June 24: Cornel West *80 on Juneteenth; Anhar Karim ’18 on Writers’ Rooms

Anhar Karim ’18 wrote about how writers’ rooms — including the one where Shani Am. Moore ’02 works — are changing during the pandemic, making the creative process perhaps more democratic. — Forbes
 
Columnist Christine Emba ’10 documented the tide turning against Confederate monuments in photos. — The Washington Post

Harvard professor Cornel West *80 discussed Juneteenth and how race conversations are about hatred but also greed — economic systems that prevent Black people from gaining access to resources. — Fox News
 
George Mason interim president Anne Holton ’80 said face coverings will be required for everyone in public areas as the university reopens, and Purdue president Mitch Daniels ’71 challenged students “to refute the cynics who say that today’s young people are too selfish or self-indulgent to help us make this work.” — The Washington Post

“A great challenge that faces any protest movement is winning victories that can enable reformers to overcome the gravitational force of inertia. … It is therefore imperative to reprogram bureaucracies, through legislation and other enduring interventions.”

— Harvard law professor Randall Kennedy ’77 discusses the protests against racism in The American Prospect.

 
A 2018 study by psychologist Daniel Gilbert *85 may help explain why people don’t believe the world is getting better. It suggested “social problems... may seem intractable in part because reductions in their prevalence lead people to see more of them.” — Forbes
 
Former pro lacrosse player and three-time All-American at Princeton Josh Sims ’00 renounced his 2009 induction in the athletic hall of fame at Severn School after school statements were criticized for failing to condemn racism. — The Capital-Gazette