When Claudia Sheinbaum was officially inaugurated as the 66th president of Mexico on October 1, 2024, she became the first female president of Mexico and the first Latin American president of Jewish heritage—all after running in the first majority-female Mexican election. Mexico’s election system is fascinating, and an extreme example of a trend that can […]
Tag: equality
Dear Supreme Court, Affirmative Action Deserved Better
“Why was I rejected?” is the most common question students have after receiving a college rejection, and it’s a fair one. Even with high SAT scores, GPAs, and plentiful extracurriculars, the upper echelons of higher education can remain out of reach for many students like Calvin Yang. Yang was a plaintiff in “Students for Fair […]
In the Shadows of Australia’s Citizenry
The Australian Aboriginal people were victims of terra nullius: the driving principle behind much of European colonial ventures meaning “no one’s land.” Despite their 65,000-year history in the lands of Australia, the Indigenous population faced displacement upon the arrival of unfamiliar people, culture, and languages from Europe. From a Eurocentric standpoint, the “barbaric” behavior of […]
Education Is Not The Great Equalizer
We have all been fed a lie: “Education is the great equalizer.” That line dominates the public discourse on K-12 public education. However, it’s certainly not true in the Bay Area nor in California. Piedmont High School and Oakland High School are less than 3 miles apart. Yet the academic performance of their students couldn’t […]
The Curious Task of Redistributive Taxes: Inheritance and Corporate Taxes
Frederich Hayek famously said “The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.” Professor Mario Muzzi, economics professor and department chair at the University of San Francisco, recites this quote from memory. In other words, his message is that the intended outcome […]
What the Chicago Teachers’ Strikes Reminded Us About Public Education
Like our parents, they see us off when we cross the stage and graduate. They applaud us, they congratulate us and they say their goodbyes. Years later they retire, and we learn that they’re just above the poverty line, even after those 45 years of dedicated work. We reminisce on their career and realize that […]
Will the Rainbow Flag Fly Over China?
Following last summer’s landmark Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage in the U.S., and the world’s first-ever legalization through the popular vote in Ireland, legions of rainbow flags were hoisted up from Australia to Colombia. However, in South Korea, conservative evangelicals and other anti-marriage equality protesters outnumbered proponents 25,000 to 20,000. A parallel narrative […]