Upon grabbing a banana from any grocery store, you will most likely find Chiquita Brand’s familiar blue sticker. Though this universal indicator of Chiquita may bring you a sense of comfort in your piece of fruit, perhaps instead it should push you away. One of the first scandals involving Chiquita Brands, then the United Fruit … Read more
A few summers ago, my father and I lived briefly at the Rift Valley Children’s Village in Tanzania’s Karatu District. India Howell, an American woman, and Peter Leon Mmassy, a Tanzanian man, founded the Children’s Village in 2004 as a permanent home for orphaned and other marginalized children. Tanzanian law requires non-citizens to live in the … Read more
Donald Trump’s impeachment—a liberal fantasy since his inauguration—now appears to be a plausible outcome. In a testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee today, Comey claimed that President Trump privately requested him to drop an investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who was forced to resign after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his communications … Read more
In 2005, I was a five-year old little girl living in Ecuador. Despite being merely a child, I have a very vivid and traumatic memory of the chaos and political instability my native land endured. On the morning of April 20, my parents turned on the television and were greeted by the image of thousands … Read more
In 2015, inside the Miami-Dade Permitting and Inspection Center was a small dark box affixed to a wall; next to it hung a giant poster that beseeched community members to “Give us your input.” The box itself made its purpose clear, proclaiming: “SUGGESTIONS COMMENTS.” Despite its earnest plea, the feedback system was useless for most … Read more
“Dear Non-American Black, when you make the choice to come to America, you become black. Stop arguing. Stop saying I’m Jamaican or I’m Ghanaian. America doesn’t care.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Americanah. *** Accepting Adichie’s words has become more than a choice. It has become a frank requirement to understand the black social fabric of the … Read more
“We go to the demonstration, and there’s six workers.” In 2012, UNITE HERE Local 26 chief steward Ed Childs spent a summer organizing workers to protest against the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. When it came time to demonstrate, Childs and another out-of-state organizer were dismayed by the low turnout. “We look at it like, … Read more