By Angela Suico

This past Monday, Reverend Irene Monroe discussed how peoples’ lack of awareness regarding the varied sources of their own identities contribute to harmful racial stereotypes, such as the association of black people with homophobia. The reverend explained that in order to battle these and other stereotypes associated with minority groups, people must first acknowledge the intersection of different racial and gendered tendencies in themselves. Rev. Monroe, who blogs about religion for the Huffington Post and is a doctoral student at Harvard Divinity School, was invited to speak at Oberlin by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life. Continue reading →

By James Kuntz

Mayor of Ciudad Juárez from 2007-2010, a city once dubbed by Time as “the most dangerous city in the Americas,” José Reyes Ferriz is quite familiar with the controversial issues of trade and immigration between the United States and Mexico. Well-dressed and affable, Ferriz spoke before a crowded Craig Lecture Hall on Sunday, October 9th regarding the significance of the upcoming presidential elections in shaping future relations between the two nations. Continue reading →

By Quinn Hull

Richard N. Haass ’73 spoke in front of a filled Craig Auditorium last Thursday evening about U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East. In response to the populist uprisings in Syria, Libya, Bahrain, Egypt, and other countries that have come to composite the so-called Arab Spring, his talk analyzed the prospects of democracy and peace and U.S. fortunes in the region, focusing on the continually changing political climate of the Middle East. Haass currently presides over the independent and nonpartisan nonprofit Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) after serving as Director of Policy Planning under former Secretary of State Colin Powell from 2001-2003. Continue reading →

By Noah Martin

Photo by David Roswell.

Kevin Jennings, former Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education in the Obama administration and CEO of the non-profit Be The Change, spoke at Oberlin last Tuesday, focusing on ways to effect change in society. Oberlin Young Educators organized the talk, with sponsorship from Oberlin Democrats, the MRC and Lambda Union, the SFC, and Student Senate. Continue reading →

By Alfred Goodrich

Photo by Zack Knoll.

Representatives from Oberlin College cultural organizations teamed up with the city of Oberlin on Saturday to host the fourth annual Culture Festival: a vibrant array of cultural traditions, food, dance, and festivities from across the world. Taiko drums thundered across Tappan’s pathways, food choices ranged from Vietnamese banh mi to Spanish gazpacho, and students and Oberlin residents bounced and volleyed a large blow-up model of the Earth across the grass. Continue reading →

By Noah Martin

Panelists at Education Nation, a panel on education policy reform held on Tuesday, September 20, discussed several of the most prominent debates in education today, finding agreement on a number of fundamental issues. Continue reading →

By Angela Suico

Ishmael Beah ’04 gave a talk on Thursday describing the complexities of helping children who grow up as he did during the 1991 Sierra Leone civil war: plunged into the bloody depths of battle. In 2007 the critically acclaimed author of A Long Way Gone established the Ishmael Beah Foundation (IBF), which works with organizations such as Human Rights Watch and UNICEF to provide educational opportunities for such children. The talk began the kick-off weekend of the Foundation, celebrating the establishment of its Oberlin College chapter. Continue reading →

By John Crittenden

Photo by Ruby Smith.

The first ever Lorain County Bike Festival kicks off this Saturday at Depot Park on 285 South Professor Street from 3-7 pm, where there will be food, music, and free bikes as part of a global day of environmental action organized by 350.org. Continue reading →