Opinion

121 results
Page 1
Pen-and-ink caricature of three smiling girls with flowing hair, heads bobbing in a triangular composition.

In today's America, parenting itself can be an act of patriotism.

Parenting toward what I know our country can be.

As a kid, Jill Ivey loved donning American flag fashion for the Fourth of July. Today, with her own child born between two Trump administrations, she marks the holiday in a different way, as a parent resisting injustice.
Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Jillian Ashley Blair Ivey

Essays 5 minute read
Young Alaina

I feared liberals, and then I became one. But I’m still evolving, and you can, too.

My political journey probably isn’t what you expected.

With partisan politics so toxically entrenched in America, it can be tough to admit that you’re open to change. This Fourth of July, Alaina Johns is thinking about her conservative upbringing.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
View of the grand stone entrance of the NYC Public Library, with a giant Pride flag with “Protect the Freedom to Read” on it.

Books are dangerous. That’s why we need the freedom to read them.

This Fourth of July, I’m reading something radical.

Anndee Hochman grew up reading Judy Blume, unaware of how controversial her books were. Today, after raising her own daughter, she knows what book-ban proponents do not: reading is a fundamental freedom.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 6 minute read
Book cover. Title in white, surrounded by illustrated orange flames, on a turquoise 18th-century engraving of ships at sea.

The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution, by Zara Anishanslin.

The little-known patriots whose art helped spark a Revolution

Some American patriots fought with words or swords, but others aided and abetted the Revolution with their art, both in the Colonies and abroad. They are illuminated in The Painter’s Fire, a new book by Zara Anishanslin. Gail Obenreder reviews.
Gail Obenreder

Gail Obenreder

Essays 4 minute read
Nixon speaks into a megaphone in the center of a large crowd of people with slickers and umbrellas in the pouring rain.

This Fourth of July, we need a narrative revolution.

Writers and artists lead America’s nonviolent fight for justice.

The Trump administration is trying to rewrite reality and history. Cass Lewis says we’re not going to let them, if writers and artists have anything to say about it.
Cass Lewis

Cass Lewis

Essays 5 minute read
A large American flag flies upside down on a flagpole in the wind, against a cloudy sky.

The Untied States: 249 years later, America’s still not great—but it could be.

This is our country’s first real chance at greatness. Will we take it?

The Trump administration has brought the United States to a crisis—but only because it revealed what has been there all along. Lindsay Gary asks if we have the courage to respond by making America great for the first time ever.
Lindsay Gary

Lindsay Gary

Essays 5 minute read
Close-up on a gavel made of polished dark wood with a gold band, on top of an American flag.

In America today, joining the jury isn’t just a civic duty. It’s an ethical one.

American justice relies on jurors more than ever.

After serving on a jury earlier this year, An Nichols was surprised by her relationship to her fellow jurors, and learned about the outsize impact jurors can have at the local and national level.
An Nichols

An Nichols

Essays 4 minute read
Pic of the crowd of protestors from behind on a cloudy day, with lots of US flags, with a No Kings in America sign at center

BSR writers speak up about the June 14 No Kings protests in Philly and beyond

Marchers make history, instead of repeating it.

The June 14 No Kings Day, organized to reclaim the American flag and oppose unconstitutional actions by the Trump administration in favor of democracy and the rule of law, drew millions of marchers across the country. BSR writers reflect.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 8 minute read
A route 70 SEPTA bus turns a corner in a Philly neighborhood with autumn trees.

SEPTA’s “doomsday” cuts would be devastating to Philly arts and culture

Arts lovers must speak up now for public transit funding

A “doomsday” budget that would slash SEPTA service by 45 percent and raise fares by more than 20 percent poses an existential threat to Philly’s cultural sector. But if we all speak up now, we can save our city. Alaina Johns looks closer.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 5 minute read
View from the back of a small bare classroom with rows of empty desks facing a blank green chalkboard.

Can you pass this quiz on the first 100 days of Trump’s second term?

See how your knowledge stacks up before education is banned in the US

Essayist Anndee Hochman challenges those of us who may need a break from the news with this quiz about our current federal government.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 5 minute read