By: Andrew Jacobs What is “Cancer Alley”? “Cancer Alley” is often considered to be the roughly 130-mile corridor of the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans.[1] The area’s population is roughly 45,000 people and is predominantly composed of Black communities.[2] Home to over 200 industrial facilities – mainly oil refineries, petrochemical plants, and plastics manufacturing plants – the harmful pollution from these sources … Continue reading “Cancer Alley”: Louisiana Politicians’ Denial of Its Existence Won’t Make It Go Away

By: Adrianna Carpenter A. Beyond the Cement and Glass: What is Cop City? In southeast Atlanta, there is a forest. This forest is home to wetlands that filter rainwater and prevent flooding.[1] It is also one of the last breeding grounds for many amphibians in the region, as well as being an important migration site for wading birds.[2] Community members enjoy walking their dogs along … Continue reading The Forest is Everywhere: How the State is Criminalizing Protest and Dissent in the Fight to Build Cop City

By Mariam Rasooli On December 9, 2021, employees of a Starbucks in Buffalo, New York voted to become the first unionized Starbucks in the nation, by a vote of 19-8.[1] The unionization of this store triggered a surge of organizing efforts in other locations across the country. Within less than a year, in October 2022, employees at an estimated 245 Starbucks locations had voted to … Continue reading The Unionization Surge of Starbucks

By Rachel Ranieri The Trafficking Victims Protection Act criminalizes human trafficking under federal law. [1] Concurrently, all states have criminalized human trafficking.[2] The laws surrounding human trafficking have a substantial impact on victims, who are often forced to commit criminal offenses.[3] Many state criminal laws do not recognize exceptions or give immunity from prosecution for victims of human trafficking who are forced to engage in … Continue reading Human Trafficking: Victims Treated as Criminals

By Heather Barden The Department of Energy, in consultation with other key stakeholders, has developed a Virginia Energy Plan every four years since 2014 as prescribed by state law.[1] In 2021, the General Assembly amended the requirements for the Virginia Energy Plan in order to ensure future plans are in compliance with current statutory law.[2] The law currently states that the Virginia Energy Plan must … Continue reading Governor Youngkin’s 2022 Virginia Energy Plan

By Reagan Cavanaugh The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, after the virus reached 118,000 cases in over 110 countries and territories around the world.[1] The disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 quickly spread to all corners of the world and proved to be deadly to many of those in its path.[2] A public health emergency was declared by the United … Continue reading The End of the Pandemic

By Daniel J. LaLonde Virginia’s mass incarceration problem started in the late 1960s and early 1970s. In 1925, Virginia’s prison population was 1,920.[1] In 1925, .0008% of Virginia’s population was incarcerated.[2] Between 1925 and 1965, Virginia’s prison population remained relatively steady.[3] If, between 1965 and 2005, the prison population grew at the 1925 to 1965 pace, Virginia’s prison population in 2005 would have only been … Continue reading Mass Incarceration, From the View of Virginia’s Department of Corrections

By Erin Sweet   March 2020 changed the way we operate not only in public spaces, but also in public schools. Not only were students sent away from school buildings for at least a year, but when they were brought back, there was friction and fighting between students, parents, and school staff around Covid policies, classroom content, and mental health responses. At this point, all … Continue reading Post-Covid Safety in Schools

By Ben Raab The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states, “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”[1] Often times, people focus on the second part of the Amendment on bearing arms, without focusing on the first part, “a well regulated militia.”[2] Understanding the … Continue reading The Second Amendment: What is a Well-Regulated Militia?

By: Marley Manjarrez Imagine you are a pediatric nurse. Today you are treating a child suffering from an acute asthma exacerbation. You know this child because they are often in your office with asthma flare-ups. You do the best you can to help and are working with a parent dedicated to their well-being. However, you also know it is winter and their home has no … Continue reading Medical Legal Partnerships: A Collaboration Tackling Social Barriers to Health