Nation & World

All Nation & World

  • New database tracks data on slaves, slavers, and allies

    A new open-source database called Enslaved: Peoples of the Historical Slave Trade (Enslaved.org), offers a repository of information and stories about those who were enslaved or enslavers, worked in the slave trade, or helped emancipate enslaved people.

    A Cotton Plantation on the Mississippi
  • Two mayors talk pandemic, civic unrest, and the value of a network of peers

    The Gazette recently spoke to Kathy Sheehan, mayor of Albany, N.Y., and Randall Woodfin, mayor of Birmingham, Ala., and asked them to share how their experience at Harvard as part of the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative prepared them to face the toughest year of their careers.

    Mayor Woodfin and a citizen.
  • Redrawing the civics education roadmap

    In a report released March 1, “A Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy,” researchers at Harvard, Tufts, and other institutions laid out a strategy and other recommendations for a large-scale recommitment to the field of civics, which has seen investment decline during the last 50 years.

    Raised hands illustration.
  • Biden may regret releasing report on Khashoggi murder

    President Biden’s release of 2018 U.S. intelligence report on murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi sets the stage for a significant shift in U.S.-Saudi relations from Trump era.

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
  • Solving racial disparities in policing

    Experts say approach must be comprehensive as roots are embedded in culture

    Protesters in NYC.
  • An overhaul for justice

    Ana Billingsley, assistant director with the Government Performance Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School, examines inequities in the criminal justice system.

    Illustration of Ana Billingsley.
  • A key to ending racism: Make it personal

    In his new book, “The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations,” Robert Livingston of the Harvard Kennedy School argues that racism can be battled with constructive dialogue.

    Robert Livingston.
  • So why did the state vaccine-reservation system crash?

    David Eaves, an expert on information technology and the government, discusses why governments seemingly struggle to implement tech tools such as vaccine appointments or health insurance enrollment.

    David Eaves.
  • Seeded amid the many surprises of COVID times, some unexpected positives

    We ask experts in the fields of medicine, biology, public health, education, religion about the unexpected upsides in the coronavirus pandemic.

    Illustration for COVID.
  • On the road to JFK

    Fredrik Logevall, whose recent book, “JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917‒1956,” covers the president’s early years. In conversation Monday with fellow historian Jon Meacham, Logevall discussed his findings and offered some hints as to what is to come in the second volume.

    Kennedy Clan.
  • Black voters take the wheel

    Voting rights activist LaTosha Brown explains how decades of painstaking activism culminated in Black voters’ decisive and historic role in the 2020 election.

    LaTosha Brown.
  • For the first time, a Native American may oversee U.S. policies on tribal nations

    Harvard community members react to the nomination of Rep. Deb Haaland as secretary of Interior, the first Native American in the department that is home to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

    Deb Haaland.
  • Taking systemic racism from a solvable problem to an achievable solution

    At a Kennedy School talk, lecturer Robert Livingston outlined ways organizations can help lessen racism.

    Zoom screenshot with Robert Livingston, Iris Bohnet, and Jacob Blair.
  • How Trump illustrated the need for more curbs on presidential power

    A webinar discussion between Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author Bob Woodward and current DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz on presidential accountability reform.

    Bob Woodward on Zoom.
  • Guess who’s coming to dinner

    Marya T. Mtshali spoke to the Gazette about the long history of American fears of racial mixing, the importance of decentering whiteness in discussions of race and relationships, and why we should value love as a scholarly subject.

    Marya T. Mtshali
  • Lessons from an older Gilded Age for a new one

    Professor Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett discussed their new book, “The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again,” at a Kennedy School event.

    Robert D. Putnam.
  • Organizing, but not compartmentalizing

    LaTosha Brown, founder of the Black Voters Matter Fund and the Southern Black Girls and Women’s Consortium, shares insight on increasing voter turnout in a post-election conversation on Feb. 11.

    LaTosha Brown
  • Young, athletically gifted, and Black — at Harvard

    An all-star panel of former University athletes came together in a Black Varsity Association Zoom event to discuss the impact of race on the college and professional sports worlds.

    Gabby Thomas '19.
  • What to look for at Trump’s impeachment trial

    Trump is the first president to be impeached for a second time and will be the first to be tried after leaving office.

    Clerk of the House Cheryl Johnson with the article of impeachment under her arm.
  • Is this a tipping point for Putin?

    Igniting growing demonstrations of outrage across Russia, the prosecution of anti-corruption activist Alexei Navalny could pose a rare challenge to President Vladimir Putin’s iron grip on power.

    A man with a sign 'Navalny' on his back stands in front of riot policeme.
  • Amid pandemic tragedy, an opportunity for change?

    The Harvard chairs of a new Lancet commission studying universal health care in India say the coronavirus’ impact there has created a moment of opportunity for change.

    Woman with stethoscope.
  • Being in the Super Bowl — and with your football heroes

    Cameron Brate will line up with his idols and football legends Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski for Super Bowl LV.

    Cameron Brate and Tom Brady.
  • 10 years later: Was the Arab Spring a failure?

    Ten years later, Arab scholars and analysts on campus take a closer look at the uprising known as the Arab Spring.

    Arab Spring uprising in Egypt.
  • An unflinching look at racism as America’s caste system

    Kicking off a monthly series designed to harness “the power of storytelling,” was Pulitzer Prize-winner Isabel Wilkerson, author of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents.”

    Isabel Wilkerson and othes on Zoom screen.
  • Capitol losses

    Following the Jan. 6 riot that left five people dead and 140 police officers injured, a Harvard panel of experts reflected on the critical damage done to democracy and the arduous work ahead to figure out how to save it.

    Zoom panel.
  • Stepping up to the front line

    Harvard undergrads learned how culture, society, and systems of power shape the exchange of care between individuals and communities, and they put their lessons into practice through semester-long “community care projects.”

    Class photo in Zoom.
  • And now, the way forward

    Harvard faculty members reflect on the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and the challenges that await them in the months ahead.

    Joe Biden signs his first executive orders in the Oval Office.
  • ‘History has its eyes on us’

    Harvard alumna Amanda Gorman delivered the inaugural poem during the ceremony on Wednesday.

    Amanda Gorman reads inaugural poem.
  • Recognizing pain but seizing hope

    Harvard faculty and students reflect on a solemn, powerful presidential inaugural for troubled times.

    Joe Biden sworn in.
  • Reaffirming inauguration rituals after Capitol assault

    How the symbolic aspects of a cornerstone of American democracy evolved.

    Capitol building.