Author: TheConversation

Psalm 137: How Frederick Douglass claimed the Biblical message of social justice on July 4th

By David W. Stowe, Professor of English and Religious Studies, Michigan State University On the anniversary of America’s independence, the abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass made the opening line of Psalm 137, “By the Rivers of Babylon,” a centerpiece of his most famous speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Douglass told the audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester, New York, on July 5, 1852, that for a free black like himself, being expected to celebrate American independence was akin to the Judean captives being mockingly coerced to perform songs in praise of Jerusalem. Not only did...

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The rockets red glare: America’s dangerous infatuation with pyrotechnics on Independence Day

By Jay L. Zagorsky, Economist and Research Scientist, The Ohio State University In the eyes of many Americans, the Fourth of July is a day for parades, barbecue and, of course, fireworks. The tradition got its start at the beginning of our nation’s history after the Founding Fathers met in Philadelphia to write and sign the Declaration of Independence. A day after the Continental Congress adopted the declaration on July 4, 1776, John Adams – soon the second U.S. president – penned a latter to his wife Abigail, declaring that Independence Day “ought to be solemnized with pomp and...

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Electoral consequences: Supreme Court makes controversial ruling that further erodes Voting Rights Act

By Cornell William Clayton, C.O. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Political Science, Washington State University; and Michael Ritter, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Washington State University Arizona may keep two voting laws that Republicans say protect election integrity and Democrats believe will make it harder for some residents to cast ballots. That was the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, one of the decade’s most important voting rights cases. One Arizona law challenged in the case, H.B. 2023, makes it a felony for anyone other than a family member, caregiver or postal worker to collect...

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Social Engineering: What investments in infrastructure have cost communities of color

By Erika M Bsumek, Associate Professor of History, The University of Texas at Austin College of Liberal Arts and James Sidbury, Professor of History, Rice University The effort by Democrats and Republicans in Congress to find agreement over a federal infrastructure spending bill has hinged on a number of factors, including what “infrastructure” actually is – but the debate ignores a key historical fact. There is widespread public support for public investment in building and repairing roads and bridges, water pipes and public schools – as well as providing more elder care and expanding broadband internet access. All of those...

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An epidemic of distrust: New study details the public health problem behind not drinking tap water

By Asher Rosinger, Assistant Professor of Biobehavioral Health, Anthropology, and Demography. Director, Water, Health, and Nutrition Laboratory, Penn State Imagine seeing a news report about lead contamination in drinking water in a community that looks like yours. It might make you think twice about whether to drink your tap water or serve it to your kids, especially if you also have experienced tap water problems in the past. In a new study – Examining Recent Trends in the Racial Disparity Gap in Tap Water Consumption: NHANES 2011–2018, my colleagues Anisha Patel, Francesca Weaks and I estimate that approximately 61.4...

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Underage Drinking: Alcohol companies make billions in profit from the behavior they do little to prevent

By David H. Jernigan, Professor of Health Law, Policy & Management, Boston University Alcohol is still the most commonly used drug among high school students. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year approximately 3,500 people under 21 die because of alcohol use. I have studied the relationship between alcohol marketing and youth drinking behavior for the past 20 years. In 2011, my colleagues and I performed what to our knowledge was the first and only survey of what specific brands of alcohol underage people drink. We asked 1,032 young drinkers about 898 brands of alcohol...

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