Opinion
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
4 — Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Alanna Berger
Zack Blumberg
Brittany Bowman
Emily Considine
Cheryn Hong

Krystal Hur
Ethan Kessler
Mary Rolfes
Michael Russo

Timothy Spurlin
Miles Stephenson
Joel Weiner
Erin White 
Lola Yang

ERIN WHITE
Managing Editor

Stanford Lipsey Student Publications Building
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Ann Arbor, MI 48109
 tothedaily@michigandaily.com

Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890.

ELIZABETH LAWRENCE
Editor in Chief
EMILY CONSIDINE AND 
MILES STEPHENSON
Editorial Page Editors

Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of The Daily’s Editorial Board. 
All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.

EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS

OWEN STECCO | COLUMN
A need for local action on employment discrimination
W

ith 
the 
Equality 
Act (H.R.5) stalled 
in 
Congress 
and 
a combined lack of political 
will, local action on LGBTQ+ 
employment 
discrimination 
is 
imperative. Currently, 44 percent 
of 
the 
LGBTQ+ 
population 
lives in states without LGBTQ+ 
protection 
policies 
despite 
exclusionary workplaces holding 
economies back. The Judiciary 
has shifted to the ideological right 
under President Donald Trump, 
resulting in the elimination of a 
route for employment protections. 
In lieu of federal action on the issue 
of employment discrimination, 
state 
and 
local 
governments 
must act to safeguard LGBTQ+ 
individuals and promote economic 
development. 
The federal government and 
26 states do not have employment 
protections 
for 
LGBTQ+ 
individuals, resulting in second-
class status for LGBTQ+ citizens. 
One in four LGBTQ+-identifying 
persons reported experiencing 
workplace 
discrimination 
in 
2016 and too often they stand 
unprotected and vulnerable. The 
community feels vulnerable due 
to the frequent targeting from 
majority groups and a lack of 
protection under the law. With 
nearly one-third of transgender 
individuals living in poverty, 
40 percent of homeless youth 
identifying as LGBTQ+ and one 
in five members of the community 
falling victim to hate crimes, the 
national government is failing. 
Local protections for LGBTQ+ 
individuals are the best route 
toward safety and equality in the 
absence of federal action. With 
protections in place, everyone 
benefits from a healthy and 
productive workforce.
The 
push 
for 
LGBTQ+ 
employment 
protections 
in 
Michigan for state employees 
was progressed by Gov. Gretchen 
Whitmer 
after 
signing 
an 
executive order, but it did not 
extend 
to 
all 
employees 
in 
Michigan. With a Republican 
majority 
in 
the 
Michigan 
Legislature, Whitmer is limited 
in her ability to enact policies. 
Therefore, 
local 
governments 
must step up or a massive recall 
must take place in the coming 
elections to supplement the lack of 
unilateral power Whitmer holds. 

In either scenario, the conversation 
for 
protections 
of 
LGBTQ+ 
individuals 
in 
the 
workplace 
must take place in neighborhoods 
and over the dinner table to be 
reflected across the state. 
Currently, 
20 
Michigan 
cities 
have 
added 
LGBTQ+-
identifying individuals to the 
list of protected groups in cases 
of employment discrimination. 
This group of Michigan cities 
sits alongside the less than 300 
other cities and counties with 
ordinances protecting LGBTQ+ 
individuals 
from 
workplace 
discrimination. 
This 
coalition 
is largely concentrated in states 
with existing protections but 
provides safe environments for 
LGBTQ+ 
individuals. 
Despite 
the progress made, many of the 
cities 
with 
local 
protections 
have religious exclusions and 
allow 
for 
discrimination 
by 
religious organizations. Religious 
exemptions create hierarchical 
structures 
where 
LGBTQ+ 
individuals feel vulnerable and 
ostracized by spaces traditionally 
deemed safe and welcoming. 
Critics often cite moral and 
religious 
arguments 
against 
inclusion in the workplace for 
LGBTQ+ individuals but ignore 
the 
economic 
benefits. 
The 
exclusion of LGBTQ+ people in 
the workplace causes harm to 
economies; The addition of legal 
rights for LGBTQ+ individuals is 
associated with higher levels of 
economic development. On top 
of economic benefits, visibility 
and familiarity with the LGBTQ+ 
community in the workplace leads 
to acceptance, supporting work 
communities. 
As the Equality Act remains 
untouched by Senate Majority 
Leader Mitch McConnell, the 
protections 
that 
LGBTQ+-
identifying 
individuals 
rely 
on in the workplace must be 
implemented from the bottom-
up. This bottom-up strategy relies 
on voters to focus on down-ballot 
races and pay attention to the 
candidates that have committed 
to 
protecting 
and 
uplifting 
at-risk groups like the LGBTQ+ 
community. It is imperative for 
voters to exercise empathy and 
protect their neighbors from 
discrimination in the workplace 
to ensure equal opportunity under 
the law. 

In addition to all the races 
voters must pay attention to, the 
focus also must shift to the courts 
and how the Senate and White 
House dictate the makeup of the 
Judiciary across the country. 
Many ignore the power that 
the Executive has in appointing 
judges and justices from Appellate 
to Supreme Courts. Trump has 
now nominated and received 
confirmation by the Senate on 
over 187 lifetime judges resulting 
in one in every five circuit judges 
being Trump-nominated. In line 
with the need for employment 
protections, 
the 
conservative 
majority Supreme Court of the 
United States is in the process 
of deciding on a trio of cases 
pertaining 
to 
employment 
protections 
for 
LGBTQ+ 
individuals at the federal level. 
The lineup of lifetime appointed 
conservative-leaning judges and 
justices across the country is a 
cause for concern for employment 
activists due to the closing of the 
avenue so often used for minority 
groups. Voters must recognize 
that up and down the ballot, they 
have responsibilities to vote for 
values and vote for their LGBTQ+ 
neighbors, friends and families 
while the war on the community 
wages on. It is important to be 
educated on the severity and 
responsibility of every office on 
the ballot but to also vote for your 
principles rather than focusing 
on candidates at face value. Many 
voters are trapped in the mindset 
that candidates matter more than 
their politics, but those threatened 
by a lack of action aren’t afforded 
this privilege. LGBTQ+ individuals 
feel the effects of political inaction 
everyday inside and outside the 
workplace as their day-to-day lives 
are threatened.
Local 
ordinances 
and 
protections are just the starting 
point for LGBTQ+ individuals, 
rather than the destination. With 
integrated workplaces and stronger 
coalitions at the local and state level, 
pressure in the form of advocacy 
will implore the federal government 
to act. While Congress remains in 
gridlock, LGBTQ+ lives and careers 
must be protected at local levels 
to ensure equal opportunity and 
economic prosperity. 

Owen Stecco can be reached 

at ostecco@umich.edu.

ISABELLE SCHINDLER | COLUMN

Using education to combat hate
A

s we grapple with a 
divided 
nation 
and 
increasing 
instances 
of hate and tribalism, we need 
to increase our commitment 
to education about the past to 
create a more compassionate 
future. On Jan. 27, the world 
marked International Holocaust 
Remembrance Day. This year 
was especially poignant as it 
was the 75th anniversary of the 
liberation of the Auschwitz-
Birkenau concentration camp 
and the end of one of the 
darkest 
periods 
in 
modern 
history. In honor of this day 
and as a reaction to recent acts 
of anti-Semitism, the House 
of Representatives passed a 
bipartisan bill called the “Never 
Again Education Act” to help 
encourage 
schools 
to 
teach 
Holocaust education. This bill 
grants $10 million to the U.S. 
Holocaust Memorial Museum 
over a five year period. The 
museum must provide educators 
with resources and materials 
in the hopes of counteracting 
the rising tide of anti-Semitic 
violence around the world by 
teaching students. This bill is an 
important first step that should 
serve as a launching point 
for larger efforts to integrate 
teachings about the Holocaust 
and other genocides, such as 
the Armenian genocide, the 
genocide in Darfur and the 
current situation with Rohingya 
Muslims in Myanmar. 
The decision about whether 
to teach about these events is 
largely up to individual teachers 
or school districts. Only 11 states, 
Michigan included, have any 
requirement that information 
about the Holocaust be taught 
in schools, and only 15 states 
require some education on the 
Armenian genocide.
Failing to effectively teach 
youth about these issues can 
lead to a shocking lack of 
knowledge about these events. 
In the case of the Holocaust, 
recent research has proven 
this to be frighteningly the 

case. A study from 2019 found 
that 41 percent of millennials 
believe around four million 
Jews were murdered in the 
Holocaust, 
drastically 
less 
than the six million actually 
killed. Additionally, 66 percent 
of millennials cannot explain 
what 
Auschwitz 
was 
nor 
what it did. This is extremely 
concerning because, without an 
accurate understanding of what 
happened in the past, people 
cannot work to avoid the same 
mistakes in the future. How 
can we say “never again” with 
confidence if many people do 
not know what happened in the 
first place? As the years since the 
Holocaust and other genocides 
pass, it can be easy to get 
complacent. We begin to forget 
the true horror of these events, 
and we slip back into certain “us 
versus them” mentalities that lie 
at the root of these tragedies. 

Over the past few years, we 
have seen a rapid increase in 
hate crimes, whether it is anti-
Semitic attacks, anti-LGBTQ+ 
community attacks or increases 
in white nationalism. For many 
University of Michigan students, 
these issues are personal. We are 
an extremely diverse community 
with students of different races, 
religions, 
backgrounds 
and 
sexual orientations. 
It 
is 
undeniable 
that 
education is not a foolproof 
solution to these problems. 
The visceral hate and anger 
that 
fuels 
attacks 
such 
as 
these cannot be solved simply 
through education. However, 
education 
about 
genocides 

and other tragic events where 
hate led to conflict help us to 
understand the fragility of 
society and the importance of 
constantly cultivating a culture 
of inclusiveness and respect. 
Through learning, we can see 
the danger of fear, prejudice 
and hate and we can recognize 
how 
everyday 
people 
can 
choose to stand up to forces of 
hate and bigotry.
I was fortunate to grow up in 
a community and attend a school 
where 
education 
about 
the 
Holocaust and other atrocities 
was extremely comprehensive. 
My school tried to integrate this 
education into multiple facets 
of our educational experience. 
Not only did we learn the facts 
in history class, but we read 
first-hand accounts, such as the 
book “Night,” in English class 
and had discussions about hate 
and discrimination in various 
settings. This teaching style 
was so effective because it 
allowed us to see these events 
not simply as a piece of history 
but as something that needed 
to be constantly addressed and 
understood. This is especially 
important for young people 
for whom the events of past 
tragedies feel far removed from 
many of their lives. 
As students, we have an 
obligation to continue to try to 
foster a culture of tolerance on 
campus and beyond. Whether it 
is by accepting the differences 
of others or voicing support for 
legislation similar to the Never 
Again Education Act, we all have 
a duty to do our part to create 
a compassionate community. 
We should also commit to 
increasing our understanding 
of these events. Whether it is 
reading about past genocides or 
raising awareness about current 
atrocities, we all have a part to 
play in becoming more educated 
and contributing to a more 
inclusive environment. 

Isabelle Schindler can be reached 

at ischind@umich.edu.

REID DIAMOND | COLUMN

Boyan Slat’s work needs media coverage

T

he conversation around the 
climate crisis in the United 
States lacks substance and 
instead focuses on sensationalized 
activism. 
Social 
activists 
are 
receiving 
more 
coverage 
and 
popularity than the engineers and 
innovators designing real solutions 
to the existential problems we face. 
While Greta Thunberg was named 
Time Magazine’s Person of the Year 
in 2019 for her social activism, Boyan 
Slat is receiving little recognition 
for single-handedly taking on the 
responsibility of cleaning up 90 
percent of the plastic pollution in 
the Pacific Ocean. Slat designed 
the world’s first maritime plastic 
cleanup system, The Ocean Cleanup, 
yet Thunberg and her celebrity 
activism take center stage in the 
realms of media and politics. Real 
innovators should be championed 
and celebrated. Boyan Slat is solving 
one of the most complex problems of 
our generation despite few knowing 
about him.
Plastics 
and 
derivative 
microplastics have accumulated in 
dangerous quantities throughout 
the ocean, having an adverse impact 
on the health of complex marine 
ecosystems, 
and 
consequently, 
humans. Most of this plastic 
pollution is concentrated in the Great 
Pacific Garbage Patch, a massive 
area now twice the size of Texas. 
Undoubtedly the consequence of 
human negligence, the monstrous 
rate of world pollution is only getting 
worse. Higher-income countries 
have successful waste management 
systems and therefore contribute less 
to the pollution in the oceans. Ninety 
percent of ocean plastic pollution 
comes from just 10 rivers, eight of 
which run through Asia, bordering 
poorer villages that lack the proper 
waste management infrastructure. 
Many countries are at a stage 
in development where people 
are wealthy enough to consume 
plastic goods or goods wrapped 
in plastic, but there isn’t sufficient 
waste infrastructure to deal with 
the situation effectively. People 
dump their waste into the local 
rivers because it’s the easiest 
method of disposal. With high 
densities of people around major 
rivers, trash accumulates and 

flows 
through 
these 
arteries 
into the ocean, where the plastic 
ultimately remains. Importantly, 
it isn’t that people don’t care about 
the environment or are somehow 
less civilized. The reality is 
there is a large number of people 
consuming plastic goods while 
there is no infrastructure for 
effective disposal.
Little has been done to address 
plastic waste in the Pacific 
Ocean or the efficacy of waste 
management until recently; few 
know of its existence. Boyan 
Slat is taking the issue head-on 
and plans to permanently end 
plastic pollution in the oceans. 
Slat’s approach is two-sided. 
While Slat is working to clean 
up the existing plastic pollution 
in the ocean, he is also working 
to address the issue at the source 
with 
“interceptor” 
systems 
that catch plastic at the river 
source. Currently, with working 
prototype systems, Slat plans 
on expanding his fleet of ocean 
cleanup systems to 60 in order 
to reach his goal of reducing the 
amount of plastic in the Great 
Pacific Garbage Patch in half by 
2025. Slat’s company, the Ocean 
Cleanup Project, is saving the 
ocean, and can’t even gain an 
audience. 
In 
such 
a 
dysfunctional 
political climate — where little 
environmental legislation has 
any chance of enactment — 
such technological innovations 
should be championed and 
celebrated, but they aren’t. 
Climate change is a political 
issue and it attracts a lot of 
media and political attention. 
But this attention is focused 
around 
superficial 
ideas 
and moral activism instead 
of coverage of the practical 
solutions 
to 
the 
very 
real 
problems we face. Slat’s lack of 
fame isn’t a fluke; It’s a symptom 
of sensationalized news and 
token climate activists getting 
more coverage than those on 
the ground fixing the problems 
of our generation. 
This is not to say that 
celebrity climate activists such 
as Leonardo DiCaprio or Greta 

Thunberg don’t play a critical 
role in enacting change. In fact, 
Thunberg addressed heads of 
state at the United Nations and 
inspired four million people to 
participate in the largest climate 
demonstration in history. She 
captured the frustration and 
anger of the millions of young 
people who carry the burden 
of 
inheriting 
dysfunctional 
governments in the face of the 
global climate crisis. That being 
said, Thunberg’s activism has 
made little substantive change 
in international climate policy 
as many governments still don’t 
care enough, especially the U.S.
Rather than being seen as 
a climate activist pushing for 
rapid reform, Thunberg has 
become adopted as a political 
lightning rod. The political left 
uses her as an anti-Trump totem 
while the political right uses her 
to support their “crazy socialist” 
narrative. The result of all this 
sensationalized 
coverage 
is 
that token activists get more 
coverage than those on the front 
lines treating the symptoms of 
the climate crisis. Slat, and many 
like him, need media coverage 
to promote investment. This is 
precisely where social activism 
and innovative problem-solving 
overlap. To promote innovative 
solutions, we need to start 
championing the designers and 
the engineers just as much, if 
not more than the lead social 
activists. 
The climate crisis needs real 
solutions. Activism has a key 
role to play in saving the climate 
and protecting human well-
being, but it won’t get anything 
done 
unless 
it’s 
targeted 
towards 
concrete 
solutions. 
Instead of carrying a sign that 
claims the world is burning — 
even though it is — carry a sign 
that points to a solution. “Invest 
in Boyan Slat” is tangible and 
can be echoed by the media 
or addressed by politicians. It 
would also look great on a picket 
sign.

Reid Diamond can be reached at 

reiddiam@umich.edu.

ANNA GETZINGER | CONTACT CARTOONIST AT GETZINGA@UMICH.EDU

We all have a duty 
to do our part and 
create a passionate 
community.

