by Sami Gottsegen (PZ ’25) On Thursday, March 10, the Florida State Senate passed HB 7/SB 148. Now on its way to the desk of Governor Ron DeSantis, the bill, dubbed the “Stop Wrongs to Our Kids and Employees (WOKE) Act,” is part of a series of attacks on critical race theory. In an interview with the New York Times, Trip Gabriel simply defined critical race theory as “a lens or...
by Grayson Shaw (PO ’25) “One of the main reasons I filed the lawsuit was to try to save my life… It was really horrible being sick, and the only access to water I had was poison” This testimony from Lamar Singleton, along with 18 independent lawsuits from former inmates, illustrates the reality of the Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, California. Prisoners were reportedly forced to...
By Leonora Willett (CM ’25) Nearly 50 years on, the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade is far from settled. With the support of anti-abortion groups, state legislatures are passing newer and more restrictive laws counter to Roe v. Wade. With the changing composition of the Supreme Court, women’s Constitutional rights to an abortion are in question. With the support of Texas Alliance...
Kathryn Parker (SC ‘23) Human genetic data is in high demand for cutting-edge medical research, and genetic testing is important to diagnose and treat many diseases. As a result, genetic privacy laws are a necessity to protect the basic rights of citizens. However, in the United States, while genetic discrimination is expressly prohibited, privacy is not enforced. So, what can be done to protect...
Despite the United States making efforts for the past half a century to combat gender discrimination, sex-based prejudice still runs rampant in American society. The government and its courts have disseminated a sex-based slant on rights and freedoms that in reality, protect men far more than women. This bias has resulted in the federal government allowing various forms of gender discrimination...
Camryn Fujita (SCR ‘21) In June of 2020, a week-long series of protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement across the state of Hawaii culminated in a march to the Hawaii State Capitol that drew an estimated crowd of about 10,000 to 20,000 people. These protests sparked a long overdue conversation over how people in Hawaii think about race, anti-Black racism, and criminal justice. In...
Shuyan Yan (PO ’23) In Zhongguancun, a well-known tech hub in Beijing, China, there is a joke circulating that if a billboard falls on 10 pedestrians at midnight, 8 of them might be software engineers, and the other two must be program managers. In the Chinese technology industry, many sarcastically joke about working overtime, and seeing employees leaving office buildings at midnight is...
Kenyamarie Mahone (PO ’23) After months of campaigning and punditry, Tuesday’s election brought a record breaking turn-out of nearly 160 million Americans. While much of the focus of this election season has been on the presidential race between incumbent Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, several citizen led ballot-initiatives made history this week. From education policy to...
Kenyamarie Mahone (PO ’23) The final Presidential debate on Thursday at Nashville’s Belmont University brought unexpected levels of professionalism from both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. After the chaos that unfolded during the first debate, it was unclear whether this one would offer any substance on either candidates’ platforms or policy goals. Fortunately, with the change in debate rules...
By Faven Brook (Occidental ’21) Guest ContributorThe police are killing Black women. However, while everyone seems to remember cases of Black men killed by the police, everyone seems to forget the names and stories of Black women, especially Black trans women, who face the same fate. Unfortunately, that is nothing new. Breonna Taylor’s unjust death is a poignant reminder of this reality...
