The Conversation

Smartphone witnessing becomes synonymous with Black patriotism after George Floyd's death

Written by Allissa V. Richardson, Assistant Professor of Journalism, University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism

Protesters against racist police violence encounter police in Washington, D.C., on May 31.Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

A flashbulb emits a high-pitched hum. A photograph of the legendary 19th-century abolitionist and newspaperman Frederick Douglass fades in on-screen.

We hear the “Hamilton” alumnus actor Daveed Diggs before we see...

How deadly is COVID-19? A biostatistician explores the question

Written by Ronald D. Fricker, Jr., Professor of Statistics and Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Administration, Virginia Tech

The number of confirmed and probable deaths from COVID-19 in New York City was 23,247 as of July 10, which is more than eight times the number who died in the 9/11 attack.Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images

The latest statistics, as of July 10, show COVID-19-related deaths in U.S. are just under 1,000 per day nationally, which is down from a peak...

Coronavirus's painful side effect is deep budget cuts for state and local government services

Written by Carla Flink, Assistant Professor of Public Administration and Policy, American University

Washington state cut both merit raises and instituted furloughs as it faced a projected $8.8 billion budget deficit because of the coronavirus.Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

Nationwide, state and local government leaders are warning of major budget cuts as a result of the pandemic. One state – New York – even referred to...

Supreme Court upholds American Indian treaty promises, orders Oklahoma to follow federal law

Written by Kirsten Carlson, Associate Professor of Law and Adjunct Associate Professor of Political Science, Wayne State University

The eastern part of Oklahoma, about half of the state's total land, was granted by Congress to Native American tribes in the 19th century, and is still under tribal sovereignty, the Supreme Court has ruled.Kmusser, based on 1890s data/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA

Land in eastern Oklahoma that the United States promised to the Creek Nation in an 1833...

How one woman pulled off the first consumer boycott – and helped inspire the British to abolish slavery

Written by Tom Zoellner, Professor of English, Chapman University

An illustration of a sugar plantation in Antigua.The British Library, CC BY-ND

While many companies have trumpeted their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, others are beginning to face consumer pressure for not appearing to do enough.

For example, some people are advocating a consumer boycott of Starbucks over an internal memo that...

How talking about the coronavirus as an enemy combatant can backfire

Written by Tabitha Moses, MD/PhD Candidate, Wayne State University

Big, tough and strong is only helpful when you're fighting other people.Sergi Rodriguez Lopez/EyeEm via Getty Images

We see this war reflected in the language that gets used by politicians, policymakers, journalists and healthcare workers.

As the “invisible enemy” rolled in, entire economies halted as populations “sheltered in...

In changing urban neighborhoods, new food offerings can set the table for gentrification

Written by Joshua Sbicca, Associate Professor of Sociology, Colorado State University

Residents of Denver's Five Points neighborhood protest in 2017 outside a coffee shop that posted a sign celebrating gentrification.Patrick Traylor/The Denver Post via Getty Images

When new residents and businesses move into low-income neighborhoods, they often deny that they are displacing current residents. In a striking exception, a coffee shop...

Millennials drive for 8% fewer trips than older generations

Written by Tom Lyon, Dow Professor of Sustainable Science, Technology and Commerce; Professor of Business Economics; Public Policy Professor of Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan

Millennials are less likely to drive than older generations.John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images

CC BY-ND

Millennials – typically defined as those born between 1981 and 1996 – have gotten a lot of press, both positive and negative.

Some argue that they are more public-spirited and less materialistic than baby boomers. Others say they...

Suicide of Egyptian activist Sarah Hegazi exposes the 'freedom and violence' of LGBTQ Muslims in exile

Written by Ahmad Qais Munhazim, Assistant Professor of Global Studies, Thomas Jefferson University

A memorial to Egyptian activist Sarah Hegazi in Amsterdam, June 19, 2020. Romy Arroyo Fernandez/NurPhoto via Getty Images

LGBTQ communities worldwide are mourning the death of 30-year-old Sarah Hegazi, a queer Egyptian activist who ended her life on June 14, 2020.

Hegazi, who had been jailed for promoting what the Egyptian state called...

Black deaths matter: The centuries-old struggle to memorialize slaves and victims of racism

Written by Vicki Daniel, Teaching Fellow and Instructor of History, Case Western Reserve University

The Say Their Names Cemetery commemorating the lives of black victims of police violence.Brandon Bell/Getty Images

In an open lot just a block or so from where George Floyd was killed while being detained by officers, 100 plastic headstones were carefully placed.

Created by artists Anna Barber and Connor Wright, the “Say Their Names Cemetery&rd...