The pieces in this section are generally written by members of the Lawrence community and those who have close ties. In addition, the Times is offering some space for area organizations and organizers to provide updates and attempt to reach other folks who might share their mission.
The Lawrence Times does not publish staff editorials (unsigned opinion columns, usually about the topics we cover, that many news publications run). Want to submit a letter or column to the Times? Great! Click here to find out how.
OPINION COLUMNS
Rebecca Zarazan Dunn/Contributed Image
Rebecca Zarazan Dunn: People of Lawrence should commit to a shared effort to save our schools (Column)
“If our schools are shuttered, the institutional mourning will be profound, but as a Lawrencian I’m optimistic we will not witness that outcome. Where the district sees opportunity in this budget crisis, I see opportunity as well,” Rebecca Zarazan Dunn writes in this column.
Clay Wirestone: Like Quantrill’s violent raiders, GOP legislators in Kansas aim to stifle Lawrence progressives (Column)
“(Legislators are) perfectly willing to exploit (Lawrence) for their own purposes. They just don’t want to allow its residents to choose U.S. representatives,” Clay Wirestone writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
Ryan Brown: Disposable (Racial Justice essay)
“I’m scared when my father goes out for a run, or when I see my cousins wearing hoodies. I’m constantly wondering: will one of my family members become a hashtag?” Ryan Brown writes in this essay.
Edith Guffey: The state of the Beloved Community (Column)
“Today, many will pause to remember the life and legacy of The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. You will hear many references to his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, but given the context of the country and of Lawrence, Dr. King’s vision of the Beloved Community is what I can’t get out of my head,” Edith Guffey writes in this column for the Times.
Andy White / Contributed Photo
Tom Harper: Rachel’s bench, and others like it, are meaningful gifts to all of Lawrence (Column)
Lanny Genosky is thankful to have a bench in memory of his wife, Rachel, where he can sit and enjoy the view of Lawrence that she loved in Constant Park.
Mark McCormick: Does CRT make white students feel bad? Try being a Black student (Column)
“So much of the ever-changing debate about critical race theory — a term for an academic body of work not taught in K-12 public schools — centers the feelings of white students. We rarely seem concerned about how Black students have felt in public schools,” Mark McCormick writes in this column for Kansas Reflector.
LETTERS TO THE TIMES
Letter to the Times: Plastic waste is everywhere
“We’ve all heard about massive amounts of plastic waste in oceans and beaches. … Now plastic has been found in the air,” Nancy Muma writes in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Women survivors who are incarcerated need support, too
“At some point, I hope the protesters will broaden their cause to include the women at Topeka Correctional Facility who killed the men who were raping them. Their stories, too, have been covered up,” Michelle Gonzales writes in this letter to the Times.
Letter to the Times: Kansans should support the 30X30 initiative
“Together, we can build upon our Kansas values of land and water conservation by supporting the 30X30 initiative,” Jerry Jost writes in this letter to the Times.
ORG CORNER
City Playcorps/Contributed Images
City Play Corps: Pop Up Play Shop opens in downtown Lawrence (Announcement)
“The City Play Corps, a nonprofit organization that promotes the practice of true play for kids, has opened up a temporary storefront dedicated to letting kids be kids by making their own fun,” the group writes in this announcement.
Kansas Advocates for Better Care: Who will stand up for Kansans in long-term care facilities? (Column)
“COVID has exposed one other truth. To protect their bottom lines, long-term care facilities cut staff just when they needed them the most,” Kansas Advocates for Better Care write in this column.
Senior Resource Center for Douglas County: Counselors available to assist during Medicare open enrollment (Announcement)
The Senior Resource Center has a team of state-certified volunteers who can help Douglas County seniors review Medicare plan options for the upcoming year and find coverage that’s as affordable as possible.
FROM THE STACKS
Note: Staff members at the Lawrence Public Library write blog posts about books, bookish things and other media. The Times is reposting some of those blogs in this feature, From the Stacks. Find many other blog posts, titles referenced in these posts and much more on the library’s website, lplks.org.
Lawrence Public Library/Contributed Image
From the Stacks: Unsolicited reading recommendations for Lawrence candidates
Here’s a series of unsolicited reading recommendations for Lawrence City Commission and Lawrence school board candidates, based on favorite books they shared with the Times.
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From the Stacks: An interview with Bathsheba Demuth ahead of her Wednesday event
“One of my favorite books of the past couple years is Bathsheba Demuth’s award-winning ‘Floating Coast,’ so I was pleased to see that the author is part of this season’s speaker series at KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities,” Jake Vail of Lawrence Public Library writes.
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From the Stacks: What I learned about tardigrades, aka ‘water bears’
Tardigrades “have inched their way into the public imagination in recent years. For one thing, they are cute as heck, especially for a microscopic creature that doesn’t really have a face,” Dan Coleman writes in this piece for the Lawrence Public Library.
