Americans continue to face serious hardships even after the trillions already spent on coronavirus aid
By Mary G. Findling, Research Associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University; and John M. Benson, Senior Research Scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University; and Robert J. Blendon, Richard L. Menschel...
Conspiracies and Extremism: How the Wisconsin GOP lost its credibility over the turmoil of 2020
From the early days of the pandemic to the fever-pitched and riotous last days of the Trump presidency, Wisconsin’s conservative movement was swept up in conspiracies and extremism in 2020. Over the past year, online provocateurs, fringe lawyers, Republican lawmakers,...
Documenting Hate: A look back at 2017 when the Proud Boys established their first Wisconsin Chapter
In May of 2017, eight men met at Mackesey’s Irish Pub in downtown Madison to drink beer and talk politics. The men, all of them White and most in their 20s, had met online and were getting together for the first time. The meeting would establish the Wisconsin chapter...
Acute food shortages are disproportionately pushing more Black and Latinx families to brink of starvation
As Black and Latinx families experience disproportionate food insecurity, experts warn of famine in dozens of countries. Beyond the questions surrounding the availability, effectiveness and safety of a vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic has led us to question where our...
A failed health policy: How a wealthy nation can go from an obesity epidemic to tragic food insecurity
By Caitlin Caspi, Professor of Public Health, University of Connecticut Among the many striking images from the pandemic is an aerial photo showing cars in seemingly endless rows lined up at a food bank. A jarring awareness of food insecurity in the U.S. has...
Hunger Relief: How food banks help families who are struggling under the pandemic get enough to eat
By David Himmelgreen, Professor of Anthropology, University of South Florida; and Jacquelyn Heuer, Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology and Public Health Education, University of South Florida Food banks, nonprofits that collect and distribute food to hunger relief...
The Good Lord Bird: Re-examining abolitionist John Brown’s moral crusade to end slavery
By Adam Seagrave, Associate Professor of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, Arizona State University One of the most under-appreciated figures in the nation’s history, John Brown, has been introduced to Americans by the recent Showtime series “The Good Lord...
The Big Lie: Wisconsin Republicans use Trump’s propaganda to extend voter suppression across state
It did not take Wisconsin Republicans long to try to capitalize on the Big Lie. On February 22, State Senator Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville), along with State Senator Alberta Darling (R- River Hills), and State Representatives Cindi Duchow (R-Town of Delafield) and Ken...
Calls grows for investigation into Electoral College imposters who tried to usurp Wisconsin’s certification
On February 15, Law Forward formally requested an investigation of ten individuals — fraudulent presidential electors — who attempted to hijack the results of Wisconsin’s November election. On behalf of the Service Employees International Union’s (SEIU’s) Wisconsin...
Why journalism continues to struggle against the disproportionate influence of social media companies
By Vanessa Freije, Assistant Professor, Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington Facebook barred Australians from finding or sharing news on its platform, in response to an Australian government proposal to require social media...
On Healing America: Using our anger to build bridges instead of burning them
President Biden campaigned on “restoring the soul” of America. His campaign slogan, “Build back better,” promised an end to deeply entrenched partisanship. Days before his monumental inauguration to the presidency, millions of Americans were praying that this toxicity...
A lifelong family bond: How Black Sororities have led Black achievements for more than a century
By Tamara L. Brown, Executive Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of North Texas In her speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention Kamala Harris saluted seven women who “inspired us to pick up the torch and fight on.” All but two of them, one of whom...
