Following the presidential election and the community response, the MultiCultural Center hosted “PLAN B: An ethnic & feminist studies, post-election processing space” on Nov. 12 as an open space to debrief and discuss attendees’ feelings surrounding the election results.

The post-election debriefing space included an open-mic session and meditation. Amitha Bhat / Daily Nexus

Supported by several faculty members from the ethnic studies and feminist studies departments and UC Santa Barbara Health & Wellness, the talk was guided by Erin Khuê Ninh, professor and Chair of the Asian American studies department inside the MultiCultural Center (MCC) Theater.

Ninh led introductory discussion questions revolving around attendees’ recent feelings before transitioning into an open-mic opportunity for all in attendance, aiming to provide a space to safely and freely process the election results and their implications.

The discussion questions included “Where are you today, compared with a week ago?,” “What hurts?,” “What has been helpful to you in the last week?” and “What have you discovered is NOT helpful?”

Ninh addressed the intention behind her lack of script, noting that although she usually has a paper in one hand, she felt this occasion called for a more raw approach.

“Today, it felt like I just wanted to be present with you. The whole point, right, is to be present together. Because being together in these kinds of spaces is in and of itself, confirming, affirming and reinforcing, right?” Ninh said.

Professor Jane Ward of the feminist studies department spoke about the high levels of misogyny, racism and transphobia seen in mainstream political discourse across the country and globe for many years, and how it is becoming especially transparent in the wake of the election. This increase, Ward said, calls for an end to the argument that gender and ethnic studies do not provide marketable skills for the real world.

“I’ve actually been walking a little taller and feeling a little more grounded in my awareness that I am doing the work of the movement in feminist studies,” Ward said. “And that the majors in ethnic studies and feminist studies are the most important majors at UCSB, and at any university, especially for us right now.”

Several students also shared the mic, each sharing pieces of their identities along with fears of how the upcoming administration may compromise them and what they can do to keep themselves and their peers motivated to keep advocating for the rights of themselves and their communities.

Jaz’myne Gates, a fourth-year sociology major, said that as difficult and overwhelming this time can be, she makes herself available as a resource to any peers or students in need of someone to talk to. Through her various campus involvements, including serving as Black Student Union co-membership development coordinator and MCC Council co-chair, she holds open-ended office hours for any student to have a safe space to decompress and process their feelings.

“Student leaders are always thinking about how we can serve our communities, especially cultural and ethnic ones that we personally identify with,” Gates said. “And for me, because my identity is deeply intertwined and overlapping with some of my involvements, I’ve used some of my meetings to hold space.”

Building off the common theme of unity and shared support within the community that was brought up during the event, Gates emphasized her work in creating mutual motivation to continue moving forward.

“Like [the hosts] said in there, we’re not going through it alone, and sometimes it does feel like an isolating experience. So I’ve been really grounded in community and community engagement to kind of, like, uplift me as well,” Gates said.

The night concluded with a guided meditation led by Michael Takahara, a health education specialist at UCSB Health & Wellness. He encouraged attendees to feel their feet on the ground and the sense of being grounded, whilst imagining offering their peers safety and health, then expanding those wishes to all, including themselves.

“As you heard tonight, people have a range of emotions, from sadness to anger to fear, so for people to be able to speak that, and to be able to have people witness that and validate that, in a sense, is similar to meditation, where we allow our feelings and our emotions and thoughts to appear,” Takahara said.  “Not to try to push it away or distract ourselves, but to recognize that that is what is happening right here in doing so.”