Vijayakumar speaks:
Hi, everyone. I'm Professor Gowri Vijayakumar, and I just wanted to start by saying how delighted I am to be able to be part of your virtual commencement this year. It's my honor to announce the sociology department prizes for the Class of 2021 on behalf of all of the faculty in the sociology department.
Transition to a blue slide with Brandeis logo in white at the right of the screen. White text in the top left corner reads: “Brandeis University Class of 2021. Department of Sociology.” Bold white text in the main part of the slide reads: “Sociology Prizes.” Below that is more white text displays the name of the prize and its recipient. The Zoom window of Gowri Vijayakumar resides in the top right corner of the screen. This Zoom window is subsequently replaced by that of the student whose name is called. Vijayakumar continues:
First, every year we honor an outstanding senior in sociology with the Irving Kenneth Zola Prize. We are delighted to award the Zola Prize this year to a student who's been an intellectual leader in their courses and written a brilliant and cutting edge sociology thesis on the social lives of non-binary people. This year the Zola Prize goes to Quinn Weiner. Congratulations, Quinn.
Next, the Dewey-Boyte Prize honors students who have combined excellent scholarship with active civic engagement and effective democratic leadership. We are delighted to be awarding the Dewey-Boyte Prize to two students this year, both of whom have left their mark on the sociology department through their leadership and intellectual contributions within the classroom, as well as their work to build community— there's that word again, Jonah!— within the sociology program. The Dewey-Boyte Prize this year goes to Amber Crossman and Jonah Nguyen. Congratulations to both of you.
Finally, the Elise Boulding Sociology and Social Activism Award honors a student who best exemplifies the thoughtful application of sociological analysis to their own activist endeavors. We are in awe of the work this year's winner has done to fight for DACA recipients and all immigrants. The winner of this year's Boulding Award is Elias Rosenfeld. Congratulations, Elias.
Now I will turn it over to my wonderful colleague, Professor Amber Spry, who will announce the departmental prize winners in AAAS.
Transition to a blue slide with Brandeis logo in white at the right of the screen. White text in the top left corner reads: “Brandeis University Class of 2021. Department of African and African American Studies.” Bold white text in the main part of the slide reads: “AAAS Prizes.” Below that is more white text displays the name of the prize and its recipient. The Zoom window of Amber Spry resides in the top right corner of the screen. This Zoom window is subsequently replaced by that of the student whose name is called.
Spry speaks:
Thank you, Professor Vijayakumar, and congratulations to all of our graduates this year. I'm delighted to present this year's awards in the Department of African and African American Studies.
The Angela Davis 1965 Award for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism is presented to an outstanding senior who has demonstrated dedication into cultural engagement in the field of African and African American studies. We're honored this year to present the award to Brittney Nanton. Congratulations.
The W. E. B. Du Bois Academic Achievement Award in African and African American Studies is presented to an outstanding senior who has demonstrated proficiency in African and African American studies and has an inherently interdisciplinary and diasporic field and modeled what it means to be an engaged and committed scholar. We're proud this year to present this award to two outstanding seniors, Kwesi Jones, congratulations, Kwesi, and Brianna Lackwood, congratulations, Brianna.
Now I'm happy to transition to Professor Jill Greenlee who is going to present the awards in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Transition to a blue slide with Brandeis logo in white at the right of the screen. White text in the top left corner reads: “Brandeis University Class of 2021. Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.” Bold white text in the main part of the slide reads: “Prizes and Awards in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.” Below that is more white text displays the name of the prize and its recipient. The Zoom window of Jill Greenlee resides in the top right corner of the screen. This Zoom window is subsequently replaced by that of the student whose name is called.
Greenlee speaks:
Hello. Every year, WGS faculty have the honor of recognizing many undergraduate and graduate students with several awards and grants. It's my privilege to announce the names of this year's student award winners.
First, the Ellen Ilana Raskin '75 Memorial Award goes to Maria Aranibar.
The Rapaporte Summer Internship Grants have been awarded to Lydia Begag, Mariah Lews, Carolina Moreno Martel, and Alaysia Penso.
The Sagan Family Graduate Research Grant has been awarded to Daniella Gati.
The Richard Saber Undergraduate Research Grant has been awarded to Quinn Weiner.
The Rena J. Olshansky Grant to Support Research on Jewish Family Life has been awarded to Andie Watson.
The Chris Lerman Prize for Essays on Extraordinary Women has been awarded to Alejandra Bonilla.
The Esther Kartiganer Prize for Social Activism and Academic Achievement has been awarded to Ellie Kleiman.
Highest Honors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies have been awarded to Jay Collay and Leah Trachtenberg.
The Giller-Sagan Senior Paper Prize Award has been awarded to Jay Collay.
The Oliveri Prize has been awarded to Quinn Weiner. The Isak Kazes Prize for Outstanding Achievement has been awarded to two students, Lianne Gallant and Liyanga de Silva.
Congratulations to all of our award winners. We are so proud of your many achievements in your outstanding scholarship and your commitment to the values that undergird women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Congratulations to you all. Now I'd like to pass the floor back to my colleague, Professor Suh.
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Thank you, Professor Greenlee. It is now time to read the names of all the graduates from all the departments. I'd like to introduce Professor Roach, who will start us off by reading the names of graduates from the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Transition to a blue slide with Brandeis logo in white at the right of the screen. White text in the top left corner reads: “Brandeis University Class of 2021. Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.” The Zoom window of Shoniqua Roach resides in the top right corner of the screen. This Zoom window is subsequently replaced by that of the student whose name is called. The slide changes with each student honored; displaying their name, portrait, and accomplishments.
Roach speaks:
Thank you, Professor Suh. It's a pleasure to be here. Congratulations, everyone. Now I have the pleasure and privilege of reading the names of our Bachelor of Arts in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies students.
Congratulations Jay Collay, who's finishing with a Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude, with highest honors in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Congratulations Hulda Lucinda Flores, who's finishing with a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude. Congratulations.
Congratulations Alexa Joy Foman, who's finishing with a Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude.
Congratulations to Isabel Rosen Hochman, who's finishing with a Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude. Congratulations Isabel.
Congratulations to Elinor Ruth Lovich, who's finishing with the Bachelor of Arts.
Congratulations Alexis Marie Sasso who's finishing with the Bachelor of Arts. Congratulations.
Congratulations to Sarah Elizabeth Stephens, finishing with the Bachelor of Arts. Congratulations Sarah.
Congratulations to Leah Brittany Trachtenberg who's finishing with the Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude, with highest honors in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Near Eastern and Judaic Studies. Congrats Leah.
Congratulations Andie Watson, finishing with the Bachelor of Science.
Congratulations Quinn Weiner, finishing with the Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude, with highest honors in English and Sociology. Congrats Quinn.
Now, for our fantastic and impressive graduate students.
Congratulations Liyanga De Silva, finishing with a Master of Arts in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and penned a brilliant thesis titled: “Married to the Nation: Queer Female Sexuality, Nationalist Hegemony, and Diaspora in Literature from Sri Lanka.” Congratulations.
Congratulations Camren Chapman, finishing with a Master of Arts in Anthropology and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, with a thesis titled: “What's a Witch Got to Do to Get Some Family in Here? A look into the Kinship Practice of Trancestors Among Queer and Trans Witches in the US.” Congrats Cameren.
Congratulations to Lianne Donglan Gallant, finishing with a Master of Arts in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Lianne penned a brilliant thesis titled: “Maternal Orientalism: Chinese Transrational Adoption, White Motherhood, and the Construction of the Chinese Birth Mother.” Brilliant project, congratulations Lianne.
Congratulations Allie Woodlee, who's finishing with a Master of Arts in English and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, with a thesis titled: “Narrative Deviation, Irresolution, and Genre Revision in Mommy Memoirs from the Margins.” Congrats.
Congratulations Kelsie Ehalt, finishing with a Master of Arts in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, with a thesis titled: “Assumptions About the Assinnu: Gender, Sex, and Sexuality in Ancient Texts and Modern Scholarship.” Congrats Kelsie.
Congratulations to Jier Yang, finishing with a Master of Arts in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, with a thesis titled: “Pregnancy During Pandemic: The Role of Online Forums Amid the COVID Crisis.” Congratulations.
Now I have the pleasure and privilege of turning it over to my colleague, Professor Gowri Vijayakumar.
Transition to a blue slide with Brandeis logo in white at the right of the screen. White text in the top left corner reads: “Brandeis University Class of 2021. Department of Sociology.” The Zoom window of Gowri Vijayakumar resides in the top right corner of the screen. This Zoom window is subsequently replaced by that of the student whose name is called. The slide changes with each student honored; displaying their name, portrait, and accomplishments.
Vijayakumar speaks:
Congratulations to all the WGS graduates. It's now my great honor to present our brilliant class of 2021 graduates in the Department of Sociology. We will start with the PhD degree in Sociology.
This year we have one amazing PhD graduate, Margaret Clendenen Minkin. Margaret's dissertation is entitled "Out In Front: How LGBTQ Women and Genderqueer Clergy Navigate Religious Communities.” Congratulations Margaret.
Next, I'm honored to announce our three graduates in the Master of Arts in Sociology.
Habiba Braimah, congratulations.
Kaitlin S. Chakoian, congratulations.
Finally, Lauren Alexandra Crosser, congratulations.
We also have one graduate in the joint Master of Arts program in Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Congratulations to Jier Yang.
I'm now honored to read the names of our graduates in Independent Interdisciplinary Majors, or IIMs.
First, Rebecca Emily Goldfarb, Bachelor of Arts with Majors in Media, Culture, and Communications with honors and Business.
Irma Janeth Zamarripa Gonzalez. Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude, with Majors in Public Policy, with high honors in Education Studies, with Minors in Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and Latin American and Latino Studies. Irma has also won the Theodore R. and Nancy F. Sizer Prize in Education Studies. Congratulations.
Now I'm excited to read the names of our esteemed class of graduates with Bachelor of Arts degrees in Sociology.
Isabel Banda, Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude, with Majors in Sociology, Film, Television, and Interactive Media, and International and Global Studies.
Jordan Rosalia Brill-Cass, Bachelor of Arts with Majors in Sociology and History, with a Minor in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
Shelice Latisha Brown, Bachelor of Arts with Majors in Sociology and Anthropology.
Amber Ruth Crossman, Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Sociology, with a Minor in Theater Arts. Amber is also the co-winner of the Dewey-Boyte Prize for the Scholarship and Practice of Democracy. Congratulations.
QingYang Dong, Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude with Majors in Sociology and History, and Minors in East Asian Studies and Education Studies.
Natalie Ann Fenwick, Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude in Sociology with minors in Education Studies and Social Justice and Social Policy.
Hulda Lucinda Flores, Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude with majors in Sociology, Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, and Latin American and Latino Studies.
Brian Frankel, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Studio Art.
Sara Beth Gilbert, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Health Science, Society, and Policy with a minor in African and African American Studies.
Chandler Jones, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Business.
Sara Gloria Turk Karan, Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude with majors in Sociology and Psychology with highest honors.
Emma Rose Kenney, Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude with majors in Sociology and Economics, and a minor in History.
Michael Ryan Leven, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude with majors in Sociology and Psychology, and a minor in Legal Studies. Michael is also the winner of the Justice Louis Brandeis Internship Research Prize.
Destiny Morton, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Health: Science, Society, and Policy.
Rebecca Carolyn Nachman, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude with majors in Sociology, Health: Science, Society, and Policy, and a minor in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Jonah Thanh Nguyen, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Economics. Jonah is also our Sociology undergraduate department representative and the co-winner of the Dewey-Boyte Prize for the Scholarship and Practice of Democracy.
Zoe Patterson, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Anthropology and a minor in Psychology.
Jillian Mae Petrie, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology, Health: Science, Society, and Policy.
Jesse Qu, Bachelor of Arts, Magna Cum Laude in Sociology with minors in Legal Studies, African and African American Studies, and History.
Elias Y. Rosenfeld, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Politics and a minor in History. Elias is also this year's winner of the Elise Boulding Sociology and Social Activism Award.
Lawrence Butler Sabir, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Social Justice and Social Policy.
Elizabeth Katherine Sangiorgi, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and Biology.
Brianna Solomon, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Legal Studies.
Haley Angelina Sousa, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology, Health: Science, Society, and Policy, and minors in Psychology and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies.
Jess Ruth Spear, Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with minors in Social Justice and Social Policy and Environmental Studies.
Zhixin Tan, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude with majors in Sociology and International and Global Studies, and a minor in Economics.
Tamara Tarwoe, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and International and Global Studies, and minors in African and African American Studies and Theater Arts.
Elizabeth Y. Topper, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude in Sociology with minors in Sculpture and Education Studies.
Lena Truong, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and History with a minor in African and African American Studies.
Richard Quinn Weiner, Bachelor of Arts, Summa Cum Laude with majors in Sociology with highest honors, English with highest honors, and Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies, and minors in Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation, Sexuality and Queer Studies and Social Justice and Social Policy. Quinn's honors thesis in sociology is titled, “Attributional variability as affirmation non-binary spectrum experiences and understandings of gender attribution." They are also the winner of the Richard Saber Undergraduate Research Grant in Women's and Gender Studies, Rachel Oliveri Family Prize in Women's Studies, the Irving Kenneth Zola Prize for Excellence in Sociology, and the Allen Grossman Prize for the Best English Department Senior Thesis. Congratulations, Quinn.
Jessica Renae Whimper, Bachelor of Arts with majors in Sociology and African and African American Studies.
Jiachen Zhu, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude with majors in Sociology and Economics, and a minor in Psychology.
Congratulations to all of the Sociology graduates. Now I will turn it over to my brilliant colleague, Professor Wangui Muigai who will announce the graduates in African and African American Studies.
Transition to a blue slide with Brandeis logo in white at the right of the screen. White text in the top left corner reads: “Brandeis University Class of 2021. Department of African and African American Studies.” The Zoom window of Wangui Muigai resides in the top right corner of the screen. This Zoom window is subsequently replaced by that of the student whose name is called. The slide changes with each student honored; displaying their name, portrait, and accomplishments.
Muigai speaks:
Thank you, Professor Vijayakumar. It is my honor and pleasure to now read the names of the amazing graduates of the Department of African and African American Studies.
Congratulations to Medjine Barionnette, Bachelor of Arts with majors in African and African American Studies, and International and Global Studies, and a minor in English.
Fatoumata Diaboula, Bachelor of Arts with majors in African and African American Studies and Health Science Society and Policy.
Congratulations to Zoë Ariana Fort, Bachelor of Arts with majors in African and African American Studies with high honors in Biology.
Congratulations to Kyra Nicole Frazier, Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude, with majors in African and African American Studies and Anthropology.
Jake Haveles, Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude, with majors in African and African American Studies with highest honors in History with highest honors and with a minor in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies.
Isaiah D. Johnson, Bachelor of Arts Cum Laude with majors in African and African American Studies with honors and History with honors, and also winner of the James Travel Grant.
Congratulations to Kwesi Baraka Lee Jones, Bachelor of Arts Summa Cum Laude, with majors in African and African American Studies with highest honors in Film, Television, and Interactive Media. Also co-winner of the WEB Du Bois Award for Academic Achievement in African and African American Studies, and the Doris Brewer Cohen Endowment Award. A special thank you to Kwesi for his leadership in labor as the AAAS undergraduate departmental Representative.
Brianna Lackwood, Bachelor of Arts summa Cum Laude majors and African and African American Studies with highest honors and Linguistics, and co-winner of the WEB Du Bois Award for Academic Achievement in African and African American Studies.
Arlett Stefani Marquez, Bachelor of Arts majors in African and African American Studies with highest honors and Latin American and Latino Studies with highest honors, and winner of the James Travel Grant.
Brittney Lauryn Danyel Nanton, Bachelor of Arts with high honors and African and African American Studies with a minor in English. Winner of The Angela Davis 1965 Prize for Commitment to Disciplinary Service and Activism in African and African American Studies, and a special thank you to Brittney for her leadership and labor as the AAAS departmental assistant.
Jessica Renae Whimper, Bachelor of Arts majors in African and African American Studies and Sociology. Congratulations to all the graduates.
Now I'd like to turn it back to Professor Suh.
Transition to Siri Suh.
Suh speaks:
Thank you, Professor Muigai. Now to deliver closing remarks, it's my pleasure to introduce Professor Chad Williams, Chair of the Department of African and African American Studies.
Transition to Chad Williams.
Williams speaks:
Thank you, Professor Suh. We are incredibly grateful for you serving as our host this morning. Thank you for being so everything. Thank you for being you. This is always one of our highlights of the year, and even though we're not together in person, I could feel the energy, I could feel the love. It's a really special moment to be able to celebrate this wonderful occasion with you, with all your family and friends. I want to give a special thanks to the incredible academic administrators for sociology, WGS and AAAS, Cheri Hansen, Alexandra Brandon, and Betsy Plumb for their work in organizing the ceremony this morning. I also want to thank Bo Kennedy and Eli Jacobson in Brandeis Media and Technology Services. They deserve a very long nap by the end of this week. They have been putting in work. Let me tell you. I know it looks all smooth and effortless, but they've been putting in hours, so incredibly grateful for their support.
There's really not much more that I can say that hasn't been said already by our amazing student speakers, as well as by the awe-inspiring Bryan Stevenson yesterday and remarkable Kwesi Jones. After four years, I think you probably earned a break from hearing your professors talk on and on and on. But I will just say this in closing, that now is your moment. So much of this past year has felt out of our control, not knowing what to expect quite literally from one minute to the next. But now is your moment. And whether you realize it or not, you are in control. Yes, we certainly live in a very uncertain world, and who knows what the future might hold for you, for all of us. But what you can control are the skills, the truly unique skills that sociology, WGS, and AAAS have equipped you with, and how you choose to use them. This is your armor to protect you against the uncertainties of the world. But they are also your tools. They are also your weapons. So take control of them, use them to build a new world, as well as to fight with conviction, with righteousness, and with love for a world that is just and humane.
On behalf of all the faculty and staff of the sociology, WGS, and AAAS departments, I want to thank you for the honor of being your professors during your Brandeis journey, and to congratulate you, your families, and your loved ones for what you have achieved. We hope you'll join us for our little post-Zoom reception ceremony thing we got going on after this. I think the Zoom link should be in the chat. So see you soon. But I want to, again, thank you for this opportunity to celebrate with you. We wish you nothing but the best moving forward. Thank you.
Transition to a blue slide with the Brandeis logo in white to the right of the screen. White text reads “Congratulations Class of 2021!”
Fade to black.