Three days before the deadline to register to vote in the 2018 midterm election, my roommate Hannah helped me make a Tinder. “What pictures do you want on your profile?” Hannah scrolled through my photos. “I don’t think it matters.” “Oh, it matters.” Hannah picked a picture of the two of us from Halloween, and … Read moreSwiping Right on Democracy by Téa Franco
Last month, the unthinkable happened in Massachusetts. Incumbent Ed Markey – a 74-year-old that most people in the commonwealth likely never even heard of – defeated challenger Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Democratic Primary for the Senate. This was the first time a “Kennedy” was defeated in Massachusetts, where the name is synonymous with … Read moreCancel the Kennedys by James Taichi Collins
I’ve been struggling to collect the words, over the past few months, to describe the rapid deterioration I was witnessing in this country. Every night I’d write a sentence or two, allegories about pain and corroding livelihoods. Then, like a macabre sitcom, a nightmare ensued, as if to answer our feeble attempts at humor when … Read moreFrom Beirut to Damascus: “Nowhere Is Safe” by Ghalia Al Alwani
Gentrification is a rising epidemic happening in disadvantaged neighborhoods in New York City for some time now. Neighborhoods in Manhattan such as Harlem are an ever changing landscape with visible social classes. Some people would argue that gentrification is a good thing because it brings public safety, housing, jobs, and opportunities. Jobs that were usually … Read moreEl Barrio: Not for Sale by Amber Skyy
Black Lives Matter is arguably the most massive political movement since the civil rights era. A recent poll by Civics Analytics indicates that “15 million to 26 million people in the United States have participated in demonstrations over the death of George Floyd.” According to a Morning Consult national poll, the Black Lives Matter movement … Read moreBlack Lives Matter is More Popular Than the Civil Rights Movement Ever Was – So Why Aren’t Our Political Leaders Taking Action? by James Taichi Collins
For all my life, I have never been more proud of anything than being able to call myself a Syrian. Over the last nine years though, pride has taken on a whole new meaning. In March of 2011, the world watched as Syria began to crumble when protesters took to the streets amidst the Arab … Read more3-15-2011 by Citrine Ghraowi
It was 2009 and the first time I had been to Accra, Ghana since I was three. My mom, a flight attendant of 40 years, had been regularly going back to her hometown, but now that I was a teenager, this particular trip would serve as my very own informal debut. My cousin’s wedding set … Read moreBeyond the “Year of Return” or Black Oburoni by Iris Beaumier
Here is how I first learned about the nonprofit industrial complex, in a story proving that embarrassing moments can sometimes lead to satisfying memories. In April 2018, I was a development fellow assisting in grant writing and fundraising at the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) in Manhattan – one of the leading immigrant rights nonprofits in New … Read moreWhy Immigrants Lose by James Taichi Collins