The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. Occasionally, we’ll also pick up columns from other nearby news outlets. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
The Lawrence Times does not publish staff editorials (unsigned opinion columns, usually about the topics we cover, that many news publications run).
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OPINION COLUMNS
Clay Wirestone: Kansas Republicans claim they want to cut the food sales tax. So why haven’t they? (Column)
“The Kansas GOP has reminded everyone that our state’s high tax on food is very, very bad and must be changed. … If only we could figure out who was responsible,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Clay Wirestone: Following anti-CRT wins, expect dangerous hogwash in 2022 Kansas elections (Column)
“In short, every single debunked bit of irrational absurdity we’ve heard over the last few months — in Kansas and nationwide — will be repeated ad nauseam” in Kansas’ 2022 elections, Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Ask Cody: Being an ‘accomplice’ does not mean centering your whiteness (Column)
“There is an expectation of immense labor for Black trans folks; and there are no thank-yous for the labor given and risk taken,” Cody Charles writes.
Jesse Kielman: In redistricting, Kansas legislators shouldn’t use prison populations as bargaining chips (Column)
“Despite denying enslaved people civil rights, slave states demanded that these men, women and children be included in population counts because it increased their political power. … This exploitation has resurfaced in recent redistricting efforts,” Jesse Kielman writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Clay Wirestone: At two historic Kansas graveyards, the scariest of frights and the deepest of emotions (Column)
“No horror lurked here, bloodcurdling or otherwise. Nor did I feel abstracted peace. Limitless sorrow permeated, bound up with unyielding love,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Tom Harper
Tom Harper: A token to help close the chapter on Oldfather Studios (Column)
“Navigating an uncertain and unfamiliar terrain, I noticed a flash of color on the floor. It was the only item that had life: a movie poster in the stairway among the debris,” Tom Harper writes in this column on exploring partially demolished Oldfather Studios.
Clay Wirestone: At memorial for Lawrence lynching victims, a crowd faces history head-on (Column)
“On that Saturday morning by the Kansas River, as soil was scooped into glass jars and carnations placed on top of each, a spirit moved among the crowd. They had gathered there, near Lawrence City Hall, to commemorate the victims of a lynching nearly 140 years ago,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Tom Harper / The Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Lawrence train depot fountain is a misfit (Column)
The city has finished the nine-month-long rebuild of the fountain next to the historic Santa Fe/Amtrak depot in East Lawrence. Now that it’s finally completed, be sure to stop by to see it — before it is removed.
Clay Wirestone: This Kansas senator wants to stifle talk of systemic racism — never mind the research (Column)
“Compelling figures apparently weren’t enough for (Sen. Richard) Hilderbrand to see systemic or institutional racism at work,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Edith Guffey: Systemic disregard for Black people’s humanity is deeply woven into our culture (Column)
“Although separated by 140 years, the racial violence of 1882 is not disconnected from the systems of racial oppression and white supremacy that continue to flourish in our criminal justice, education, healthcare, housing — all of the systems that are foundational in this community,” Edith Guffey writes in this column.
Tom Harper / The Lawrence Times
Tom Harper: Demolition underway at Oldfather Studios; buildings preserve our shared history (Column)
Demolition is underway at Oldfather Studios at Ninth and Avalon in Lawrence. “This building was unique due to the number of people who spent hours in study, experimentation and work in their field, in addition to its interesting midcentury architectural design,” Tom Harper writes in this piece.
Will Averill: 8 things you should know about domestic violence, and 5 ways you can help (Column)
“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a chance to reflect on how domestic violence impacts our community and learn more about what you can do to help,” Will Averill writes in this column.
