Image: Eden Gross By Eden Gross Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place Lisa Buckley sits with her dogs on a wicker chair outside of her home recalling the story of the Irish wolfhound therapy dog named Ezra, who would often be compared to a table by students of the Lyme-Old Lyme school district. The students would sit around Ezra, occasionally making eye contact with each other and even talk about their day as they pet him. One day a student sitting alone with Ezra mentioned to the handler that they were new to the district and had no one to sit with at lunch. This moment of opening up of ..read more

Gia Clarke, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power In Place”  Power in Place had the privilege of speaking with Miki Porta, the former president of the League of Women Voters of New Canaan CT. She held this position for five years. The League of Women Voters is an organization that was founded in 1920, six months before white women got the right to vote in the United States. During her time with the League, Porta led many of its executives, such as the “Know Your Representatives Guide” geared towards informing citizens about their local candidates, and many voter registration drives. Porta is ..read more

By Madeleine Broussard, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place The only thing stronger than her deep Southern accent is Chambers County Judge Cindy S. Price herself. That much I’m sure of on August 4th as she greets me at the front of Barbers Hill Middle School North in Mont Belvieu, Texas, where she encounters yet again one of the great loves of her life: education. Judge Price fills up the whole school with her presence. She leads me down each hallway, explaining what classrooms used to be there and what has been remodeled since she left the school, fawning over distinguished athletic c ..read more

By Molly McNamara, Summer 2023 Power in Place Collaborator Image from: Vecteezy For many Americans, local politics is not on the forefront of their minds. What goes on at Capitol Hill seems much more pressing, with the big words and flashing colors of FOX News and CNN covering the issues of Washington, DC. But local politics affects the everyday lives of members of your community. The decisions of Congress are implemented by state and local governments, making your state senator or city council member crucial decision-makers in your life.  Through my photoshoot and interview with City Co ..read more

By Maddie Possamai, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place Image from: Taylor Sprague Meet Judith García On July 5th, 2023, I had the pleasure of interviewing Representative Judith García. García represents the 11th Suffolk District in Massachusetts, which includes Chelsea and Everett. García is the daughter of a single mother who immigrated to the United States from Honduras to Chelsea, MA. During our interview, García stated that the Bosson Playground in Chelsea is her place of special meaning. When García was younger, she was not allowed to play on the playground. She was only allowed ..read more

By Maddie Possamai, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place Image from: Maddie Possamai With the rise of social media influencers along with accessible information through social media, performative activism has taken the internet by storm in recent years. Performative activism can be defined as when one's words or support for social justice causes does not accurately align with their actions. In recent years, due to the influx of Instagram infographics and a constant stream of new information, performative activism has taken shape when social media users consistently post about social jus ..read more

By Adelyn Krucoff, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place When you think of an empress of Rome, typically you don’t think of one who raised a cult, who maneuvered politically just like her husband, who was a competent advisor, and may or may not have poisoned several people. She was responsible for reigning in the slowly ever growing insanity of Tiberius, outlived Augustus, her second husband, by a good 15 years, and she held together the Julio Claudian dynasty by her fingertips. She was wise in a way few are, modest in a way very few with power are, and cunning in a way almost no one else ..read more

By Kate Vavra, Summer 2023 Collaborator at Power in Place Image from: Mass Moments Today, women increasingly outnumber men in colleges throughout the United States. This makes it easy to forget that higher education was created for men, not women. Historically, even privileged wealthy women were unable to receive the same degrees as their brothers. They were instead educated at home or in a finishing school. The oldest college in the U.S., Harvard University, established in 1636, did not admit women for over three hundred years. As a response, women’s colleges became established around the co ..read more

By Kaitlyn Nguyen, Summer 2023 Power in Place Collaborator Her name was Ruth George.  She was only 19 years old when she was catcalled to her death. She had only experienced one year of college before all her future plans died with her in the backseat of her parked car.  Catcalling kills. Catcalling killed Ruth George.  After a long night out with her professional fraternity, George was dropped off in front of the all too familiar parking structure at the University of Illinois-Chicago. As she walked back to her car, George was approached by 26 year old Donal Thurman, who had fo ..read more

By Emma Quirk, Summer 2023 Power in Place Collaborator Image from: The Hollywood Reporter Disclaimer: This blog looks at the gender pay gap with a strict male/female lens in order to accurately describe the data and research done on this topic.  Two major unions in the entertainment industry are on strike. Since May 2, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike, and on July 17 The Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined them. This is the first time the WGA and SAG-AFTRA have been on strike at the same time since 1960. The WGA details how stre ..read more