Janis Ian was only 14 when she wrote one of the most influential—and controversial—songs of a generation. The story behind the anthem is told in Varda Bar-Kar’s new biographical documentary, Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.
A Jewish girl growing up in a mostly Black New Jersey neighborhood, the then-Janis Fink was inspired after seeing a young interracial couple cuddling on a bus despite the disapproving glares of those around them. The result was “Society’s Child,” about a White girl whose romance with a Black boy sets her up for harassment and demands to “stick to your own kind.”
Recorded in 1965, the song touched on such a raw nerve that it almost didn’t get released. Ian’s producer, Shadow Morton, had anticipated the problem and suggested that she play it safe by changing its first line: “Pick me up from school, baby, face is clean and shining black as night.” When Ian refused, Morton was forced to pitch the song to more than 20 record labels before finding one that was willing to take a chance on it.
After Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his intention to help break a potential filibuster of the Republican spending bill, America’s fascist president, Donald Trump, took to Truth Social to praise his old friend: “Congratulations to Chuck Schumer for doing the right thing,” he wrote. “This could lead to something big for the USA, a whole new direction and beginning.”
Schumer’s stance justifiably angered the Democratic base, as it gave away all leverage the anti-fascist coalition has for the foreseeable future to stop Trump’s illegal power grab. The minority leader defended himself from progressive criticism, saying he had the overwhelming support of his caucus, which I actually don’t doubt, despite the fact only nine other Democratic senators voted with him.
I’m no expert in Senate procedure, but it’s my understanding any member of the body could have denied the bill unanimous consent, forcing a debate which would give the opposition time to mobilize against the legislation. No Democratic-aligned senator did that, including various liberal darlings. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion this was all carefully-coordinated political theater.
What will happen if disabled veterans lose everything? What happens when they can no longer access mental health care? I have lived this fear every day since the inauguration.
For longer than two decades, between 2008 and 2022, twenty-two veterans a day committed suicide. The Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) annual report on the suicide epidemic in veteran population has shown a decrease in these numbers since 2022, the number dropping from 22 to 18. Even so, veteran suicides remain heartbreaking and will again spike for years to come if DOGE has its way by planning to cut 70,000 VA staffers.
Veterans have had major upheaval and chaos since draft-dodging Trump announced the “Department of Government Efficiency” – which is run and staffed by those who would never have the courage to pick up a weapon and fight for their lavish way of life. As a young adult, I had the courage to fight, and then fellow soldiers raped me while I served in Iraq in 2004 as an intelligence specialist. I dodged bullets and improvised explosives, but my life was forever altered by Americans.
Donald Trump has initiated the destruction of the American democracy in breathtaking speed. In less that two months, the world has changed as America has changed from a Republic with the promise of justice, civil rights, and a government “by the people and for the people” to a budding fascist dictatorship. Now, authoritarian rule has landed squarely on the heads of all Americans so quickly that people have not been able to process the change.
Americans have been conditioned to believe that living under an authoritarian rule is worse than death, thus Russia and China need to be labeled as enemies, and citizens are expected to support wars against them. But the enemy has emerged from within.
We need your help! Green Columbus is facing a funding challenge due to delayed grant reimbursements (Dispatch & NPR have covered the story), making community support more important than ever. One way you can make a direct impact is by volunteering with us at Crew Concessions—where every volunteer shift earns Green Columbus a donation, plus tips!
How You Can HelpWe need volunteers to work concessions at Columbus Crew home games and concerts. Each shift provides critical funding for our mission to grow and sustain Columbus’s tree canopy.
Although the nations of the world have pledged to respect a system of international law and global responsibility, the recent behavior of several countries provides a sharp challenge to this arrangement.
For over three years, the Russian government has conducted a brutal military invasion, occupation, and annexation of Ukraine―the largest and most devastating military operation in Europe since World War II. Defying Russia’s international obligations―including a peace treaty it signed with Ukraine, a ruling by the International Court of Justice demanding Russia halt its military operations in Ukraine, the UN Charter, and repeated UN General Assembly condemnations of Russian behavior by an overwhelming majority of the world’s nations―the Putin regime has stubbornly persisted with Russia’s imperialist aggression against its smaller, weaker neighbor.
Two demonstrations at the Ohio Statehouse March 22.