Opinion Archives

Column: What, to the Republican, is the nineteenth of June?

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June 21, 2021

Michigan Advance's Jarvis DeBerry writes, "(Republican lawmakers) don’t think officially recognizing June 19, 1865, the day Black people in Texas learned of their freedom, costs them anything or that it benefits Black people enough for them to get worked up about. Acknowledging Juneteenth definitely doesn’t mean as much as police reform, voting rights, a higher minimum wage, Medicaid expansion or other policies that Black people have been demanding."

Column: The Death of the Guitar Solo

By Charles Thomas

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Culture

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May 12, 2021

WSV's Charles Thomas writes, "I know a lot of people my age often talk about how contemporary music isn't as good as it was when they were younger, but that hasn't been my impression. There's still a lot of great music being made in 2021. What has struck me, though, as I compare the music of my youth to the music of today is the general lack of musicianship in today’s popular music. I've sampled dozens of popular songs in the last few weeks and I've been struck by the total and complete lack of songs featuring a guitar solo, or any instrumental solo for that matter."

Sayrie: We will not rejoice, not now, not yet

By Aundrea Sayrie

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Culture

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April 26, 2021

WSV’s Aundrea Sayrie writes, "One gets weary. Not including last week, Newsweek reports that an additional 181 Black people have been murdered at the hands of police since George Floyd, and it hasn’t been a year. When Derek Chauvin’s verdict was read last week, I did not rejoice. I did not feel excitement of any sort. I was in total shock witnessing the anomaly of accountability of a police officer. This never happens."

Column: Right to Work has failed to live up to conservative hype

By Michigan Advance

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Culture

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April 16, 2021

Rick Haglund writes, "It once seemed unthinkable that Michigan, home to a powerful United Auto Workers union that organized automakers through such historic events as the “Battle of the Overpass” at Ford Motor and the Flint Sit-Down Strike at General Motors, would join mostly southern states in trying to crush labor unions."

Column: What Michigan’s response to the 1918 flu epidemic can teach us about the COVID pandemic

By Michigan Advance

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Culture

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April 5, 2021

Nate Turner writes that some Michigan officials "have failed to understand their own state’s history dealing with a deadly virus. The 1918 influenza epidemic proved that statewide restrictions work and should be enforced even if officials don’t agree with them."

Column: Women are society’s invisible infrastructure, but they’re often underpaid and undervalued

By Michigan Advance

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Culture

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March 26, 2021

Infrastructure is important for everyone. We need a strong public system for roads and transportation, for drinking water, for energy. And when that system is neglected, we all bear the burden as a society.

Column: I’m a teacher. Why am I considered expendable?

By Michigan Advance

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Culture

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March 1, 2021

Teacher Justine Galbraith writes, "Who are we to you? If we’re indeed essential, tasked with propping up our entire society: Pay us. Care about our health. Value our LIVES over a few months of your kid’s education. If we’re what we suspect – expendable, disposable – be ready for more of us to walk out the door. Many of us already have one foot out."

Tuesdays with Torrey: A White Man’s Privilege & the Absence of Justice

By Torrey Brown

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Culture

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February 16, 2021

WSV's Torrey Brown writes about an offensive Valentine's Day themed image that circulated through the Los Angeles Police Department last week. The image makes light of George Floyd — who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020 — with a caption that read, "You take my breath away."

Bites with Beca: Martell’s, Kalamazoo

By Beca Welty

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Culture

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February 12, 2021

WSV’s Beca Welty writes, “February in southwest Michigan might seem like an impossible time to enjoy your favorite meal on the deck of your ideal restaurant, but Martell’s in Kalamazoo has transformed that dream into a reality. Like a few of their sister restaurants in the Millennium group, Martell’s has installed cozy igloos for outdoor dining, and I was one of the lucky few to indulge in the experience.”

East: A Letter to the College-Bound

By Amy Davidhizar

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Culture

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January 27, 2021

WSV Columnist Amy East writes, "The reality of higher education in our country is far from ideal and far from available for everyone. [...] The cost of education keeps going up while the quality of education suffers."

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