“I’ve been wondering who might fill the intellectual void that plagues me after James Baldwin died,” wrote the late Toni Morrison. “Clearly it is Ta-Nehisi Coates.” These words appeared as a blurb in support of Coates’ landmark 2015 monograph Between the World and Me. The book, much like Baldwin’s best-known works, contains deep examinations of […]
Coates, Baldwin, and the Changing Face of Protest Read More »
The 2020 murder of George Floyd at the hands of police sent a cultural shockwave through the United States. It was, in fact, a focal point of the American “culture wars” that are still being waged today. Floyd’s murder sparked countless protests and counterprotests throughout the country, placed discussions about police reform in the public
In 2011, one year before the 2012 election, Donald Trump began to sow completely unreasonable doubt in the veracity of President Barack Obama’s listed place of birth, Honolulu, Hawaii. Trump, who had not yet been president but was perhaps planting the seeds of his forthcoming far-right future, would allege for years that Obama’s birth certificate
Who Cares About Zohran Mamdani’s Columbia Application? Read More »
One of the year’s most contentious debates in the District seemed to be settled on August 1, when the DC Council approved the landmark deal to bring back Washington football. In a 9-3 vote, the Council gave the green light to the $3.7 billion deal that would redevelop the defunct RFK Stadium to once again
On October 23, 2020, Metropolitan Police Department officer Terence Sutton initiated an unauthorized police pursuit that killed Karon Hylton-Brown, a twenty-year-old African American father to an infant. For ten full minutes, Sutton followed Hylton-Brown in an unmarked car at speeds prosecutors called “unreasonable.” Hylton-Brown was riding a rental scooter without a helmet on. The pursuit,
WARREN PECK (voiceover): Our next interview is with a self-proclaimed “historical conservationist,” although he lacks any education or work experience in this capacity. His task? “Defending and preserving American history, ideals, and pride,” as he puts it. And who is he defending these things from? We’ll be hearing the answer to this and more as
Dr. Charity Oyedeji is a board-certified hematologist—that is, a doctor specializing in the study of blood and blood disorders—and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke University. Oyedeji is the recipient of multiple research grants and co-author of more than 35 peer-reviewed publications. Her employers at Duke Health, the umbrella organization uniting the university’s healthcare and
The National Institutes of Health Decide (Minority) Health Is Overrated Read More »
At the time of the 1970 United States Census, African Americans made up 71.1% of Washington, DC’s population. This was the most lopsided the city’s racial demographics had (and have) been since it was 72.7% white during the 1930 census. This enormous figure, 71.1% (which would be the fourth-blackest city in America today), represents the
Following Joe Biden’s decision to not seek re-election in 2024 and the resulting chain of events, liberal voters and commentators were torn on how to feel about them. Some felt that after Kamala Harris was chosen to run in Biden’s stead, that the younger, quicker, sharper vice president would finally put an end to the
In an unusual twist of events, the most controversial personality at a John D. Seevers reelection rally was not John D. Seevers himself. This time around—specifically Saturday, October 13 in Atlanta, Georgia—it was Atlanta-bred and internationally-renowned rapper 2 Nice, who gave both a performance and an official endorsement for President Seevers. “I ain’t even gon’
