A 2-Pronged Assault on Women

A 2-Pronged Assault on Women

We heard a lot about the “war on women” during the 2012 election cycle — mostly over Republican attacks on abortion rights and birth control. While the phrase has faded in this election year go-round, the war on women has not. The only change is that now...
We Live in a Democracy, Not a Theocracy

We Live in a Democracy, Not a Theocracy

It wasn’t so long ago when one of the most powerful justifications wielded in support of segregation was religious belief. Throughout the American South, state-sanctioned Jim Crow laws legally separated blacks from whites. Schools were segregated. Restaurants...
Trump’s Bad Ideas Aren’t Un-American After All

Trump’s Bad Ideas Aren’t Un-American After All

Readers of The Boston Globe were recently treated to an unusual spectacle — a parody front page and insert filled with mock stories of how a Donald Trump presidency might play out. “Deportations to Begin… Riots Continue,” read one headline, riffing on the...
Getting to the Point

Getting to the Point

Food writer Michael Pollan once jammed the essence of his work into seven words: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” His brevity inspired me as the managing editor of OtherWords, a non-profit editorial service that distributes opinion pieces and editorial...
Free From Jail, Imprisoned by Debt

Free From Jail, Imprisoned by Debt

At 36, Marcus White has spent half of his life in prison. Today he’s no longer behind bars, but now he’s imprisoned by something else: debt. When White was sentenced, he was saddled with $5,800 in criminal fines and fees. By the time he was released, he...