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The Conversation

Democracy
The 2020 uprisings, unprecedented in scope, join a long river of struggle in America

The 2020 uprisings, unprecedented in scope, join a long river of struggle in America

The Conversation

By Matthew Countryman | – The river was the metaphor that best captured “the long, continuous movement” of the black freedom struggle for theologian, historian and civil rights activist Vincent Harding. Harding, who had served as a speechwriter for Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., wrote in his groundbreaking 1981 study of African-American history, “There is […]

African-Americans
Are White Supremacists Coming out for the Protests in Hopes of Provoking a Race War?

Are White Supremacists Coming out for the Protests in Hopes of Provoking a Race War?

The Conversation

By Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid | – As protests about police violence among black people continue and become more widespread across the U.S., certain individuals and groups have begun to stand out – including anarchists, agitators and members of a variety of far-right groups. With the country’s long history of racist killings, it may […]

Authoritarianism
Trump's use of religion follows playbook of authoritarian-leaning leaders the world over

Trump’s use of religion follows playbook of authoritarian-leaning leaders the world over

The Conversation

By Laura R. Olson | – It was a striking moment: Donald Trump, Bible in hand, posing for photos in an apparent moment of political theater made possible by the dispersal of protesters through the use of tear gas. The president’s visit to St. John’s Episcopal Church, known as “the Church of the Presidents,” came […]

Donald Trump
Can the president really order the military to occupy US cities and states?

Can the president really order the military to occupy US cities and states?

The Conversation

By Jennifer Selin | – After a week of both peaceful protests and violent chaos in the wake of George Floyd’s death, President Donald Trump announced, “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States […]

African-Americans
George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery deaths: Racism causes life-threatening conditions for black men every day

George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery deaths: Racism causes life-threatening conditions for black men every day

The Conversation

By Shervin Assari | – High-profile police shootings and deaths of black men in custody – or even while out jogging – bring cries of racism across the country. The May 25 death of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis and the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia on Feb. […]

African-Americans
Police officers accused of brutal violence often have a history of complaints by citizens

Police officers accused of brutal violence often have a history of complaints by citizens

The Conversation

By Jill McCorkel | – As protests against police violence and racism continue in cities throughout the U.S., the public is learning that several of the officers involved in the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Breonna Taylor in Louisville share a history of complaints by citizens of brutality or misconduct. Decades of research […]

African-Americans
Why cellphone videos of black people's deaths should be considered sacred, like lynching photographs

Why cellphone videos of black people’s deaths should be considered sacred, like lynching photographs

The Conversation

By Allissa V. Richardson | – As Ahmaud Arbery fell to the ground, the sound of the gunshot that took his life echoed loudly throughout his Georgia neighborhood. I rewound the video of his killing. Each time I viewed it, I was drawn first to the young black jogger’s seemingly carefree stride, which was halted […]

African-Americans
Riot or resistance? How media frames unrest in Minneapolis will shape public's view of protest

Riot or resistance? How media frames unrest in Minneapolis will shape public’s view of protest

The Conversation

Danielle K. Kilgo | – A teenager held her phone steady enough to capture the final moments of George Perry Floyd’s life as he apparently suffocated under the weight of a Minneapolis police officer’s knee on his neck. The video went viral. What happened next has played out time and again in American cities after […]

Climate Crisis
Heat the Earth more than 3.6° F. and Rain Forests will Release Hundreds of Billions of Tons of CO2

Heat the Earth more than 3.6° F. and Rain Forests will Release Hundreds of Billions of Tons of CO2

The Conversation

By Aida Cuní Sanchez and Martin Sullivan | – As they photosynthesise and grow, tropical forests remove enormous amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, reducing global warming. However, forests are also themselves affected by this warming. If it gets too hot or too dry, trees will grow less and may start to die faster, decomposing […]

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