The carceral system in the USA is literally meant to be circular — and one of the most obvious policies that illustrates this is the PRWORA passed in 1996 during Clinton’s war on drugs. The PRWORA imposed a lifetime ban on SNAP and TANF for anyone with a drug felony conviction.

Columbia allowing ICE on campus, Mahmoud Khalil to be detained without cause in his own home, revoke degrees, etc is the kind of violence that made me choose a public university for my MFA. All university’s are institutions of colonization, yes, but private ones wield even more unchecked power.

The way that this news cycle requires us to stay staring at a screen essentially 24/7 is exhausting by design. It keeps us from learning history, dreaming, laughing, crying, talking to each other, scheming, organizing, showing up. The anxiety of staying informed is real and overpowering.