The Berea Torch

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Kentuckian, Nurseryman: Interview with 6th Congressional District Democratic Candidate Todd Kelly

Todd Kelly, a nurseryman, is running to unseat Congressman Andy Barr in the Sixth Congressional District of Kentucky.

By Ülvi Gitaliyev Andy Barr (R), is running for his 7th term in Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District. Representative Barr is known for his staunch conservatism, support of former president Donald J. Trump and conservative voting patterns such as voting in favour of military aid for Israel at every opportunity. Although the Sixth District used to be very competitive, most political pundits…

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Building a Brighter Future Together: Shauna Rudd's Campaign for the Sixth District of Kentucky

Shauna Rudd, a social worker and Lexington resident, is running to unseat Congressman Andy Barr in the sixth congressional District of Kentucky.

By Ülvi Gitaliyev and Ameer Abedy Andy Barr (R), is running for his 7th term in Kentucky’s Sixth Congressional District. Representative Barr is known for his staunch conservatism, support of former president Donald J. Trump and conservative voting patterns such as voting in favour of military aid for Israel at every opportunity. Although the Sixth District used to be very competitive, most…

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SGA Election Editorial: Ülvi Gitaliyev & Ameer Abedy for SGA President & Vice-President

By Ülvi Gitaliyev & Ameer Abedy As SGA members, we have worked hard to represent student voices by organising community events, helping connect clubs with funding and more. Now, we are running for Executive President & Vice President to continue our work to the next level. With the unionisation effort underway, it is clear that next semester will be critical in the future of Berea College. The…

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United Student Workers of Berea-CWA Announce Union Campaign at Berea College, Kentucky

A strong majority of Berea College students have already signed union authorization cards.

By Ameer Abedy and Ülvi Gitaliyev On March 16th, United Student Workers of Berea (USWB), affiliated with the Communication Workers of America (CWA), announced their unionization campaign in Berea College. Berea College, a work college consortium, requires students to hold labor positions along with their academic duties. The aforementioned positions can range anywhere from manual labor, such as…

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Green Party in Kentucky: Interview with Presidential Candidate Jill Stein

Green Party Presidential Candidate Jill Stein answers the Berea Torch's questions on climate, Palestine and more.

By Ülvi Gitaliyev With the presidential nominees for both major parties now de-facto confirmed, many voters are looking for alternatives come this November. Someone who is presenting herself as an alternative is Jill Stein, Green Party Candidate for 2012, 2016 and now, 2024. The Berea Torch went to Lexington on March 4th to hear Stein give her pitch and ask her questions about a whole array of…

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Deconstructing the Baffling “Bull” Behind Title IX at Our College

A reader submits an editorial on Title IX at Berea College.

By Dave Porter Disclaimer: This essay was submitted by a reader. The opinions it expresses are theirs and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of any members of The Berea Torch. Reviews, critiques, and questions are welcome. Deconstructing is a tool of the Woke; it is analysis intended to expose internal assumptions and contradictions that may subvert a program’s apparent integrity or…

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Berea College's Mould Problem and Why it Keeps Happening

Why do so many Berea College dorms and building have mould year after year?

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How to Justify a Genocide: The Israeli Government in Action in Kentucky

The Israeli government organised a private screening of exclusive Hamas attack footage in Frankfort to journalists, including The Berea Torch.

Source: Visitfrankfort.com By Ülvi Gitaliyev For over 3 months now, the world has witnessed Gaza turned into rubble and the Netanyahu government abandon even pretence of respecting Palestinian statehood. Yet, all is now well within the Iron Dome. Without U.S. military aid in the field and diplomatic support in the United Nations, Israel’s war against the Gazan population would have run out of…

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Bringing Out the Red: What Being an EMS Worker Taught Me

How the American healthcare system shows the failures of capitalism.

By Brad Gold When I first started down my path in Emergency Medical Services, I was not a Marxist, however the years of dealing with the unfortunate realities of an uncaring capitalist system that commodifies the public’s health and wellbeing changed that. The experiences which unfolded within the walls of ambulances and emergency rooms served as an ideological catalyst, igniting in me a…

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What Should the New Student Union Centre Look Like?

By Ülvi Gitaliyev The Woods-Penniman Building, which used to house CPO and currently houses Public Safety and Center for International Education (CIE) is visited by many students, staff, and visitors to Berea College daily. Originally built as a women’s gymnasium in 1925, the iconic building will soon thorough a makeover as the first student union centre of Berea College. This is a new and…

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Louisville Communists Stand in Solidarity with Palestine Amidst Global Struggles Against Imperialism and Apartheid

Activists of the Communist Party in Louisville, Kentucky have been protesting the action of the Israeli government since October 7th, with more to come in the future.

By Benjamin A. Berry “I haven’t heard from any of my family in Gaza since they shut the power off. It’s basically a litmus test for being a self-respecting Communist of any kind to support the Palestinian people, but remember… you have more of a voice than any of the two million in Gaza who have been cut off… use it wisely.” These were the solemn words offered by a member of the Louisville Club…

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“To be Neutral is Cowardice”: How The Berea Community Has Been Fighting for Justice in Palestine Since October 7th

By Ülvi Gitaliyev On October 7th, the Berea College community awoke to news of another war in Palestine. Many were shocked and appalled at the death and destruction on a scale not seen in decades. Immediately, students, faculty and staff began to organize events, protests, and other actions to voice their support for Palestine. The first event related to Palestine was a Q&A and info session on…

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Travel Chronicle: From Berea to Lexington (Almost!)

By Ülvi Gitaliyev Thanksgiving is a special time for most students at Berea College. People get to see their family again, eat good food and leave the Berea bubble, if only for a little. For international students and domestics who come from far away states, options are more limited. We can either tag along to a friend or partner’s Thanksgiving or hunker down in Berea and survive the boredom.…

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Mutterings and Yearnings: Poems by Oak Clarke

By Oak Clarke 7/24/2022 I tore open the sky And peeled it back  like a worn canvas Something warm like blood And sweet like cane Trickled out. There was an awful draft Cold wind from the outside Carrying frostbite and voices Of that which never was. It seemed dark out there For my eyes are mine Only a human’s And observe but a narrow  Slice of the spectrums of…

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We Have Killed Ourselves

By Bless Iteka We The People of the United States of America have killed ourselves. Our affinity towards destruction and killing should not come as a surprise to anyone, certainly not to any person who lived outside the U.S. Like many other countries, the U.S has finally seen the light, but we’ve seen it too late. The damage we have done to the planet has become irreversible. It’s no longer a…

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Black Liberation & Free Palestine: Mirrored Images of Oppression

Summer of 2020, Detroit Police Department responds to non-violent protesters with violence By Sammie Lewis Just the other day, I strolled with my nanny baby through the quiet Bagley neighborhood of Detroit, crossing the familiar streets of 6 Mile (McNichols) and San Juan. All I could hear is the crisp autumn wind and cars passing by, which feels so weird when just three years ago this same…

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Which Side Are You On?: A Book Review by The League of Revolutionaries for a New America's Legacy Committee for Labor Day 2023

By The League of Revolutionaries for a New America’s Legacy Committee The first line of Lynda Ann Ewen’s book, Which Side Are You On? reads: “There is nothing nice about a strike.” In 1931, in the midst of a miners’ strike called the “Harlan County War,” the wife of a miners’ union organizer, Florence Reece, wrote the song with the same title. Sheriff J. H. Blair, with hired gun thugs, had…

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