WASHINGTON DC—When asking Margot Kirkland, director of a returning citizens’ program, what the biggest problems she faced when serving her clients were, “fear and mental illness” were the last I expected but they unveil the painful truth of the for-profit criminal justice
NEW PALTZ, NY—I picked up the phone at 7:30 p.m on a Wednesday night. I was calling Brian Cournoyer who is a member and board president on the New Paltz School Board. “I have been on the school board for six years,
Last October comics writer Steve Englehart found himself in the busy Exhibit Hall at the Baltimore Convention Center. For 15,000 comics, sci-fi and fantasy fans, it was time for Baltimore Comic-Con, the biggest event of the year. The crowd was a Halloween
Art by Katherine Giroux, 15 WASHINGTON, DC—After months of quarantine due to the novel coronavirus, the country erupted in anger and protests following the May 25 killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis who knelt on his neck, even
New York, NY—In the midst of COVID-19, people have been outraged about both the police brutality against Black people and about the looting that sometimes has occurred in some areas. Protests have happened all over the country and have had an impact,
BROOKLYN, NY—The first debate society was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1727. He called it the Junto Club, where he and other colonial aristocrats would converge behind closed doors to read, argue over, and write pamphlets. This elitist and palpably privileged image
LONG ISLAND—”Good cops are sick to their stomachs” over the death of George Floyd, Camden County Police Chief Joseph Wysocki, told People Magazine. He marched in June in solidarity with protesters. According to CNN, “Some officers have shown solidarity with the movement
“Hope the block is still standing.” “We’re still standing.” The above is a conversation between two of Spike Lee’s characters in one of the most important and necessary films to date, “Do the Right Thing.” If you haven’t seen the film, the
Viveca Chow, a Broadway Actor, walked inside a midtown building, ready for an audition for a Broadway Musical. When she did, the casters had a surprising comment in store. “I have received a lot of comments from white casters that are saying
Newark, New Jersey—Picture this: the echoes of fireworks in the sky, air smelling like sweet barbecue sauce and music turned up to the max. Fourth of July? Let me stop right here. No. Today we’re discussing a celebration—not as popularized but even