Boston College professor Cathleen Kaveny ’84 suspects Princeton dropped its language requirement for classics majors in part because critics tie the discipline to Western thinking, “inseparable from” racism, sexism, and structural injustice. “I don’t buy this argument either — even on its own terms,” she wrote. — Commonweal
Electronics component distributor Smith, co-founded 37 years ago by Leland Ackerley ’83 and his brother, fared unusually well when the pandemic disrupted supply chains and customers turned to them for parts. — The Houston Chronicle
Harvard business professor Michael Porter ’69 discussed ways the business world can help the broken U.S. political system and step up to meet social needs when government fails. — Harvard Magazine
Prison Break actor Wentworth Miller ’95 went public with his autism diagnosis, posting on Instagram that “being autistic is central to who I am. To everything I’ve achieved/articulated.” — CNN
The choice of “Guardians” as the new name for the Cleveland Indians upholds three pillars, said Brian Barren ’89, the team’s president of business operations: connecting to Cleveland, honoring baseball history, and uniting the community. — CBS Sports
Time-management guru Laura Vanderkam ’01 noted on Twitter that at a rate of 50 books a year, readers will only get through 2,500 books in 50 years. “Worth asking if any title is worth being in that,” she wrote. — Book Riot
Discussing the imperfection of literary awards, author Daniel Mendelsohn *94 said rather than serving as “clear markers of excellence,” they demonstrate “that there are no absolute standards for judging aesthetic matters.” — The Sydney Morning Herald
“You need to put critical race theory in quotation marks as it’s used in different ways by different people.”
— Randall Kennedy ’77, a Harvard Law School professor and expert on issues of race and the legal system, explaining how politicians are using critical race theory as a campaign weapon — “a stalking horse for race.” — The Hill
President Joe Biden nominated federal government attorney Thea Kendler ’96 to be assistant secretary for export administration in the Department of Commerce. — The White House
Epidemiologist Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo ’87, who studies health equity at UC San Francisco, said that vaccine mandates aren’t ideal, but are nevertheless becoming necessary. — Wired
Former sports reporter Lester Munson ’62, now board chairman of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, discussed the foundation’s video series aimed at the emotional challenges of working at the Tokyo Olympics. — RobertFeder.com
Fox released its first trailer for a new drama series based on the late Lawrence Otis Graham ’83’s book, Our Kind of People: Inside America’s Black Upper Class, set to premiere Sept. 21. — Deadline
Former Disney+ executive Chanel Pysnik ’10 is joining Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Archewell Productions to oversee nonfiction series and documentary films. — Yahoo! Entertainment