Sara Haile-Mariam

My latest on Huffpost- on young people, policy, and the midterms. Excerpt below:

To that end, passing loan reform gives democrats the ammunition they need to re-engage young voters. Let’s be clear; young people did not simply vote for Barack Obama but for the principles that he spoke of and the policies that he promised. Among them, they voted to make college more affordable. A recent study released by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics speaks of their frustration and reveals that 45% of the 18-29 year olds polled “are concerned about their ability to stay in college given the state of the economy.” Passing loan reform indicates that democrats hear them and that they’re doing something about it.

Yeah…I’m not sure I want to comment on this much more than to say that I find the media frenzy, while at times entertaining, to be really extravagant. Obviously, as a political junkie I appreciate the discourse and speculation as much as the next person– but at the same time, given everything else going on in our country, now isn’t the time for politics. So while I sincerely wish we were at a point where Sarah Palin’s resignation was the most dramatic thing happening in the world- it’s not, and we can’t forget that. So, I figured, I could (A)write about Sarah Palin(from a social commentary point of view, there’s certainly a lot to dissect)….or (B)I could write a piece where I point out everything else that actually warrants our attention. I went with option B.

“It’d be easy to talk about Sarah Palin—but those conversations won’t bring us closer to reforming an education system that leaves children, and in some cases entire districts, behind. Those conversations won’t bring us closer to reforming our immigration system or to giving every young person who wants a college education a way to afford it. I get it, she resigned, her decision has sent the political world in a frenzy. But c’mon- how much more is there to say?”

Full Global Grind Piece here.

Latest piece on Huffpost

“The assumption that our abilities are determined by our make up, and our futures limited by conventional wisdom, has been denied traction by people like Michael Jackson. We are indebted to those who have confronted these limitations and destroyed them, who acknowledged societal expectations and exceeded them.”

Read the rest here.

Also posted on VampedNY.com

Another piece on Global Grind on how the situation in Iran speaks to the importance and power of one voice.

Speaking of which, checkout this WAPO piece on exactly that, how Americans are using technology to impact events over there. One of the individuals profiled, Chas Danner, is a good friend. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been blown away by how his actions (on his computer in Brooklyn) could have such a profound effect on so many.

My newest post on Global Grind grapples with the ramifications of new media on our expectations of political discourse and the metrics we use to evaluate our leaders.

“As it stands, social networking enables everyone to broadcast inside jokes, silly pictures, even indiscretions, in a forum that can be accessed by individuals from all over the world. Without context, these images and sound bites could prove damaging for those who decide to take the path of public service. Similarly, the days of blackmail are threatened by instant access. The time between action and confession is shortened by the tendency, and ability, to confess while in the act.”

You can read the rest here.

My thoughts and prayers are with this blogger, and everyone else, who protests tomorrow.

“I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to get killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow! There are a few great movie scenes that I also have to see. I should drop by the library, too. It’s worth to read the poems of Forough and Shamloo again. All family pictures have to be reviewed, too. I have to call my friends as well to say goodbye. All I have are two bookshelves which I told my family who should receive them. I’m two units away from getting my bachelors degree but who cares about that. My mind is very chaotic. I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so they know we were not just emotional and under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow’s children…”

(h/t) Andrew Sullivan

My latest piece on Huffpost.

Translation: "Trust us! We had counted the votes a few days before the election."

I’m going to write more on this tonight– but in the meantime, wanted to share my first post for Global Grind on the Iranian elections.

Global Grind is Russel Simmon’s website, I’ll be contributing posts weekly.

Over the last few days, something was visibly happening in Iran. The images of women and young people flocking to the streets in support of reformist candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi displayed the kind of hopeful unrest that promised a sea change. Many have conceded that Mr. Moussavi was a sort of political blank slate, making it hard to say what his Presidency would have meant to the country and the world. Nonetheless, the last few days reflected the intersection of emotional intensity and politics, reminiscent of what we saw here in the US in 2008. On Saturday, these supporters sat in anguish as current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner in an apparent landslide. The results are suspect, and accordingly, blogs and twitter and facebook consist of speculation and reporting of what’s currently going on as Moussavi supporters take their cause to the streets.

Roger Cohen’s column in the Times today notes a women telling him:

“Throw away your pen and paper and come to our aid,” she said, pointing to my notebook. “There is no freedom here.”

Andrew Sullivan, The Tehran Bureau, and Nader Uskowi are all doing an incredible job of uncovering events as they unfold.

Today, my thoughts are with the Iranian people.