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U.S. President Joe Biden and the CDC are appealing to Americans to maintain social distancing measures and mask wearing – even as an end to the pandemic may be in sight – to prevent another spike in cases.
On the heels of their defeat in Congress and the White House, Republicans across the country have advanced controversial voting bills â most notably in Georgia. Senate Bill 202, which Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law last week, contains a number of provisions that many consider to be a deterrent to voting â along with an option that would allow officials essentially to overturn the vote. Stacey Abrams, founder of Fair Fight, called the bill âa redux of Jim Crow in a suit and tie. â Her comments bring to mind past events that helped to birth Jim Crow. Why We Wrote This Hi...
As lines at local food pantries began stretching around the block during the pandemic, community fridges emerged as a grassroots response – neighbors feeding neighbors. Community fridges let anyone give and take food freely. To Mark Bucher, a restaurant owner in Washington, D.C., the appeal of a place to provide free meals was simple: an opportunity to care for others. Why We Wrote This Can meeting a neighbor’s need help stabilize an entire community? That’s what some in the community fridge movement are aiming for. Second in a series about hunger in America. Because some sidewalk fridg...
Portrait of a criminal In the documentary “The Painter and the Thief,” Czech artist Barbora Kysilkova confronts a man who was arrested for stealing her paintings from a gallery. The man in the courtroom has intimidating tattoos and a drug addiction. But Ms. Kysilkova looks beyond his appearance. “I saw a naked soul standing there,” she says. So she befriends him. Shortlisted in February for an Academy Award, the gritty documentary, available on Hulu and Amazon Prime Video (which recommends it for those 18 and older), observes the healing effect that her nonjudgmental love has on the t...
Jérémy Gabriel was diagnosed at birth with Treacher Collins syndrome, which affected his facial structure and ability to hear. But after multiple surgeries, he learned to sing and achieved local fame. In Quebec he needed no introduction; he was “Le Petit Jérémy.” In 2010, Mike Ward, a stand-up comic, took aim at Quebec’s “sacred cows,” including Le Petit Jérémy, in his routines. He said that when he found out the child wasn’t dying, he tried to kill him. The bit, while mean, especially when heard today, was popular with audiences. Why We Wrote This