Note to Our Readers
2020 was a difficult year for all of us but especially for people of color. According to the CDC, Black Americans are 1.4 times more likely to contract COVID-19 than white Americans and 2.8 times more likely to die from the virus. The LGBTQ+ community has also been hit hard by the pandemic. Over 5 million of the 16 million LGBTQ+ adults and youth in the United States work in industries most likely to be impacted by COVID-19, and 17% are unable to afford healthcare. The pandemic has exacerbated the issue of systemic racism that has haunted our nation for its entire history, calling upon all of us to raise our voices to advocate for equality.
At Red Weather, we believe firmly in the power of language. We believe in the ability of art to influence the nation’s socio-political identity and cultural zeitgeist. That is why we have created this special winter issue, the first in our publication’s history, to focus solely on amplifying the voices of the queer-trans-black-indigenous-people of color (QTBIPOC) community in a political climate that is intent on suppressing them. In recognizing Hamilton College’s status as a predominately white institution, our goal is to feature these historically underrepresented voices via a literary, artistic medium that combines the personal with the political.
Some of the pieces enclosed provoke greater political dialogue, such as Morgan McCarthy’s sardonic representation of trans experience in the armed forces in “US Air Force | Do You Have a Future in the Military?” and Kayah Hodge’s “Glass System,” which highlights the emotions and issues created by the “crooked system” of American prisons and systemic racism at large. Other work, like Dayeon Cheong’s handcrafted Hanbok, is a celebration of both the beauty inherent to various cultural traditions and the artist’s individual experience within said tradition.
With representation being a crucial part of the discussion of equality, providing a platform to those who are underrepresented on campus is very important. It lets their stories be heard and allows communities to bond over shared experiences. So, without further ado, we invite you to join Red Weather in our celebration of these unique voices. We hope this issue encourages you to advocate for greater inclusivity as well as appreciate and understand how a symphony of diverse voices expands, challenges, and excites the multifarious dimensions of art.
— Red Weather Winter Issue Committee
Eva Glassman, Malik Irish, Madison Lazenby, Rachel Lu, Julianna McCann, Eliza Roberts, Emma Swan, Hannah Terao