Joshua Francisco was a construction contractor and father of two living in Missouri. In 2010, his family first observed differences in his behavior: he was manic, speaking in tongues, and not sleeping — signs of bipolar disorder, with which he was later diagnosed. As his condition worsened and his family tried to convince him to … Read more
Today, the greatest threat to the future American labor economy is no longer the robot. Instead, it’s the microbe. If COVID-19 has shown us anything, it’s that what was once conceived as radical or unimaginable can quickly become the new normal. The domestic effects of the pandemic are jarring: nearly 54 million K-12 students are … Read more
Biting wind and deep darkness make the trek across the frozen water almost unbearable. The snowmobile’s thin windshield offers little protection, and no number of garment layers provides relief from the cold. The man on the machine is soon-to-be-Governor Bill Walker, and this rigid imagery is the reality of elections in Alaska. He will soon … Read more
In September 2019, 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg stood before the General Assembly of the United Nations and threw down the gauntlet before world leaders. “We will not let you get away with this,” she said, referring to global inaction on the issue of climate change. “Right here, right now, is where we draw the … Read more
The United States is in the midst of a historic housing crisis, with housing coming closer to the fore of the national agenda than ever before. For years, housing advocates had languished over the lack of coverage of housing issues. Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, joked that they used to … Read more
What is democratic citizenship? In a democracy, citizenship bestows a unique package of private rights and public responsibilities upon individuals. These rights, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and a right to privacy, are familiar to many citizens. However, the United States needs to refocus on the civic responsibilities of being an American citizen. … Read more
This past August, the presidential candidates and Congressional leaders of the Democratic Party met in San Francisco for the summer meeting of the Democratic National Committee. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) laid out her bold legislative agenda, while candidates vying for the nomination shared their own progressive policy platforms. They spoke of the need to … Read more
Today, gun violence in the United States is an epidemic. Over the past decade, more than 1.2 million Americans were shot, and on average more than 36,000 Americans were killed every year by guns. Troublingly, the high number of gun deaths in the United States shows no signs of abating; between 2014 and 2017, gun … Read more
Virginia’s new state legislators will have a lot on their plate before they are up for re-election in 2021, but ratifying the Equal Rights Amendment should be the new Democratic majority’s first goal. Ratifying the ERA would be a powerful victory not only for the women’s rights movement but also for the entirety of the … Read more
On November 8, 2016, Americans were glued to their televisions, watching as the election results rolled in and waiting to find out who their next president would be. No matter which news station they turned on, they undoubtedly heard news anchors going back and forth about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s respective chances of winning … Read more