Issue VI
Veracium / May 10th, 2021
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Hello and good day! Welcome to Veracium, a newsletter published by BLS V.O.T.E. It is currently published on our website, and details some current events, be it local, national, or global. If you're interested in helping us create our issues, please join us on Thursdays or Fridays here.
This time, we'll be covering the trial of Derek Chauvin, the life and legacy of Prince Phillip, the pandemic in India, and the blockage of the Suez Canal.
Articles
The Trial of Derek Chauvin
By Sofia Daffin (III)
Derek Chauvin at his trial, listening to his defense attorney Eric Nelson.
It’s hard to believe that nearly an entire year has passed since the fatal police incident in Minneapolis, Minnesota that claimed the life of black citizen George Floyd and sparked a global uproar of demands for justice and the defunding of the police.
After a nail-biting three weeks of hearing testimony from witnesses, medical and law enforcements experts, and members of Floyd’s family, the former white police officer, Derek Chauvin - the man who knelt on Floyd’s neck to the point of death- has been found guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter.
In the United States, where police rarely face any repercussions for violent acts committed on the job, the conviction of Derek Chauvin is a giant leap in the fight for equality and towards badly needed reforms within our criminal justice system. Let’s take a further look into the context and details of the trial, along with the arguments given by the prosecution and the defense.
On May 25th, 2020, a teenage employee at the Cup Foods convenience store called 911 after 46 year-old George Floyd had reportedly used a counterfeit $20 bill to purchase a pack of cigarettes. Floyd was arrested by Minneapolis police and within thirty minutes was pinned to the ground by three officers. With his hands cuffed behind his back, white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, despite pleas from horrified bystanders and continuing cries from Floyd that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd eventually lost consciousness and was pronounced dead about an hour later.
The videos recorded by bystanders, specifically 17 year-old Darnella Frazier, quickly spread like wildfire across the internet, igniting severe public outrage and disgust. Thousands of protests took place all over the world, calling for racial justice and police reform. It seemed that the world had already come to their own verdict, but would the United States justice system be in agreement with them?
The trial took place over the span of three weeks, from March 29th to April 20th, 2021. Whether or not Chauvin would be convicted was dependent on two essential factors: were his actions allowed under the Minneapolis Police Department, and was he the primary cause of Floyd’s death?
The prosecution argued that Floyd’s death was solely caused by the weight of Chauvin’s knee on his neck: the low oxygen levels led to arrhythmia and brain injury, causing Floyd’s heart to stop. Dr. Andrew Baker, the medical examiner who performed the original autopsy of Mr. Floyd, credited Floyd’s death to "cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression."
Law enforcement experts were brought in to testify against Chauvin's violent behavior as an acting officer. The chief of the Minneapolis Police Department, Medaria Arradondo, testified that Chauvin had violated police policy during his arrest and should have stopped using force when Floyd stopped resisting. Lieutenant Richard Zimmerman, who served for 35 years in the Minneapolis Police Department, called Chauvin’s actions ”totally unnecessary” and qualified as “deadly force.”
George Floyd, above, was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
Powerful testimonies were given from bystanders who witnessed the arrest first-hand. Now 18 year-old Darnella Frazier shared her experience, saying, “When I look at George Floyd, I look at my dad. I look at my brothers. I look at my cousins, my uncles because they are all Black. I have a Black father. I have a Black brother. I have Black friends. And I look at that, and I look at how that could have been one of them.”
In his closing statement, prosecutor Steve Schleicher concluded that Chauvin’s behavior was both cruel and indifferent. His negligence towards both the bystanders’ and Floyd’s pleas didn’t resemble that of policing, but rather murder. “The defendant is guilty of all three counts. All of them. And there’s no excuse.”
The defense, on the other hand, argued that there could have been multiple factors that lent a hand in Floyd’s death. Defense lawyer Eric Nelson argued multiple times that Floyd’s death could have been attributed to an enlarged heart. In his testimony, Dr. Andrew Baker said that Floyd’s heart condition did require more oxygen to pump blood through his system. Baker, however, clearly stated that Chauvin’s excessive force was the main cause of Floyd’s death.
Another key argument made by the defense was Floyd’s usage of drugs. According to the toxicology report, Floyd had fentanyl and methamphetamine in his system at the time of his death. Nelson’s persistent suggestions of Floyd dying from an overdose were highly criticized by medical witnesses who claimed there was simply no evidence to back this up, saying Floyd’s behavior did not align with someone who would be overdosing. Pulmonologist Martin J. Tobin stated, "A healthy person subjected to what Mr. Floyd was subjected to would have died." Dr. Andrew Baker countered, "Mr. Floyd's use of fentanyl did not cause the subdural or neck restraint; his heart disease did not cause the subdural or the neck restraint."
Dr. David Fowler, a medical witness who testified for the defense, claimed that Floyd’s death should be labeled as “undetermined,” as he believed there were multiple contributing factors that played a role in Floyd’s death. However, even Fowler admitted in the cross-examination that Floyd could have been revived had he received immediate medical attention after going into cardiac arrest.
Lastly, the defense argued that the carbon monoxide from the vehicle exhaust of the squad car contributed to Floyd’s death. This was quickly rebutted by the prosecution, as Floyd’s oxygen saturation was found to have been at a normal amount.
The defense heavily based their argument around Chauvin’s actions being committed in a highly stressful situation. The noise made by bystanders allegedly distracted Chauvin from properly acknowledging Floyd’s declining health. In the midst of such a chaotic situation, Chauvin acted, in Nelson’s words, as a “reasonable police officer” who was merely trying to do his job. If the jury were to convict Chauvin, then they would need to believe the prosecution's argument beyond a reasonable doubt. In his closing argument, Nelson stated, "Compare the evidence against itself. Test it, challenge it," saying that if the state is "missing any one single element, it is a not guilty verdict."
Chauvin himself used his Fifth Amendment right not to testify and was rarely seen showing any emotion throughout the trial.
The jury of twelve contained four black people, six white people, and two multiracial people. After deliberating for ten hours over the course of two days, the jury came to a verdict. Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the death of George Floyd.
Both sighs of relief and tears of joy were felt throughout the country as the guilty verdict was delivered. After being outraged by the unfairness of the criminal justice system for such a long time, accountability had finally been delivered, although many argue that justice can never be served in this case because, they say, real justice would require George Floyd to still be alive. Others seem to be holding back their celebrations until Chauvin’s prison sentence is announced.
Regardless, any of the joy that may have been felt about the verdict has certainly been short lived, as the number of black lives being lost at the hands of the police shows no signs of slowing down. Since Chauvin’s trial, the life of 20 year-old Daunte Wright was lost after having been shot by officer Kim Potter during a traffic stop. Potter claims she had accidentally fired her pistol instead of a taser, and has since been charged with second-degree manslaughter. 16 year-old Ma’Khia Bryant was shot and killed by police after having called 911 for help. Whether or not Chauvin’s trial will impact the police or the criminal justice system long term is undetermined, but it’s important that the general public doesn’t show satisfaction with the whole system after a single case. There is still much work to be done.
Sources:
Tim Arango, Shaila Dewan. “What to Know About the Trial of Derek Chauvin.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 Apr. 2021, www.nytimes.com/live/2021/derek-chauvin-trial-explained.
Wamsley, Laurel. “Derek Chauvin Found Guilty Of George Floyd's Murder.” NPR, NPR, 20 Apr. 2021, www.npr.org/sections/trial-over-killing-of-george-floyd/2021/04/20/987777911/court-says-jury-has-reached-verdict-in-derek-chauvins-murder-trial.
Treisman, Rachel. “Revisiting Key Moments From The Derek Chauvin Trial.” NPR, NPR, 20 Apr. 2021, www.npr.org/sections/trial-over-killing-of-george-floyd/2021/04/20/988789001/revisiting-key-moments-from-the-derek-chauvin-trial.
Eligon, John, et al. “'It Wasn't Right': Young Witnesses Offer Emotional Testimony in Chauvin Trial.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 31 Mar. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/us/george-floyd-witness-darnella-frazier.html.
Bowman, Emma. “'Finally': America Reacts To Chauvin Guilty Verdict.” NPR, NPR, 21 Apr. 2021, www.npr.org/sections/trial-over-killing-of-george-floyd/2021/04/20/989335036/finally-america-reacts-to-chauvin-guilty-verdict.
Chappell, Bill. “Ma'Khia Bryant: Police Identify Officer Who Shot Teen, Release Video Footage.” NPR, NPR, 21 Apr. 2021, www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989556698/makhia-bryant-police-identify-officer-who-shot-teen-release-video-footage.
Prince Philip: An Extraordinary Man and an Extraordinary Life
By Albert Chen (IV)
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.
On the morning of April 9, 2021 the current programming of BBC One went dark, and its presenter Martine Croxwall appeared in a black dress to announce “It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.” At the age of 99, Prince Philip had passed away at Windsor Castle. Although the Duke was known for his bluntness when speaking, which surrounded him in a pool of controversy through some of his more “intolerant” remarks, it is undoubtedly true that the world has lost an important figure.
Philip was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark on June 10, 1921 on the dining room table in the villa of Mon Repos on the island of Corfu in Greece. His parents had met during the 1901 funeral of Queen Victoria, who was the great grandmother of Philip’s mother: Prince Alice of Battenberg (eventually anglicised into Mountbatten). As a child, Philip’s mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia and put in an asylum while his father went to reside in Monte Carlo without him after narrowly fleeing a Greek revolution. Philip was sent to the Gordonstoun School in Moray Scotland where he received a strict education which “hardened” him. He would soon go and join the Royal Navy and was commissioned as a midshipman just in time for World War Two, where he would serve the entirety of the war on the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean and eventually the Pacific right before Japan’s surrender.
Philip in 1940 in his Naval dress uniform.
In 1939, while Prince Philip was still at the Naval Academy, he was asked to escort then Princess Elizabeth and her sister Margaret on their parents’ tour of the school. Philip would end up entertaining them which prompted the 13 year old Elizabeth to fall in love for the 18 year old Philip. Throughout the war, Philip and Elizabeth constantly wrote letters to each other and seemed connected, despite being hundreds of miles apart. When Philip returned to England in 1946, he asked King George VI for permission to marry his daughter Elizabeth. George agreed but requested that Philip waited till Elizabeth’s 21st birthday the following year until he formally proposed. On July 10, the couple formally announced their engagement, an engagement barely known by anyone before. Although Philip was baptized as a Greek Orthodox, he was received into the Church of England and renounced his Greek and Danish titles. They married on November 20, 1947, and were expected to be a happy couple with little Royal stress for another twenty or so years. However that did not happen, as on February 6, 1952, King George VI passed away after a long fight against lung cancer. The couple were on a tour of Kenya when he died, and it was Philip who would pass the news to Elizabeth.
In June of that year, Elizabeth ascended to the Throne of England, and became Queen Elizabeth II. She made Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, the title he would hold for the rest of his life. At first, Philip was displeased at being a Queen Consort. He had to throw away his successful naval career just as he was put in charge of his own ship, the HMS Magpie. Philip also had to always walk two steps behind the Queen wherever she went, and he wasn’t even able to pass down his name to his children quoting that “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.”
In June of that year, Elizabeth ascended to the Throne of England, and became Queen Elizabeth II. She made Philip the Duke of Edinburgh, the title he would hold for the rest of his life. At first, Philip was displeased at being a Queen Consort. He had to throw away his successful naval career just as he was put in charge of his own ship, the HMS Magpie. Philip also had to always walk two steps behind the Queen wherever she went, and he wasn’t even able to pass down his name to his children quoting that “I am the only man in the country not allowed to give his name to his own children.”
Prince Philip and Elizabeth, 1947.
However, Philip would soon begin to accept these issues and dedicate his life to Her Majesty the Queen, and this is where he truly began to shine. First of all, Philip hated the idea that a monarchy only revolved around the interests of the monarch. He didn’t really like the idea of monarchy in the first place, witnessing its faults as a child when he and his family were almost murdered all because of the Greeks’ hatred of his father. In 1969, Philip expressed his views of this stating: “It is a complete misconception to imagine that the monarchy exists in the interests of the monarch. It doesn't. It exists in the interests of the people. If at any time any nation decides that the system is unacceptable, then it is up to them to change it.” In that quote, Philip basically expressed his support of Republicanism and showed the world that he was ready to cause change. Philip established the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, which essentially allowed youth under 21 to earn a royal award for dedicating time into almost any hobby. This proved a success and showed the people that the Royal Family cares about their services to not only the Commonwealth, but themselves as well. Philip was also the president of the WWF in the 1960s, and strongly advocated for environmental protection long before the rest of the world caught on. He promoted niche athletics and became patron to almost 800 organizations.
One of Prince Philip's oil paintings.
Philip personally was into Polo, which he played until 1971. Afterwards, he helped expand and modernize the sport of carriage driving. Philip also knew how to oil paint, being known for his vigorous brushstrokes and saturated colors. He also learned to fly and had accumulated 5986 hours under his belt when he retired from flying in 1997. Besides those hobbies, the prince also had an interest in driving, occasionally sending his chauffer to the back seat.
Until he was 97, Philip held a standard British driving license which he had to give up following a car accident which left him unharmed, but injured the driver of the other vehicle who threatened to sue. Since then, Philip hasn't been on public roads, but was still seen driving on private grounds.
Philip, however, did have a rough relationship with his eldest son Prince Charles. Philip wanted the young prince to receive a well disciplined education outside of the Royal Household. Instead of using private tutors, Philip sent Charles to Gordonstoun, Philip’s alma mater. Charles initially hated Gordonstoun’s rigorous style and his father’s subsequent rage at him for doing so. Although there were some issues, at the end, Philip was simply trying to give his children as much of a normal non-royal life as possible. He cooked breakfast for the family in the morning, refused the service of maids in the household, and even drove his kids to school whenever time allowed it. Charles would eventually state that he appreciated Gordonstoun and appreciated his father’s style of parenting as it taught him to “take the initiative.”
In the early 1990s, Charles’s and his wife Princess Diana’s marriage was clearly decaying, and even as the Queen advised Charles to divorce, Philip tried to get Charles to hold onto her, but to no avail. In 1996, Charles and Diana officially divorced. The following year, Princess Diana tragically died in a freak car accident in a tunnel out of Paris. At the time, the Royal family were on vacation at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Philip tried greatly to comfort his grandchildren William and Harry through their grief. Elizabeth, however, wanted to shield them from the public for as long as possible which caused public dismay. Philip, who had spent the last forty years rebuilding the Royal family's image wasn’t going to let that happen, and eventually coaxed the Queen into returning to Buckingham Palace to deliver a televised speech that immediately brought back the Royal family’s approval ratings. During Diana’s funeral procession, William and Harry hesitated to walk behind Diana’s casket. Philip told them that "If you don't walk, I think you'll regret it later. If I walk, will you walk with me?" and gave his grandchildren enough courage that the three of them along with Diana’s brother walked behind Diana’s casket a steady pace the whole way while being seen by almost 2.5 billion people worldwide. Years later, William and Harry both admitted that it was one of the most difficult acts they did, but neither regretted it and both thanked Philip privately.
Prince Philip, walking with William and Harry at Diana's funeral.
By that point, Philip was reaching his eighties and began to reduce his number of Royal duties at the beginning of the 21st century stating he had “done his bit.” In an interview in 2000, Philip also shared that he wasn't excited to live to triple digits and frankly did not want to live that long as “bits of me are falling off already!” From the 2010s and on, Philip began to have more serious medical conditions requiring progressively longer hospital stays. Nevertheless, he continued his royal duties until he finally retired in 2017 after making 22,219 solo engagements. In 2021, the Queen and Philip received Covid-19 vaccines. For most of March, Philip was in and out of hospital due to infections and an eventual heart procedure.
Finally, after 99 years of life, 82 years of service, 73 years of marriage, and 69 years of being Queen Consort, Philip passed away just two months shy of his 100th birthday. The royal family has not disclosed the cause of death. Philip wished to have a military funeral, saying he didn’t want the “fuss” of a state funeral. On the days following his death, leaders from around the world shared their remarks and condolences about Philip. From April 9 to April 17, all flags around the Commonwealth were lowered to half mast in respect of the Duke. Philip’s death was codenamed “Operation Forth Bridge,” named after the cantilever bridge in Scotland, and was edited in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The British government feared mourners would gather outside Buckingham palace and spread COVID-19, and Buckingham palace soon released a statement saying that it would be better for everyone if, instead of buying flowers to leave outside the Palace, they go and donate to charity. That day, bells across Britain rang 99 times, once for each year the Duke lived. On April 10, the Duke was honored with a 41 gun salute across the British Commonwealth.
From left to right: Forth Bridge in Scotland, one of the gun salutes that formed the 41 in memorial of Prince Philip, and Prince Philip's funeral.
On the morning of Saturday April 17, Philip’s funeral was held in Windsor Castle with a limited guest number of only thirty due to the pandemic. His coffin was carried on a special Land Rover Defender TD5-130 which Philip had helped to design. At the end of the funeral, Philip’s coffin was lowered into the floors of St. George’s Chapel into the Royal Vault, the resting place for many past English monarchs. Philip won’t be staying there for long, however. When Queen Elizabeth II dies, his remains will be moved to George VI’s memorial Chapel where Elizabeth and Philip will spend eternity together right next to the remains of George VI and the Queen Mother.
The author of this article recommends the 2006 movie The Queen, which beautifully depicts the story of how Philip’s actions led to the improvement of the public’s view of the royal family.
Sources:
"The Duke of Edinburgh's Award – The DofE in the UK". The Duke of Edinburgh's Award. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
"Prince Philip has died aged 99, Buckingham Palace announces". BBC News. 9 April 2021. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
"Prince Philip: Charles says dear papa was very special". BBC News. 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
"Nations around the world mark Prince Philip's funeral". inews.co.uk. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
"Early life and education". The Royal Family. Archived from the original on 9 April 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
"His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh". Canadian Heritage. Archived from the original on 17 March 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
Ward, Victoria (10 June 2011). "Prince Philip's 90th birthday: a life less ordinary for The Duke of Edinburgh". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
"The Life And Times Of The Royal Consort". Sky News. 10 June 2011. Archived from the original on 16 October 2012. Retrieved 10 June 2011.
The emergency ward of a hospital in New Delhi, India, on April 29, 2021, where patients receive COVID-19 care.
Crisis in India as Hundreds of Thousands get infected Daily
By Royce Huynh (IV)
While much of the world is recovering from the toll of the pandemic, India is still suffering from its new wave. Currently, India sets the record for the highest number of new cases reported, with over 400,000 infections on Saturday alone. For reference, the United States reported only 53,000 new cases on that day, almost an eighth of India’s. In many Indian families, at least one member has already contracted the virus.
These staggering numbers are completely overwhelming their underfunded and already overwhelmed healthcare system. Many hospitals are at full capacity and patients are struggling to just obtain an oxygen tank, much less an ICU bed. In some cases, patients have had to share beds if they were lucky to even get a spot. Many Indians, regardless of wealth or class, have had to fight and beg for medical attention of any sort.
Many blame the government, who reopened the country prematurely to allow for large religious celebrations and protests. While many scientists warned of a potential second wave, there were no restrictions imposed in response. The gatherings that have happened since were attended by millions of people with little to no masks nor any social distancing.
On Saturday, in response to the new wave, India opened vaccination eligibility to all its adults, around 800 million people, over double the US’s entire population. However, although India is producing many of the vaccines used here in America and Europe, it has not allocated enough vaccines for itself. While other countries have purchased vaccines from a variety of vaccine makers, India is heavily reliant on Russia’s Sputnik V, buying hundreds of millions doses, all of which were not available until May. Currently, only 9% of it’s population is vaccinated, and already many vaccination sites are out of vaccines or running short on them.
Because of India’s lack of resources and vaccines, other countries have stepped in to provide help. The Biden administration has already pledged to donate over a hundred million dollars of coronavirus supplies, including sixty million AstraZeneca doses. Other countries, even cultural enemies, like Pakistan, are planning to donate oxygen tanks and ventilators, hoping to help ease the strain the pandemic has had on India.
Sources:
Arora, Neha, et al. "India COVID Cases Cross 18 Million, Gravediggers Work round the Clock." Reuters, 29 Apr. 2021. Reuters, www.reuters.com/world/india/indias-coronavirus-infections-cross-18-million-2021-04-29/. Accessed 2 May 2021.
Phartiyal, Sankalp, and Alasdair Pal. "India's Daily COVID-19 Cases Pass 400,000 for First Time as Second Wave Worsens." Reuters, 1 May 2021. Reuters, www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/india-posts-record-daily-rise-covid-19-cases-401993-2021-05-01/. Accessed 2 May 2021.
Schmall, Emily, and Karan Deep Singh. "Amid Second Covid Wave, World Responds to India's Distress Call." The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2021. Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints, go.gale.com/ps/retrieve.do?tabID=T004&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchResultsType=SingleTab&hitCount=39&searchType=BasicSearchForm¤tPosition=4&docId=GALE%7CA659798271&docType=Article&sort=Pub+Date+Reverse+Chron&contentSegment=&prodId=SPN.SP24&pageNum=1&contentSet=GALE%7CA659798271&searchId=R1&userGroupName=mlin_b_blatshl&inPS=true. Accessed 2 May 2021.
Simon, Scott, and Rana Ayyub. "India's Health Care System Hits Breaking Point as COVID-19 Rages on." NPR, 1 May 2021. NPR, www.npr.org/2021/05/01/992670163/indias-health-care-system-hits-breaking-point-as-covid-19-rages-on. Accessed 2 May 2021.
Blockage of the Suez Canal
By Peter Guo (V)
The Egyptian court has taken the Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, and impounded it, leaving it with a $900,000,000 Suez Canal compensation bill.
When the container ship “Ever Given” ran aground on March 23, 2021, it was breaking news across the world.
Holding 18,300 containers, and costing the economy 400 Million USD every hour that it lay in the canal, this ship was critical to the world economy and trade routes. The Suez Canal is responsible for $5.1 billion dollars worth of Westbound cargo and $4.5 billion dollars worth of Eastbound cargo daily. Traffic in the canal could not be resumed until the ship was freed, which resulted in a total of $9.6 billion dollars on the line until the Ever Given was finally freed.
Ever Given blocking the Suez canal.
Ever Given being towed after blocking Suez canal in Egypt
As all things have to come to an end, and the lodging in the Suez Canal is no exception. On March 29th, 2021, the Ever Given was finally freed from the canal, but with a cost. An Egyptian court ordered the vessel’s Japanese owner, Shoei Kisen Kaisha, to pay $900 million in compensation. The several million dollar claim includes a $300 million claim for a 'salvage bonus' and a $300 million claim for 'loss of reputation.' Until this dispute is resolved, the ship’s cargo has been seized and impounded, while insurance companies and lawyers were working on the compensation claim.
Sources:
Boykoff, Pamela. “Egypt Impounds Ever Given Ship over $900 Million Suez Canal Compensation Bill.” CNN, Cable News Network, 14 Apr. 2021, www.cnn.com/2021/04/13/business/ever-given-seized-compensation-bill-intl/index.html.
“Egypt's Suez Canal Blocked by Huge Container Ship.” BBC News, BBC, 24 Mar. 2021, www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-56505413.
Images from above sources: in order of appearance top to bottom, left to right; Licensed Through Creative Commons
The Denver Post (https://www.denverpost.com/2021/04/20/derek-chauvin-trial-verdict-george-floyd/);
Star Tribune (https://www.startribune.com/media-coalition-pushes-back-on-george-floyd-prosecution-asks-to-livestream-trial/573388941/);
BBC (https://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-36417297);
Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4806000/Philip-s-four-letter-fury-Diana.html.);
Al Jazeera (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/5/2/india-covid-crisis-we-tried-15-hospitals-before-my-mother);
Financial Express (https://www.financialexpress.com/world-news/suez-crisis-latest-news-suez-canal-egypt-evergreen-container-ship-ever-given-suez-canal-block/2222387/);
Los Angeles Times (https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-04-02/egypt-president-sisi-suez-canal-ship)
Upcoming Online Events
BLS V.O.T.E would like to recommend the following online events for both students and faculty! They are all free to attend, and hopefully will be rather informative. Please let us know if there are any events you would like to recommend by emailing us at vote.bls@gmail.com!
Ron Brownstein: What Pop Culture tells us about Politics (Wed, May 12, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM)
Brownstein, a celebrated author of various books offering astute political analysis, just released his most recent book, ROCK ME ON THE WATER: 1974 — The Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television, and Politics in which he explores how politics and Hollywood ricocheted off each other in the era of Archie Bunker and All in the Family, MASH and Chinatown. The book has received critical acclaim and carries important analysis of how our pop culture reflects and predicts the political climate. According to a recent review: "In this exceptional cultural history, Atlantic Senior Editor Ronald Brownstein—“one of America's best political journalists" (The Economist)—tells the kaleidoscopic story of one monumental year that marked the city of Los Angeles’ creative peak, a glittering moment when popular culture was ahead of politics in predicting what America would become." Ronald Brownstein is a CNN senior political analyst, regularly appearing across the network's programming and special political coverage.
4th Annual Social Justice & Education Conference (Sat, May 15, 2021, 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM )
The keynote speaker is Dr. Jamila Lyiscott. Jamila Lyiscott aka, Dr. J, is a community-engaged scholar, nationally renowned speaker, and the author of Black Appetite. White Food: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Social Justice Education at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she is the co-founder and co-director of the Center of Racial Justice and Youth Engaged Research. Dr. J is most well known for being featured on TED.com where her video, 3 Ways to Speak English, has been viewed over 4.8 million times, and for her commissioned TED Talk, 2053 in response to the inauguration of the 45th occupant of the white house.
The conference will also include a panel of K-12 educators and community activists from California’s Central Coast and a curriculum fair featuring social justice lessons and resources created by Cal Poly School of Education credential and graduate students. Organized and sponsored by the Central Coast Coalition for Undocumented Student Success (CCC-USS) and the Cal Poly School of Education.
More information at: https://www.ccc-uss.org/2021-social-justice-education-conference.html
Liberation in Practice: Unlearning Anti-Blackness in Non-Black Communities (Tue, May 18, 2021, 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM)
Liberation in Practice: Anti-Racism Workshops for API Heritage Month
Please join APANO community members in a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) only space. For the month of May, APANO is honored to offer the BIPOC community an educational opportunity to dive deep with leading social justice experts and community-based organizations to expand our knowledge of anti-racism in theory, work, and practice. The racial landscape of the United States includes dynamic challenges, conflicts, and alliances, but the oppression of Black people is fundamental to how we understand all other races in America. In this session, we will challenge our personal practices, build skills for discussing anti-Blackness with our communities, and commit to de-centering ourselves in order to center Black livelihood.
Kim Tran works at the intersection of social protest, race and gender. She uses a grassroots organizing and transformative justice approach in her anti-oppression consulting with nonprofit, philanthropic and social impact spaces. Kim holds a PhD in Ethnic Studies from UC Berkeley. Her academic research centers Asian American solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Her work has been featured in Vice, Teen Vogue, and NPR. She is currently working on a book manuscript about contemporary social protest tentatively titled: The End of Allyship: A New Era of Solidarity.
Reporting America (Fri, 21 May 2021, 12:30 – 13:30 EDT)
Paul Solman and Joe Klein are two of the best known names in US political reporting. Paul Solman has been business and economics correspondent for the PBS NewsHour since 1985. Joe Klein is a columnist for Time magazine, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of the novel Primary Colours, based on Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.
Mansfield Public Talks are free and open to all. Held on Zoom.
Gratitude and Thanks
We want to extend our gratitude to our teachers at Boston Latin and BLS staff, especially Ms. Catherine Arnold, Ms. Martha Pierce, and Ms. Rachel Skerritt.
Contributors
More information can be found on the Staff page.
Megan Li
She/They
Co-President, Senior Editor, Senior Writer, Layout Editor
Albert Chen
He/Him
Co-President, Senior Writer, Senior Editor, Graphics
Joshua Rand
He/Him
Senior Writer, Senior Editor, Layout Editor
Peter Guo
He/Him
Senior Writer, Social Media Officer
Alessandra Woo
She/Her
Associate Writer, Editor
Royce Huynh
He/Him
Associate Writer
Sofia Daffin
She/Her
Associate Writer
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