2020 has certainly brought its fair share of loss, grief, and shock. But unfortunately, the most threatening atrocity to our society hasn’t been the coronavirus itself; instead, it is the viral spread of confusion and misinformation that has made a difficult situation into an epic global failure.

In some sense, American higher education has faced its “Digital Dunkirk Moment” and marshalled a heroic response to an incredibly difficult situation. We must now proactively “ready the force” for the possibility of recurring challenges—and to harness opportunities that the future of digital learning presents.

One hundred years ago, on Aug. 18, 1920, the U.S. Congress ratified the 19th Amendment, granting women the long-overdue legal right to vote. But honoring women’s contributions to politics has been obscured by the latest onslaught of violence against women, right here, close to home.

“Minorities” were characterized as a group of people at the bottom of society’s shoe, in need of handouts by the generosity of the establishment, the white majority. I have spent the better part of my professional life in championing for the fair treatment of Hispanics-Latinos in newsrooms and news coverage. The time has come to stop labeling people of color as “minorities.”

Thirty years ago this week, by votes of 377 to 28 in the House and 91 to 6 in the Senate, the United States Congress passed, and President George Herbert Walker Bush signed, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), among the most significant pieces of legislation since the Second World War. The principal author of the legislation was former Connecticut Senator Lowell Weicker.

Congressman John Lewis gave the commencement address at the University of Connecticut School of Law and received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2012. Rep. Lewis, described as the Conscience of Congress, lived a remarkable life, one which inspired the graduates that day in Hartford.

The Office of State Treasurer Shawn Wooden coordinates an annual essay contest for Connecticut students in grades 6-8 titled “Dream Big,” offered as part of the Connecticut Higher Education Trust college savings program. Three of this year’s winning essays are reprinted here.

Social entrepreneurship has been around, in one form or another, for decades if not longer. Working to resolve our differences so, together, we can make our communities and our world a better place, is the “social” in social entrepreneur. At this point in time, it’s about healing the wounds inflicted by the pandemic and a legacy of racism and discrimination. We need that now.

As municipalities across the country begin to recover from COVID-19, Main Streets are witnessing unprecedented impacts on their small-business retail or commercial fabric. Ultimately, there may be more good news than bad in the aftermath of economic impact - there may be great opportunities to implement large-scale beneficial changes.

As a person of color living in one of the country’s poorest cities, it has been heartening to see how many people with privilege and power have turned up at protests against inequality and police brutality. As the protests fade, we must not forget about one of the most important perpetrators of fundamental inequalities in the country today: zoning.