After decades of being banned due to its close genetic relationship with marijuana, hemp was legalized through the 2018 Farm Bill. Winona LaDuke, a Native writer and activist, argues that Native tribes, which have historically cultivated the crop, should lead and benefit from the growing hemp industry. In this February 2021 essay, LaDuke explains how …
Category: How Can We Bridge The Differences That Divide Us?
Windows around the world: Paolo Sigismondi on the cultural impact of streaming international movies and shows
What’s next up on your Netflix watch list? You may notice more suggestions for shows and movies made outside the US, such as Spain’s Money Heist and South Korea’s One More Time. Facing pressure to acquire new media content, Netflix has made a conscious decision to develop local shows and films around the world and …
Party in the streets: Kate Lacour on creating inclusive public celebrations
“When society decides to celebrate, who’s getting an invite, and who’s being excluded?” (1:04). Art therapist Kate Lacour poses this question in her TED talk, featured in this episode of the TEDx Shorts podcast from February 21, 2021. Lacour explains how she has helped teenagers with autism participate in Mardi Gras, a joyously noisy and …
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Class critics: Lisa R. Pruitt on the film Hillbilly Elegy and popular representations of the white working class
Ever notice when a film’s audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is way off from the critics’ reviews? What’s driving that? Lisa R. Pruitt, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Law at UC Davis, digs into the negative critical reviews of the 2020 Netflix film Hillbilly Elegy in this December 3, 2020 essay. Pruitt argues …
Representing the “full measure of humanity”: Belén Garijo on the importance of increasing diversity in clinical trials
Fueled by new biomedical technologies and unprecedented collaboration, pharmaceutical companies are rapidly developing and testing vaccines for SARS CoV-2 coronavirus. However, this swift pace of vaccine development might lead to “a potentially risky lack of diversity in clinical trials,” according to Belén Garijo, a healthcare executive and former doctor. Her October 9, 2020 essay in …
Get out the vote: Jeanine Santucci about accessibility in the voting booth
Voting is a civic duty, an essential right in a democracy. However, as Santucci explains in her July 26, 2020 essay, people with disabilities face barriers to voting, even decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed. As you read, consider both Santucci’s immediate argument, about the pressing issues faced by people with …
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Looking out for each other: Nicholas Kristof on the resiliency of Hispanic American communities
Even under the stresses of quarantine, Hispanic American communities seem to be finding strategies for coping with the pandemic’s economic and social effects. Why is that? In this June 7, 2020 essay, Nicholas Kristof describes this “Hispanic paradox,” arguing that these communities are uniquely prepared to withstand hardship because of their robust, communal support networks. …
Barriers to building wealth: Nick Maggiulli on the racial wealth gap
“Money drives the world,” Nick Maggiulli argues, yet in the U.S., black households have far less capital than white households. Why is that? Maggiulli, a data scientist and blogger who specializes in personal finance, shows that this racial wealth gap is deeply rooted in systemic discrimination. In this June 4, 2020 essay, Maggiulli uses the …
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Power couples: Cardiff Garcia and Stacey Vanek Smith on marriage and income inequality
Another way the rich keep getting richer? Marriage. This NPR podcast from February 24, 2020 explains the phenomenon of “assortative mating,” which occurs when people of similar education levels and socioeconomic status marry each other. Hosts Cardiff Garcia and Stacey Vanek Smith interview economist Branko Milanovic, who argues that this trend furthers income inequality in …
Calling in sick: Amanda Mull on protecting everyone with paid sick leave
Wash your hands. Stop touching your face. Avoid large crowds. This past week, we’ve been inundated with advice for stopping the spread of COVID-19. In her February 28, 2020 essay, Amanda Mull argues that pandemics like this one could be contained more easily if we addressed an underlying structural issue inherent in the American workplace: …
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