Vol. XIX, Issue V

Hi lovelies,

The Olympics are on, and they’ve precipitated my seasonal identity crisis. Bear with me. Last Friday, 18-year-old skater Nathan Chen landed six quad jumps over the course of one routine, and in that precise moment I realized I am no longer eligible to be a child prodigy at anything. But hey, what’s a spectacle without spectators? I’ll stick to what I’m good at.

In this week’s front, Mark Rosenberg, PC ’20, brings the spectator’s perspective to bear on an unconventional music scene that has recently opened up in New Haven. Mark recounts his visit to an event hosted by Sofar Sounds, a company that infuses unlikely locations with bold music. Local musician Paul Hudson founded Sofar’s New Haven contingent, hoping to expand access to the unique phenomenon while bridging race- and class-based divisions in the community.

Elsewhere in the issue, our writers reflect on the question of identity, taking a critical look at the populations that inhabit our academic, institutional, and cultural spaces. In Features, Siduri Beckman, JE ’20, meditates on her ability, as a woman, to both inherit and contribute to Yale’s traditionally male-dominated legacy. Laura Glesby, TD ’21, examines the tension surrounding a recent effort to establish a civilian review board in connection with the New Haven Police Department. And in Reviews, Travis DeShong, BR ’19, gives us a thoughtful account of the significance of structuring a superhero movie around a fantasy narrative inspired by Black history and culture.

If you, like me, plan to spend your weekend seething because your parents didn’t enroll you in ice-skating lessons at age four, we at the Herald are proud to provide you with loads of thought-provoking material to pull you out of your self-destructive thought-spiral. Closing Ceremonies are Saturday, after all.

Lots of Love,

Lydia Buonomano

Opinion Editor