Commentary: Good government isn’t easy. It’s up to all of us to make it work
By Paul Rozycki When Flint School Board President Danielle Greene [allegedly] assaulted board Treasurer Laura McIntyre during a Flint Community School Board meeting last March, the school board accomplished something that few thought humanly possible. If even for a short time, they replaced the Flint City Council as the most dysfunctional government in the county. That’s no small accomplishment. Not to be outdone in the race for...
Review: Fantastic adaptation of “The Fantasticks” celebrates a new perspective
By Patsy Isenberg and Tom Travis A festive conclusion of The Rep’s final presentation of the season, The Fantasticks, opened to an appreciative full house Friday, June 3. The iconic musical is the longest-running production in the history of the American stage and one of the most frequently produced musicals in the world. The Rep’s production, while respectful of that history, also offers something different. A pre-show...
Commentary: The legal road to Roe v. Wade and back: It’s more than just a court case
By Paul Rozycki Perhaps nothing illustrates both the legal and personal sides of the abortion issue better than two unrelated recent events. A few weeks ago, we learned that the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to overturn a half century of protection for abortion rights, and, in the same week, we learned that the lack of baby formula is reaching a crisis level. Based upon a leaked court opinion, (Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health...
“Heinous,” “scary,” “devastating”– Area women react to possible end of Roe v. Wade
By Jan Worth-Nelson I set out to try to find out how some area women view the possibility that Roe v. Wade might be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. The 1973 decision gave women the right to decide whether they wanted to continue a pregnancy; at long last, first trimester abortions were made legal. Some forget that that decision struck down a Texas ban on abortion, establishing that it was unconstitutional. The majority...
Commentary: A critical look for critics of the 1619 Project and Critical Race Theory
By Paul Rozycki If there is any doubt that race plays a powerful role in American history, one only needs to examine the response to the 1619 Project from around the nation. Pulitzer Prize winning author Nikole Hannah-Jones, the creator of the 1619 Project, which explores American history through the lens of slavery and race, spoke at the Capitol Theater in Flint recently to a full house, as part of the Ballenger Eminent Persons...
Commentary: Flint’s I-475 freeway and race: A concrete barrier, or a road to reconciliation?
By Paul Rozycki A therapist trying to analyze Flint’s attitude towards race might use the term bipolar. On one hand, Flint was the first major city to choose an African-American mayor, Floyd McCree. It passed one of the first open housing ordinances in the late 1960s, after a community sleep-in at City Hall. A Republican governor came to support the effort. It’s been the home of the United Auto Workers (UAW), historically one of the...
The Latest Edition of East Village Magazine Is Available For Download Here (pdf)
