Monthly Archives: December 2020

News, Slider

Here comes the snow

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As December rolls on and winter comes, the weather is something that plays a huge factor, especially in the freezing Massachusetts.

The cold weather along with the good chance of snow plays a big role in everyone’s lives, with navigation and work possibly being the most affected.

And while some may love the snowy and cold weather, others may not take a liking to it as much.

Arianna Stevens, an economics major, thinks the snow and the cold has been a burden for a while.

“The snow can be bothersome. It covers the roads and makes it a lot tougher to go to work, go shopping, and run other errands. It overall becomes a nuisance for many,” Stevens said. “ I don’t really mind the cold. You can just bundle up for the cold pretty easily, and I do not work outside either. But when it snows it’s a whole nother story”

When asked about  moving to another state Stevens said “I would definitely consider it as I get older. Massachusetts has provided a lot of good things. But warmer weather and less snow is something I think many people would rather opt for.”

 In the week of Dec. 13 to Dec. 20, there is expected to be some snow at the start of the week. But during midweek, around Wednesday to Thursday,  a nor’easter is expected to hit Massachusetts, with a possibility of up to a foot of snow expected. This could cause problems for many with work, school, or everyday errands.”

But there are many who do also enjoy the snow as well. Nicholas Anderson, an exercise science major, does not really mind the snow at all

“ Snow is fine to me honestly. It’s something that does not happen too often, and a lot of other states do not really experience it as much either. I don’t mind appreciating it,” Anderson said. “ I know it causes some problems sometimes, but I still appreciate it. Enjoy it for the couple months it’s present.”

Eddie Cohen, an economics major, sees the pros and cons of the snow, and understands both sides. “I think when we were all in school from preschool to senior year of high school, we all sort of rooted for the snow to come. Many because of the snow days, and some just enjoyed the snow as well,” Cohen said. “But as we get older and have responsibilities, I think snow becomes more of a burden, with getting to work, cleaning your car, clearing out roads, flights and other things.”

As the snow starts to approach and the cold weather increases, weather becomes much more of a factor now then in the other three seasons. It brings mixed reviews all around as it’ll help some but hurt others.

“Unfortunately when you’re an adult, those snow days pretty much vanish when you have more responsibilities and bills to pay,” Cohen said.

Arts and Entertainment, Opinion

 Just getting into James Baldwin? Here’s your guide

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I remember exactly where I was when I first discovered who James Baldwin was. It was my sophomore year of high school and I had just begun taking Early College classes at NECC.

It was the spring semester, probably sometime in late February or early March of 2020,  right before everything closed down.

In my English Composition class, we were discussing the racial disparity in American society, and my professor played a video of James Baldwin’s famous “Pin-Drop Speech.”

In the video, everyone hung onto Baldwin’s words. It was silent. In the classroom, it was silent too. It was amazing to me how Baldwin’s words managed to reach us, so many years later, and could still make an impact. I began to look into Baldwin’s works, and then I proceeded to read as much of it as I could.

In truthfulness, I was actually exposed to Baldwin much earlier than this. My family has a whole section dedicated to him on our bookcase. I also remember being at a farmer’s market on some small Canadian island, looking through books with my father. He was overjoyed to find a copy of Baldwin’s novel  “Another Country.”

But it wasn’t until I watched that video at school that I discovered who Baldwin actually was. That was when he became more to me then just a name on the spine of a book.

Baldwin has a vast collection of works. All are certainly worth checking out. But it may be tricky to know exactly where to start. James Baldwin’s books and essays all have specific focuses, which makes things a bit easier.

If you are able to narrow down exactly what you want the book to be about, then you will be able to find a place, and you can start your journey into Baldwin’s collection.

If you are looking for a short read, Baldwin provides you with a multitude of essays and short stories. A good starting place is with the essay “Notes of A Native Son.”

It was the first thing I ever read by Baldwin. In this essay, Baldwin introduces the black American experience. For some, this essay is affirming, and for others, it is eye opening. While the idea of actively seeking out an essay and reading may not sound appealing to everyone, Baldwin’s essays are both exciting and informative reads. “Notes of A Native Son” is certainly a good place to start.

The first Baldwin novel I read was “Another Country”. This novel seems to blend together his earlier novels, “Go Tell It On The Mountain” and “Giovanni’s Room.”

“Go Tell It On The Mountain” was semi-autobiographical, and dealt with not only the black experience, but also religious themes, the meaning that the church held for African-American people, and the effect the church had on Baldwin himself.

“Giovanni’s Room” was also groundbreaking, as it featured a gay main charcter, and dealt with what it was like for people in the LGBTQ+ community during a time when homosexuality was looked down upon and persecuted.

These novels are perfect starting places for those just getting into Baldwin, but for those who would like something that combines both themes, “Another Country” is perfect. “Another Country” includes a host of characters, all of different genders, races, and sexualities. It is a beautiful piece of social commentary, and it stays true to Baldwin’s overarching message of identity and acceptance.

Baldwin was both black and gay, and his novels do not stray away from his personal identity at all. He was always open about who he was, and his works certainly reflect this. Baldwin tackled the racial strife and injustice that afflicted America, and he wrote entire novels about gay people when homosexuality was still a taboo subject. Baldwin was one of the most prominent, influential writers of his era, and he has left behind an amazing legacy.

Note: This essay is part of an Honors Project Violette Smith completed as part of the fall 2020 Journalism I course. Smith took an  indepth look into Baldwin’s work and legacy.           

Features, Slider

How NECC students plan to spend the holidays this winter break

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As Christmas, New Years, and winter break swiftly approach, one semester  at NECC is coming to an end. Because the coronavirus pandemic caused significant disarray for most throughout the last several months, many are feeling excited and relieved about this upcoming conclusion.

After speaking with numerous NECC students regarding their holiday plans and traditions, they mainly revolve around a joyous occasion spent with family, friends, presents, and resolutions.

Shanely Jimenez, 18, a student taking ASL courses, stated that she and her family love spending the holidays together and traditionally gather every year for a Christmas and New Year’s Eve party.

“We wait until twelve to hug and kiss everyone. It usually ends with all of us girls in tears,” she said.

Jimenez’s favorite Christmas movie is “Elf” and she says that if she could be any Christmas character, she would choose Santa Claus because she wants to make sure that her loved ones are taken care of. Jimenez’s New Year’s resolutions are “To move out of my parent’s house and find self-love.”

Victoria Martinez, 19, a health major from Haverhill, stated “I’m actually looking forward to winter break and am excited for a fresh start.”

As semester one has helped her to improve her time management skills and work ethic, Martinez says that she will be spending winter break preparing for next semester.

For Christmas, her family tradition is to participate in “Secret Santa,”  an activity in which everyone is anonymously assigned a person to give a gift to and the recipient has to guess whom they received the present from.

Martinez also stated that she loves eggnog, her favorite Christmas movie is “Home Alone”, and that she prefers real Christmas trees over fake ones.

“For some people, Christmas is about Christ and religion, for others it’s about trees, gifts, and Santa; Christmas is just another day for me,”  says Isa Grullon, 34, a journalism and communications major from Lawrence, who is also editor-in-chief of the NECC Observer.

Generally, Grullon does not celebrate Christmas or New Years, and typically spends the holidays at work.

Grullon is, however, excited for winter break and states “I’ll have one less thing to worry about.”

Her advice to those preparing for semester two of online college is to “Keep an open mind and don’t overwhelm yourself with the workload. It’s okay to take things slow because each class is one step toward your goal.”

Grullon stated that if she could be any Christmas character, she would choose the Grinch because she can relate the character’s point of view.

She also wants “a personal blender, a reporter’s notebook, a can opener, and a 2021 Lexus RX 350 F Sport in Mica Red with Cookies n’ Cream colored seats and a red bow on top” for Christmas.

As cheerful and elated as the holiday season may be, it can also be a very challenging and stressful time for some.

Jimenez, Martinez, and Grullon all encourage NECC students to stay positive, relax and enjoy their much-deserved vacation, take life responsibilities one step at a time, and gradually prepare for next semester.

Arts and Entertainment, Home Page Featured News

Top Notch Players present Love Letters virtually

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The NECC Top Notch Players and the Liberal Arts Divisiom have refashioned theater as you know it with a virtual fall semester production of Love Letters.

Love Letters, a play originally created by playwright A.R. Gurney, is a charming slow-burning love story that allows you to experience the development of the relationship between two childhood friends, Andrew Makepeace Ladd III and Melissa Gardner, as they exchange letters over a period of 50 years about family, love, loss, careers, and inevitable regrets.

The production was streamed from December 10 to December 12 on Zoom in a performance directed by NECC theater and communication professor, Brianne Beatrice. Though the Zoom performance date has passed, the production can also be accessed on Vimeo.com

The frivolous art-loving character, Melissa Gardner, played by Samantha Wheatley of Lowell, comes to life in this production as she wonderfully contrasts her long-time friend, the melodramatic and talkative Andrew Makepeace Ladd III, played by Stephen Caliskan of Acton, but nonetheless, they keep in contact with each other in all that they go through as they lean on each other through the highs and lows of growing up.

Theater lovers are sure to enjoy this performance for its intimate qualities. The subtle visuals of the characters picking up each letter before reciting it aloud and the change in tone that emerges as the characters’ grow older are just the tip of the iceberg to the dedicated performances of Wheatley and Caliskan.

The virtual play is an immersive experience for the viewers due to its intimate set up off of the stage and onto your screens, allowing the viewer to be less of an audience member and more of an onlooker onto the characters’ most cherished and confidential moments.

If you find yourself viewing Love Letters and loving what you see, The NECC Theater Program humbly encourages Venmo donations which can be made to @Brianne-Beatrice with the named donation entitled, “Love Letters.”

Donations such as these can help aid more student productions as well as increasing the quality and realism of future productions.

Arts and Entertainment

Hack the planet

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For the longest time in media there has not been a good depiction of hacking.

Most of it involved people typing super-fast on a computer while someone looks over their shoulder in awe.

 The only recent depiction of hacking in modern media is in the show Mr. Robot.

I am not here to talk about realistic hacking media though, today I am going to tell you about a hidden gem of a movie called Hackers.

Hackers is a 1995 film directed by Lain Softley and stars Jonny Lee Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jesse Bradford, Matthew Lillard, Laurence Mason, Renoly Santiago, Lorraine Bracco, and Fisher Stevens.

Please bear with me as I explain the ludicrous plot to the film.

The film is about this kid named Davy Murphy aka “zero cool” or “crash overdrive.” When he was like 12, he hacked into a bank causing mass chaos.

As punishment for his crime, he could not touch a pay phone or computer till he is 18.

In present day he moves to NY with his mom and continues hacking. He also meets a bunch of other hackers at his new school.

After getting to know them they all get framed for creating a virus. So crash overdrive and his fellow hackers must find the real culprit of the virus.

I cannot tell you any more without spoiling the rest of the film.

The film is a product of its time from the music to the fashion even the way they get around which is roller-skates.

Some people may argue that makes the film dated but I would argue that that is what makes it so great.

Another aspect that makes this film absolute gold is the hacking.

They will show these wild screens filled with numbers and shapes and frankly they look just like screen savers.

Knowing movie production, I can tell you that the computer screens where digitally edited in.

Finally, the last aspect of the film I really loved is the quotes. Quotes from this film like “HACK THE PLANET” or the other quote “mess with the best die like the rest.”

Overall, the film technically is not good, but it is good in the way of showing how our understanding of computers and tech evolved over the years.

It is also just super cheesy and a film you can just turn on and not think too hard about what you are watching

 

 

Campus Life, Home Page Featured News, News

Students react to COVID-19 vaccine news

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On the 13th of December, the Covid vaccine was being packaged and prepared to be distributed all across the country. The vaccine made history, becoming the fastest ever created. Other vaccines have taken years and years to be developed. The first dose was given to Sandra Lindsay, a nurse who works at a hospital in Queens, NYC. Soon, the vaccine will be available for the population.

Soon things may return to normal, and students will see the day that class will return to an in person format. (NECC plans a mostly onlne semester for spring 2021 though.)

Most are excited while cautious about the vaccine, considering how quickly it was manufactured.

Nisaly Gonzales, 22, of North Andover, who is majoring in liberal arts at NECC says, “I feel the vaccine is good but bad at the same time.” She adds a tone of caution and worry about people ignoring social distancing rules before the population is truly out of the woods.

Another student, Erica Shwabe, 22, who is majoring in arts at NECC is glad about the vaccine.

She says, “Glad we have one at least, and kinda amazed how quickly everyone managed to make one with results.”

Shwabe is planning on getting the vaccine, especially with the goal to further protect those around her. She hopes that others will do the same too. She believes people should be careful however. “The more precautions, the less likely to spread.”

Many still have the virus, and so the spread will take a while to slow down until a majority of people are vaccinated.

Some students have questions about how the school should handle the vaccine, and questions about making it a requirement arise.

Shwabe says that it shouldn’t be, as well as other students like Gonzalez. Shwabe states, “At the very least, a form would be doing something,” in order to notify the school who doesn’t have the vaccine, just so the school can be aware.

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An overview of Fall Semester 2020

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2020 has been a roller-coaster of a year, and it has been something that we have never experienced in our lives before and would be some story to tell to future generations.

Most adults who work regular nine to five jobs were affected with this on-going pandemic through the first couple of months, but since then, along with the mandatory masks and protocols, many have adjusted to a new routine.

We take a whole different measure in students however, where the majority of schools across then nation have gone into remote learning for the first time in their lives

This has proven to be a unique experience mostly for first year college students, who twelve months ago would’ve expected their first year of college experience to turn out to be anything but the situation we’re living in today.

As the semester is coming to a close, and the first full semester since the pandemic has passed by, we take a look at the expectations vs. reality of the first semester college experience of a student through this pandemic.

Sports/Other Activities

One of the biggest changes overall has been activities in sports.

In colleges, activities such as sports, music, arts, etc. have taken a temporary pause as these activities mainly require in-person contact.

Some students on scholarships, not just at NECC, have been able to compete in their sports this semester, however with certain protocols, no big crowds, and the changes in scheduling games and practice, the experience just hasn’t been the same.

Classes

Another big change, and one that has the most effects on students, has been the classes and learning environment.

A packed classroom with 20-30 students starting at the teacher for an hour long while he or she is giving out some sort of lecture is the expectations of most college students entering their first semester rof the year.

However, online platforms such as Zoom have been popular for classes this year, where students, and teachers too at times, have problems from the wi-fi being too slow to someone’s microphone not being good enough for the people in the class to hear.

In general, the expectations that someone would have entering their first year of college wouldn’t have been entering the wrong Zoom class or not being able to hand in their assignment on time as the power cuts off in the middle of their project.

Interaction

The most unique experience for first time college students in general, has been the lack of interactions among peers.

With remote-learning, and specifically the freshmen college students who aren’t familiar with anyone in their school, communication with others around has been very limited.

This has affected classes where communication is key the most, such as journalism, where students need to reach out to others to interact with them about their opinions on certain topics.

This has been hard for those students, since access to other students are limited and teachers aren’t as easy to reach out to.

Students in general haven’t gotten to experience as much with the new remote-learning, such as the classic college partying or hangouts that high school seniors dream about after graduation.

General Thoughts

Overall, this has been a tough year for college students and the freshmen expected their first year of college to be an experience of a lifetime.

The little things such as walks to classes on campus, the struggle to find where those classes are, and the opportunity to get to know new people, is something most college students want to get back to.

As the first semester ends, we are all hoping to see a new positive light going into 2021, and there is definitely much optimism about what the new year will bring.

If remote-learning will continue throughout the second semester, which it probably will, then at least we’ll be able to know what to expect and what the experience is like compared to the first semester.

 

 

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A youthful Christmas

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It is that time of the year again… Christmas season is upon us. The holidays have a way of brining us back to the childhood memories of family and presents.

For the holiday spirit we thought it would be nice to interview kids ranging from ages 3-10 about their up-and-coming Christmas celebrations and whether they thought they were on the naughty or nice list this year.

Chelsea Leissner is a 3-year-old from Massachusetts who loves watching Frosty the Snowman at this time of the year. When we asked Leissner about what she would like for Christmas she responded, “Bubble Guppy toys and Baby Alive doll.”

We also asked Leissner about what she and her family have done in preparation for Christmas, she answered back, “Decoration rides. Decorating the Christmas tree… We’re making cookies for Santa and a gingerbread house.”

When asked whether she believed she was on the naughty or nice list, Leissner blurted out in an excited fashion, “Nice!”

Leissner quotes a video she received from Santa as her source for this belief.

Next, we spoke with Hunter Ago, a 7-year-old from New Hampshire who enjoys playing with his cats Milo and Maze.

We asked him what he would like from Santa for Christmas this year, to which Ago responded with, “Brand new monster trucks from Hot Wheels.”

When asked how he has prepared for this Christmas, Ago answered back with, “By getting presents for my mom and dad. I also decorated my tree and some cookies as well.”

Ago, when asked about his thoughts on whether he was on the naughty or nice, list responded quickly with, “I don’t know. Just have to wait and see.”

Last but not least we spoke with Madison Martin, a 10-year-old from Massachusetts who loves to bake during her holiday season.

Martin, when asked about what she would like for Christmas, responded back with, “That’s hard, I think Mario World 3D for the Nintendo Switch. Also, Mario Party and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. I love Mario.”

When asked about how she was preparing for the Christmas season, Martin replied, “Decorating the tree, I love doing that. We do a lot of baking; I make dog cookies for my dog and I make cookies for my mom as well.”

We also asked Martin if she believed she was on Santa’s naughty or nice list, to which she responded, “Uhm a little bit of both. Mostly nice though!”

Hopefully, reading this article brought you some holiday joy and a sense of nostalgia for the holiday seasons of the past. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 

 

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Students look forward to a new year

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The year 2020 is coming to an end, and new beginnings are around the corner as this year is almost over. This year has been a whirlwind with a global pandemic causing changes including learning virtually, so this was a special year. Some people are excited about the hope that comes with a new year.

Mariam Saldivar is a student from Northern Essex Community College who lives in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Her major is Journalism/Communications. Saldivar states what she liked and disliked about this year.  “I liked that online classes gave me more time, but I disliked the fact that things were not in person.”

This semester was very different for most students because it was virtual, and it was a transition to get used to. Some students didn’t enjoy it because they didn’t have face-to-face time with the teachers, but they did have more extended time for their work.

Saldivar states how this year made an impact on her. “I feel more depressed and hopeless. Like I’m stuck in time.’’ People are having difficulties with their mental health this year because of the global pandemic, so feeling depressed is a common issue this year.

Saldivar states what she learned about herself this year, “I learned that I regret a lot of things, like all the time I have wasted on meaningless things. I learned that after all this is done, I’m done being a loner and I am going to get out there and experience more wonderful things.”

Recognizing that there is more to life and that it is good to make time to experience beautiful things is one outcome of this unusual year.

Saldivar states she is excited for the new year. “It’s not like COVID will magically disappear, but at least the chances of a vaccine are getting closer and closer especially in 2021, And that gives me hope.”

The good thing is there is hope in the new year for the medical community to help with COVID-19 because there will be vaccines to prevent its spread which is good and will hopefully make the cases lower.

Saldivar states she does have some resolutions. ”I want to write my book.”

Having a big resolution like that is great and keeps you excited for the new year and what is upcoming to be waiting for the new journey this new year offers.

Robert Smith is a student at Northern Essex Community College, and this is his second semester. Smith states what he liked and didn’t about the year in general. “The pandemic has been a pain, and the other thing I have noticed is just how people have been all about helping themselves out and not helping others. Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Regis Philbin dying sucked, too. The thing I have liked about this year is the work our essential workers are doing and being closer to my family.”

This year has been good and bad for many reasons like how so people died this year. This year people have been closer to their family and making more moments with their family and quality time with them since there was a lockdown that offered chances to make more memories with family.

Smith states this year made an impact on him. “It has shown me how much we take the little things for granted such as eating at a restaurant, and it showed me the importance of the connections we make with other people.”

This year has shown us how little things matter like communication with others since nobody can do that in person with many people now that it is a pandemic, and because of social distancing, we must limit our communication with others, since we are trying to limit contact with people to keep the virus from spreading.

Smith states what he learned about himself this year. “I learned that mental health is just as important as physical health and that I can learn anything new if I set my mind to it.’’

Mental health is very important just like physical health because how we handle stress, relate to others, and make the right choices in life impacts our well-being. Knowing that you can learn something is important for you to strive.  Every year there is growth you can make as a person.

Smith states about the new year, “I am cautiously optimistic about it. It cannot be any worse than in 2020, and I hope that the virus will be better under control. I don’t think it will go away until another point in time. and I hope that we can start to heal as a country.”

Being optimistic about what is going on as a country now is good and keeping positive insight into the situation especially entering the new year is good as well, so we can keep a constructive view of the situation.

Smith says about new year’s resolutions, “I do not believe in making New Year’s resolutions as I never follow through with them.’’

Sticking to New Year’s resolution can be tough. The best way to stick to it is finding ways to stay motivated. Making a vision board can help or write a letter to your future self. Find the best way for you to keep on track to keep resolutions.

Mirrorajah Metcalfe is a Northern Community College who lives in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Her major is Journalism/communications.

Metcalfe states what she liked about the year and didn’t like about the year.

“I didn’t like that I didn’t get a college campus experience. I didn’t like t that I couldn’t interact with other students or my professor and go to the library,” she said.

She adds, “I did like that the online classes accommodated my schedule well and that professors put in the extra effort to communicate with students and help them accordingly.’’

It is hard being in your first year of college and not experiencing what a normal college year has to offer and not being able to enjoy being a college student on campus and meeting people in person. The school experience was very different. It is good for everyone to work as a team to make this stressful year in school less challenging for students.

Metcalfe states how the year made a huge impact on her and why. “I think this year made a huge impact, especially regarding my improvement in time management because of online classes.”

This year put our procrastination time to the test with having to work at home.

Having good management skills is very important this year to build a better structure in your life.   Time management increases productivity and efficiency.

You can gain a sense of fulfillment once your time management efforts start to pay off in the form of accomplishments and managing your time can have a direct impact on your stress.

Saldivar states what she learned about herself this year.  “I learned that I enjoy my own company despite isolation from COVID. This was my first semester of college, so I learned what responsibilities to expect and what is expected of me as a student.”

This year helped us know the greatness of being alone and getting to know some good qualities about yourself that you didn’t know before this year helped us as well.

Personal alone time allows us to grow as a person and know our strengths and weaknesses.

Metcalfe states what she is excited for this year. “I’m excited about the new year because hopefully, it will feel like a fresh start for everyone, myself included.”

The New Year symbolizes new beginnings, a fresh start, and a chance for you to begin new chapters in your life.

Metcalfe states what her New Year resolutions are for the upcoming year. “My new year I resolve to become a vegetarian and have straight As during the second semester.’’

Having goals this semester is very great and important and can help one to strive more and to push for improvements the next year.

Goals are a way to quantify what we wish for ourselves. The start of a new year is a great time to celebrate the accomplishments we made in the previous year and to look forward to achieving more in the coming year. It is a time to reflect and give thanks, celebrate small victories, make decisions to change, and embark on new beginnings for a fresh start in your life.

News

Federal government’s ninth execution of the year raises questions

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The Federal government’s ninth execution of the year, and the first federal execution in a lame-duck period in 130 years begs the question, Why?

Brandon Bernard’s execution on Dec. 10 marks the first execution during a presidential “lame-duck” period in 130 years. The execution was the first in a series of five executions scheduled before the transition of power on Jan. 20. If all five executions take place, President Trump will be the most prolific executioner ever with 13 federal executions in one year.

Alfred Zappala, an attorney and Lawrence native, said this, “The timing of this series of executions is purely coincidental. With just three federal executions between 1988 and 2019, Trump is only doing what he thinks is right, and that is upholding the sentence of the death penalty and executing the prisoners.”

Kathleen Holmes, a professor of Sociology at NECC, shared her expert opinion: “We are lucky that the lame duck period is much shorter now than it once was. The 20th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution established January 20 as Inauguration Day, moving it back from March 4. Many out-going presidents act in the interest of the country in the last days (the lame duck session) of their term. Reagan signed a nuclear disarmament treaty, Clinton balanced the budget, Dubya made some moves around the recession and Obama created a Pan-Asian trade agreement. However, today’s outgoing president is, let us just say, ‘different’ than the presidents most living Americans remember. His actions in his lame-duck session do not reflect an interest in the country’s future but instead seemingly reflect personal interest. He is pushing through five federal executions before January 20, 2021.

“There is no sociological theory that can explain the behavior. The death penalty, from a functionalist view, provides social cohesion on issues of ‘right vs wrong’ and establishes the rule of the government among other effects. From the conflict theorist’s view, the lame-duck period is an opportunity for outgoing politicians to create a legacy that maintains power for one group, while denying other groups access to power. The death penalty is the ultimate power held by a government and is most certainly a tool of oppression . This year-2020 — it has also been manipulated; executions took place during the height of social unrest — but they were ALL white. Now, three out of the four to be executed are black; the one woman is white, and she will be the first woman executed by the federal government since 1953.If all scheduled executions are carried out, the federal government will have executed more people than all states combined in 2020. Quite the legacy.”

Meredith Gunning, a professor of Philosophy and Ethics at NECC, said this: “During his lame duck period, I see President Trump using federal executions as a political ploy to make himself look like a law-and-order president. Some of this is political posturing but it comes at the cost of human lives. On the other hand, it is also well known that Trump himself is a strong advocate of capital punishment. This is ironic given that Trump claims to be a pro-life president. A pro-life position should not just apply to lives growing in a womb. Normally a lame duck President does not carry out any federal executions in deference to the incoming President. It could be argued that Trump is using this period to flout incumbent President Biden, given that the Democratic leader has publicized that he plans on working to advance the abolition of the death penalty. The details of the cases of some of the death row inmates slated to be executed should also raise alarm bells. Take Brandon Bernard, for instance, who was only 18 when he committed his crimes. Granted a young white married couple died because of his actions. But by all accounts, he was a truly changed person who was remorseful for the loss of life his actions inflicted. The warden along with many others, including five jurors in his original trial begged in vain for his life to be spared since he was a model prisoner who helped mentor young prisoners. He was doing more good alive than dead. Four black men are scheduled for executions. Given the prevalent problems of systemic racism in the American justice system, this ought to raise public outcry. One of those black men, Alfred Bourgeois, brutally murdered his two year old which is bound to get many riled up, wanting retribution. But evidence has surfaced that Bourgeois had an intellectual disability that was never presented to a court. This fact alone ought to show that he should no thave borne the most severe of penalties given his diminished rational capacities.

“Some of the other people being executed, including Lisa Montgomery, have records of mental illness which also ought to be considered as mitigating factors. Last but not least, why rush to have a number of Federal executions during a Pandemic? Is there not enough death already?”