The legacy of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic leaves behind an urgent question: How do we prevent history from repeating itself? Far from a doomsday conjecture, our shared history with pathogens shows that outbreaks will happen again. Soon. But to forestall the next pandemic, we must first understand how outbreaks begin. “Zoonosis”— a disease that can … Read more
On Election Day this April, Wisconsin Assembly Republican Speaker Robin Vos told reporters they were “incredibly safe to go out.” Sporting a pin that read “election observer,” he spoke with conviction, yet his surgical mask, rubber gloves, and protective smock rendered his assurances a bit ironic. The disconnect between Vos’ calm demeanor and his dystopian … Read more
The “Justice for George Floyd” petition has over a million signatures. “Justice for Breonna Taylor” has over 10 million. You’ve probably seen these widely-shared petitions, demanding justice for the deaths of Black people across the country through the arrest of the police officers responsible. Some of these petitions have achieved their stated goal, and all … Read more
Growing up in Puerto Rico, faith has been a comforting constant throughout my life. The countless hours I spent in mass as a young boy, hearing about how Christians should aspire to lead a life of kindness and devotion, will forever shape how I act, and thus, how I vote. And I’m not alone; studies … Read more
On May 29, in response to escalating protests in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, President Trump tweeted, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Invoking the rhetoric of White supremacists and segregationists from George Wallace to Walter E. Headley, Trump asserted that the theft and destruction of private property was punishable by violence. In … Read more
The story seems familiar. In May 2019, 62 year old mechanic Kenneth Herring hit another vehicle while driving his pickup truck in Clayton County, Georgia. Allegedly suffering from a diabetic episode, Herring left the scene of the collision. 911 was called. Herring, who was Black, was shot in the abdomen and died. His killer was … Read more
Despite the fact that Latinx communities also suffer disproportionate levels of violence and arrests at the hands of the police, their silence and lack of staunch support for the Black Lives Matter movement is deafening. “And to all the racist Latinos: eso no se hace, eso no se hace, y yo no me voy a … Read more
When the Harvard Graduate Students Union went on strike last winter, I was on the picket line at dawn every day for two weeks. Early morning picket shifts, which usually started at 5:00 a.m., were meant to delay deliveries and disrupt university business. One morning, three of us, bundled in winter coats and marching in … Read more
You can’t be a student if you can’t get to school. Despite long-standing state commitments to provide transportation to and from school, regardless of income or ZIP code, children still have trouble getting to school. When one student cannot get to school as easily as another, their educations are not equal. As an inept federal … Read more
Harvard’s endowment, $40.9 billion as of fiscal year 2019, has become notorious for its size both on and off campus. It is common to hear sarcastic complaints about its excess and imbalance from students discussing funding allocation, and it often comes up in staff salary and benefits disputes. The endowment even catches occasional attention from … Read more