My mother is quirky, or maybe I just don’t get her. One year, I asked her what she wanted for Christmas. Despite being mentally prepared for an answer that was painfully practical, I was still shocked to hear that Saran wrap was a top contender. When I asked her what she wanted for Mother’s Day, she told me to get better grades. When she sent her first email in 2009, she shoved … [Read more...] about Visibly Western: Musings from the Sweatshop
America
Race is Holding the US Back
I am sick and tired of race. How can I say that? Am I denying my own identity by saying this? No. Race is socially constructed, and I am disgusted with the way that our society has used it to systematically disadvantage people, especially those of color. There is nothing inherent about race, except humanity. We are all a part of the human race. But socially constructed racial … [Read more...] about Race is Holding the US Back
Redemption in the Motor City
Detroit is the go-to punchline of every insecure pundit and wannabe economist. It is fodder for Reddit and Bill Maher. It is the raised eyebrow and the half-grin of so many casual introductions. But Detroit — while it is in a dismal state right now — is more than a site for film producers to blow up buildings. Downtown Detroit is a beautiful and (dare I say) safe metropolis … [Read more...] about Redemption in the Motor City
9/11: Let Freedom Wave
Photo by Veronica Johnson The promise of hope and honor remain standing tall and strong in the 2,977 flags representing the lives lost on 9/11 as they flutter through the Malibu ocean breeze on Alumni Park. At Saturday’s Step Forward Day students volunteered in places such food banks, schools and parks. After serving, volunteers were invited to help put up the … [Read more...] about 9/11: Let Freedom Wave
Iraqi Summer Shifts the Narrative
Photo Courtesy of Alexis Allison “This weekend, I visit Chamchamal,” I told my Kurdish friend. We leaned over a Scrabble game with a group of my other college-age English learners, stuck to wooden chairs with sweat from the summer Iraq heat. “Texas. You’re going to Texas.” He grinned. “Texas? No. No, no, no. Chamchamal,” I said. Chamchamal is a village in northern Iraq — … [Read more...] about Iraqi Summer Shifts the Narrative
