Naomi Ludman of Dowagiac writes about a recent interaction she claims to have had with Rep. Tim Walberg regarding social security in this letter to the editor.
Category Archive: Culture
Watershed Voice’s Matt Erspamer writes that “Dune: Part 2 is like a sandworm plowing across the desert; it’s a gargantuan, nearly 3-hour-long film that often feels like it’s in a hurry.”
Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie kicks off Women’s History Month with an original poem titled “To Every Woman.”
Black History Month may be over but there’s still plenty to learn and reflect upon, regardless of what month it is. Watershed Voice’s Aundrea Sayrie tells the story of Dick Rowland and one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history.
Henrietta Duterte was a funeral home owner, philanthropist, and abolitionist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the first American woman to own a mortuary, and her business operated as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
“Israel and Palestine, Pardon My Boldness.” is written by Rock Island, Illinois native Aubrey Barnes, also known as “Aubs.” Barnes performed at the 2022 & 2023 Watershed Voice Artist Showcase in Three Rivers at the Huss Project.
Watershed Voice’s Matt Erspamer looks at some great past performances by this year’s Oscar nominees available on a streaming service near you.
James Weldon Johnson’s legacy is eclectic as he moved with passion from one role to the next. He was an educator, a lawyer, an author, a civil rights activist, poet, and songwriter.
Joseph Douglass, the grandson of Frederick Douglass, was a classically trained and internationally renowned violinist.
On March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin became the first person arrested for resisting bus racial segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks did the same.
Watershed Voice columnist Matt Erspamer watches Gone Girl every Valentine’s Day. Why? “Because it’s a fun, pithy little tradition that also feels like throwing the middle finger at a holiday that I find empty, silly, and annoying.” Read Matt’s guide for more recommendations on what to watch when you’re expecting — Valentine’s Day to suck.
The journey South to freedom in Mexico was not as well organized or documented. Historians project the number of those to have escaped to be around 10,000. Freedom Seekers whom fled south were most often from Texas, Louisiana, Alabama and Oklahoma.
Watershed Voice columnist Charles Thomas writes, “While a cure for depression and anxiety remains stubbornly out of reach, becoming an agnostic thinker and questioning the assumptions we make about the world is most certainly good behavioral medicine. While an apple a day is said to keep the doctor away, doubting our negative assumptions each day can be an effective way to keep the therapist away as well.”
Dr. John Morton-Finney was a veteran, serving as a member of The Buffalo Soldiers from 1911-1914. He later became one of the longest practicing lawyers in the history of the United States upon his retirement at the age of 107.
Watershed Voice columnist Matt Erspamer reviews filmmaker Jonathan Glazer’s startling film “The Zone of Interest” about the man who ran Auschwitz.
Lovingly referred to by her community as “Stagecoach Mary,” Mary Fields was born into slavery around 1832. Fields was the first African-American woman employed as a mail carrier in the United States.
Rachel Richards of the Michigan League for Public Policy argues, “With federal support returning to its pre-pandemic levels, we will now be more dependent on our own state resources to ensure Michiganders have what they need to not only survive, but thrive. And while Michigan’s economy is currently stable, with revenues coming in as expected, it’s not enough to prevent us from returning to the decades of disinvestment in Michigan workers, families and children that we saw prior to the pandemic.”
Annette Bening and Jodie Foster star in what Watershed Voice columnist Matt Erspamer calls a “bafflingly inept biopic.” In this week’s “The Normal Newsletter,” Matt tries to save you from a movie he barely made it through. So before you decide to watch “Nyad” anyway, maybe heed his advice?