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Category Archives: COVID-19
“It’s a Money Grab”: Billions in COVID Relief Going to Fund Police and Prisons
If you’re from inner-city Birmingham, Alabama, there’s a “99-percent chance” you have a family member or friend who has been incarcerated, according to Veronica Johnson, deputy director for the Alabama Justice Initiative, which has been fighting against a proposal to … Continue reading
182 total views
Posted in African Americans, COVID-19, incarceration, Justice, Police, police accountability, Policing
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How the Campus Becomes the Border
In August, 2020, the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign (UIUC) opted for a hybrid in-person/online semester. The decision to partially reopen was made possible by the innovative SHIELD: Target, Test, Tell initiative. A crucial part of this program was … Continue reading
800 total views
Posted in COVID-19, Immigrants, Students, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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The WTO Vaccination Charade
It’s not an accident that the World Trade Organization (WTO) is the site for the battle over the pandemic and the health of the world. Many critics of corporate control of international trade, and of most of everyday life, have … Continue reading
722 total views
Posted in Big Pharma, COVID-19, Foreign Policy, International, pandemic, Politics, Public Health, World-wide death and suffering
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Remembering: Anne Feeney
She carried a business card that read: “Performer, Producer, Hellraiser.” And that is who Anne Feeney was throughout her time as a traveling troubadour on behalf of social justice. Born July 1, 1951 just outside of Pittsburgh into an Irish-American … Continue reading
Africa and COVID-19 Vaccines: The Politics Surrounding Equitable Access to Vaccines
Global North countries, including France, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are hoarding COVID-19 vaccines, leaving countries of the Global South behind in equitable access to vaccines. As COVID-19 vaccines become available, many Global North countries have already purchased half of the … Continue reading
Posted in Africa, COVID-19, International, International, Women
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If You Could Save a Million Lives, Would You Do It?
This article was first published in The Hill on October 1, 2020. Reprinted with permission. If you had the opportunity to save a million people from preventable death, would you do it? These are people who would otherwise fall victim … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Economics, International, International, Politics
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COVID-19: Coming to a Jail Near You
This article was first published in The Progressive on January 4, 2021. Reprinted with permission. Wayne Colson, Sr. recalls he felt “helpless” with his son sitting in jail as news of the COVID-19 pandemic was breaking. A loyal father, Colson … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19
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COVID-19: Local Responses and Lessons for the Future
The Public i asked Professor Weissman, in light of his involvement with helping doctors with statistics, for his thoughts on the local response to COVID-19 and any lessons learned from it for the future. First, I think it’s more important … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, pandemic, Public Health, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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Disruptive Shift Changes for UIUC Custodial Staff
Jenni Walkup is a public anthropology MA student at American University who lives in Champaign. She works in education and writes about movements and social change. She’s very good at Bananagrams. In August, 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the University of … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, labor, Labor/Economics, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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SEIU Statement Regarding the Changes in the Building Services Department at UIUC
The University decided in mid-spring that it would reopen for the 2020 fall semester, a decision that would require drastic, “emergency” changes in our department and to the working conditions of SEIU members. Management didn’t notify union leadership until July … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, labor, Labor/Economics, University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
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The Coronavirus in Europe: A Force that Unites or Divides?
Upon arrival in mid-July, Budapest seemed another world from the oppressive virus anxiety of most of the US: offices and businesses fully open; cafes and restaurants thriving, with no restrictions; few masks or other measures in sight (masks are required … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, European Union, health, Healthcare
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Facebook, Public Health, and the Weaponization of US Fear
In June, the Trump administration announced plans ending health care protections for Americans during a raging pandemic. US leaders snubbed masks and distancing at rallies that required waivers from attendees accepting personal responsibility should they contract COVID-19, encouraging dismissal of … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Foucault, Pandemic, Public Health
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Disease and Denial in Prison
This letter was received from Stateville Prison in early April, reporting on conditions there during the COVID-19 crisis.q I am a student in Northwestern University’s Bachelors program. Like many other students, I also work, though in my case, both my … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, health care, incarceration
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A Socialist Response to COVID-19
In a recent “Democracy Now!” interview, Noam Chomsky called Cuba a “superpower.” What did he mean? Well, let’s look at health care. According to the World Health Organization, Cuba has the highest ratio of doctors in the world, 8.4 for … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Cuba, health care
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Mateo’s Story: Connecting with the Twice-Marginalized
If you are a Q’anjob’al speaker in CU, you are probably familiar with the young face of Mateo Sebastian. In videos shared through social media he has helped the local community keep up with information on the virus, school closures, … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Immigrants
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The Migrants of India Before and During the Covid-19 Crisis
The global COVID-19 pandemic claims to spare no race, religion, or social class. Yet over and over we see marginalized and vulnerable communities struggling to get the care and shelter they need during this crisis. India, like numerous other countries, … Continue reading
Digital Inequities are Social Inequities
When the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools, libraries, and other institutions that aim to serve the public, the disparities among “the public” were highlighted in ways that have long been present, but are frequently ignored. One important gap was access to … Continue reading
Posted in COVID-19, Digital Divide, Education
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Visibility and Vulnerability in the Age of COVID-19
While diseases don’t discriminate, social responses to pandemics do. The disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on African Americans in Chicago, the Navajo in the Southwest and the incarcerated across the country highlights the way marginalization contributes to tragically different outcomes … Continue reading
814 total views
Posted in COVID-19, Food Insecurity, Immigrants
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Blurs and Erases
We find ourselves at an interesting moment. Pivotal, in fact. As we collectively attempt to navigate uncharted waters, I am constantly thinking about how prepared I am. For a large portion of my life, lockdown was my reality. This in … Continue reading
806 total views
Posted in African Americans, COVID-19, incarceration
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