Harvard examines its own historical roots in slavery
Brown University's daring self-examination of its historical ties to slavery has prompted a second Ivy League school, venerable Harvard University, to do the same. The 2006 report that Brown President Ruth Simmons commissioned found deep connections between the university in Providence, R.I., and slavery and the slave trade. "Slavery and Justice" pinpointed many ties - the university gets its very name from four brothers who owned and traded slaves and were major benefactors. The president's office is in a building erected using some slave labor. More »
Democracy belongs to the people, not corporations
America is at a crossroads. Shall we be governed by people, or by corporations? If you thought we had already answered that question more than two centuries ago, you're right. The framers of our Constitution were clear that we were to be a government of, for and by the people. Yet, five justices of the current U.S. Supreme Court think otherwise. In their January 2010 Citizens United v. FEC decision, they ruled that corporations have the same free-speech rights as people and can spend unlimited amounts of their corporate money in our elections. More »
in the Mix
I knocked another restaurant off my very, very long list with a timely visit to Ashmont Grill in Dorchester. Every Monday in December, the restaurant offers a four-course meal with wine pairings for just $35, with five dollars from each meal being donated to ABCD's Dorchester Neighborhood Service Center. More »
