by Leilani McNeal, age 14, and Kadjata Bah, age 14

When one thinks of segregation, the first thing that probably pops into the mind is the turbulent times of the 1950s. Buses, schools, theaters, and other spaces labeled “WHITES” and “COLOREDS,” are a common image of separation. But imagine spending your whole life with someone different, only to have memories of innocent, wild adolescence through a mono-toned lens, separate from your friends and partners. One daring journalist spent years in a small southern town documenting the evolution of the lives of teens.

Gillian Laub, a UW-Madison graduate who pursued photography and later became an advocate for social justice, is well-known for her work in Mount Vernon, Georgia. After graduating in 2002, she ventured south to capture incredible and personal photographs of the atmosphere of the town, primarily the segregated proms of Mount Vernon. [Read More]

Kadjata Bah, age 14

PFAS, chemicals commonly found in non-stick cookware, water-resistant clothing, and firefighting foams among other things, have been found in 10 out of 19 Madison city wells tested. Though it is not a health threat at the levels detected, Madison Water Utility is making an effort to let people know what is in their water.

More formally known as per-fluoroalkyls and poly-fluoroalkyls, PFAS were detected in low and trace amounts. [Read More]

by Michelle Chi, age 17

In elementary schools around the nation, words such as “barricade” are added to spelling lists; children are told to run in a zig-zag pattern to evade bullets; posters with lockdown instructions, sung to the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” are hung on the walls of kindergarten classrooms.

The culture of fear surrounding school shootings is pervasive in every sense of the word. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 95 percent of public schools administered lockdown drills during the 2015-2016 school year. The Washington Post reported that more than 4.1 million students — one out of every four in the U.S. — experienced at least one lockdown drill in the 2017-2018 school year. [Read More]