Author: J. Camilo Vilaseca

I am no free speech absolutist. I do believe in the right to say exactly what you want, but not when people exist in their communities with constant threats to their safety. Language on the surface may be neutral, but when it is followed up by action, especially action that intentionally disregards others’ humanities in an

In 2008, the Democratic Party shifted what it meant to be electable in the United States. The primary was going to yield either the first black presidential candidate (sorry, Bill Clinton) or the first female presidential candidate by either of the two major parties in a general election. This change

By the time I was a junior, I was told I had to start thinking about college and beyond, which in retrospect is really an impossible task. To ask a 16-year-old child from a disadvantaged background what he wants to be when he grows up could elicit a variety of answers, many

The first time I was taught that intelligence trumps all was in seventh grade. World History taught me that the Chinese empire, with their Confucian roots, made the smart decision of using a civil service exam to decide who worked in government. One of the most advanced empires at the

Two-term Democratic governor of Maryland Martin O’Malley came to Pitzer College to pitch his progressive platform, one that is in many ways indistinguishable from the other candidates in the field. Immigration reform, protection for same sex couples and women, the evening of the playing field, reducing college debt, the list goes on.

Full disclosure: I was abroad last semester during the Michael Brown and Eric Garner verdicts. I was in Cuba when I saw my hometown explode in anger at police brutality. I was not on campus during the debates on these topics, and I was unable to witness the anger. But