Photo by Tony RinaldoThey're Used to Tapping. Now They're Talking.
In Ayodele Casel's video series, "Diary of a Tap Dancer, v. 6: Us," performers talk about what's on their minds—and dance a little too.
Tomiko Brown-Nagin. Photo by Rose Lincoln, Harvard Staff PhotographerStatues vs. Systemic Change: How Much of a Difference Does Tearing Down Monuments Really Make?
Activists, scholars, and artists at the forefront of the anti-racist movement say that symbols can be an easy out for powerful institutions still resistant to undoing systemic inequalities. But taken as a whole, the growing collection of fallen symbols is a sign of true progress.
Shirley Graham Du Bois in profile, ca. 1945. Photo by Calhoun. Courtesy of Shirley Graham Du Bois Papers, Schlesinger Library"Tom Tom" Takes Its Place in the Operatic Canon
Shirley Graham Du Bois’ "lost opera" tells the diaspora story of African Americans. Originally performed in 1932, it is being reproduced and restored to its rightful place in history.
A roadside sign asks for justice for George Floyd, whose killing by Minneapolis police set off protests worldwide. Photo by Jon Chase/Harvard staff photographerFacing the Denial of American Racism
The Radcliffe Institute hosted “Naming Racism,” a discussion focused on identifying the historic and ongoing social roots of racism denial, and strategies for raising awareness.
The artwork, "Love and Revolution," revolutionary graffiti at Saleh Selim Street on the island of Zamalek, Cairo, was photographed by Hossam el-Hamalawy on Oct. 23, 2011.Nonviolent Resistance Proves Potent Weapon
Radcliffe Professor Erica Chenoweth's research suggests that nonviolent civil resistance is far more successful in creating broad-based change than violent campaigns.
Racial Inequalities in COVID-19—The Impact on Black Communities
Medical News Today looks at the racialized impact that COVID-19 has on black communities in the United States, using expert opinions and rounding up the available evidence.
Radcliffe Institute Announces 2020–2021 Fellowship Class
The incoming class includes a cartoonist developing a health care–themed comic book; an astronomer interrogating the mysteries of cosmic acceleration; and a poet whose new collection will elevate the experiences of black women.
Millions of Americans have lost their jobs in the COVID-19 era. Photo credit RyanKing999An Economic Emergency
“A substantial share of those currently on temporary layoff are likely to become permanent job losers. We need to plan for this,” says Harvard economist Lawrence F. Katz.
A sign at a retailer tells customers they accept SNAP. Image source: jetcityimageIdeas for Flattening the Hunger Curve
“There is no question that COVID-19 will drive food insecurity into the mainstream,” says Harvard public health policy researcher Sara Bleich.
Byerly Hall detail. Photo by Thomas EarleRadcliffe Past and Present
At Radcliffe Day 2020, current and former deans discuss the Institute’s past and future.
A wall painting from the Arslantepe archaeological site in Eastern Anatolia (present-day Turkey) around 3,400 BC. Image courtesy of Max Planck-Harvard Research Center for the Archaeoscience of the Ancient Mediterranean and Missione Archeologica Italiana nell'Anatolia Orientale, Sapienza University of Rome. Photo by Roberto CeccaciFilling Gaps in Our Understanding of How Cities Began to Rise
Christina Warinner and an international team provide some of the earliest genetic glimpses of the movement and mingling of peoples in West Asia 8,500 years ago.
A single N95 face mask along with several prescription painkillers. Image credit skhowardEclipsed by Virus, Addiction Still Shadows the Land
"COVID-19 detrimentally impacts people with addiction and people in pain, making vulnerable people even more vulnerable," says sociologist Liz Chiarello.
For four years, Jordan Villegas '20 participated in the Radcliffe Research Program. He is pictured here at his parents' home in Cicero, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Jordan VillegasBirth of a Sleuth
Harvard College senior Jordan Villegas hears the call of the archives as a Radcliffe Institute researcher.
Voters observe social distancing guidelines as they wait in line to cast ballots in the presidential primary election in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on April 7, 2020. Image source: AP Photo/Morry Gash FileHealth of Democracy Faces Daunting Test
Historian Liette Gidlow RI '20 speaks on the tension between in-person voting and public health as American states scramble to adapt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A deserted 23rd Street, in Manhattan's Flatiron District. Credit: Alex PotemkinHow to Build a Better World
Esra Akcan RI '20, a professor in Cornell's Department of Architecture, answers questions as part of a series on the wide-ranging effects of COVID-19.
Photo by Orbon AlljaThe Fraught Promise of Digital Remedies
As the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust many of our activities into cyberspace, Fran Berman RI ’20 discusses the need for comprehensive privacy protections, better security standards, and a national discussion about when surveillance is acceptable.
Photo source UnsplashIn Prisons, a Looming Coronavirus Crisis
Harvard experts, including Radcliffe's Tomiko Brown-Nagin and Kaia Stern, warn of rapid spread amid crowded conditions and large numbers of older inmates with chronic conditions.
Mary T. Bassett and Khalil Gibran MuhammadThe Pandemic's Unequal Toll
The Radcliffe Institute hosted an online discussion with Mary T. Bassett and Khalil Gibran Muhammad about the disproportionate toll of COVID-19 on poorer Americans and communities of color.
Radcliffe fellows Edo Berger, Daniel M. Callahan, Corey Rayburn Yung, Liette Gidlow, Margot E. Fassler, and Ayodele Casel. Courtesy of Daniel M. CallahanA Fellowship Interrupted—but Still Vibrant
The Institute’s 53 fellows vacated their offices in Byerly Hall in March, but their work continues in an unofficial capacity—via Zoom, like so many other activities during quarantine.
Photo credit Jonnica Hill/UnsplashCOVID-19 Targets Communities of Color
Camara Jones RI '20 and other Harvard specialists say the pandemic exacerbates longstanding inequities in American society.
"As a scholar of law, inequality, and the long Civil Rights movement, I am deeply interested in issues related to slavery and its legacy," said Tomiko Brown-Nagin, who will lead the committee. Photo by Kris Snibbe/Harvard Staff PhotographerA Renewed Focus on Slavery
A new University-wide initiative deepening the exploration of Harvard’s historical ties to enslavement is difficult but vital work, says the program chair, Radcliffe Dean Tomiko Brown-Nagin.
From the "Papers of Pin Pin T'an Liu," who earned a master's degree from Radcliffe in 1938: an undated photograph that includes her grandfather, Chang Yin T'ang (seated on left). Courtesy of Schlesinger LibraryDiversifying Schlesinger’s Records
The Library continues to broaden its collections with a focus on materials pertaining to Asian American women.
In this illustration, the "Radcliffe Wave" data is overlaid on an image of the Milky Way galaxy. Image from the WorldWide Telescope, courtesy of Alyssa GoodmanThe Giant in Our Stars
Interconnected stellar nurseries, named the Radcliffe Wave, form the largest gaseous structure ever observed in the Milky Way galaxy.