The most damning question of our lives always approaches us in childhood: what do you want to be when you grow up? The answers are all too familiar: a nurse, a doctor, an astronaut (or, today, maybe a YouTuber). In our young imagination, anything is possible, and even if our career plans change as we … Read more
In the United States, quicker and more decisive actions to combat COVID-19 could have potentially prevented 70% to 99% of related deaths, and one such improvement would have been increased testing. But when asked why the United States could not import made tests from other countries to alleviate its massive and deadly shortage, White House … Read more
Goya refried pinto beans in a supermarket. My pantry looks quite different now than it did a few weeks ago. Goya black beans, Goya Goya frijoles, Goya plantains, Goya spices, Goya queso blanco, and Goya Adobo have all been replaced. The gold-wrapped Goya ‘Maria cookies’ that had once been an infallible staple of my childhood … Read more
In January of this year, Senior White House Advisor Kellyanne Conway raved over what she saw as one of the finest achievements of the Trump administration, saying, “This has not happened through coincidence, it’s happened through causation. It’s owing in large part to a whole-of-government approach … led by President Trump, first lady Melania Trump, … Read more
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