Is Performative Activism Really Activism?
After the killing of George Floyd, America was once again ignited by the Black Lives Matter Movement. On June 2, 2020, digital activists took it upon themselves to spread awareness through #BlackoutTuesday all across social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. By posting a black square on their stories, these activists wanted to showcase their solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. However, their attempt to amplify the voices of African Americans who had experienced police brutality through posting black squares only trivialized the issue.
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Congress Narrowly Avoided Another Federal Government Shutdown
While a last-minute bipartisan deal staved off a shutdown, it came at a cost - McCarthy's speakership. As the nation watches a new speaker ascend, the future of the Republican Party hangs in the balance, with potential repercussions for critical issues like federal funding.
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Equality through the Lens of Disability Voting Rights Fight
In three months, I will be eligible to vote for the first time. But as a disabled person, will I really be able to? Complications from my disability could mean that in some states I would be excluded from the voting process.
There are over 38 million disabled voters in the United States. However, systemic voting inaccessibility is a still a reality in many states and at many polling places for the disabled community. As a result, there are consequential gaps in voter turn-out between disabled and able-bodied voters, approximately a 7 percent disparity. With barriers such as absentee ballot restrictions, lack of assistive technology, and physical obstacles, such as stairs and long lines, many disabled voters are left behind. With the recent Disability Voting Rights Week, it is vital that we acknowledge the scourge on democracy that this voter disenfranchisement causes.
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Absentee Ballots Mean Disability Voting Access
Imagine wanting to vote, while sitting in a wheelchair at your polling place, looking up at an insurmountable flight of stairs. For many disabled people, absentee ballots are the difference between voting and not voting. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, at least 30 states made it much easier to vote by absentee ballot, adding to the several other states that had already been encouraging no-excuse absentee ballots.
Unfortunately, as a backlash to expanded voting options during the height of the pandemic, many states have passed laws recently that curtail voting accessibility, including some laws that the judiciary has found to be in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
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Biden Announces a New Office of Gun Violence Prevention.
Over the past couple of years, the United States has become increasingly unsafe, with the US surpassing 500 mass shootings in 2023 alone, and around 31 of those shootings have been in schools, according to the Gun Violence Archive. This has led to guns being the leading cause of death for young people in America.
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Interview with Fatima Iqbal Zubair
On October 14th the High School Democrats of America Muslim Caucus Spoke with Fatima Iqbal Zubair. She is the current Progressive Caucus Chair of the California Democratic Party and ran for the California State Assembly to represent District 65. In her first run in 2020 she was notably endorsed by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. She ran again in 2022, and although she wasn’t successful in either run she has remained a dedicated public servant.
Here, Fatima speaks about her experiences running for office and public advocacy. As well as how being a Muslim Woman and a first generation immigrant have affected her work and decision-making.
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It’s Time for a Blue New Deal for Our Oceans
Initially, CNN’s September 2019 climate change town halls felt like nothing more than a flurry of recycled and oft-repeated, albeit bold, ideas. Candidates, throughout each of their allotted hours, told similar stories, cited identical statistics, and recited the same prognostications about our futures. Despite actually caring a great deal about climate change, I almost could not resist the urge to change the channel. That is, until I came across one moment from Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren’s town hall.
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Diversity For The Sake Of Diversity Is Not Diversity At All
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." To this day, Martin Luther King Jr's powerful words resonate, as in all aspects of life, whether it be in business, politics, or any other sphere, it is important to prioritize picking the best candidate possible while understanding that diversity and merit can coexist simultaneously. Throughout the twenty-first century, Democrats have taken the lead in championing diversity and inclusion, while Republicans have fallen behind, seemingly by design. Democrats have passed significant diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation and have consistently demonstrated their commitment to achieving equal representation in all walks of life.
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Gen Z’s Engagement in Politics is More Important Than Ever
As one of the newest generations, Generation Z (‘Gen Z’) will be the people to inherit the world, so it’s more important than ever for them to vote. Over the past couple of years the world has changed drastically. Gen Z kids have grown up during extreme life altering events, social movements, a global pandemic and the national divide that followed. Since the 2020 presidential election the political climate has changed drastically making it critical for Gen Z to understand what they are voting for and their political identity.
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Hot McDonald’s Coffee and the Power Dynamic of SLAPP Suits
In June of this year, 83-year-old Mable Childress bought a cup of coffee from a San Francisco McDonald’s and spilled it over herself. According to the National Public Radio, Childress subsequently filed a lawsuit against McDonald’s, with her attorney Dylan Hackett claiming that “workers were negligent for improperly securing Childress' coffee cup lid and that she continues to suffer from pain and emotional distress as a result of the incident,” pain of which coming from burns “on her stomach, groin and leg area and left scarring on her groin.”
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