Treating the Disease: Street Names as Symptoms of Confederate Legacies

This is an insight written by Stella Hudson on the recent Bahá’í Chair for World Peace Lecture on Confederate Streets and Black-White Labor Market Differentials” co-sponsored by the Critical Race Initiative and the Department of African American Studies on November 16, 2021.

Maryland never seceded from the union, yet we still have plenty of streets named after Confederate figures like Robert E Lee. Houses are adorned with Confederate battle flags despite the state never being a part of the Confederacy, and the statue of Chief Justice Taney, who ruled against Dred Scott in 1857 was only recently removed from its place of honor in front of the State House in Annapolis. Because Maryland remained in the Union, the Emancipation Proclamation, delivered in January of 1863, did not free the people enslaved here. Slavery was not outlawed in Maryland until 1864. 

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Reflection: Do Ethics have a Place in Capitalism?

Do Ethics have a Place in Capitalism?

Is capitalism the best ideology for society? As the income gap between the rich and poor grows nationally and global inequality persists, it would be beneficial to reflect on what values drive the system.

Both critiques and advocates of the capitalist system—an economic model driven by the free market and operates outside of state control— rely on the field of economics to shape their arguments. This field of study has always played an important role in understanding human behavior and specifically the interaction between humans and their society. Continue reading