In The News

UNHRC to Debate Systemic Racism: AFP

June 15, 2020
Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the UN, Dieudonné Desiré Sougouri, wrote a letter for 54 African countries calling for “urgent debate” from the UN Human Rights Council on systemic racism, police brutality, human rights violations against people of African descent and the attacks against peaceful protesters. The UNHRC, after a disruption due to Covid-19, resumes its 43rd session today. “The call came...

How the World Sees the US Protests: Guardian

Uki Goñi, Lily Kuo , Jason Burke, Tom Phillips, Sam Jones and Julian Borger June 8, 2020
The US presidential election is less than five months away, and the decision about who leads the world’s largest economy and military impacts the rest of the world. More than 10 straight days of US protests demonstrate a deep divide. Protests began after police killed a handcuffed black man, despite pleas from horrified witnesses videotaping the death – just one among many such videos in recent...

Protests Grow Over US Man’s Death: Washington Post

William Booth and Loveday Morris May 31, 2020
When crisis hits a community, some police officers escalate tensions while others show skill in de-escalation. Protests, some peaceful and others violent riots, broke out after four Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd on May 25 for forgery, restraining him next to a police vehicle. With Floyd prone, one officer pressed a knee against the back of his neck for more than 8 minutes....

Battle Against the “Tsunami of Hate”: UN

António Guterres May 8, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic has targeted vulnerable populations – initially striking cities while wielding disproportionate effect on nursing homes, prisons and other facilities where employees work in close quarters. These include US meat-processing facilities, often staffed with immigrant labor. Researchers suggest many of the deaths are due to disparities in health care, and the pandemic exposes...

COVID-19 Hits No-Degree Workers: Guardian

Kalyeena Makortoff April 26, 2020
Up to 52 million jobs in Europe are at risk during the pandemic for workers without a university degree, possibly leading to increased social inequality. They may face cuts to hours or pay, temporary furloughs, or permanent layoffs. Workers most at risk include those who work in close proximity to others such as retail staff, cooks and construction workers, while safer jobs consist of those who...

Depending on Billionaires to Save Us: Vox

Theodore Schleifer April 10, 2020
Inequality has widened as governments rely on tax cuts for the wealthy and delay investment in infrastructure, disaster preparedness, education or other social programs that benefit entire societies. Starved of revenues, many governments fail in their pandemic response. “The US government has repeatedly proven to be sluggish at best and impotent at worst at controlling the carnage of the...

Who Is Caring for “Invisible” Carers? Rappler

Vin Aranas March 26, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic exposes devastating inequality. More than half of all workers hold jobs that cannot be done remote from home. Even in wealthy countries like the United States, half of the residents lack savings to manage an unexpected $500 expense. “While it is true that anyone can be exposed, not everyone has the means to protect themselves, the opportunity to practice social distancing...