On 15 July, Donald Trump announced his running mate for the 5 November presidential election: Senator J.D. Vance. The new Republican candidate for Vice-President is a conservative serving his first term in the Senate and a former critic of Trump. James David Vance grew up poor in the mid-west, in Ohio, although his family roots … Continue reading “U.S Election: J.D. Vance”
Independence Day is a celebration for all Americans, but for some it has special significance. It’s a traditional day for holding naturalisation ceremonies, welcoming new citizens to the U.S.A. A total of 878,500 people obtained U.S. citizenship through naturalisation in 2023. Ceremonies take place all year round, but a lot take place in honour of … Continue reading “Becoming American on the Fourth of July”
The two main candidates for the 2024 U.S. Presidential election will participate in a TV debate on 27 June, months earlier than in usual campaign years. Donald Trump and Joe Biden aren’t even officially the Republican and Democratic candidates yet: that will happen when their parties hold their national conventions, from 15 July for the … Continue reading “Biden and Trump Debate”
The latest photography exhibition at the Musée Maillol in Paris is Andres Serrano: Portraits of America, and the museum is organising three teachers’ days, when you can visit for free. Serrano has tackled some tough subjects, like the Ku Klux Klan, so a pre-visit can let you prepare what you would like pupils to concentrate … Continue reading “Andres Serrano: Portraits of America Teachers’ Days”
A new documentary, Girls State, looks at a social experiment where 500 girls from Missouri try to form a government, running for positions like Governor and Supreme Court Justices. It makes a fascinating contrast with the award-winning 2020 documentary by the same team following 1000 boys in Texas participating in the same national project. Both … Continue reading “If Girls Were in Charge”
You may not be familiar with her name but you must be familiar with her struggle: fighting inequalities, defending minorities and women… Shirley Chisholm, a trailblazer in politics, the first African American woman to run for president in the 1970s paved the way for the following generations thanks to her determination. Her willpower and desire to … Continue reading “Chisholm for President”
A new TV film shines the spotlight on a trailblazer in U.S. politics: Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and the first, and only, woman to run for the Presidential nomination. Regina King plays “Fighting Shirley”, who faced, and faced up to, obstacles all through … Continue reading “Shirley Chisholm the Woman Who Ran for President”
On the third Monday in February, Americans celebrate Presidents’ Day, in honour of all 46 Presidents but especially George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. A good time to brush up on what qualifications you need to be President. Today’s Presidents’ Day grew out of individual celebrations of George Washington’s birthday on 22 February and Abraham Lincoln’s … Continue reading “Remembering Presidents”
Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film The Color Purple was extremely unusual for having an almost entirely African-American cast. (Alice Walker, whose 1982 novel it is based on, was the first ever African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.) The film is an enduring classic, and the musical-theatre version of the story is now hitting … Continue reading “The Color Purple Returns”
As of 21 January, Nikki Haley is the only opponent to Donald Trump in the Republican Presidential primaries. Who is the former South Carolina governor and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations? Born Nimrata Nikki Randhawa in South Carolina in 1972, Haley, 51, is the daughter of Indian Sikh immigrants. She worked in the family … Continue reading “U.S Election: Nikki Haley”