My name is Mira Mehta, and I’m a senior at Westfield High School. I believe that honest information and genuine communication will help us build a better future. I hope to contribute to both through my writing, and below is a sampling. I hope you enjoy it.
In a year full of dissatisfaction, tragedy and pain, calls for change had mixed results. One call for change in New Jersey was answered on Election Day when residents voted to legalize marijuana. It
Read MoreFrom the moment the first en-slaved Africans reached American shores in 1619, systemic racism has been woven into American society and institutions, and while progress has been made in removing it, there is still a long way to go
Read MoreAt the top of the list of many myths spread about the “successes” of Christopher Columbus was his “discovery of America.” It is impossible to discover land on which people are already living, and there were thousands of Indigenous people living on all of the islands Columbus went to.
Read MoreAs the beginning of the decade reveals itself to be an accumulation of 1920s tragedies rather than a time replete with the splendor of Gatsby-esque parties, Americans have not only united to support their communities but also begun to seize the unique opportunity this moment gives to meaningfully rethink policy and perspectives they have taken for granted.
Read MoreTo be truly patriotic is not just to celebrate our country’s history, but to commit to seeking a better path forward. The first step to that is understanding not only the flaws that have emerged recently but also those which are embedded in the country’s DNA.
Read MoreAs the president moves to restrict travel and immigration as his latest response to the pandemic, it is hard not to see the irony in America’s story. When Europeans first came to the United States, they brought with them new diseases, which devastated the communities who already lived here.
Read MoreWestfield is in its third week of remote learning, a change which has been difficult for all classes but which poses unique challenges for students with special needs and their teachers. No student has the same experience, and depending on their individual needs, they receive different support and resources within Westfield schools.
Read MoreOn Jan. 14, CNN hosted the seventh Democratic debate. It was the smallest yet, with only six candidates onstage — Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, Senator Amy Klobuchar, Former Vice President Joe Biden, Former Mayor of South Bend, IN Pete Buttigieg, and billionaire Tom Steyer.
Read MoreThe Rohingya people face persecution not only from the government of Myanmar but also from the Bangladeshi government, which had taken them in as refugees of an ethnic cleansing. Beginning in August 2017, Bangladesh took in more than 900,000 Rohingya Muslims (of about 1 million previously living in Myanmar).
Read MoreThere is a new hope for peace in Yemen. On February 7, a preliminary agreement was reached to remove Houthi troops from Hodeidah. The details are set to be finalized in a new round of talks this week. This comes after four days of talks on a UN ship afters the Houthis refused to meet in the capital of Sana’a because the land is currently held by the Hadi government.
Read MoreBuildings collapse. Bodies lie still in piles of rubble. Children scrounge for food. Smoke and flames paint the skies of cities. Bombs rain down, soldiers shoot and tanks pass through. But the way we talk about policy in Yemen is in relation to Iran and our foothold in the Middle East.
Read MoreFor the past seven years, Syria has been embroiled in civil war which has been exacerbated by the government’s use of chemical weapons against the people.
Read MoreAs the United States prepares for its midterm elections in November, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is preparing for its general elections on December 23rd. Current President Joseph Kabila was supposed to step down in December of 2016, but he refused and cracked down on protesters who tried to remove him.
Read MoreHistory is about people. It’s about how they lived, the events that shaped them, and the lives they changed. Too often, the only history we learn about is the perspective provided by textbook publishers. This singular view has had the power to shape our whole understanding of the past
Read MoreOn February 23, the UN released a report on human rights abuses that detailed Sudanese soldiers as perpetrators in the five-year conflict. The report implicated at least 40 military officials in war crimes and crimes against humanity
Read MoreOn November 22, former Bosnian Serb army leader Ratko Mladić was sentenced to life in prison on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. Mladić , dubbed the “Butcher of Bosnia,” led the Bosnian Serbs to victory in the Bosnian war in which 100,000 people were killed more than two decades ago.
Read MoreIn a remarkable vote on October 16th, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) was elected a member state of the United Nations Human Rights Council, the branch of the United Nations responsible for promoting and protecting human rights across the world.
Read MoreThe effects of poverty, corruption, and governmental ineptitude in Venezuela have spiraled into a humanitarian disaster. For most, the easiest way to get food is by rummaging through garbage can after garbage can, hoping that something edible will appear. For most, the next day is not guaranteed.
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