by Ashia Ajani Right before the deadline to submit documents for the Baltimore mayoral race, Black Lives Matter activist and self-described “child of Baltimore” DeRay Mckesson entered his information and joined the fray. DeRay is a Bowdoin College graduate who taught sixth grade math at Minneapolis Public Schools until quitting his job March of last…
Flint and Steal: The Polluted Politics of Michigan’s Water Crisis
by Kodi Alvord I am a Yale student. This means that every morning I wake up, brush my teeth, take a hot shower, and fill my water bottle in the dining hall before I attend class. For me, this is my routine. For residents of Flint, Michigan, this is a luxury. In the past few…
Michael Jackson, #OscarsSoWhite, and Hollywood Representation
by Carlene Ervin Last week I was a competitor in the “Don’t-be-triggered-by-disturbing-Facebook-content-Olympics” when I stumbled upon a particularly perplexing article. Let’s just say I came in last for my event. A white man’s picture is next to Michael Jackson. On first glance I think, “Is this going to be some bullshit ass article about the…
Roots, Rebirth, Renaissance: The House’s Black History Month Kickoff Event
by Eleanor Pritchett If the House is a home, it’s the perfect place to hold a reunion–and the message set by the Black History Month kickoff on February 6th was that the House is a home. Roots, Rebirth, and Renaissance is the theme of this year’s Black History Month at the Afro-American Cultural Center, and what…
“Race and Gender” Enrollment Spotlights Ethnic Studies Crisis
by Alejandra Padín-Dujon On January 25th, American Studies and Ethnicity, Race, and Migration (ER&M) associate professor Birgit Rasmussen posted to her Facebook wall: “Craziest shopping period ever is drawing to a close.” Rasmussen—whose impending departure from Yale College comes in the midst of an exodus of ethnic studies faculty—teaches “Race and Gender in American Lit,” the…