Essays

In L.A., Driving the Road to Black Empowerment

For Families Like Mine, Cars Were an Engine of Social and Economic Mobility

This essay published alongside next week’s Zócalo and Destination Crenshaw event, “Is Car Culture the Ultimate Act of Community in Crenshaw?” Click here to watch the full conversation.

In 1925 my maternal grandparents bought a new Dodge, packed up their things, and made their escape from the anti-Black restrictions, injustice, and violence of Montgomery, Alabama: bound for a new life in Los Angeles, California.

Thanks to more newly paved roads and cheap automobiles, Dr. Peter Price Cobbs and Rosa Ellen (née Mashaw) Cobbs were able to see …

by Alison Rose Jefferson |

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What Does ‘Neutral’ Mean in the Chemistry Lab?

Words Are the Major Currency in Scientific Communication—We Should Get Them Right

by Paul G. Jasien |

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, international …

What Do Indian Women Want from This Election?

They’re Voting in Historic Numbers. But It Might Not Make Them Happier or More Prosperous

by Sanjukta Sharma |

Since April 19, the day general elections began in India, voters have queued up outside polling booths, braving a muggy, scorching heatwave. The mood appears mostly upbeat. Voters talk to …

Two people, Governor Gavin Newsom and Republican challenger state senator Brian Dahle sit at the desk to the left. The desk has the California state symbol in front. On the desk on the right is Scott Shafer and Marisa Lagos. Their desk has the letters "KQED" on the front. The background large digital screen reads "California Gubernatorial Debate."

For Political Journalists, Neutrality Isn’t the Goal

It’s Objectivity, and Being on the Side of the Truth in an Intellectually Dishonest Era

by Marisa Lagos |

Can we, and should we, ever really be neutral? In a new series, Zócalo explores the idea of neutrality—in politics, sports, gender, journalism, international …

What If Cold War Consumerism Never Ended? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

What If Cold War Consumerism Never Ended?

In Fallout, the Bomb Scared Americans Underground. In Reality, Nukes Sold Everything But Shelters

by Thomas Bishop |

Amazon’s new series Fallout starts with the end of the world: News reports of an international crisis interrupt a children’s birthday party, mushroom clouds appear outside, and chaos …

What Can Sankofa Teach Us?

The Popular African Symbol—Which Means ‘Return to Your Past’—Continues to Guide and Inspire the Black Diaspora

by Christel N. Temple |

This essay publishes alongside tonight’s Zócalo and Destination Crenshaw event, “How Do You Grow a Rose From Concrete?” Click here to watch the full conversation.


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