Dan Shore is an opera composer and the author of Freedom Ride, an opera set in New Orleans in 1961. The opera tells a story of the Freedom Riders, young civil rights activists who risked their lives to desegregate interstate travel. The opera premiered in February 2020 with Chicago Opera Theater, directed by Tazewell Thompson, conducted by Lidiya Yankovskaya, and starring soprano Dara Rahming. The opera was inspired by …
How many small actions (like Emily Feiner’s civil disobedience at a Mike Lawler townhall) are “making a dent” in the MAGA onslaught. Two weeks ago, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) held a congressional town hall meeting in Somers, a small suburban town in northern Westchester County. Even though his team imposed a set of ridiculous requirements on attendees—that they had to prove they were residents of the district, that they couldn’t …
Jess Fisher is a graphic designer and liturgical artist. She served for a time as Digital Minister at the Washington D.C. Presbyterian Church of the Pilgrims, which introduces its website with the title “Where all are pilgrims, but none is a stranger.” The church, under the leadership of Rev. Erin Counihan, has joined with the Washington Interfaith Staff Community in organizing “Faithful Witness Wednesdays,” weekly vigils at the Capitol “call[ing] on Congress to …
May 15, 2025 While the Trump administration has initiated dangerous Executive Orders and policy changes at a dizzying pace, it has been countered at every step by litigation. And while the administration has succeeded in cowing some top law firms from challenging its edicts, there remain many attorneys, and legal organizations, that are uncowed and unbowed, and who have been steadfastly committed to using every legal means …
Early this month, on May 8th, I went to a “community impact hearing” called by Letitia James, the New York Attorney General. At Westchester Community College, just down the road from my home, James, along with Attorneys General of California, Rob Bonta, Illinois, Kwame Raoul, Minnesota Keith Ellison, and New Jersey, Matt Platken, as well as my Congressman, George Latimer, gave impassioned speeches criticizing the authoritarian actions of …
Note: This statement, written by Daeun Kim on December 7, was then circulated at Indiana University, Bloomington as an open letter under the heading “Students and Researchers for President Yoon’s Impeachment.” The statement was quickly signed by 38 supporters, and it represents the sentiments of those signatories, and does not represent the official stance of Indiana University Bloomington or the Korean Student Association (KSA). The statement can be …
Photo: ‘Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea signing resolution approving the Impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol,’ 14 December 2024. 대한민국 국회, KOGL Type 1 , via Wikimedia Commons. Source. On the evening of Tuesday, December 3, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shocked his country and the world by declaring martial law. In a televised address, he declared that the Democratic Party, which holds a majority of seats in the …
Today, I want to talk about the word democracy—a term we think we know and even believe in, but we don’t always take a moment to consider what it truly implies and what it should mean to us. In its simplest terms, democracy can be defined as “rule by the people.” But when we look at this definition, it is quite vague. If you were to build a …
In confrontation with the democratic crisis in South Korea, I would like to talk about two forms of politics: the politics of cynicism and the politics of hope. The politics of cynicism tries to make people believe that active participation of ordinary citizens are useless, meaningless, and not effective in democratic societies. It argues that politics is work for a few elites – politicians, representatives and the so-called …
Photo credit: Badri Okujava. Introduction: A Nation at the Edge Georgia stands at a pivotal moment in its modern history. Since late October this year, protests against the government’s suppression of the opposition, election rigging, and suspension of the country’s EU membership talks have evolved into nationwide outrage resisting the authoritarian regime imposed by the Georgian Dream (GD) party. Unlike previous demonstrations, such as those opposing the Russian-style …
