From coins to national motto: How “In God We Trust” legislation is pushing a Christian Nationalist agenda
By Kristina M. Lee, Ph.D. Candidate in Rhetoric, Colorado State University “In God We Trust” became the national motto 65 years ago this month. But over the past few years a string of bills and city ordinances has sought to expand its usage and presence. City vehicles...
Little has changed since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar called for an end to institutional racism in Milwaukee in 1971
The last time the Milwaukee Bucks were in the NBA Finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was the star of the team and a prominent civil rights advocate. He was instrumental in the Bucks winning the NBA Finals in 1971, and he’d be named the NBA’s MVP three times in...
Trump’s Big Lie: Research shows the corrosive power of his unsubstantiated stolen election claims
Republicans across the country have embraced a similar refrain as they push for new restrictions on voting. A significant chunk of the American electorate doesn’t have confidence in the results of the 2020 election, they argue, so new laws to restore “integrity” to...
Community volunteers go door-to-door to provide COVID-19 vaccinations in Milwaukee neighborhoods
Over the last year and a half, Marcus Austin of Milwaukee watched as friends and extended family members died from COVID-19. Austin said that he did not think the Black community had gotten enough education about the coronavirus, and he wanted to help change that....
Critical Race Theory was developed by legal scholars to understand setbacks faced by Blacks since 1865
By David Miguel Gray, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Affiliate, Institute for Intelligent Systems, University of Memphis U.S. Rep.resentative Jim Banks of Indiana sent a letter to fellow Republicans on June 24, 2021, stating: “As Republicans, we reject the racial...
Big Oil’s dirty secrets: Petroleum giants face a reckoning for the devastation caused by fossil fuels
After a century of wielding extraordinary economic and political power, America’s petroleum giants face a reckoning for driving the greatest existential threat of our lifetimes. An unprecedented wave of lawsuits, filed by cities and states across the US, aim to hold...
From slavery to skin care: How palm oil became the most hated crop and most used source of fat
By Jonathan E. Robins, Associate Professor of Global History, Michigan Technological University Palm oil is everywhere today: in food, soap, lipstick, even newspaper ink. It is been called the world’s most hated crop because of its association with deforestation in...
Performative Patriotism: Legislation would require National Anthem at youth sports events in Wisconsin
State Senator Kelda Roys (D-Madison) was struck by the absurdity that, under a bill currently pending in the Senate, her three-year-old’s T-ball team will need to play the National Anthem before every game. The bill, authored by State Senator Patrick Testin (R-Stevens...
Democracy watchdog cites 14th Amendment in effort to ban insurrectionist lawmakers from public office
Calling on election officials across the U.S. to recognize that the nation “is at a critical crossroads,” a non-profit legal advocacy group on June 30 cited the 14th Amendment as it demanded Republicans who aided the January 6 insurrection—including former...
New details suggest senior Trump officials worked to appease leaders of the January 6 insurrection
On December 19, 2020, Then-President Donald Trump blasted out a tweet to his 88 million followers, inviting supporters to Washington for a “wild” protest. One of his senior advisers had released a 36-page report alleging significant evidence of election fraud that...
Conservative Culture Wars: Why White Generation X Evangelicals are losing faith in the Republican Party
By Terry Shoemaker, Lecturer, School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies, Arizona State University Since the 1970s, White American evangelicals, a large subsection of Protestants who hold to a literal reading of the Bible, have often managed to get...
Reaching the Last Mile: Milwaukee transit program connects city workers to distant suburban jobs
For almost two years, Lester Williams took the bus from Milwaukee’s Northside to suburban New Berlin, where he worked 12-hour days in quality control at Schoeneck Containers Inc. The trip took anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour, even though the factory was only...
