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
Aryaana Khan has spent much of her life rocked by climate disasters. In her home country of Bangladesh — a quarter of which is now underwater — the now-19-year-old student faced routine flooding and cyclones, disasters which only seemed to increase in number and intensity over the years, eventually forcing her family to immigrate to New York … Read more
For the roughly 681,000 Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities who reside in congregate care settings such as group homes and state institutions, the coronavirus pandemic has wrought a tragic, and largely invisible, crisis. An estimated 13% of adults with IDD rely on these congregate settings for full-time support, with aid ranging from medical services … Read more
The cafeteria at a high school debate tournament is a cavern echoing with strategy and spit. A coach whispers an opponent’s shortcomings on the right. On the left, a boy practicing his speech sprays saliva like a lawn sprinkler. Teenage athletes and artists who happen to be at school may try to avoid the noise, … Read more
Out of the ashes of 2020 rose TikTok, a new type of social media paving the way in internet culture, education, and activism. TikTok is a video-based social media app with an unusual authenticity and growing cultural influence – presenting a rare chance for positive social impact through transformation of the social media space. TikTok … Read more
We pushed back with linked arms to free a space twenty feet across. A lone dancer rushed in, bringing the crowd to a standstill as we watched his drops and twirls. Another body took up the invitation and broke through and began to circle the other in playful competition. He pushed his feet off the … Read more
As we witness countless instances of brutality by law enforcement officers, police misconduct has now more than ever rocketed to the forefront of our national conversation. Unfortunately, the current system has proven unequipped to handle this misconduct and hold police accountable for their actions. After all, an outsized number of police officers who violate their … Read more
My parents’ marriage is straight out of a Bollywood movie. My father, who would skip school to watch art cinema and perform radical street theater, fell in love with my mother, a studious medical student who topped her university. A player and a know-it-all, a film buff and a talented artist, a Muslim and a … Read more