Every four years, millions of Americans join billions of their fellow humans across the globe to celebrate the astonishing athletic feats at the Summer Olympics. Warm-weather sports such as swimming and track…
Tag: Religion and society
Indian protesters pull from poetic tradition to resist Modi’s Hindu nationalism
India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, implemented the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, or CAA, in March 2024. Opponents of the law – which fast-tracks citizenship for undocumented, non-Muslim migrants from…
Bollywood is playing a large supporting role in India’s elections
As the largest electorate in history goes to the polls in India from April 19 to June 1, 2024, political parties are seeking to influence voters’ decisions – through cinema. The incumbent…
How non-English language cinema is reshaping the Oscars landscape
Over the past few years, the Oscars have taken a decidedly international turn. This year, of the 10 films nominated for an Academy Award for best picture, three of them – “Anatomy…
Never mind Cleopatra – what about the forgotten queens of ancient Nubia?
Jada Pinkett Smith’s new Netflix documentary series on Cleopatra aims to spotlight powerful African queens. “We don’t often get to see or hear stories about Black queens, and that was really important…
The beats, rhymes and spirituality of Latin hip-hop
As a first-generation college graduate and a Latino from a family that constantly scrambled to make ends meet, there was very little in my upbringing that foreshadowed my current life as a…
What a biannual gathering of 1967 Impalas reveals about the blurry line between fandom and religion
Among the many spooky events happening over Halloween weekend was the biannual “Haunting of Impalas” at Family Business Brewing, a 15-acre brewery in Dripping Springs, Texas, owned by actor and musician Jensen…
Mothers’ lives in ancient Greece were not easy – but celebrations of their love have survived across the centuries
As a father of three and the husband of an amazing woman, I know that one day a year is far too little to recognize everything mothers do. But my work as…
How ‘La Catrina’ became the iconic symbol of Day of the Dead
On April 13, 1944, thousands of people clashed with police on the steps of the Art Institute of Chicago. The melee was unrelated to U.S. participation in World War II, labor unrest…
How a key phrase from Islam became a pillar of hip-hop
I was 9 years old when Eric B. and Rakim’s “Paid in Full” dropped. I have vivid memories of the bass-laden track booming out of car stereos and hearing it on Black…