Hey News-Changers! In last week’s One Big Thing we talked about how US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was planning to deport and deny visas for international students learning remotely. Good news: after several states and colleges filed lawsuits and 200,000 people petitioned ICE on behalf of international students, the Trump administration announced their intention to drop the policy. It’s pressure from legislators, school administrators, and the folks who they represent (you!) that make victories like this possible.
Keep scrolling for the latest headlines and more ways you can take action to impact them. Find out what Education Secretary Betsy DeVos had to say about schools reopening, how TikTok is impacting the 2020 election, and why Instagram is banning conversion therapy content.
Let’s Do This.
Now With Pressure From Betsy DeVos, the Debate Over Reopening Schools is Heating Up Education Secretary Betsy DeVos wants schools to reopen for in-person classes this fall, threatening to cut funding to schools that don’t do so -- a sentiment echoed by President Trump on Twitter. (Whether or not they have the authority to follow through on that threat is up for debate.) This comes as the US just recorded its highest single day of infections since the pandemic started, along with record-breaking rates of hospitalization in nine states.
Several legislators, school administrators, and health experts have expressed doubt over being able to reopen schools safely amid the pandemic. Speaking to CNN, the superintendent for one of the largest school systems in the country responded to DeVos’s statement, saying that, when following CDC guidelines, “You can’t put every kid back in school with the existing square footage footprint. It’s just that simple.”
We don’t have a lot of certainty around what schools will do, but for now, most state governments seem to be approaching reopening on a district-by-district basis, with a lot of schools preparing for hybrid instruction (mixing both in-person and remote learning). Some larger districts have already announced that they’re going fully virtual for at least the beginning of the academic year, including districts in Los Angeles, San Diego, Nashville, and Atlanta.
Here’s How TikTok and Gen Z Are Impacting the 2020 Election TikTok users made a big splash last month when they were credited with trolling President Trump’s Tulsa rally. Now folks are wondering: what else can TikTok do in the realm of US politics?
For one thing, TikTok has given young people a platform to amplify the movements they care about -- including political ones. Through their videos, users can campaign for their favorite candidates, promote voter registration, meme-ify major political players, and even run for office themselves.
“A lot of political stuff is on Facebook and Twitter, but Gen Z isn’t really into that stuff,” TikTok influencer Benjamin Williams, 19, told The New York Times. “With TikTok you can put politics into comedy and have someone their age talking like they’re a friend.”
Currently, the US is considering banning the app due to escalating tension with the Chinese government and their handling of internet security and freedom.
“I think this will drastically affect political commentary among teenagers,” TikTok influencer Ashleigh Hunniford, 17, told The New York Times. “TikTok is an outlet for a lot of protest and activism and people talking about their political beliefs. Banning that would not carry well among people my age.”
Take Action: Want to make your own impact on the election? Share a personalized voter registration page to get your friends ready to vote.
Instagram Is Issuing a Blanket Ban on Conversion Therapy Content The folks over at Instagram are finally cracking down on content that promotes LGBT conversion therapy with a platform-wide ban. Instagram’s community guidelines denounce attacks on people for their sexual orientation or gender identity, but this is one of the most decisive moves that the platform has taken to make good on their standards.
The policy decision expands on a change they made earlier this year to ban paid ads for conversion therapy services. The new rule will apply to all content across Instagram, as well as its parent company Facebook.
According to the Trevor Project, conversion therapy is “any of several dangerous and discredited practices aimed at changing an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity.” Research by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that these practices lack medical justification, are ineffective in their purpose, and are actively harmful to those who experience them.
Conversion therapy is illegal in several states and countries. Last week, over 100,000 people signed a petition for the UK to issue its own ban, and it’ll now be considered for debate in Parliament.
Take Action: The first step to eliminating this harmful practice is to educate others about it. Share Sam’s story of surviving conversion therapy with your friends and family.
Why aren’t more people talking about… how 120 members of Congress are demanding that the Trump administration overturn anti-LGBTQ policies made unlawful by the Supreme Court’s recent ruling.
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands… the Dutch legislature is working to approve a constitutional amendment guaranteeing LGBTQ rights.
My hero today is… Malone Mukwende, a Black medical student who created a handbook for diagnosing conditions as they appear on darker skin.
This week in Black joy… celebrate with these two soon-to-be law school students, Mel and Rehan.
Today in viral cuteness… these two kittens have very different (but equally adorable) meows.
I’m obsessed with… this Instagram account my friend sent me that shows you what kind of frog you are based on your name. (Here’s mine, and here’s the spreadsheet of names if you wanna find yours.)
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