Meet Haben Girma
Girma is an advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, the daughter of East African refugees, and the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School. From the lack of schools for children born deafblind in Eritrea (where her mother is from) to the lack of accessible menus in the dining halls of Lewis & Clark College (where she pursued her undergraduate studies), Girma was fully aware of how society has developed without regard for neurodivergent people. However, she describes her disability not as life-limiting, but as “‘an opportunity for innovation.’” At Lewis & Clark, Girma took the initiative to educate herself and the dining hall manager about the American with Disabilities Act, ultimately making the menus more accessible for blind students. Once she graduated from Harvard Law and became an attorney, Girma was named a White House Champion of Change by former president Barack Obama and successfully fought a case for the National Federation of the Blind against Scribd to increase the accessibility for the digital library’s users. Last year, she published her memoir, Haben: The Deafblind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law, which has been featured by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, People, The TODAY Show, and O Magazine.
Yuna
Listen to “The Struggle to Teach from Afar” on New York Times The Daily
I am a podcast connoisseur, and have tried to listen to a wide variety of podcasts on different topics throughout this quarantine period. On Friday, the Daily released an episode in which they interviewed a veteran teacher on the struggles to teach remotely and the long-lasting effects of the pandemic on schools, not just this year, but into next year and the years following. It definitely provided me with a different perspective and taught me about elements of remote learning I had not previously considered.
Kelly
Listen to “History Defeating” with Kimberlé Crenshaw from Hysteria
Hysteria is a podcast hosted by writer Erin Ryan, featuring former Director of Scheduling for President Obama Alyssa Mastromonaco, author Blair Imani, screenwriter Grace Para, and other hilarious women. In this week’s episode, host Erin Ryan discusses intersectionality and violence against black women with professor Kimberlé Crenshaw. Dr. Crenshaw originally coined the term “intersectionality” to define how race, class, and gender intersect to create a unique form of marginalization and oppression for women of color. In this interview, Dr. Crenshaw discusses how when often black women are overlooked when they are victim to police brutality, and how the theory of “intersectionality” contributes to this. This podcast, along with Dr. Crenshaw’s own podcast Intersectionality Matters! are essential listening for those who want to better understand how misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia intersect with race in situations of violence.
Eve
Read Good Economics for Hard Times by Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee
As an Economics major, I feel like I learned more about how good economics can solve the world’s most urgent crises through this book than from my three years of school. This accessible, easy-to-read book by Duflo and Banerjee addresses critical questions through the lens of economics: How do we deal with the rising inequality? Does immigration harm native residents? Is international trade good for both parties? How do we deal with climate change and economic growth at the same time?
This book is not only very informative, but it also compels one to question the validity of the fear-mongering politics we have seen in the U.S. recently. It was very interesting to compare what Nobel-prize winning economists have to say about globalization and immigration with what politicians have to say about these topics.
Pragya
Read The New Humanitarian
This independent news organization is one of the most trusted sources in nonprofit and humanitarian journalism. They report on inside stories at the heart of humanitarian aid and need, from aid efforts in the Congo to the global impact of COVID-19. This Thursday, The New Humanitarian is hosting a webinar about “Rethinking humanitarianism in the midst of #BlackLivesMatter and COVID-19.” Tune in with me!
Alexa
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- Livestock and Land Use: How Are We Feeding The Planet? Impactfull April 2022 - April 19, 2022
- What Does Voluntourism Look Like? A Case Study in a Cambodian Orphanage - March 28, 2022