Each time that I hear a Yale student use the word “ratchet,” I die a little on the inside. They’re appropriating a word that has a specific and serious cultural context in Louisiana, where I’m from. The first time most Louisiana natives hear the word ratchet is not in a frat house, but in their…
On September 13th, 2015, fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed from Irving, Texas effortlessly constructed a digital clock in the span of twenty minutes. For a young NASA fanboy whose passion is to engineer and innovate, this was just another Sunday night. Before going to bed, he placed it in his book bag, eager to share his latest…
At the time of its destruction, Windows on the World, located on the top floors of the North Tower, had the highest profits of any American restaurant, with possibly one of the most diverse restaurant staff. In 2006, survivors opened the restaurant Colors to honor their 73 fallen co-workers and support those who lost their…
I spent a healthy portion of my freshman year being told that I should fear the streets beyond Popeye’s. Now in my junior year, I see students unwilling to venture too far beyond the wrought-iron gates; I overhear upperclassmen pass on the culture of fear to the next generation of Yalies. New Haven is a…
In the wake of the Charleston Massacre, defenders of the Confederate flag have emerged en masse in an attempt to maintain the lie that the flag is a benign and significant symbol of Southern heritage. When I enter the fray to object, I am told that it isn’t my place to tell other people how…