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
Aaron Schwartz: A letter of encouragement, and some words of warning, to my fellow teachers (Column)
“This year, teachers, we are on our own. We will be thanked, but we will not be kept safe. We will be called heroes, but we will not be advocated for,” Aaron Schwartz writes in this column.
Illustration by Kansas Reflector
Clay Wirestone: Disinformation caucus of Kansas GOP spreads dangerous falsehoods about COVID (Column)
“Elected officials owe their constituents more than representation. They owe them the truth,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column.
Birdie Alt: City of Lawrence must prioritize creating a climate plan (Column)
“The Lawrence City Commission needs to refocus on creating and implementing the Climate Action Plan before expanding Lawrence,” Birdie Alt writes in this column.
Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition: For health of Kansas mothers and babies, a focus on 1,000 crucial days (Column)
“The first 1,000 days — from a woman’s pregnancy to her child’s second birthday — is a time of tremendous potential and enormous vulnerability for a child. Babies’ brains develop fastest during this period,” Treva Smith and Brenda Bandy, co-executive directors of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition, write in this column for the Kansas Reflector.
Clay Wirestone: In Afghanistan’s fall, a swell of emotion for Kansas veterans and families (Column)
“We want to believe that we can change the world and our circumstances for the better. … But the end of our two decades in Afghanistan suggests that belief isn’t enough,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for the Kansas Reflector.
Kimberly Lopez: Subvert the expectations of your gender (Column)
“Even when it comes to rejecting beauty norms, there is a standard, and that standard is still the most acceptable type of body,” Kimberly Lopez writes in this column.
Noah Taborda/Kansas Reflector
What we learned from the strike at Frito-Lay for better pay and one day off (Column)
“We witnessed what is the heart of all unions across the country. SOLIDARITY,” officers of the Kansas AFL-CIO write in this column.
Kimberly Lopez: Gender is inherently a performance (Column)
“When I was younger, I was convinced that theater would be my future. … I had no idea my best performance was off-stage, was within me, and there was more to come,” Kimberly Lopez writes in this column.
Syed Jamal: Kansas should realize real cost of Styrofoam and phase out harmful products (Column)
“Although I fully empathize with the economic impact an abrupt ban will have on people whose livelihoods are involved, Styrofoam manufacturers can be offered incentives to make the transition from foam to paper,” Syed Jamal writes in this column for the Kansas Reflector.
Dot Nary: It’s Disability Pride Month — Here’s why we should all celebrate July 26 (Column)
“Let’s celebrate the anniversary of the ADA as a landmark civil rights law that protects the right of people with disabilities to be seen and to be fully participating members of our community,” Dot Nary writes in this column.
Ask Cody: Are you a boy or a girl? (Column)
This week’s question was not submitted through the Ask Cody account. It was asked in person, during one of the most important events of my life. “Are you a boy or a girl?”
Mackenzie Clark / The Lawrence Times
Michelle Gonzales: Why the mother of a woman who killed her rapist isn’t happy with an ‘extraordinary’ settlement (Column)
“I am the mother of Sarah Gonzales-McLinn, the 19-year-old woman who killed Hal Sasko in 2014. … To imply that my daughter’s sentence was cut in half is misleading,” Michelle Gonzales writes in this column.
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