In the Media
Scholars at UC Santa Cruz take an unflinching look at the forces that shape our world. Here are some highlights of UC Santa Cruz change-makers in the media.
We must invest in the University of California, not cut core instruction
July 31, 2020 – Cal Matters published an op-ed by dean of social sciences Katharyne Mitchell about the social sciences at UC Santa Cruz – and quite likely throughout the University of California – standing at the edge of a fiscal precipice.
Congresswomen of color have always fought back against sexism
July 29, 2020 – The Washington Post published an op-ed by history professor Dana Frank about how the first woman of color in Congress, Rep. Patsy Takemoto Mink, fought back for gender equality 50 years ago, paving the way for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s recent unflinching response to a verbal attack by Rep. Ted Yoho on the Capitol steps.
Lyft drivers accuse company of not providing enough protective gear
July 23, 2020 – CNN cited a recent study on San Francisco’s ride-hailing and delivery workers by Chris Benner.
When children return to school, don’t skip recess
July 16, 2020 – Professor of sociology Rebecca London co-authored an op-ed for EdSource about the importance of California’s elementary schools prioritizing outdoor recess and play time when schools physically reopen.
White backlash to Black Lives Matter was swift. It was also expected
July 9, 2020 – Professor of history Dana Frank was quoted in a San Francisco Chronicle piece about the expected hostility now beginning toward the racial uprising that has energized the country.
Airbnb Layoffs Expose Inequities in a Two-Tiered Workforce
June 26, 2020 – Chris Benner, professor of sociology and director of the Institute for Social Transformation, was quoted in a Bloomberg Businessweek article about layoffs at Airbnb that have exposed its two-tiered workforce.
Can We Trust the Police to Intervene in Fellow Officer Misconduct?
June 20, 2020 – Anjuli Verma, assistant professor of politics, co-authored an op-ed for The Jurist about whether the police can be trusted to intervene in cases of misconduct by fellow officers.
Be not dismayed when feeling helpless in today’s America
June 20, 2020 – John Brown Childs, professor emeritus of sociology, published an op-ed in the Santa Cruz Sentinel about reasons to feel hopeful during these troubling times.
Why Some Black-Owned U.S. Businesses Are Hardest Hit by Coronavirus Shutdowns
June 16, 2020 – Economist Rob Fairlie’s work on the impact of the pandemic on black-owned businesses continues to get widespread media attention, including from Reuters, the Financial Times, PBS Newshour, CBS News, USA Today, Bloomberg News, the Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Vox, The Hill, and the Associated Press.
Artist-Made Tools Resist Algorithmic Racism and Empower Communities
June 10, 2020 – KQED ran a story about activist art that included work by assistant professor of digital art and new media micha cárdenas and Arts Division grad students Abram Stern and Dorothy Santos.
Angela Davis on Abolition, Calls to Defund Police, Toppled Racist Statues & Voting in 2020 Election
June 9, 2020 – UCSC emerita professor Angela Davis discusses with Democracy Now the worldwide uprising against police brutality and racism.
Thousands of scientists worldwide to go on strike for Black lives
June 9, 2020 – Physicist Brittany Kamai was featured in news stories in Nature and the New York Times about the #ShutDownSTEM event she helped organize.
Elon Musk: An Eccentric Visionary?
June 7, 2020 – Chris Benner, professor of sociology and environmental studies and director of the Institute for Social Transformation, was interviewed by German public television for a story about Elon Musk.
Peruvians cry out for oxygen as coronavirus takes its toll
June 5, 2020 – Economist Kristian Lopez Vargas was quoted on CNN in a story about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Peru.
The black-white economic divide is as wide as it was in 1968
June 4, 2020 – Research by Economics Professor Rob Fairlie was featured in a Washington Post story about the wealth gap between black and white Americans, which is as wide today as it was in 1968.
Want to Fix Urban Sprawl? Ditch the Cul-de-Sac
May 31, 2020 – Adam Millard-Ball of Environmental Studies had his work about urban sprawl featured in Wired magazine.
How a plan to welcome 100 Syrian refugees divided a town and changed one woman’s life
May 27, 2020 – CBC Radio (Canada) ran a feature story about a new documentary film by associate professor of film and digital media Jennifer Maytorena Taylor that premieres at the Toronto Hot Docs Film Festival. Stories about the film also appeared in the Toronto-based magazine, The Gate, and IndieWire.
Peru: Coronavirus spreads despite strict and early measures
May 26, 2020 – Economist Kristian Lopez Vargas was featured in CNN’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic in Peru.
May 25, 2020 – The Washington Post reported new findings by economist Rob Fairlie about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on black-owned businesses.
How literature can capture the essence of life in a pandemic
May 20, 2020 – Humanities dean Tyler Stovall contributed an op-ed to the San Francisco Chronicle about literature and the pandemic.
Coronavirus Makes Juvenile Jails Look Like Adult Prisons
May 18, 2020 – Psychology Professor Craig Haney was quoted in a Ms. magazine article about the conditions facing incarcerated juveniles around the country since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fear sent her Chinatown restaurant spiraling. The challenges to reopening feel ‘just impossible.’
May 16, 2020 – Research by economist Robert Fairlie was cited in a Washington Post article about the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Asian-owned businesses.
Elon Musk reflects Silicon Valley’s ‘move fast and break things’ culture
May 15, 2020 – Chris Benner, professor of sociology and environmental studies, coauthored an op-ed for the San Francisco Chronicle about the risks workers face in Silicon Valley’s culture of radical innovation.
Gig workers in San Francisco are mostly people of color and many are immigrants, according to survey
May 5 2020 – Among the outlets covering the results of a unique survey of gig workers that was led by Chris Benner of Sociology are Tech Crunch, Vice, Science Daily, EurasiaReview, Eater SF, CFI.co, and Broke-Ass Stuart.
Voices from the Middle East: The Future of the Hirak Movement in Algeria
May 1, 2020 – Assistant professor of history Muriam Haleh Davis interviewed Algerian journalist Selma Kasmi in the Middle East Report about how the pandemic is affecting the Hirak protest movement in Algeria.
The New Wealth Test for Immigrants Is Un-American
February 24, 2020 – Read more on The New York Times
How parents can support the young activists in their lives
January 29, 2020 – Read more on Mashable
When Big Money Votes, Wealth Gaps Widen
November 13, 2019 – Read more on Capital & Main
When Solitary Confinement Is A Death Sentence
August 29, 2019 – Read more on HuffPost
