As of Super Tuesday, Bernie Sanders has emerged next to Joe Biden in a two-man race for the 2020 Democratic candidacy. Sanders, a senator from Vermont who also ran for president in 2016, envisions drastic economic, social and environmental shifts for our country. His left-wing beliefs and stance as a self-described ‘democratic socialist’ have faced…
Look into any Dykstra hall closet and you’ll find brands like Shein, Forever 21 and H&M. Who can refuse their wall-to-wall, $5 t-shirts? As college students, the only thing that we love better than “cheap” is “free.” But brands like these often use their pocket-friendly price tag to conceal a heavy cost to the environment…
Although Hope College is 677 miles and a far cry from Washington, D.C., both the nation’s capital and our college campus are honoring the lives, legacies and contributions of black history-makers throughout the month of February. One such expression of this celebration took place at the National Portrait Gallery, where important figures in the fight…
The fastest-growing church in the world isn’t a suburban megachurch. It doesn’t have a trendy Instagram or a famous pastor. Instead, it’s underground, it’s mainly led by women, and it’s in Iran. A documentary film, “Sheep Among Wolves,” reveals how the hidden roots of Jesus’ followers are exploding in the centuries-old, culturally Muslim country. In…
Politics: a loaded word that makes some cringe, others puff up and most retreat—including myself. Like the 65% of millennials who report a desire to avoid politics, I have invested time into avoiding the divisive, angry rhetoric often surrounding political discussions. At Hope College, I study peace and justice and have taken exactly one political…
A women’s rights triumph—100 years in the making—occurred this month in the form of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The ERA, which would establish a specific constitutional barrier against sex-based discrimination, won its passing vote from Virginia on January 15. For women’s rights groups nationally, the ERA’s approval has been a fought-for journey since the…
If you could travel anywhere in the world right now, doing anything you wanted, where would you go? Odds are good that Hope College has a study abroad program to get you there. In the array of available abroad experiences—from sipping (legal!) wine by the Mediterranean to skyscraper-gazing in Tokyo—personal transformations arise as a constant…
A whisper has been rumbling across our college campus. In the weeks following the effects of radical tension rising between the U.S. and Iran, assumptions are being made by young people. After the assassination of Qasem Soleimani— one of Iran’s most prominent military leaders-nothing has been the same. As headlines of the assassination hit U.S….
When thinking of human trafficking—the world’s second most profitable criminal industry—what comes to mind? Dirty faces peeking out from a shack? Women dancing on a bar in Thailand? Liam Neeson busting down a brothel door? Sure. But expand that picture to include the local nail salon, Grand Rapids Art Prize, and the Michigan/Michigan State football…