The Conversation

When France extorted Haiti – the greatest heist in history

Written by Marlene Daut, Professor of African Diaspora Studies, University of Virginia

Haitian President Jean-Pierre Boyer receiving Charles X's decree recognizing Haitian independence on July 11, 1825.Bibliotheque Nationale de France

In the wake of George Floyd’s killing, there have been calls for defunding police departments and demands for the removal of statues. The issue of reparations for slavery has also resurfaced.

Much...

Why soldiers can't claim conscientious objection if ordered to suppress protests

Written by Dwight Stirling, Lecturer in Law, University of Southern California

National Guard members and protesters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 20, 2020. Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images

President Trump’s order that National Guard should “dominate” the streets of Washington, D.C., during recent protests troubled at least a few of the men and women compelled to do the dominating.

Most of the 84,000 Guard members...

As Arizona coronavirus cases surge from early reopening, Indigenous nations suffer not only more COVID-19 but also the blame

Written by Lisa Hardy, Associate Professor of Anthropology and Director of the Social Science Community Engagement Lab, Northern Arizona University

At the Navajo Nation town of Fort Defiance, Arizona, staff pack food boxes. The Navajo Nation now has the highest per capita COVID-19 infection rate in the U.S. Getty Images / Mark Ralston

In the days before Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey changed course by urging people to stay home, Scottsdale city councilman Guy Phillips donned a face covering and...

How small towns are responding to the global pandemic

Written by Leah Kemp, Director and Primary Researcher, Fred Carl Jr. Small Town Center; Adjunct Professor of Architecture, Mississippi State University

Patrons eat outside at a small cafe in West Reading, Pennsylvania, as the community begins to reopen.Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images

Before the global pandemic hit, small towns across America were dealing with struggling economies, aging roads and bridges, and declining populations.

The coronavirus added new challenges,...

COVID-19 messes with Texas: What went wrong, and what other states can learn as younger people get sick

Written by Murray J. Côté, Associate Professor of Health Policy and Management, Texas A&M University

On June 26, Texas' governor ordered bars to close as COVID-19 case numbers spiked, particularly among younger adults. This Houston bar, photographed in late May, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/eightrowflint/photos/a.1522124678099822/2538983929747220/">voluntarily shut down</a> shortly before the order after two staff members tested...

National parks – even Mount Rushmore – show that there's more than one kind of patriotism

Written by Jennifer Ladino, Professor of English, University of Idaho

To some Americans, the figures on Mount Rushmore are patriotic leaders; to others, they're colonizers. AP Photo/Stephen Groves

July 4th will be quieter than usual this year, thanks to COVID-19. Many U.S. cities are canceling fireworks displays to avoid drawing large crowds that could promote the spread of coronavirus.

But President Trump is...

How racism in US health system hinders care and costs lives of African Americans

Written by Tamika C.B. Zapolski, Associate Professor of Pyschology, IUPUI

Mortality rates for COVID-19 are two to three times higher for African Americans than whites.Getty Images/EyeEm/Robin Gentry

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the U.S., the virus hit African Americans disproportionately hard. African Americans are still contracting the illness – and dying from it – at rates twice as high as would be...

Money talks: Big business, political strategy and corporate involvement in US state politics

Written by Richard A. Devine, American University

Protesters rally to have Colorado's then-incoming governor put an up-to-nine-month moratorium on oil and gas development.Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images

Political spending by corporations is big business.

As one corporate executive with experience in business-government relations says, “A company that is dependent on...

As professional sports come back, members of the US women's soccer team are still paid less than the men's

Written by Julie Manning Magid, Professor of Business Law, IUPUI

Fans rally for the U.S. women's soccer team.Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

The U.S. women’s soccer team reported being “shocked and disappointed” by a federal judge’s dismissal in May of the team’s lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation.

The lawsuit alleged discriminatory pay practices by the federation between...

Fast food is comforting, but in low-income areas it crowds out fresher options

Written by Catherine Keske, Associate Professor, Management of Complex Systems, University of California, Merced

Many Americans find comfort in familiar fast-food meals, but they undercut local food security.Getty Images

Many Americans take comfort in the routine of jumping into the car and grabbing a burger. They choose restaurants with familiar faces behind the counter. They even yearn for a favorite “greasy spoon” diner while having to cook for...