By Andy Wyatt Gwinnett County is politically fascinating. The county is solidly suburban, with its county seat, Lawrenceville, approximately 28 miles northeast of Atlanta. It is also the second-most populous county in Georgia, with 957,062 residents, according to the 2020 Census. The county is also fast-growing, especially in the metro-Atlanta area, with its population increasing by 19 percent between 2010 and 2020. Gwinnett is incredibly diverse, tied with Alameda County, California, for the seventh-most diverse county in the U.S. It is also the most diverse county in the state of Georgia, wi ..read more

By Katie Kress In South America, green scarves have been a symbol of resistance against the mistreatment of women for decades. The use of the color green stems from its symbolization of growth, nature, and life. Though previously associated with anti-abortion activism, the term “life” was reclaimed by — and ultimately became synonymous with — The Green Wave, a pro-choice movement fighting for decriminalization and legalization of abortion. Beginning in Argentina, the debate inspired by the movement made human rights topics such as feminism and abortion access far more commonplace. The discussi ..read more

Senator Joe Manchin (D) of West Virginia and former Senator Roy Blunt (R) of Missouri addressed the UGA community at the inaugural Johnny Isakson Symposium on Political Civility on Friday, Nov. 10.  The event was moderated by Dean Matthew Auer of the School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), presented alongside special remarks by UGA President Jere Morehead and former chief of staff and political strategist for Senator Isakson, Heath Garrett.  Every seat in the UGA Chapel was filled on the morning of the symposium, with some guests even opting to stand in the back of the ais ..read more

Image by Athens Politics Nerd Establishing the SPLOST The Georgia State Legislature enacted the County Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax in 1985. This allowed for local governments to implement an optional 1% sales tax on all goods that are subject to the state sales tax. Essentially, for every dollar spent on an item subject to the tax, one penny goes toward SPLOST. Revenue generated by this small tax goes toward public works projects and infrastructure improvements that are not funded by property taxes. SPLOST funds are funneled into cultural, recreational, and historical capital outla ..read more

Image from Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Leo Frank and his wife Lucille in the courtroom for his murder trial, Georgia, 1913. In a notorious episode of Georgia’s legal history, Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager, was convicted of the murder of a young girl named Mary Phagan in Georgia in 1913 through a legal process steeped in anti-semitism and error. Despite doubts about his guilt, he was sentenced to death; in 1915, while on death row, his sentence was commuted by Georgia Governor John M. Slaton to life imprisonment. Frank was murdered by a lynch mob later that year, a crime for which ..read more

Image from UChicago Law School Around the world, inter-state conflict, climate change, and other geopolitical factors have led to the forced displacement of millions of people, leaving them in a precarious legal situation. People become stateless due to a change of state sovereignty. One of the most significant cases was the separation of the Soviet Union, resulting in people being citizens of a country that no longer exists. Other situations resulting in statelessness include legal discrimination based on ethnicity, as can be seen with the Rohingya people in Myanmar, who have been denied cit ..read more

Image from Heritage Daily. Courtesy of John D Smith. Mount Rushmore at Sunset.1 Mountains: scientifically they have the mundane definition of being formed through the collision of tectonic plates. However, it is what is not included within this dry definition that is the true value of these features. From posing a challenge to hikers to creating and shaping the various ecosystems around them, mountains serve roles unlike anything else in nature. Yet when you look into the history of these peaks, it becomes abundantly clear how little our own nation cares for the Native American beliefs instil ..read more

Part of the Diplomatic Dish series By Joshua Walker Art by Lily Hearn Every October 31st, children and adults in Western Europe, the United States, Canada, and elsewhere don their favorite costumes and wander the streets in search of the best candy spots. Pumpkin carving is a common activity in the weeks leading up to Halloween, and following the spooky night, November exhibits dishes featuring the orange gourd – anything from pumpkin pasta to pumpkin curry and, of course, pumpkin pie. This year alone, it is estimated Americans will spend over $840 million just on carving pumpkins, which is a ..read more

The Influence of Literature on Tension Between Japan and South Korea During World War II, Japan systematically trafficked over 200,000 women, girls, and boys in its occupied territories (Dudden 2022). In 2015, the Japanese and South Korean governments came together in a press conference (the Japan-ROK Agreement) to verbally acknowledge Japan’s trafficking and treatment of sexual slaves—commonly referred to as “comfort women.” During the joint conference, Kishida Fumio, former foreign minister of Japan, apologized on behalf of Prime Minister Abe and offered one billion yen—roughly seven million ..read more

Image from Entertainment Weekly. Courtesy of Getty Images. Aaron Paul and Bryan Cranston on the SAG-AFTRA picket line On July 14, 2023, the highly-anticipated double feature of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, dubbed “Barbenheimer” by fans, was finally released in theaters. Barbenheimer garnered audiences of all genres back into theaters after a period where the conventional in-person movie experience was seemingly non-existent due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It had been years since such a culturally significant film had been released, so these films were said to have ..read more