Richard Beban lives full-time in Paris, France. He photographs and co-edits “Paris Play,” an online journal about Parisian street art written and co-edited by his wife, Kaaren Kitchell. He specializes in digital street photography and is also an accomplished poet and journalist. On Oct. 29, he will present “Why Don’t We Do It in the Rue: Celebrating Street Art in Paris.” The talk begins at 4:30 p.m. in Converse Hall’s Cole Assembly Room. Staff writer Evan Paul ’18 speaks with Beban from his home in Paris about his artistic practice and views on the street art world.
Members of the Psychology Department want to express our strong support for those who organized the Black Lives Matter programming, and encourage them to continue the important educational work they are doing on campus. The organizers gave our community an opportunity to deepen our learning about issues of police brutality and racial inequality. The work of this group was met by disrespect and hostility from those who tore down, defaced, or covered over the Black Lives Matter posters anonymously in the cover of night.
The Amherst College American Studies Department has long been committed to the critical study of American society from diverse perspectives, work that defines race from its most theoretical postulations to its hard, concrete material meanings—including a legacy of violence that continues to imperil lives. Many in our community are unaware of what it is like to hear car door locks click as you pass by, to be scrutinized with suspicion when you enter a store, to be pulled over on the roadway for some inexplicable reason, and to fear with just cause those charged with protecting your safety.
Along with our colleagues in Black Studies, we in the Anthropology and Sociology Department wish to express our strong support for #BlackLivesMatter. The thoughtfulness, courage, and shared commitment to issues of racial justice that resulted in the events of Black Lives Matter Awareness Week should be applauded, not disparaged, and the aspiration of the campaign’s organizers to enhance self-reflection among the campus community regarding racism and police violence should be embraced as a model of what enlightened citizenship can look like here.
“Can we have a movie with characters instead of stereotypes?” Echoing a question posed by his protagonist, director Justin Simien challenges the American public — and himself — to answer this question with his film “Dear White People,” released Oct. 17. It’s a worthy attempt, but I’m not sure he succeeds.
Judiciary Council
We in the Department of Black Studies were extremely dismayed to learn that posters reading #BlackLivesMatter were torn down or postered over this past weekend. The #BlackLivesMatter campaign is of particular and urgent concern for our fellow humans who suffer disproportionately from police violence, but it should be of concern to any and all who care about racial justice and basic human decency. The disrespect toward this campaign expressed in the tearing down, defacing, or covering of posters sends a terrible message to our community.
