AU Newsmakers 6.18-6.25, 2021

American University announced the launch of the First Ladies Association for Research and Education, the first organization in the nation dedicated to the study of the legacies of America's first ladies. Washingtonian featured coverage, and Anita McBride, director of the First Ladies Initiative at the School of Public Affairs, discussed the launch of FLARE on MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell Reports. (6/22, 6/21)

Can Colleges Help Early Childhood Teachers Go Back to School?

EdSurge featured a new partnership between the School of Education, Trinity Washington University and Martha's Table aimed at helping early education teachers in the District earn advanced credentials. (6/22)

Faculty Author

Global Herd Immunity Remains Out of Reach Because of Inequitable Vaccine Distribution – 99 Percent of People in Poor Countries Are Unvaccinated

Maria DeJesus, associate professor in the School of International Service, wrote an article for The Conversation about inequality in global vaccine distribution systems. DeJesus wrote, “As of June 21, 2021, 10.04 percent of the global population have been fully vaccinated, nearly all of them in rich countries.” (6/22)

Expertise

In Texas-Mexico Border Towns, COVID-19 Has Had an Unconscionably High Death Toll

Ernesto Castaneda, founding director of the Immigration Lab, spoke to TIME about the outsized impact from the pandemic on people living in border towns. Castaneda told TIME that structural racism is linked to poor health outcomes in border communities. (6/22)

Hit by a Ransomware Attack? Your Payment May Be Tax Deductible

Executive Director of the Kogod Tax Center Donald Williamson spoke to the Associated Press about the tax consequences of ransomware attacks. Williamson told the AP that the rise of ransomware attacks has reinforced the case to make those payments tax deductible. (6/19)

International Students and COVID-19 Vaccine Policy at U.S. Schools

Senem Bakar, director of International Student and Scholar Services, spoke to U.S. News & World Report about how American University plans to support international students as they navigate vaccine requirements and returning to the U.S.

How Music, Dance, and Spirituality Are Integral to the Black Resistance Movement and Black Identity

Sybil Williams, director of the African American and African Diaspora Studies program, spoke to KCRW-FM about the role of art in Black identity and resistance movements. Williams said, “Dance as prayer is so African.” (6/19)

U.S. Senate Republicans Block Debate on Voting Rights Bill

Professor of Communication Leonard Steinhorn spoke to CGTN about congressional debate over voting access laws. Steinhorn said, “Democracy should be all about the right of voters to choose their leaders. But what we're seeing with a lot of these state bills are politicians choosing their voters.” (6/23)

'Love is Love': Sesame Street Features First Married Same-Sex Couple to Have Recurring Spots on Show

Naomi Moland, professorial lecturer in the School of International Service, spoke to USA Today about Sesame Street's decision to feature a same-sex married couple in a recurring role. Moland said, “I also think it is extremely important for all children to see this because when they encounter families like mine, they see that this is normal and there are different types of families.” (6/22)

Biden Confronts Rising Homicide Rates as Cities Struggle to Contain Violence

Justice, Law & Criminology Department Chair Richard Bennett spoke to the Sinclair Broadcast Group about the Biden administration's plans to address rising rates of violent crimes. Bennet said, “We're not talking about something we're going to see the effects of in 30 days.” (6/23)

Should Reporters Challenge or Ignore Election Disbelievers?

Executive Director of the Women & Politics Institute Betsy Fischer Martin spoke to the the Associated Press about the role the media plays in election conspiracy theories. Speaking about the fact that many politicians “prefer friendly TV venues,” Fischer Martin said, “It's human nature in many ways that you want to pick a program that is going to give you more of a platform than a tough interview.” (6/23)

Prepared by University Communications

American University's faculty, staff, students and programs appear in regional, national and international print, online and broadcast media regularly. Each week, AU Newsmakers provides highlights of AU in the news. For prior weeks, go to: http://www.american.edu/media/inthemedia.cfm

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