Appalachia’s coalfields resemble the landscapes of dystopian science fiction. Each week, the explosive equivalent of a nuclear bomb is detonated in these mountains, leaving only black, jagged crags of upturned earth. The small communities surrounding these mining operations have suffered under corporate hegemony and oppression since the turn of the century; the region still struggles [...]

Many extracurricular activities at both the high school and college level are modeled after government structures: from Model United Nations, to Mock Trial, to Youth and Government and, most notably, Student Government. AU’s student government has three branches—student media even mimics the traditional role of media as “watchdog.” Without a doubt, the skills students gain [...]

On Saturday  April 7, 1991, Richard Berendzen got a haircut. He stopped by the office for a few hours, then he met his wife for lunch. “Ed Carr called,” she said. “He wants you to call him back as soon as possible.” Ed Carr was the new Chairman of American University’s Board of Trustees, and [...]

In 1995, Congress paved the way for DC’s city amusement park. It would be parked on two man-made islands in the Anacostia River. Its backers envisioned a high-tech learning center complete with 3-D movies, planetarium, and virtual reality simulators. The Washington Post promised a “place where people of all ages could test their sports skills, [...]

My name is Audi. I was born in Cape Town, South Africa. I am 37 years old. I grew up in a township in a family of six children. I now have three children. My name is Sarah. I was born in Washington, DC. I am 42 years old. I still live in the same [...]

We’ve all been there: you sign into your Facebook account and see a dozen new invites to groups, events and associations that you have never heard of from people you don’t talk to. It seems everyone has a cause, and they’re using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to tell you all about it. There is even [...]

According to AU professor Dr. Elizabeth Cohn, Ronald Reagan’s presidential legacy has been whitewashed. This is not a reactionary political slogan; it is a conviction born of her work as founder and director of the Central American Historical Institute from 1982 to 1988 — the height of the Reagan Administration’s covert support for anti-government “contras” [...]

Inspired by the recent uprisings in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt, Farida Nabourema, a junior in SIS, decided to take action for the people in her home country of Togo. For over a year, the opposition has held protests every Saturday, claiming the 2010 election was fraudulent. Seeing a way to potentially unite and mobilize all [...]

Thousands of independent NGOs operate in Port-au-Prince, but a glance at any mention of Haiti in the news doesn’t set much store in their success. One exception is Fonkoze, Haiti’s alternative microfinance institution. Its four-step microcredit program has been making incredible progress empowering women through small loans, education programs and health services since 1994. Port-au-Prince [...]

With two sets of turntables and a mountain of vinyls visible from the outside window, it’s clear that work at Words Beats & Life is a bit atypical. Located in a corner church in Columbia Heights, the office overlooks the church auditorium, which sometimes doubles as a WBL classroom and event space. What started as [...]