By Rami Mansi
The Ethyle R. Wolfe Institute hosted the virtual discussion “Election 2024: What Now?” on Monday, Nov. 18 with over 150 viewers in attendance. The discussion featured panelists who discussed a variety of topics regarding the results of the Nov. 5 election, in which 45th US President Donald Trump was reelected over the Democratic nominee and current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris.
The three panelists are all Hess Scholars of Brooklyn College through the Robert L. Hess Scholar-in-Residence program, which invites a distinguished academic to BC each year. Barbara Smith was the Hess scholar from 2022-23, an established and groundbreaking activist who connected the lines of race, sexuality, gender, and class. Smith was among the first to define an African American women’s literary tradition, being a co-founder and publisher of the first U.S. publishing press for women of color.
The other speakers were Paul Ortiz, Hess Scholar from 2023-24, is a professor of labor history at Cornell University; Ortiz is the author of numerous books and essays. Melissa Murray, the Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, teaches constitutional law, family law, criminal law, and reproductive rights and justice. She is also the upcoming visiting 2024-25 Hess Scholar.
All three panelists took turns answering questions from the audience and the moderator. When asked to reflect on her own experience in terms of the increase in censorship, Smith declared that she feels emotional when answering the question, as she relates current events to her aspects.
“I’m really concerned about the scapegoating in the trans community, and also the LGBTQIA+ community. I’ve been a part of the latter since the mid-1970s and it is frightening when you have multiple identities that they see as dispensable,” Smith said.
Smith continued to discuss how compassion and community are the keys to helping support each other during the demanding times for many marginalized communities that feel uneasy in these times.
“I’ve been so appreciative of the big community I’m a part of […] however you can do it, I think it’s so important to have compassion,” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with fear, as long as we don’t feel isolated […] the system wants us to feel a sense of isolation.” Ortiz mentioned as a nod to the ever-changing political climate where the dominating political parties create decisions that divide voters.
Murray stated that social media amplified the election to a broader audience, establishing larger communities that intend to expand their reach to any social media user.
“Social media kind of vacuum, the ways that social media amplifies grievance […] The thing with social media is that you’re not insular anymore,” Murray said.
Answering the question of what we, as a society, can do moving forward, Ortiz quickly answered with, “Read books.” This sentiment was echoed by Murray, who stated, “We need to teach civics education in our K-12 schools. One thing that stood out in [election votes] is people don’t know how the government works. It’s not because they’re dumb, it’s not because they’re disengaged. It’s because we haven’t taught them.”
The speakers emphasized the importance of the college environment in light of changes that may be brought about by the election. “We need to keep building bridges, not only on our campuses between students, faculty, and staff,” Ortiz said. “[College students] are a small, but powerful minority.”
Students interested in upcoming talks can visit the BC Wolfe Institute on their Instagram, @bc_wolfeinstitute