This year, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Pride and despite the political climate of our nation, a united community of people walked together with their masks on, safely advocating for Black lives and Queer liberation. June has become a celebratory month for both LGBTQIA+ Pride and Caribbean-American Heritage. As many people across the nation continue to march for Black Lives, recently, a spectrum of identities within the LGBT+ Caribbean community have come into view, and it is important to acknowledge how these communities clash.
Read moreOPINION: The Lawn Jockey Cannot Stand as a Symbol of Racism at Skidmore
I wrote the following letter to Skidmore President Marc C. Conner on Monday, July 27th. The previous summer, some friends and I noticed the presence of the Skidmore lawn jockey on the lawn of the Lucy Scribner presidential residence. I had never seen one where I had grown up, but was familiar with “lawn jockey” as a pejorative phrase and wondered if the same racist history applied to the object itself.
Read moreSkidmore's Complicity: "A Call For Change"?
Currently, as America fights against the COVID-19 pandemic that has taken the lives of many in our nation and across the world, another great fight is occurring: the demand for justice against several broken systems. The death of George Floyd has catalyzed a massive movement and as many communities join the fight for Black lives, students across the country continue to advocate for changes to our educational institutions in order to establish equity in our communities.
Read moreOPINION: Good Fundraiser, Bad Timing
Over the past few weeks, our social media feeds have been flooded with powerful, shocking and motivational news from the Black Lives Matter movement. I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach, however, when I read about the Skidmore College Men’s Lacrosse team fundraiser for Harlem Lacrosse, on Instagram last week.
Read more#WhyDidDarrylDie: The Police Brutality Case that Strikes Close to Home
I first heard about the death of Darryl Mount Jr. in April of 2018. I remember the day clearly because I had come to the Saratoga Springs City Hall to interview Mayor Meg Kelly for a statement on the recent sightings of KKK flyers downtown. During our conversation, Mayor Kelly mentioned that she had been working closely with the local police department--particularly with the then-Police Chief Greg Veitch-- on preserving the town’s safety and ensuring that this would not happen again. It struck me during our interview that I needed to learn more about the city’s police department as our local authority of protection. After, I googled the Saratoga Springs Police Department and fell into the story of Darryl Mount Jr.
Read moreOPINION: The Rites of Black History Month
Skidmore College’s black community worked hard to do justice to the month and to themselves — albeit alone. Many look to Skidmore’s clubs and members of the black diaspora, such as UJIMA, The African Heritage Awareness Club (AHA), and The West Indian Student Association Club (WISA), to make ample effort to empower their voices.
Read moreOPINION: How Should Skidmore Rebuild Itself?
There’s been a tension building in Skidmore recently. Time and again these past few semesters, the administration and the wider community have found themselves in conflict. With the school’s operation mostly halted by the COVID pandemic, and the transition to a new president looming, now is a good time to consider what has been going wrong, and how things might improve.
Read moreOPINION: The Intersection of Border Security and Natural Beauty
The southern border is home to many unique and endangered species that know no borders. Their ecosystem and habitat spans from Mexico, across the Rio Grande, and into the US. A border wall would cut their habitat and have negative impacts on their survival rate. A binational park would create a sense of community and cooperation between the US and Mexico, which would hopefully continue South.
Read moreOPINION: How Well Does Your Favorite Music Platform Treat Its Artists? Pretty Badly, Actually
Tidal, Apple Music, and Spotify each pay their artists $0.0125, $0.00735, and $0.00473 per stream, respectively. In turn, artists would need 117,760 plays, 200,272 plays, and 336,842 plays per month (respectively) in order to be paid the national monthly minimum wage.
Read moreOPINION: Defining Fashion on Skidmore's Campus
Here there are no rules. Navy goes with black, florals go with plaid, repetition is welcome, and bras are always optional.
Read moreOPINION: Celebrities like Harvey Weinstein Take Advantage of a Biased Criminal Justice System
In the past few weeks, I took note of a particular trend in news stories about celebrities in legal trouble—one of the media’s favorite topics to cover—that highlights one of the many egregious flaws in the criminal justice system
Read moreHow Student Voter Oppression is Upending Democracy
Recent laws have been targeting college-age and student voters, a third group who have statistically aligned with the left since the election of President Donald Trump.
Read moreOPINION: The Now-Proven Danger that Vaping Poses to Youths
The narrative that “vaping is safer than cigarettes” should not be automatically believed if one is deciding to start vaping, or whether or not to continue their vaping habits.
Read moreOPINION: The Nuanced Implications of Impeachment
President Trump was unfit to be president long before he was elected, and it is time he is shown that his immorality and illegality can no longer be tolerated.
Read moreOPINION: Shane Gillis Deserves to be Fired, but it Won’t Affect His Career Anyway
Saturday Night Live recently garnered controversy when Shane Gillis, one of its three new cast members for the upcoming season, was discovered to have made racist and homophobic remarks in his podcast in 2018. On Sept. 16, four days after the announcement of his casting, Gillis was fired from the show.
Read moreOPINION: How We Talk About the Holocaust
There was nothing about Reich’s story that was any more gruesome or devastating than the stories I had heard throughout middle and high school. I was not even brought to tears by the emotions, or lack thereof, of my seatmates — both of whom had dozed off as Reich addressed the audience. I exited the auditorium swiftly after Reich concluded, wiping tears with shaken fists.
Read moreOPINION: Women's History Month in the Media: Shining the Right Spotlight
As I scrolled through my social media this past month, I became aware of the increase in female representation across the pages of well-known brands. Obviously, this was due to the fact that March was Women’s History Month, but it got me thinking about the implications that arise by limiting the celebration of women to one month out of the year.
Read moreOPINION: Why Do Skidmore Students Make Less Than Minimum Wage?
The justifications for our deflated wage seem vapid, even if the college is legally allowed to pay us that little, and I think I should be paid at least the state-mandated minimum for the work I do.
Read moreWhy the College Cheating Scandals Aren't Surprising
Legislators are implementing new proposals to rectify the illegal actions of several people, including actresses Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, to admit their kids into leading colleges and universities. Now, colleges have to investigate the fine line between donations and bribery.
Read moreNew Humanities Action Lab Class Joins a Fight for Climate Justice in Albany
Imagine you are walking down a street. To your left, you see your neighbor’s house and, to your right, a bustling gas-fired power plant that towers over the neighborhood. This is the reality for the residents of the frontline community of Sheridan Hollow – a small environmental justice neighborhood in Albany - and the NGO advocacy efforts of Sheridan Hollow Alliance for Renewable Energy (SHARE).
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