The Conversation

This Passover, as in the past, will be a time to recognize tragedies and offer hope for the future

Written by Samuel L. Boyd, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Jewish Studies, University of Colorado Boulder

A Jewish family gathers in person and over video conferencing for Passover celebrations in 2020.Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Jewish families will gather for Passover this year in circumstances that will, like the celebration itself, reflect on dark times while holding out for better to come.

The holiday lasts from the evening of March 27 to the evening of...

Civics education isn't boosting youth voting or volunteerism

Written by John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College

These students at the University of Pittsburgh urged their peers to vote in the 2020 presidential election.Aaron Jackendoff/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

After the insurrection, the impeachment, the trial and ongoing partisanship in 2021, many Americans are looking to civics education as a source of hope, according to George Washington...

The US has never had much of a pilgrimage tradition – perhaps now is the opportunity

Written by James Mills, Associate Professor of Geography and Environmental Sustainability, State University of New York at Oneonta

Sites of pilgrimages are few and far between in the U.S.Thomas A. Ferrara/Newsday RM via Getty Images

One feature of the pandemic has been the curtailment of a practice that for millennia has provided an outlet for healing in times of crisis: pilgrimage.

From restrictions on the Hajj for Muslims to the Catholic pilgrimage to Lourdes going virtual,...

When can kids get the COVID-19 vaccine? A pediatrician answers 5 questions parents are asking

Written by James B. Wood, Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine

Vaccine trials are just getting started for younger children.FGTrade via Getty Images

A big question among parents and teachers as more schools reopen is when their kids will be vaccinated against COVID-19. Some have wondered whether the vaccine is even necessary for children. Dr. James Wood, a pediatrician and assistant professor of pediatric...

US museums hold the remains of thousands of Black people

Written by Delande Justinvil, Doctoral Student in Anthropology, American University

Museums across the U.S., including at Harvard University, collected human remains, which were often displayed to the public.Smith Collection/Gado/Archive Photos via Getty Images

Among the human remains in Harvard University’s museum collections are those of 15 people who were probably enslaved African American people. Earlier this year, the...

Raising the minimum wage is a health issue, too

Written by Utibe Effiong, Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician and Public Health Scientist, MidMichigan Health, University of Michigan

More than 22 million Americans lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic. Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

Congress just missed one of its best shots at improving health when the Senate failed to advance a bill that would have raised the minimum wage to US$15 an hour. Study after study has linked higher income to better health.

Consider that a...

Meisha Porter is the first Black woman chancellor of NYC schools – here are the challenges she will face

Written by Stanley S. Litow, Visting Professor of the Pratice, Public Policy, Duke University

New York City schools chancellor Meisha Porter speaks at a press conference.Photographer/Mayoral Photography Office, CC BY-NC-ND

Meisha Porter on March 15 became the first Black woman selected as chancellor of the New York City public school system. Here, Stanley S. Litow, former deputy chancellor of the city’s school system, explains the...

Unequal treatment for college women's basketball players has deep historical roots

Written by Lindsey Darvin, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, State University of New York College at Cortland

Fight for equity in women's college sports has been a decadeslong battle.Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images

When college women basketball players began to post photos and videos of how they got less food, less accurate COVID-19 testing and less exercise equipment in the NCAA March Madness Tournament bubbles than their male counterparts, a sense of...

How to improve public health, the environment and racial equity all at once: Upgrade low-income housing

Written by Jonathan Levy, Professor and Chair, Department of Environmental Health, Boston University

Residents of the Jacob Riis Settlement in New York City hold photographs of leaks, mold, peeling paint and other issues during a community town hall meeting on March 7, 2019. AP Photo/Kathy Willens

During a presidential election debate on Oct. 22, 2020, former President Donald Trump railed against Democratic proposals to retrofit homes. “They...

Living with a disability is very expensive – even with government assistance

Written by Zachary Morris, Assistant Professor of Social Welfare, Stony Brook University (The State University of New York)

People with disabilities may need larger cars or specially modified ones to be able to get themselves around.Maskot/DigitalVision via Getty Images

Edward Mitchell is 34 years old and lives in Jackson, Tennessee, with a spinal cord injury caused by a hit-and-run accident that happened when he was 17. He has plenty of expenses that all Americans...