Finalists

Fall Quarter 2020

“I think I demonstrate how no matter what society labels have been placed on you, it will never be easy but I never gave up. All the myths and stereotypes about my culture, community, gender, etc. always being questioned by society. By my return I proved that I will not stand down. It is a part of life, I learned my lesson and returning to get my degree shows it is possible.”

Cynthia
Human Developmental Sciences | UC San Diego


“Shortly after the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and several other Black people this past year, I read several explanations of the difference between being ‘not racist’ and ‘anti racist’ that various anti-racism advocates published online. Many of these explanations stated that people who described themselves as ‘not racist’ claimed that they did not see skin color or race. I wanted to create a simple dialogue using a comic strip-like format to explain that not seeing color is not an option for people of color because they are overtly and covertly treated differently based on their outward appearances and systemic inequities. The experiences that the characters described were based on issues that I learned about in my EDS 117 class. The characters are diverse, and I wanted to communicate that we are stronger as a society when we embrace diversity and amplify marginalized voices. I also wanted to communicate that people can change and grow. The character who believes in the beginning that she is not racist because she does not see color realizes that she should listen to people of color and work with them to promote anti racism by the end. When writing the dialogue, I wanted to ensure that I was not promoting a ‘White savior’ mentality, so this character acknowledges her mistakes and privilege, and the piece centers the voices of people of color. I hope that viewers understand that the last box is not the end of the story. It is the beginning of long term efforts to practice anti racism in education and elsewhere.”

Emma Chan
Environmental Systems Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution | UC San Diego