Opinion

137 results
Page 14
A man holding a spray bottle walks down an ornately carpeted stairway, wiping the banister as he goes. He wears a face mask.

As a theater critic, I’m prioritizing coverage of events that require Covid vaccination for all

Getting back to the theater, as safely as possible
As companies in Philadelphia and beyond prepare for a return to in-person performances, theater and music critic Cameron Kelsall knows vaccines are the key to safety, even amidst the Delta surge.
Cameron Kelsall

Cameron Kelsall

Essays 5 minute read
A selfie showing Anndee Hochman in a large mirror on the wall of a freshly orange-painted living room with a leather couch.

Repairing the world takes all kinds of builders, including the ones with words

The tools of tikkun olam
A volunteer stint repairing a Germantown row house reprises Anndee Hochman’s teenage impulse to wield a hammer in lieu of words, and reminds her that all tools can both create and destroy.
Anndee Hochman

Anndee Hochman

Essays 5 minute read
An inside view from the back of a commercial airplane, with the white cabin ceiling overhead and people in rows of seats.

When white people hear racist comments from fellow travelers, how should they respond?

Bigotry in the air
When a stranger shares racist views with you, how do you respond, especially if you’re stuck in the next seat? Roz Warren considers.
Roz Warren

Roz Warren

Essays 5 minute read
A nighttime city view in Islamabad, Pakistan, with dozens of boxy white buildings and colorful lights under a cloudy sky.

From Islamabad to Santa Fe: Finding the elegance in my difference

Ready for my next leap
Shaheer Naveed is BSR’s summer 2021 intern. He remembers what he learned about fitting in during his first trip to the United States from his home in Pakistan.
Shaheer Naveed

Shaheer Naveed

Essays 4 minute read

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Katie Samson, a white woman, is outdoors with a group of about 6 smiling people. She uses a wheelchair & wears a blue hat

Witnessing the Impact: What will post-pandemic life be like for disabled people?

A world not built for me—until now?
BSR is partnering with the Witnessing the Impact of COVID-19 in Disabled People’s Lives archive project. Writer, educator, and disability self-advocate Katie Samson asks whether we’ll keep considering accessibility when the pandemic wanes.
Katie Samson

Katie Samson

Essays 6 minute read
The Walnut Street Theatre today. It has a gray exterior with columns and large windows. American flags fly on poles in front

As artists continue to rally against the Walnut, it’s time to ask: who is “America’s Oldest Theatre”?

Staging history
Most coverage of protests against the Walnut Street Theatre ignores a key fact: the building may be historic, but the theater company there started in the 1980s. Alaina Johns thinks that matters.
Alaina Johns

Alaina Johns

Editorials 6 minute read
Martin Luther King Jr. speaking against the Vietnam War at the St. Paul Campus of the University of Minnesota in 1967. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons.)

For MLK Day 2021, can we fight our history of miseducation in America?

The truth about unity
This MLK Day, Kyle V. Hiller considers what “unity” actually means, and the education that will get us there.
Kyle V. Hiller

Kyle V. Hiller

Editorials 7 minute read