It was the medal ceremony for the men’s 200-meter sprint at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico. American sprinters, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, stood on the podium to receive their medals, but something was off in their appearance. On their feet, they had on black socks, but no shoes, and on their hands they […]
Tag: donald trump
Sanctuary Showdown: Jerry Brown versus Donald Trump
On October 5, 2017, Governor Jerry Brown openly defied the federal government. With the passage of State Senate Bill 54, California became a sanctuary state in direct defiance of President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies. However, while this seemingly appears to be a bold and unprecedented action on the part of California, the idea of sanctuary […]
The United States… And Territories: America’s Paradise Lost
On October 13, one news headline stood out among the rest: “Trump says he spoke to U.S. Virgin Islands’ ‘president’ — which is him.” “Must’ve been a one-sided conversation,” one Twitter user noted. The Daily Show put out a video of Trump shaking hands with his “genetic replica.” This hilarity momentarily puts a spotlight on […]
The United States… And Territories: The State of Puerto Rico
Praying for my friends and family. Can’t communicate with my family. I don’t know anything about them, this is desperate. But I trust in God that they’ll be okay. My sister-in-law follows each Facebook post with a video of the storm. A Miami transplant, she’s luckily away from her hometown in Puerto Rico. But much […]
Presidential Election Primaries: The Struggle for Influence
For nearly a century, a well-established political institution within the United States, the presidential primaries, has convinced many in its influential power to decide the nominee for each political party’s presidential candidate. The deeply-rooted drive for a greater influence on the outcome of the presidential election recently drove California to pass new legislation that would […]
Knock Knock, It’s Your Old Neighbor, White Supremacy
It’s hard to start an article that talks about Nazis. Nazis. In my short lifetime, I would hear “Nazi” in a history or government class. When I entered college, I heard it from freshmen in political science courses who decided that by asking the age-old question, “but what about the Nazis?” would show how smart […]
Racism Today versus Racism after 9/11
After the September 11 attacks in New York, the level of hate crimes against people who appeared Middle Eastern, Arab, or Muslim rose to extremely high levels. According to FBI data, there were 93 reports of anti-Muslim assaults in 2001, compared to 12 reports in 2000. While the number of reported hate crimes decreased over […]
AIIB – To Join, or Not To Join?
This summer, I had the privilege of interning in Washington, D.C. with Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren (CA-19). While the current administration and Senate healthcare bill have certainly dominated national headlines, working on the Hill has also deepened my understanding of often-overlooked policy issue areas, including the U.S.-ASEAN relationship and potential U.S. membership in the Asian Infrastructure […]
The Environment Isn’t Doomed Yet
Washington is no longer in tandem with a majority of American citizens. Less than 30% of the American population endorses Trump’s decision to forego a global leadership opportunity for the nation by exiting the Paris Agreement. Donald Trump’s announcement that the U.S. will exit the Paris Agreement was shocking and disheartening, but it isn’t the […]
China’s Quest for Soft Power
In order for China to compete with the scale and magnitude of United States’ soft power, it must increase its investment in the renewable energy sector. Although China has made considerable strides in heightening its presence in solar and wind energy in the past decade, it must become the foremost name in clean energy in […]