Op-Ed Essay By: Mike Shesterkin, Exec. Dir. SMSBF Many of us are wondering – and rightly so – about where we’re headed as a nation, and more broadly, as a species of the Earth system. Many of us are anxious about what is seen as a significant loosening of the threads that bind our society …
What Does Paid Sick Leave Have to do With The Romans Read More »
By: Eileen Gao, SMSBF Intern An avalanche of issues has collapsed on the United States—just a sample of The Atlantic’s recent headlines include: “America Should Prepare for a Double Pandemic”, “A Lot of Americans are About to Lose Their Houses”, and “First Comes Police Reform, Then Comes Everything Else”. These issues have flooded my social …
By: Monica Plawecki, SMSBF Staff Writer As our nation still struggles to contain cases of COVID-19, one thing has become increasingly clear: we need to think collectively. In fact, with a concerning number of Americans choosing to ignore calls to mitigate the virus’ spread, including by wearing masks, avoiding crowded spaces, and limiting social gatherings, …
Me the People? A Crisis of American Individualism in Society and the Age of COVID-19 Read More »
By: SMSBF, Exec. Dir., Mike Shesterkin The images we’ve seen and the experiences many of us have undergone during the last few weeks – the uprisings against police brutality and white supremacy – are more than what they appear to be: They are symptoms with a much more deeply rooted cause. That cause is the …
By: SMSBF writer, Monica Plawecki The past few weeks have been marked by an incredible amount of unrest throughout our country. Both peaceful and not-so-peaceful protests, calls for racial justice and police defunding, and #BlackLivesMatter sentiments echoing from every corner of social media have come in response to the senseless killing of George Floyd by …
If the pandemic is teaching us anything, it’s about the importance of leadership, and that governance is a local matter. Reopening the economy, from what is becoming perhaps the worst economic disaster in US history, is not something that’s in the control of the central government: it rests with us, as residents of our communities …
ESSAY BY: Mike Shesterkin, Exec. Director, SMSBF Those who think in abstractions are often criticized for being of little use in the practical world of business. “Yes, but how will your ideas make money?”, was a question I’d often hear in senior staff meetings whenever I talked about sustainability, or the idea that business is …
By SMSBF Staff Writer, Monica Plawecki As we enter another month of social distancing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we’re continuing to adapt to a new “normal.” For many of us, our new normal consists of adjusting to life almost entirely inside the four walls of our homes. But for many others, normal is now …
Anything but Normal: The Failures of Neoliberalism in Light of COVID-19 Read More »
Op-ed by Mike Shesterkin, Exec. Director, SMSBF Thinking life will return to the way it was when the COVID-19 “all clear” is sounded is a bit like believing in the tooth fairy: It’s cute, but a complete fantasy. Things are likely to be radically different once Gov. Whitmer and her team have completed the process …
By SMSBF Writer, Monica Plawecki Does it actually “feel” like we’re in this together, or do you get the impression some folks are doing better than others? With the upheaval of everyday life, an economic downturn leading to the loss of millions of jobs, essential workers being asked to risk their lives, and the sheer …
