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Protestors demonstrate outside of a burning Minneapolis 3rd Police Precinct, Thursday, May 28, 2020, in Minneapolis. Protests over the death of George Floyd, a black man who died in police custody Monday, broke out in Minneapolis for a third straight night. (John Minchillo/AP)

May 29, 2020

'I Do It To Survive': Being Black In America Means Adapting To Constant Risk

The most paramount adjustment I have made is knowing that there is no other choice, writes Theresa Okokon.

Wave one of the general runners at the start to the Boston Marathon in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. (Joe Difazio for WBUR)

The Boston Marathon Is More Than A Race — It's A Community. This Year, That's What I'll Miss Most

May 29, 2020

The author in isolation after a bone marrow transplant in 1979. (Courtesy)

40 Years After My Bone Marrow Transplant, I'm Isolating Again. This Time, I'm Not Alone

May 29, 2020

Protestors demonstrate outside the Third Precinct Police Station after the killing of George Floyd on Tues. May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Floyd was killed Monday while in the custody of Minneapolis Police. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

We Refuse To Call It Murder, But How Else Do You Explain The Killing Of George Floyd?

May 28, 2020

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We Refuse To Call It Murder, But How Else Do You Explain The Killing Of George Floyd?

'I Do It To Survive': Being Black In America Means Adapting To Constant Risk

'I Promise. I Promise.' You Can't Cheat A Pandemic

Prepare For The Ultimate Gaslighting

How The Pandemic Could Help Our Deadly Fight Against Stress

'Stay Strong,' And Other Useless Drivel We Tell The Grieving

In Case You Missed It

A United States Postal worker makes a delivery with gloves and a mask in Warren, Mich., Thursday, April 2, 2020. The U.S. Postal Service is keeping post offices open but ensuring customers stay at least 6 feet apart. The agency said it is following guidance from public health experts, although there is no indication that the new coronavirus COVID-19 is being spread through the mail. (Paul Sancya/AP)

The USPS Is Always There For Us. It's Time To Return The Favor

May 8, 2020

President Donald Trump talks to reporters before boarding Air Force One for a trip to Phoenix to visit a Honeywell plant that manufactures protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md. (Evan Vucci/AP)

Why America Can’t Stop COVID-19

May 13, 2020

What's The First Thing You'll Do When This Is Over? We Asked, You Answered

Apr 24, 2020

The author's daughter, 12, built a reading nook. (Courtesy)

What The Pandemic Lays Bare: Life's Twins Of Hope And Sorrow

Apr 29, 2020

On Air Commentaries

Employees at an intensive care unit of the Federal Clinical Center of Higher Medical Technologies of the Russian Federal Medical Biological Agency treats COVID-19 patients, patients with suspected coronavirus and patients with viral community-acquired pneumonia. (PSergei Bobylev/Getty Images)

My Patients Are Sick And Alone. What The Pandemic Can Teach Us All About Intimacy

03:14May 14, 2020

In this Thursday, March 19, 2020, photo, Rachel Keenan, 9, takes a live class online at her home in San Francisco. California's Bay Area has been shut down for more than a week, the first region of America to order its residents to stay home, work remotely and homeschool their children in a desperate bid to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. (Jeff Chiu/AP)

Why I Won’t Sacrifice My Sanity To My Kids’ Online Schooling

02:28Apr 27, 2020

The author and her husband, Anil, who is an emergency physician, and their family on March 22. That day, Anil moved out of his family's home to limit the potential of exposing them to COVID-19. (Courtesy)

'Two Weeks Ago, He Moved Out': What It's Like To Have A Family Member On The Frontlines Of The Pandemic

02:11Apr 15, 2020

Carys Williams, 7, center, plays on the family porch swing as her brother Owain, 8, left, plays with metal rods, and Gavin Tropeano, 9 months, is swung up in the air by his father Andrew Tropeano, as neighbors spend extra time on their porches since schools and offices closed due to the coronavirus, Sunday April 5, 2020, in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

This Week Almost Broke Me. And It's OK To Say So

03:14Apr 24, 2020

Politics

Why The Difference Between Trump And Biden Matters

Joe Biden is imperfect, writes Julie Wittes Schlack, but there's no comparing him to Donald Trump.

May 20, 2020

In this Thursday, April 9, 2020 photo a synagogue in Sarajevo, Bosnia, is deserted as worshipers stay away due to the national lockdown to limit the spread of the coronavirus. (Kemal Softic/AP)

Houses Of Worship May Be Reopening, But I'll Continue To Pray At Home. Where It's Safe

May 19, 2020

Self-care shouldn’t be an individual act but a collective one, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. (Kris Atomic/Unsplash)

Self Care Isn't A Privilege. It's An Act Of 'Self Preservation'

May 12, 2020

V-E Day Celebration in Times Square, New York City, May 1945. (National Archives/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

On The 75th Anniversary Of VE Day, We're Still Fighting To Protect The Dignity Of Every Human Life

May 8, 2020

Workers protest the failure of their employers to provide adequate protections in the workplace of the Amazon delivery hub on National May Day Walkout/Sickout amid the Covid-19 pandemic on May 1, 2020, in Hawthorne, California. (VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)

Listen To Essential Workers First. Then, We Can Consider Reopening The Economy

May 7, 2020

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(Photo by Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via Getty Images)

I'm A Parent And An Educator: The Pandemic Will Widen The Achievement Gap Into A Chasm

The pandemic did not create these problems, writes Adam Stumacher. All it has done is laid bare the inequalities built into our society from its very inception.

May 27, 2020

"That’s how my mind works. I see green dots everywhere I go," writes Maya Hoffman. (Hannah Busing/Unsplash)

My Compulsiveness Used To Make Me Feel Lonely. Now It Makes Me Feel Safe

The strangest thing now, as the world tumbles into chaos, is that I feel like I’ve finally found some sense of control, writes Maya Hoffman.

May 27, 2020

How The Pandemic Could Help Our Deadly Fight Against Stress

Stress is now universal; patients and doctors are talking more about it, writes Dr. Dan Henderson. That's important, because stress is toxic to our brains, hearts and immune systems.

May 26, 2020

Solid State Books, an independent bookstore in the H Street Corridor, is photographed in Washington, D.C. on February 16, 2019. (Calla Kessler for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

My Bookstore Has Been Closed For 9 Weeks, And I Don't Want To Reopen

Some of the guidelines the state has provided are useful, but there's a lot left to interpretation, writes Hannah Harlow, a bookstore owner. We’ll open when I feel it’s safe...

May 22, 2020

The author pictured at the hospital in Queens where she is serving as an emergency room psychiatrist with the Army Reserves. (Courtesy)

I Served In New York City As An Army Reserve Doctor. Here's What I Saw

Psychiatrist Zheala Qayyum is serving with the Army Reserves at a hospital in Queens, New York. The tasks she's performing in this new role are not things she expected to...

May 21, 2020

Judges Troy Johnson, Aarti Sequeira, and Jet Tila talk with Host Guy Fieri while the contestants prepare their dishes, as seen on Guy's Grocery Games, Season 14. (Courtesy, Food Network)

There Is No Pandemic In 'Flavortown'

E.B. Bartels writes about escapism through the television show "Guy's Grocery Games."

May 21, 2020

The author, pictured with long hair, in college. (Courtesy)

For So Long, My Hair Defined Me. Now It's A Fight Song

After Kathy Gunst was diagnosed with cancer, she cut her hair. Now, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, she’s watching it grow out and thinking about how her hair...

May 20, 2020

A woman cleans the front door at Emerald Place Retirement Home in Glenview, Ill., Friday, April 24, 2020. Many seniors depend on assisted living facilities. (Nam Y. Huh/AP)

As Alzheimer's Takes Away My Mother's Mind, Just Being Together Is Enough

As we looked out at the Charles River, I knew she felt comfort in my presence, Susan Lanzoni writes of her 88-year-old mother, who has Alzheimer's. We were together and...

May 19, 2020

Let Your Teens Stay Up All Night, And Other Pandemic Parenting Advice

Psychologist Marlene Major believes adolescents can benefit from defininig this moment for themselves. Younger kids, however, do better with structure.

May 19, 2020

The Pandemic Is Spiking Anxiety. Before You Take Anti-Anxiety Medication, Understand The Risks

Benzodiazepine prescriptions have skyrocketed since the pandemic began, write the authors. But overuse of these powerful medications is risky, and should be considered before they are prescribed.

May 18, 2020

As She Battles COVID-19 Alone, My Mother Has Become Another Face In The Window

Like so many others, Cynthia Dockrell's mother is battling COVID-19 away from those who love her. Some 60 years ago, their family experienced something agonizingly similar.

May 15, 2020

Lee Merritt, a lawyer representing the family of Ahmaud Arbery, poses for a photo by a mural in the likeness of Arbery painted by artist Theo Ponchaveli in Dallas, Saturday, May 9, 2020. (Tony Gutierrez/AP)

I’m A Black Woman And A Medical Student. I Know Public Health Can Be Lethal For People Of Color

We’re trained to tell our patients to exercise, writes LaShyra Nolen. But the shooting of Ahmaud Arbery reminds us that running outside while black might be more dangerous than not...

May 15, 2020

Therapist: Trauma Is An Experience Of The Body. And We're All Feeling It

My work as a psychotherapist feels different since the onset of the pandemic, writes Elissa Tosi. Putting my own stuff aside is far from effortless, it’s sometimes impossible.

May 14, 2020

A mother and her son look at the closed Boston Public Library last month. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

I Left For Australia Three Months Ago. Now I'm Mourning The Boston I Left Behind

Amy Gorel expected the city would be the same when she returns next year. Now, she writes, "I’m missing a home that doesn’t exist."

May 12, 2020

The author's pandemic puppy, Wally (Courtesy)

Our Pandemic Puppy Was A Terrible Idea

Wally chewed up rugs, shoes and time, writes Hinda Mandell. She realized she couldn’t care for another being.

May 11, 2020

Elizabeth Peel and her young daughter. (Sharon Brody/WBUR)

I Love My Kids But I Loathe Mother’s Day — Especially This Year

Most days, people accuse moms of doing it wrong -- but suddenly, for one day, every mother is a saint. Sharon Brody calls out the hypocrisy.

May 8, 2020

Ted Flanagan is a firefighter/paramedic for the West Boylston Fire Department. (Courtesy)

What It's Like To Be A Paramedic During A Pandemic

Many people who work in emergency medicine say this is the most challenging moment in their professional lives. Today, in our ongoing series of dispatches from the front lines, we...

03:26May 7, 2020

How To Write A Sympathy Note In The Time Of Coronavirus

Sending a card has always been a way of showing up, writes Anita Diamant. And it has the added benefit of maintaining a safe distance.

May 6, 2020

A volunteer from the Chelsea Collaborative picks up an eggplant to be placed into orders for local residents to pick up at the Pan Y Cafe in Carey Sq. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

You May Not Realize It, But Chelsea Makes Your Life Better. Now It's The Epicenter Of COVID-19 In Mass.

There needs to be a new appreciation for essential work, write Roseann Bongiovanni and Leslie Dominguez-Santos. Chelsea’s service workers must be recognized for their sacrifices, protected from further harm at...

May 5, 2020

A man sits in Milan, Italy during the coronavirus emergency in April 2020. (Fratma Marka/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

I Live Alone. But This Is A 'Master Class In Solitude' I Didn't Ask For

Living solo, without touch, without contact, without sharing physical space with another human being, ever, is a whole new level of solitude, writes Judah Leblang.

May 5, 2020