Free the Student Press by Margaret Renkl

I was in my senior year of high school when the Supreme Court of the United States announced their decision in the case Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, which effectively stripped freedom of the press from journalists in high school media. We felt cast aside as citizens and were livid, certain that the new legal landscape would be regularly abused by administrators. In this opinion piece, published by The New York Times, Margaret Renkl details the latest example of such abuse, the eradication of the student-run newspaper of Northwest High School, located in Grand Island, Nebraska. This particular squelching of the student voice was clearly precipitated by editorials in the publication that supported LGBTQ+ students, including a lead editorial headlined “The ‘Don’t Say Gay’ Bill: Making students existing controversial.” The actions of the school prove the validity of that article. It’s part of the ongoing right-wing assault on young people who don’t adhere to their most rigid, retrograde view of how the world should work, and it should make every empathetic citizen just as livid as I and my classmates were back in the day.

Serena’s Seven-Day Goodbye to the Sport She Changed Forever by John Branch

John Branch offers an overview of Serena Williams’s last spin at the U.S. Open, a tournament trek that included a couple wonderful winning matches and a losing effort that was equally inspiring in its own way. Among other things, I greatly appreciate Branch’s acknowledgement, even if only in passing, that Williams wasn’t always treated kindly by the sport and the fans. She is more than deserving of the legend status she exits with, but it’s worthwhile to remember that the beaming appreciation she basks in now was given to her far later than it should have been. Beyond that, the article is packed with fascinating little details of the last stand of a great champion. This article is published by The New York Times.