Imagine sitting in an audience in a theatre, waiting for a musical to start. The lights go up and a cheerful song starts playing. Actors cluster onto the stage, and you notice something rather unusual. Some of the performers are in wheelchairs, some are using other aids, and some are only using sign language. You … Read more
Eighty years ago this month, the Greek steamer Nea Hellas landed in Hoboken, New Jersey. Aboard the ship were my great-grandparents, Lipman and Mary Bers, carrying their infant daughter Ruth. As one of the only babies aboard, Ruth had been a symbol of hope — kept at a safe distance by a protective mother — … Read more
The origin of street art is as mysterious and obscured as the people who create it. Historians have traced its roots back to the 1st century B.C.E. when Roman citizens scribbled messages to each other on the dry brick walls. Yet, it wasn’t until the French Revolution’s iconoclasm era, when rebels defaced high-end art to … Read more
In 2012, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel failed to gain the endorsement of the Chicago Teachers Union and subsequently lost his reelection bid. In 2018, California gubernatorial candidate Antonia Villareigosa’s charter school sympathies lost him the endorsement of the California Teachers Union — and eventually the election. A year later, Andy Beshear narrowly defeated Kentucky’s … Read more
On a beautiful day in March, I drove past a pond near my house in Boston. It was more crowded than I had ever seen it. I came home anxious and upset to have seen so many people outside, close together and vulnerable. Anxiety quickly turned to anger, and I wrote two strongly worded emails … Read more
When it comes to flood myths, China’s is not as well known as Noah’s Ark, but just as influential. Legend says that four millennia ago, the Yellow and Yangtze rivers frequently flooded, with devastating consequences for the ancient Chinese. However, salvation arrived when a distant relative of the emperor, Yu, united the region’s disparate tribes, … Read more
Note: The transcript of this interview provided below has been edited for style and concision. For this reason, it may deviate in part from the video. Nina Davuluri is an acclaimed advocate, filmmaker and TV host. She gained international recognition by becoming the first Indian American and South Asian to win the Miss America title … Read more
Susan Collins, incumbent in Maine’s 2020 U.S. Senate race, paints herself as the socially liberal voter’s ideal Republican: in favor of abortion rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and education funding. She mostly delivers on her promises and is regarded as a solidly centrist Republican. But she shocked her moderate base with her vote to confirm Justice Brett … Read more
Over six months have passed since the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus disease a pandemic, and COVID-19 is still wreaking havoc. In the United States, communities of color face higher disease incidence and mortality, social distancing and mask wearing have become a flashpoint, and national leadership receives top-tier medical care while frontline essential … Read more
With our attention focused on scientific and technological innovations in response to COVID-19, there is much missed with respect to cultural innovation during this time. We often think of culture as stagnant, but the truth is that as we evolve to meet the challenges of life, the cultures we nest in evolve with us. The … Read more