Dignity in death: When Black Americans fight against racism from beyond the grave
By David B. Parker, Professor of History, Kennesaw State University A news story was published recently about a Black cemetery in Buckhead, a prosperous Atlanta community. The cemetery broke ground almost two centuries ago, in 1826, as the graveyard of Piney Grove...
Ministry at the Border: When faith calls for helping migrants while the law explicitly forbids it
By Laura E. Alexander, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Goldstein Family Community Chair in Human Rights, University of Nebraska Omaha Many religious traditions preach the need to care for strangers. But what happens when caring for the stranger comes into...
Flash droughts: Farmers face a soaring risk in every major food-growing region as water becomes scarce
By Jeff Basara, Associate Professor of Meteorology, University of Oklahoma; and Jordan Christian, Postdoctoral Researcher in Meteorology, University of Oklahoma Flash droughts develop fast, and when they hit at the wrong time, they can devastate a region’s...
Aging America: With fewer children being born Baby Boomers push national median age higher
The United States grew older, faster, last decade. The share of residents 65 or older grew by more than a third from 2010 to 2020 and at the fastest rate of any decade in 130 years, while the share of children declined, according to new figures from the most recent...
Why Americans move to Republican-dominated Red States for a cheaper lifestyle but shorter life
By Robert Samuels, Continuing Lecturer in Writing, University of California, Santa Barbara The United States is an increasingly polarized country when it comes to politics, but one thing that almost all people want is to live a long and healthy life. More and more...
Nostalgia sells: How marketers are cashing in on the sentimental brands of yesteryear
Nostalgia sells and marketers know it, having used the brands of yesteryear fully aware that consumers will open their wallets to scratch that sentimental itch. Those oldies but goodies keep popping up today, but increasingly with a twist. Companies continue to...
Seeking meaning with technology: Why Gen Z is drawn to old digital cameras to express themselves
By Tim Gorichanaz, Assistant Teaching Professor of Information Studies, Drexel University The latest digital cameras boast ever-higher resolutions, better performance in low light, smart focusing and shake reduction. And they are built right into your smartphone. Even...
The explicit nature of images and what obligations portrait photographers have to their subject
By Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator, Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona What obligation does a portrait photographer have to their subject? Is it their duty to cast that person in the best light, or the most revealing light? As chief curator at the...
Beloved and debated: The French bulldog becomes top dog breed in America for first time in 30 years
For the first time in three decades, the U.S. has a new favorite dog breed, according to the American Kennel Club. Adorable in some eyes, deplorable in others, the sturdy, push-faced, perky-eared, world-weary-looking and distinctively droll French bulldog became the...
Darwin and Domestication: How animals living with humans evolved from their wild ancient ancestors
By Ben Thomas Gleeson, Doctoral Candidate, Australian National University; and Laura A. B. Wilson, ARC Future Fellow, Australian National University In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was one of the first to notice something interesting about domesticated animals:...
Climate Skepticism: Remembering when conservative evangelicals supported environmental stewardship
By Neall Pogue, Assistant Professor of Instruction, University of Texas at Dallas White conservative evangelicals, who make up most of the religious right movement, largely oppose government regulation to protect the environmental initiatives, including efforts to...
Bayard Rustin: The often-forgotten civil rights activist and man of unwavering compassion
By Jerald Podair, Professor of History, Lawrence University As I began writing “Bayard Rustin: American Dreamer,” my biography of the 20th-century radical leader and activist, one of my colleagues cautioned me not to “fall in love.” This, of course, is good advice for...
