Radcliffe Magazine
Fall 2021

Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of bacteria cultured from a human vagina.
A healthy vaginal flora protects the body against urogenital infections, but the vaginal microbiome is little understood. The microbial ecologist Libusha Kelly is conducting research that could change that.

The stories in this Radcliffe Magazine—which cover such topics as the biological basis of animal bonds, the mysteries of vaginal ecology, and how current events have altered the creative output of artists in three disciplines—only hint at the deep interdisciplinarity of the work under way here at Radcliffe. With this issue, we are also pleased to introduce a series examining our country's failing carceral systems; the first article unpacks the bipartisan push for carceral reform and highlights some of the Institute's work through its Law, Education, and Justice program.

A look inside a large, three-story prison. A guard perches outside the cells on the second level.

Our Failing Carceral Systems: Reimagining Safety and Justice

Incarceration in the United States has reached crisis levels. In this first installment of an ongoing series, an explainer on US incarceration trends, we explore how we got here and what we can do about it.

America's Staggering Carceral Problem

The Evolution of Brown

Brown II was conceived as a solo exhibition of new work inspired by the 1955 US Supreme Court case that followed the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision. The pandemic lockdown led the artist Tomashi Jackson and her team of student researchers to reimagine the project.

Tomashi Jackson's Exhibition: How It Started/How It's Going
A video interview shared screen shows a 1975 photo of an anti-busing rally at Thomas Park in Boston alongside Zoom participants, from spread 24 of the exhibition publication.

Who + Why

01 / 03
A tall woman in a hat holding a binder talks to a shorter woman in a head kerchief inside an apartment.

A Visual Quilt

The independent filmmaker Faren Humes melds narrative and documentary conventions to illuminate the Black experience in and around Miami. We spoke with her about her filmmaking methods and the increasingly collaborative nature of her work in progress.

Read about Humes's Work in Progress

Books

01 / 02
Jeff and Peg Padnos hold hands in front of a large, full bookcase.

Education and the American Dream

Harvard-Radcliffe couple is inspired by family values to endow the Jeffrey S. and Margaret Mais Padnos Fellowship Fund.

Why the Padnoses Chose Radcliffe

Newsmakers

In Newsmakers, read about the extraordinary achievements of Radcliffe alumnae, faculty, and fellows—including awards, publications, and other accomplishments.

Fall/Winter 2021
Abigail DeVille is visible through welded steel and blue mannequin arms during the installation of her artwork Light of Freedom.