Guests
Louisiana’s racism isn’t confined to history; it’s also present today | Tammy C. Barney
Is Louisiana racist? I pose this question because I was perplexed when U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), proclaimed on national television last week that America is not racist. Scott, the lone Black Republican in the Senate, made this declaration during his Republican response to President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of […]
It’s time for Louisiana to end juvenile life without parole | Demario Davis & Stan Van Gundy
Thirty years ago, the United Nations issued the Convention on the Rights of the Child in which it outlined various protections that should be extended to all individuals under 18, including protection from being sentenced to life imprisonment. Yet the United States, which prides itself on guaranteeing all citizens the unalienable right to life, liberty […]
The tireless protesting that followed the murder of George Floyd should give us hope | Shawn Anglim & Kahlida Lloyd
As we write this on Tuesday, April 20, we are filled with many emotions — and even an emptiness. We have a feeling of relief that there was a just verdict in the State of Minnesota’s case against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. A jury convicted Chauvin of three counts — second-degree murder, third-degree […]
Trans Day of Visibility offers chance for community to stand in solidarity and support | Jay A. Irwin
Visibility within the transgender community is often a Catch-22, especially for trans people of color, or those living in rural, conservative areas. Hiding one’s identity can be a damaging experience and increase feelings of isolation, stigma and shame. But standing out as a trans person can make someone a target for discrimination or violence. As […]
Keep your masks on, and give me some space, please; COVID-19 is still with us | Tammy C. Barney
To wear or not to wear a mask, why is this still a question? As much as we want our lives to return to normal, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over. Not everyone has been vaccinated, herd immunity has not developed, and COVID-19 variants are still out there. Now is not the time to throw […]
During pandemic, Louisiana’s children move from bad to worse
Louisiana children are suffering. They are hungry. They don’t have the tools needed for remote learning. And their families can’t pay their bills. A recent Save the Children report ranks our state dead last when it comes to protecting and providing for our children during the pandemic. And this state wasn’t protecting our children before […]
Going the way of the Whigs: Zachary Taylor and the current political crisis
by Keith Edgerton for the Daily Montanan Lost in the avalanche of images that has bombarded us since this month’s Capitol insurrection, was one of a small, blood-smeared, white marble bust of our 12th president, Zachary Taylor. Perhaps like many Americans you slept through history class when the course breezed through that brief sixteen-month period when […]
Violent extremists stand with Donald Trump — as do many of my Marine buddies
We will remember the attacks of Jan. 6 with the same horror as we remember the terrorist attacks of 9/11. While there was far less loss of life at the U.S. Capitol, our loss of national dignity was far worse. We know President Trump incited and encouraged the mob that perpetrated the attack. During the […]
We’ve got to talk to our children about Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol
By Victor Jones My 6-year-old daughter had trouble sleeping Wednesday night, and was unable to say why. Just like me, my daughter is highly sensitive and intuitive to the energies surrounding us. We both can innately tell when something is off. On Thursday, she gave voice to her intuition. “Daddy, something is wrong,” she said. […]
Monument to segregationist E.D. White should be removed, not placed next to Chief Justice Bernette Johnson’s museum
Guest column by Okyeame Haley On Saturday, Jan 2., in true pandemic fashion, admirers of Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson drove around the Louisiana Supreme Court building in New Orleans’ French Quarter to honor her retirement as the first African-American woman on the Louisiana Supreme Court and the first African-American chief justice. I was happy […]
The Good, Bad and Ugly in 2020 Louisiana politics
No year in recent memory offered Louisiana’s political leaders more opportunity to shine than 2020. If the state’s citizens ever needed those who manage their government institutions to provide courageous policies and competent leadership, the year past was it. Fortunately, Louisiana had some such leaders. Unfortunately, too many failed the test, cultivated their own narrow […]
What is a modRNA vaccine and is it safe?
by Trish Zornio, Colorado Newsline December 16, 2020 The first COVID-19 vaccine is now authorized for emergency distribution, yet only 58% of Americans are willing to take it. It’s like racing to build Apollo 11, but Neil Armstrong refuses to get on board. Who doesn’t want to go to space? This is where the scientist […]