It’s 7:30 a.m. in Havana, Cuba, and the sun is slowly rising above the malecón, the highway that runs along the city’s northern coastline. The orange glow of the sunrise reflects off the waves beating against the seawall. I run north, then east toward the harbor’s edge. After turning around, I pass the U.S. embassy […]
There is a sense of romanticism attached to counterculture—the idea of actively rejecting the dominant values, norms, and expectations of mainstream society. One of the glorified narratives is that of the college dropout, which frames leaving as an act of rebellion, a rejection of the traditional postsecondary academic path in pursuit of something riskier, freer, […]
The bitter wind had been blowing against my face for so long that I had stopped feeling it. My teeth ached. The collar of my coat was wet and was chafing a raw line along the back of my neck. I walked on. I had been in my room reading Henley. Then I was on […]
The ash was under my left thumbnail when I woke. I noticed it before I noticed anything else—before the grey light coming through the curtain, before the cold, before the particular silence of early morning that the building produced when it was trying to pass as uninhabited. I lay still and held my hand up […]
Money is the engine of politics. It fuels campaigns and elections, and, by extension, our politicians. Each dollar purchases yet another 15-second campaign advertisement or a canvasser to knock on undecided voters’ doors. Currency and power are synonymous in a game that systematically rewards the highest spender. The hopeless cycle in which money determines political […]
In February 1998, Tony Benn, then over 40 years into his career as a Member of Parliament, rose in the House of Commons and delivered a legendary speech in opposition to the proposed bombing of Iraq. His words that day left no shortage of memorable lines: one in particular has never left me. “Are not […]
Every March, Boston slips into shades of green. The city’s color palette, usually a winter wash of red brick and slate, takes on an unmistakable hue. This green does not arrive with the weather, but rather a ceremonial cast on the 17th. It appears in flags hanging off of fire escapes, in the bunting draped […]
No matter what time one walks through Harvard Yard, there will undoubtedly be throngs of tourists surrounding the John Harvard Statue. Many will be snapping photos of them touching John Harvard’s foot, now polished bronze after years of wear. Whether it should be touched or not is another question, but the fact remains that rubbing […]
All over social media, being Chinese has become the new trend. Over the past year, Americans have begun “Chinamaxxing,” imitating Chinese culture in all aspects of their lives. From adopting Chinese wellness practices like traditional medicine and tai chi, to discovering a newfound passion for Popmart figurines, the year of the horse, and dim sum, […]
“Where are you from?” I gave my answer, as one does, and they looked at me, confused. I looked back at them, also confused (I was only a child; I hadn’t realised that this was a canonical “living while Black” moment). Like two dueling cowboys who both missed their first shot, we stood feet from […]