The Future is Green
As hurricanes, floods and wildfires ravage the Earth with unprecedented ferocity, it seems the desolation of humanity is fast approaching. Despite the imminent threat of irreversible climate disaster, the U.S. government remains unconcerned with what is shaping up to be the end of the world....
Neo-Blaxploitation
The majority of Black films nominated for awards focus on struggle, oppression, slavery or all of the above. This is unacceptable — Black struggle should not be exploited for clout. Hollywood is white, and it is only slowly recognizing a need for diversity. It is...
Bring Asylum Seekers to Safety
Thousands of migrants are trapped in Tijuana, with the oppressive tactics of the Border Patrol in front and the widespread violence and poverty of their homes behind them. They’ve come seeking help. Trump has the power to provide them a safe end to their journey,...
Submission: A letter to you, from the UC Student Association
Students don’t have lobbyists, don’t have focus groups, and don’t have Political Action Committees funding candidates that uplift our issues. Students are our own best advocates, and we oftentimes are the only ones advocating for ourselves. These circumstances have led to the formation of the...
This Land is Their Land
If threatening the livelihoods of marginalized people in this country is a checklist, President Donald Trump has checked most every box — and now he’s going for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. As of Sept. 7, the federal administration is trying to take away 321 acres...
Affirmative Action Must Stay
Few things are more unsettling to a privileged individual than feeling at a disadvantage. Privilege has a way of hiding itself in day-to-day life, and it is most felt when taken away or challenged. Affirmative action is a policy against privilege. It allows university hiring...
En Route to Representation
The midterm elections were a pivotal victory for progress in the U.S. Women, people of color and the LGBTQIA+ community gained more Congressional and gubernatorial seats than ever before. This is a huge step in the right direction and more should be done continue the...
Save this Garden
A company that owns several of the most profitable institutions in Santa Cruz, yet doesn’t pay its workers enough to purchase fresh produce, should not hold sway over how their community feeds themselves. The Beach Flats Community Garden is a verdant square in the quilt...
Gender Identity Theft
There are 1.4 million recorded transgender people living in the U.S. As far as the Trump administration is concerned, their lives don’t exist. An October 2018 memo from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) revealed the department’s intentions to restrict Title IX’s definition...
White Supremacy Must be Condemned
We need to rebrand what a terrorist looks like. Because right now, when someone mentions the word “terrorist,” the image that comes to people’s minds sure as hell isn’t a white man emboldened by the president of the U.S. to commit homicide. About 3,517 people...