Nearly one year after George Floyd died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest, restrained under former police officer Derek Chauvin's knee for nearly nine minutes, the case is finally being prosecuted in criminal court. The death of Floyd last May spurred protests over police brutality and racial injustice beginning in Minneapolis and quickly spreading across…
CULTURE
As the world slowly recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic with increasing vaccination rates worldwide, health professionals suggest it is also time to address the second, more silent pandemic: the mental health crisis. Amid continuing lockdowns, people can turn to a new, unexpected ally for help: art. When the first news reports of COVID-19 cases reaching…
The shootings on March 16, 2021, when a white gunman killed eight people – including six Asian women – in massage parlors in Atlanta have shaken the community and sparked a nationwide reckoning about a long history of racism and hate towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, or AAPI, in the United States. The killings…
The year is 1923. Three years after women won the right to vote in the United States, the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is introduced in Congress with a seemingly simple premise: "Equality of Rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex." Almost…
Calls for impeachment and demands for Governor Andrew Cuomo to resign have been in the headlines following a series of scandals involving the Governor. Last month, Assembly Republicans called for Cuomo's impeachment following the mishandling of the state's nursing home data, undercounting the COVID-19 related deaths in nursing homes by nearly half. Now, with an…
On Wednesday, March 10 Congress passed a third COVID-19 relief package under the title, the American Rescue Plan, which allocates $1.9 trillion and was passed in a 220 to 211 House vote. The bill, which President Joe Biden is expected to sign on Friday, is the most expensive single bill in United States history, and…
Though COVID-19 vaccines are giving people hope of soon returning to normalcy, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommends postponing any long-distance travel plans. Luckily, this doesn’t mean that people cannot still experience the world. One silver lining of travel restrictions is that many tourist attractions are brought directly to you and…
The roar of demonstrators has been echoing in the streets of Myanmar for over a month now as civilians continue to protest the Feb. 1 military coup against the democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. As Myanmar police continue to use violence and brutal crackdowns against peaceful protesters, unexpected allies stand out from the…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kj8UPnZfPc The sunny and warm California backdrop for the Oprah Winfrey interview with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry didn't prepare viewers for the darkness of some of the revelations made by the couple. "CBS Presents Oprah with Meghan and Harry," the first interview of the pair since stepping down from their royal duties, aired on…
This International Women's Day may be a little different with the COVID-19 pandemic still looming, but that doesn't mean there aren't safe ways to celebrate and support women's rights and achievements right from your home. With this year's theme being Choose to Challenge, an initiative encouraging women to speak out on, or challenge topics to…
Just over one month ago, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced the creation of the Gender Policy Council. The council will govern policies that directly impact women and girls such as economic policy, health care, gender-based violence, and more. The economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic hit women particularly hard, especially at a…
On March 1, 2021, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala will make history – again. The former Nigerian Finance Minister will become the first woman and first African Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO deals with the global rules of trade between nations. Her nomination comes only several months after the Trump administration had opposed her…
In the United States, 2020 brought racial injustice and inequality to the forefront of the public eye, first with nationwide protests against police brutality sparked by the killing of George Floyd, and then when findings revealed the coronavirus pandemic is disproportionately affecting Black communities. After a year marked by such Black trauma and pain, this…
After spending almost an entire year in lockdown, Americans have new hope of stopping the spread of Coronavirus. This hope comes in the form of vaccines produced by two companies, Pfizer and Moderna. The record-breaking speed of production has many skeptical about the efficacy and safety of the vaccines. Despite the efforts made by companies…
With Zoom sessions replacing face-to-face classes, business meetings, and celebrated holidays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, who’s to say that culinary teachers can’t be replaced by Gordon Ramsey? Or singing coaches can’t be replaced by Christina Aguilera? MasterClass provides just that with online video courses taught by celebrities and other industry professionals, available to anyone…
With a dazzling smile from ear to ear, cheeks rosed from blush and shining silver earrings, Mary Wilson appeared as elegant as ever as she picked up her camera one last time on Feb. 6, 2021. “Well, it is Black History Month! Yes indeed, it is,” Wilson exclaimed smiling at the camera. “And I am…
Only days after President Joe Biden’s inauguration, the Department of Homeland Security used its federal alert system for the first time in a year to warn of potential domestic terrorist threats in the coming weeks. The Acting Secretary of Homeland Security issued a National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) Bulletin on Jan. 27, 2020 due to…
On Saturday morning, groundbreaking experimental pop artist and producer Sophie Xeon, more known mononymously as SOPHIE tragically died in what her publicist described as a “terrible accident.” According to the official statement, “true to her spirituality, [SOPHIE] had climbed up to watch the full moon and accidentally slipped and fell. She will always be here with…
Just over four years ago, on Jan. 21, 2017, women around the world took to the streets to protest the inauguration of Former President Donald Trump and statements he had made that were considered offensive to women. In Washington D.C., waves of pink overflowed the streets as hundreds of thousands of people marched against the…
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders sat down in his chair, ready for the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to begin. All bundled up, Sanders was ready to face a cold morning on Jan. 20, 2021. Legs and arms crossed, wrapped in a brown parka and signature wool mittens – Sen. Sanders…