Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 was transported to Mexico City at the Portal by Olin Library. Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 was transported to Mexico City, Mexico on Thursday by visiting the Portal at Cornell, speaking about U.S. international relations during the Trump presidency with political consultant Luis Daniel Perez Vazquez.
“In the age of Trump — which is an age of people putting up walls and deciding that national identity is more important than your identity as a human being — anything that can bring you face to face with somebody who is very different from you and makes you feel like you have more in common than what separates you is a good thing,” Myrick said, in an interview with The Sun.
The Portal is a small room located right outside of Olin Library in which anyone can video chat with people in places around the world such as Milwaukee, Baltimore, Nairobi, Kenya and Kabul, Afghanistan.
“Our goal is to bring the world to Cornell,” said Xin Li, associate university librarian for discovery, assessment, and international engagement “It’s all about engagement with different parts of the world to talk about inclusion and diversity.”
After discussing the income inequality in Mexico and the United States, the conversation turned to the future of U.S. international relations under Donald Trump.
When Vazquez asked whether Donald Trump has done anything “good” so far, Myrick answered that his election reinvigorated political engagement, as persecution based solely on identity, bigotry and systemic oppression increased feelings of dissatisfaction with […]
This story is part of our ‘News from Around the Web’ publication, continue reading the story here: Mayor Myrick Discusses 2016 Election, Donald Trump Through Portal to Mexico City
