Education Jun 22 COVID 'knocked the wind out of' Navajo Nation, its colleges. Here's how they're recovering Many tribal colleges and universities are located in remote areas and often serve older and low-income American Indian students. Many lack access to basic necessities like internet and running water, making learning during the pandemic especially difficult. As Stephanie Sy…
Health Jun 21 COVID, police violence took an excessive toll on Black Americans' psyche. Can they heal? COVID-19 has taken a disproportionate physical toll on people of color — especially Black Americans, who are nearly three times as likely to be hospitalized and twice as likely to die from it than whites. Experts are now also warning…
Nation Jun 17 Two children lost loved ones to gun violence. They're now each other's 'safe haven' The first five months of this year suggest it could be the worst year for mass shootings in decades. More than 8,000 people have been killed by gunfire, according to The Washington Post and Gun Violence Archive. The Post's ongoing…
Nation Jun 07 Pipeline battle brews in Minnesota between Indigenous tribes and a major oil company A protracted stand-off between a major oil company and northern Indigenous American tribes intensified this week over the construction of a pipeline in Minnesota. Tara Houska, an attorney, founder of the advocacy organization Giniw Collective and a member of the…
Nation May 27 How ATF's culture of leniency, lack of oversight allows 'wayward' gun shops to stay open A new investigation by USA Today and The Trace finds that the ATF, the federal body policing the gun industry, is "frequently toothless and conciliatory," goes easy on "wayward dealers" and sometimes allows guns to "flow into the hands of…
Nation May 26 Can Black, Asian Americans move past historical animosity in the interest of solidarity? The recent show of solidarity among Black and Asian American activists belies a fraught history. Can the communities now work side by side? Stephanie Sy explores the question with Tamara Nopper, a sociologist at New York University’s Center for Critical…
Politics May 18 Republican Maricopa County official decries the 'big lie' behind third vote audit An order to audit the 2020 vote by the Republican-controlled state senate in Arizona has been opposed by several members of the county board of supervisors, who say the process has made Arizona a "laughing stock" and it's time to…
World May 17 Families faced with death, destruction amid Israeli-Hamas conflict in Gaza The battle between the Israeli military and Hamas militants has now entered a second week, as calls mount for an immediate cease-fire. So far, the violence has killed more than 200 Palestinians in Gaza, and another 10 people in Israel.
Nation May 17 Should Native Americans control national parks? Examining an argument for reparations Trekking to and through a national park is one of the joys of an American summer. As COVID restrictions lift, millions are expected to explore the great outdoors. Now, a provocative article examines the deeper history of how these parks…
Politics May 06 Exploring the 'unprecedented,' secretive efforts to review millions of ballots in Arizona Though the 2020 presidential election is six months behind us, a review of nearly 2.1 million ballots in Arizona's largest county is currently underway, ordered by the state's Republican-led Senate. Stephanie Sy explores the growing controversy and what it means…