In his essay “The Poetry of the Future,” Walt Whitman writes that poetry is not only a reflection of our lives but a shaper of them, pushing the boundaries of tradition and advancing societal reform. In his words, “Democracy waits the coming of its bards in silence and in twilight — but ‘tis the twilight […]
Tag: civil rights
California’s Unlearned Lesson From Germany
In the post-World War II era, German bureaucrats tallied billions in reparations owed to Holocaust survivors. Every Deutsche Mark and carefully handwritten ledger was a confession in numbers, a recognition that words alone could never undo the crimes of the past. Germany sought not only to compensate victims but also to educate a nation and […]
Dismantling DEI: Trump’s New Constructed Crisis
A mid-air collision over the Potomac. Raging wildfires in Los Angeles. The catastrophic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. At first glance, these events seem completely disconnected from each other. However, they do share one underlying theme: they were all swiftly blamed on DEI. In a world where accountability often takes a back seat […]
A Case of Declining Power for Citizens
In a summer of miserable Supreme Court decisions, the decision in Egbert v. Boule never quite made it to the public eye. Despite its massive implications, the case was lost to slew of front-page decisions. Now, as summer has come to a close and we have had time to understand the busy June season, it […]
How Reparations Can Address Educational Inequities for Black American Students
While the rhetoric of a post-racial society has diminished the urgent claims for reparations, a national conversation has resurfaced. Largely because of the Ta-Nehisi Coates’s “A Case for Reparations” and the push to pass H.R. 40 (a bill to create a committee to research the impact of reparations), reparations are being reintroduced as a method […]
LGBTQ: New Battlegrounds
Aimee Stephens was fired from her job. A hardworking, loyal employee of Harris Funeral Homes, she had professionally executed her job for more than 6 years. Why then, was she dismissed? Because she, in fact, was born a he. When Ms. Stephens finally had the courage to come out to her boss, she was fired […]
How the Government Started a Race War with Guns
Gun reform—suddenly the contention is palpable and explosive. The current hyperfocus is wholly attributable to the courageous and unyielding student survivors turned activists who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting. For those of us with a modicum of melanin in our skin, however, gun violence and the resultant fight to mitigate it […]
In Defense of the Firearm
This is one part of the larger debate on gun control in the U.S. The opposing article can be found here. When discussing an issue that carries the gravity of loss of human life, it is critical not to mince words. Guns are tools with a very specific utility. They are machines designed to kill […]
The Contradictory Legacy of Eric Holder
Eric Holder announced in late September that he would be stepping down from his position as Attorney General. Holder made history as not only the first African American attorney general to serve, but also the third longest serving attorney general in history and the longest standing member of the Obama administration. While Holder made strides […]