America is a nation in denial about its wounds. The traumas that shaped this country—slavery, genocide, segregation, displacement, mass incarceration—have never healed because they have never been acknowledged. Instead, we are told to “move on,” to “look forward,” to “let it go.” But you cannot heal a wound you refuse to name. And the longer it festers beneath the surface, the more it poisons everything it touches.
Read MoreThe Louvre was robbed. It took less than eight minutes to remove what France held in infamy for centuries. The country has a history of stealing, and the theft left the country a bit scandalized. Some historians were heartbroken, but many casual observers thought the museum and the country got what they deserved.
In the days that followed, it was clear that the Louvre had already been aware of its poor security. The jewels, being invaluable, were not insured. Security in museums maintains the integrity of the visuals. They ensure that the oils from our hands aren’t aging the paintings, that the flash from ou
Read MoreThe Internet has been in an uproar about Puerto Rico’s status as a part of the U.S. Benito Antonio “Bad Bunny” Martínez Ocasio continues to tour around the world conspicuously leaving the “mainland” United States off of his tour. His original reasoning surrounded the continuous ICE raids that terrorize communities across the country. As a result, his acceptance of the Super Bowl LX performance felt contradictory to some. Others, reminding the world that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and also a part of his tour, thought it diligent to dismiss his efforts altogether.
Read MoreAmerica has never been forgetful by accident. Forgetting is one of its oldest strategies of survival—for the powerful, not the people. This country doesn’t suffer from memory loss; it suffers from selective recall. It remembers who built the skyscrapers, not who built the railroads. It remembers who signed the Declaration, not who was enslaved when it was written. Forgetting here is not a lapse—it’s law.
Read MoreWe asked Amira Barger a few questions about her book, which will be released tomorrow, October 28. Her answers are sharp, thoughtful, and full of insight. This isn’t just a Q&A that makes you want to read the book (though you definitely will); it actually leaves you with something real to think about.
Barger has worked with us several times before, and it’s an honor to talk with her just before this book reaches, hopefully, many people for whom being “nice” has been both an expectation and a burden.
Read MoreFiction has never struggled to name tyranny. We root for Katniss against the Capitol, for the Rebellion against the Galactic Empire, for Dumbledore’s Army against Voldemort’s regime. Ultranationalism and mythic populism are no longer just plot devices. In 2025 America, our drift toward authoritarianism is a political reality, and the courage we cheer in our favorite stories feels conspicuously absent on our own streets.
Read MoreIn May and June of 1912, the newly formed Cuban government, under the direct support and advisement of the United States, committed genocide with indiscriminate brutality and violence targeting Black Cubans in the Eastern region of the island (Oriente). The murder and disappearance of 5,000 Black Cubans happened under the guise of defending Cuba against the rebelling Black “racists” of Cuba’s first Black political party, El Partido Independiente de Color (PIC). In the period of modern colonialism and neocolonialism, the 1912 massacre proved itself as a testing ground for technological advancements and new and advanced weaponry later used during WWI, as well as in the US occupation of Haiti and the Dominican Republic in 1915 and 1916, respectively. Nevertheless, this genocide also allows us to understand the context of Cuba and the greater Caribbean under colonial and neocolonial control before 1959.
Read MoreReligion is meant to heal, but for many Americans, it has also left scars.
Religious belief has long shaped the culture and politics of the United States. It can be a source of meaning and community, but it can also cause deep harm. Religious trauma refers to the psychological, emotional, and spiritual wounds caused by harmful teachings, communities, or doctrines (Winell, 2011). These wounds are not rare. In the United States, where Christianity has long dominated public life, religious trauma is increasingly recognized not only as an individual struggle but as a collective wound with profound racial, social, and political consequences.
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