Celebrity Life
How History Is Repeating Itself for Haitian Migrants Trying to Enter the U.S.
The Biden Administration condemned a Border Patrol agent’s actions against Haitian migrants in Del Rio, Texas. Historians, however, see a pattern
R. Kelly Has Finally Been Silenced. Let’s Keep It That Way
In the summer of 2017, at a neighborhood Atlanta coffee house, the #MuteRKelly movement was born. There, I met Oronike Odeleye, the woman who would later become my partner-in-mute. She, too, was heartsick over the mountain of disturbing allegations against R. Kelly (now evidence for his conviction) from the recent BuzzFeed article surrounding his predatory…
The Overlooked American Survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
More than 75 years after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on Aug. 6 and Aug. 9, 1945, roughly 136,000 people are living with the memories—and effects—of the disasters. In the U.S., specifically, there are believed to be just under 1,000 survivors. Many of these men and women…
The Unmaking of the White Christian Worldview
As I came of age in Woodville Heights Baptist Church, on the white working-class side of Jackson, Miss., I internalized a cycle of sin, confession and repentance as a daily part of my life. Though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, this was a double inheritance. Beneath this seemingly icy surface of guilt…
There’s No End in Sight for COVID-19. What Do We Tell Our Kids Now?
Looking back, maybe I shouldn’t have used the phrase when this is over quite so often when talking about the pandemic with my kids. It wasn’t that I thought everything would return to the status quo, or that the status quo was anything to be content with. And it wasn’t that I believed we would…
What We Fear in the Wake of the Texas Abortion Law
On Sept. 1, Texas enacted an extreme law that effectively ended abortion care in the state. Since then, clinics in states on the western and northern borders have seen a dramatic increase in patient visits and calls from abortion funds. But here in the Gulf region, not much has changed. And that might be the…
42% of Women Say They Have Consistently Felt Burned Out at Work in 2021
Both men and women are feeling even more burned out in 2021 than they were in 2020. Given that the labor force is sojourning through a second year of dangerous work conditions, a lack of childcare options and unprecedented workforce dropout, the fact that Americans are feeling high stress levels isn’t all that surprising. But…
Inside HBO’s Nuclear Family—and a Lesbian Family’s Fight To Exist
Filmmaker Ry Russo-Young turns the camera on her own life, documenting how her two lesbian mothers were sued by her sperm donor in 1991
A Parole Board Recommended Julius Jones’ Death Sentence Be Commuted. A Week Later, His Execution Date Was Set
Julius Jones, a Black man on death row in Oklahoma having been charged with murder in 1999, is scheduled to be executed on Nov. 18, despite the state’s parole board recommending that his sentence be commuted. Jones’ legal team is now awaiting the decision of Gov. Kevin Stitt after the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole board…
COVID-19 Is Making New Moms Feel Even More Pressure to Breastfeed
Jewel Pfaffroth could barely move while she pumped. She had struggled since her son was born in April to produce breast milk—he was underweight at his first doctor’s appointment, and she immediately had to supplement with formula. Her doctor had recommended she sit at specific angles while she pumped—“to let gravity do its thing”—but those…
The Loss of Trees Has Had Devastating Consequences. Here’s How We Can Still Create a Sustainable Planet
Viewed from outer space, Earth is a remarkable, vibrant planet—blue waters, majestic mountains, vast areas of green forests. It’s an inspiring, stunning display of all the perfect elements to support the billions of diverse life-forms who call this planet home. But the view from the surface offers a starkly different story. Colonialism and the industrial…
My Father Was a Vocal Critic of Nicaragua’s President. Now He’s a Political Prisoner
My father, Francisco Aguirre-Sacasa, turned 77 this month. Normally, my entire family would gather somewhere in the States to celebrate his birthday with a late-summer cookout, a sheet cake and ice cream. This year, though, there wasn’t a cookout. It wasn’t one of those rare, precious times when we’re all together in the same backyard,…