This semester, I have done extensive research into the criminal justice system and believe that how the US handles crime and punishment is fundamentally flawed. I am calling for campuses to hold a criminal justice week that will make students more aware of these issues and will involve people of different fields in the conversation. This is too important to leave to … [Read more...] about Advocating for Change in the Criminal Justice System
Voices of the Valley
You can access Voices of the Valley essays that were published in the Alliance’s Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet through these links: 2004 – 2005 – 2006 – 2007 – 2008 – 2009 – 2010 – 2011 – 2012 – 2013 – 2014 – 2015 – 2016 – 2017 – 2018 – 2019
The Voices of the Valley category includes work by members of the Lehigh Valley community.
You can also search for individual essays (& other content) by category or tag.
Decolonizing America for a Sustainable Future
by Maison Allen What if Europeans never settled in North America? Would the land in this country have remained unharmed? Would the environment be in better condition than it is today? Unlike colonists, the Native people did not treat the Earth as a consumable good. While there is no way to answer these questions, taking a look at the way Indigenous people lived suggests that … [Read more...] about Decolonizing America for a Sustainable Future
How Are Our Problems Connected?
As my semester at Moravian College and my internship with Alliance come to an end, I’ve been ask to write a piece that weaves my semester’s work together. In the past few months, I’ve been able to write pieces that focus on colonialism in America, sexual assault, gun control, racism today, and what we teach about Columbus. What do all of these pieces have to do with … [Read more...] about How Are Our Problems Connected?
Guns: don’t ban, regulate!
On February 14, 2018, another school was terrorized by gun violence. In Parkland Florida, 17 victims were killed at the hands of a malicious shooter who rampaged through Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. While this is a tragedy, it is also, frankly, nothing out of the ordinary. It isn’t the most recent shooting in American and it’s just one in a long list of mass shootings. … [Read more...] about Guns: don’t ban, regulate!
The Importance of Black Panther
It’s been about two months since the release of Marvel’s Black Panther and somehow, it’s still turning up a significant profit weekend after weekend. In fact, it just surpassed Titanic on the list of highest-grossing films of all time. This film is part of the Marvel Universe saga and ties in with other popular films like Captain America: Civil War, which could explain some of … [Read more...] about The Importance of Black Panther
Black Lives for Gun Control
Plastered on the cover of the April 2nd issue of Time magazine are the prominent members of the #NeverAgain movement, with the bold enlarged caption, “Enough.” These students have been leading a revolution of sorts. After the tragic school shooting that left 17 members of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School dead, these students are speaking out about the country’s gun laws and … [Read more...] about Black Lives for Gun Control
Voices of the Valley 2018
As we wait for copies of the 2018 Sustainable Lehigh Valley booklet (now being printed), we invite you to check out the many great ideas in the Voices of the Valley section. Essays from the 2018 edition of Sustainable Lehigh Valley: Is There Hope for the Future?, by Alex Fischer The Paradox of “Nature”, by Andrew Goldman The Cycle of Discarding, by Briana VanBuskirk … [Read more...] about Voices of the Valley 2018
Acknowledging the original inhabitants of this area
We are located in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, an area that is a small part of what was Lenni-Lenapé territory. The Lenni-Lenape apparently were friendly and accommodating, until the settlers gradually — and often violently — forced them from their territory. We acknowledge the injustice and mistreatment indigenous people faced as a result of colonialism, and we recognize that … [Read more...] about Acknowledging the original inhabitants of this area
Teaching What’s Right: Teaching Columbus in Schools
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed some inaccuracies in information I learned through my grade school career. One fallacy that was widely accepted and taught was the notion that Christopher Columbus discovered America. It was ingrained into our minds all throughout elementary school. In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. But as I’ve gotten older, I know that this fact isn’t … [Read more...] about Teaching What’s Right: Teaching Columbus in Schools
Peter’s blog: ‘Thanksgiving & Colonialism’
Thanksgiving Day seems an appropriate time to post this brief historical note about Colonialism in the United States. I'll start by mentioning that this is the original territory of the Lenape, now known as the Delaware. Like most parts of North America, Pennsylvania & New Jersey were occupied by Indigenous people for thousands of year before the first European settlers … [Read more...] about Peter’s blog: ‘Thanksgiving & Colonialism’