“In predominately-White spaces, my hair reminds me that I am unambiguously Black. But I am worried about losing this element of Blackness one day due to the penalization of Black hairstyles.”
Read More
“In Minister Gallant’s comments about cutting off resources to Gaza, he contended, ‘We are fighting animals’ and ‘We will eliminate everything.’ This direct and explicit conflation between all Gazans and Hamas is deeply troubling and is an all-too-common tactic used to justify violence towards targeted groups.. . . As the crisis in Gaza grows more acute by the day, we in North Carolina, the UNC community, and the U.S. must push for an immediate ceasefire to all indiscriminate military operations”
Read More
“Republicans need to find a candidate that can appeal to both sides of the aisle, in the same way that Democrats nominated Biden over other more progressive candidates to attract centrists and swing voters.”
Read More
“I tell these stories not to recount horrifying experiences in order to stir up trauma or to victimize myself, but, rather, to answer the question I was asked two years ago as I again sat in lockdown – now on UNC’s campus: Was this the first shooting I've experienced myself? “
Read More
“On June 29, 2023 the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the use of affirmative action in all higher education admissions processes. Though the claims brought against affirmative action are deceivingly compelling, the harsh reality of overturning affirmative action will create barriers in achieving success through higher education for future students of color.“
Read More
“March 23, 2023, brought yet another horrendous act of gun violence in the United States. A short two days later on March 29, 2023, the North Carolina General Assembly was able to pass Senate Bill 41, also known as the Guarantee 2nd Amend Freedom and Protections Act. The bill’s most serious implications come in its first section most commonly referred to as the “pistol permit purchase” section, which ends the requirement to obtain a permit from one’s county sheriff before purchasing a handgun.“
Read More
“Free speech has and continues to play an essential role in higher education, yet recent political polarization has put a strain on the effort to maintain the essential divide between academic speech and public discourse.“
Read More
“Abortion seems to be a never-ending issue in the discussion about American politics and public policy. Faith, and specifically Christianity, has long played a role in this discussion and has been a dominant force as of late. While it is a dominant religion in the country and it has played a large role thus far, does faith have a place in the political discussion about abortion?”
Read More
“Voting, the bedrock of our democracy, is the single most important practice for citizens to make their voices heard. Yet, since the 2020 election, Republican state legislatures across the country have passed voter suppression bills under the guise of “protecting integrity in our election.” This façade does a poor job of covering what these laws are truly intended for: making it more difficult to vote.“
Read More
“The main question that the Kids Online Safety Act provokes is who gets to dictate what is and isn’t allowed on social media. Concerns of censorship come amid claims that Elon Musk, Twitter’s new CEO, has suspended accounts for criticizing him as well as a flood of Library book bans targeting stories centering characters that are LGBTQ+ and people of color. Opponents of the Act such as Evan Greer voice valid concerns about Censorship and authoritarianism.“
Read More
“Excerpt: On the 75th anniversary of Dr. Frank Porter Graham’s negotiation of the Renville Treaty, the Carolina Asia Center held a joint conference between The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) in Jakarta which discussed Indonesia’s past, present, and future on the world stage…Indonesia is rapidly gaining economic and political influence on the world stage via increasingly diverse foreign direct investment, Indonesia’s sway within ASEAN, and the desire to forge an independent Indonesian path.“
Read More
“With the recent announcement from the White House and an increasing number of states legalizing marijuana, North Carolinians are left wondering about the future of marijuana legalization in their state. While both Governor Roy Cooper and Attorney General Josh Stein have voiced their support for legalization of marijuana, the ultimate decision lies in the hands of North Carolina’s Republican-controlled state legislature.“
Read More
“Only recently having left the world of mask mandates, vaccines, work at home orders, and increased prices, the state of the dollar must be preserved in an already weakened economy. With inflation the highest in over forty years, having been capped in July at 9.1%, additive changes such as loan forgiveness will seek to halt its decline back to the recommended 2%.”
Read More
“The far-right may use democratic means, if necessary, to gain power, but their true alliance is not with democracy; it is with power and control.”
Read More
“The desire to end the seemingly never-ending pandemic has led Americans to put a lot of faith in the federal government. This can be dangerous. The United States has checks and balances and separation of powers for a reason. If these were neglected, it could set a dangerous precedent. Some businesses have already implemented vaccine requirements on their own terms or because of a state mandate; however, a federal mandate carries a heavier weight and attempts to usurp state sovereignty. After all, the 10th amendment provides the states with the authority to oversee public health, not the federal government.”
Read More
“Going into Inauguration Day, many Americans were satisfied to finally see the Oval Office reclaimed by someone who, while not perfect, seemed to have common courtesy and basic administrative competency. For others, the relief inspired by Donald Trump leaving public office was mitigated by a concern that nothing would fundamentally change under a Biden administration. While President Biden is still far from a progressive president, recent orders and proposals by him and the Democratic party which he leads should inspire some confidence in those uneasy about Biden’s capacity to affect positive change.”
Read More
“If it feels like some sick game to get over 270 electoral votes by cobbling together a map of states, that’s because it is. The defining issues of our time, like the COVID-19 response, racial equity, and health care ought to be decided by one person, one vote. Unfortunately, those aren’t the rules by which we play. To restore decency to our country, it is imperative that we find our way to 270 electoral votes. A victory right here in North Carolina can ensure it if the Blue Wall falters once more.”
Read More
“That our President is not firmly standing against white supremacy should be a watershed moment for this country. The fact that there are enough people who buy into white supremacy and enough people willing to ignore it reveals that there is something fundamentally wrong with the people and political system of this country. Yet amid the profound confusion of the Trump presidency, it passed the news cycle as just another aberration”
Read More
“The current state of American democracy is so flimsy that we cannot even celebrate the life of Justice Ginsberg without the dark shadow of politics looming over. The corruption of the Trump administration, coupled with the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened tensions of an election year has intensified many people’s focus on our current political system. Americans are realizing just how fragile our system is, and how much fundamental change we really need.”
Read More
“A partisan divide in our political institutions is part of the American democratic process. However, when it comes to life or death situations, partisanship has no place. The last month at UNC is a perfect example of what happens when political identities supersede scientific reason and public interest.”
Read More