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Privilege is an important topic which Gay often considers, and her reflections on privilege let me see more clearly the way my own privileges shape my perspective.
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It was their privilege as rich white kids, she argued, that let them engender sympathy. Just a few days before, a video went viral showing a group of teenage boys in “make America great again” (MAGA) hats mocking Nathan Phillips, an indigenous elder, shouting “build that wall!” Gay shared her frustration after the incident, condemning (rightly) the media for being too quick to empathize with the boys. 22 when she visited Loyola University Maryland for its Martin Luther King, Jr., Convocation. And I got the chance to hear her again last Tuesday, Jan. I was definitely already a fan, but hearing her answering questions from audience members about her writing process is part of what cemented my dedication to nonfiction as a career. I heard her read from her memoir Hunger at Towson University in the fall of 2017.
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And I’ve now heard her live more than any of my favorite musical acts - which is to say, twice. I sometimes wonder about the nature of her oft-subtweeted nemesis. She sits atop the list of people I would invite to a fantasy dinner party, followed by Serena Williams and Jaden Smith. Anyone who knows me knows that Roxane Gay is my favorite writer.