Refugees in the UK Face an Uncertain Future
In an unexpected move this week, the United Kingdom (UK) was granted permission by a High Court in London to send any asylum seekers to Rwanda. The UK government claims this new process will deter human traffickers and stop migrants from making dangerous treks to the UK. Some human rights groups believe the UK's new policy violates the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, which hinges on the principle of non-refoulement. What is non-refoulement, and how is the United Nations responding to the UK's decision?
"America is a Gun"
In an emotional scene in the 2018 horror movie A Quiet Place, Emily Blunt and John Krasinski talk about how to protect their children from the monsters that have descended on their town. In a moment of exasperation, she asks him, "Who are we if we can't protect them?" U.S. politicians should be asking themselves the same question this week. On May 24, before the U.S. could recover from shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Southern California, an 18-year-old man charged into an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and killed 21 people, primarily children. The surviving children's accounts have been harrowing. Countries like New Zealand and Scotland have proven that we can protect children from gun violence. So, who are we if we continue to choose not to?
"We Must Be the Authors of the History of Our Age"
This week, world leaders honored the first woman to hold the role of U.S. Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright. She passed away at the age of 84 on March 23, 2022. As the child of Czech refugees who fled oppression and violence during World War II, she was keenly aware of the power of warmly welcoming newcomers to the United States. In 2012, when President Obama awarded Albright the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he told this story: “Once, at a naturalization ceremony, an Ethiopian man came up to her and said, ‘Only in America can a refugee meet the Secretary of State.’ And she replied, ‘Only in America can a refugee become the Secretary of State.’” Diverse perspectives are paramount to creating inclusive foreign policies. Why does gender inclusion matter in international affairs? Sweden has the answer.
Justice for Breonna Taylor
On March 13, 2020, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was killed by three Louisville, Kentucky police officers who were executing a no-knock warrant. Brett Hankison, Myles Cosgrove, and Jonathan Mattingly forcibly entered her home, unannounced, in the middle of the night while she was asleep with her boyfriend, Kenneth Walker. Terrified of possible armed intruders, Walker fired a warning shot. In response, the officers unleashed a barrage of bullets, killing Taylor and jeopardizing her neighbors' safety as bullets pierced a wall in her apartment. To date, none of the officers have been charged with Taylor's death. This month, her family, celebrities, and civil rights advocates have renewed calls for the U.S. Department of Justice to charge the officers. How can we help?
United for Ukraine
As the world watches the horrors of war unfold in Ukraine, people are searching for ways to help Ukrainians and other refugees fleeing from Russia's violent attacks. What do we need to know about the situation in Ukraine and how can we help?
Banned Together
A Tennessee school district's decision to ban Maus, Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel about the Holocaust, made front-page news yesterday. According to National Public Radio (NPR), the American Library Association (ALA) found that "attempts to ban school library books was 67% higher in September 2021 than in September 2020." Which books are the targets and why?