Sunday, July 11, 2021
WSHS YOUNG DEMS
NEWSLETTER
Hailey Donahue and Naomi Flowers
2021 Olympic Controversy
The International Olympic Committee’s treatment of Black athletes
Originally established in ancient Greece,
the Olympics are beloved events where
the best of the best get to compete against
one another every four years. However,
the International Olympic Committee’s
decisions regarding racially divided
aspects of the games, including marijuana
and swimming caps designed for natural
hair, have sparked controversy.
Sha'Carri Richardson, the winner of the
100-meter race at the U.S. Olympic trials,
failed her drug test because she tested
positive for marijuana, causing her to
miss the 100-meter race that could have
awarded her the gold due to a one-month
suspension. Marijuana was on the list of
banned substances at the Olympics, but
Richardson stated that she took it in a
state where it was legal to cope with the
recent death of her mother.
Denise Chow, July 2, 2021, NBC News
Hela Kasibhotla
The Delta Variant
A curveball on easing restrictions
As summer break draws to a close,
schools and businesses all over the
United States are preparing for an influx
of students and employees after a
contained, virtual year - but is it too soon?
With the spread of the new Delta variant,
people are concerned that easing
regulations might cause a spike in cases.
Present in over 95 countries, the Delta
variant of Covid-19 is the most contagious
form of the virus and accounts for 25% of
active cases in the U.S. Studies show that
the variant is highly transmissible and
severe, causing additional cold-like
symptoms.
Issue #6
When Ocasio-Cortez and Raskin sent a However, there might be a reconsideration
letter arguing the suspension, the United of which swim caps are acceptable by
States Anti-Doping Agency said it cannot FINA, the group who originally banned
change the rules unilaterally but will try them from the Olympics.
to mitigate the “harsh consequences.”
Whatever your opinion on the controversy,
Additionally, one of the greatest causes it can be agreed that these rules and their
of outcry was the banning of swim caps consequences need to be reexamined for
made for natural hair. The committee in possible bias and prejudice buried beneath.
charge of determining acceptable swim
caps claimed that the caps, made by the
brand Soul Caps, do not fit the “natural”
form of the head. Many argue that the
definition of “natural” is set with
Caucasian and European descent in mind
and does not take into account
underrepresented minorities in the
Olympic games. Swim coach Tony
Cronin, 22, weighs in, stating that he is
“disappointed” with the ruling, though Sophie Lewis, July 2, 2021, CBS News
not surprised.
Taylor Randa
Tropical Storm Elsa
The latest updates
The first hurricane of the Atlantic season,
Elsa strengthened into a tropical storm on
July 1st, and by July 3rd, Governor DeSantis
issued an executive order to declare a state
of emergency in counties that may be
affected by the storm. Fortunately, the
storm did not make landfall near the
recently collapsed condo in Florida, but
the weather did frustratingly halt search
and rescue efforts.
The storm instead made landfall in Taylor
County, Florida on Wednesday morning,
leaving one man dead from a tree falling
on two cars. By Wednesday evening, the
storm swept over south-east Georgia with
sustained winds at 45 mph and gusts even
higher, causing tornadoes that damaged a
Navy base. As the storm travels up the east
coast with winds around 16 mph, new
warnings were issued for North Carolina
and mid-Atlantic states.
However, studies have also shown that
the variant poses little threat to those fully
vaccinated, stating that “two doses of the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were 96
percent effective against hospitalization
from the delta variant and two doses of
the AstraZeneca vaccine were 92 percent
effective.” The main concern lies in areas
of low vaccination rates, which
consequently happen to be in states that
have been lifting restrictions. As a result,
Russ Bynum and Curt Anderson, July 8, 2021, PBS
the CDC advises non-vaccinated folk to
continue to wear masks in crowded
spaces, as well as vaccinated folk because
it never hurts to be cautious.
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