Voices and Vision August 4, 2025

This week week we cried over Rümeysa Öztürk's tragic, but increasingly common story of being abducted and imprisoned by ICE, we learned more about the 3.5% rule, we were inspired by Zohran Mamdani's charismatic magnetism, and Robert Reich reminded us to mine for optimism.

Remember the Tufts student abducted by ICE? Rümeysa Öztürk was — and is — a doctoral candidate in psychology in Boston (just like I used to be). She was freed after 45 days. Read her harrowing story here. This is the story of so many immigrants. This could be any of us. Tissues may be needed.

You’ve probably been hearing about the “3.5% rule”. It says that once pro-democracy protests engage at least 3.5% of the populace, autocracies can be stopped. While there’s truth in that, the reality is a little more nuanced. Fascinating! Read about it here.

Zohran Mamdani! What a charismatic candidate for New York City’s mayor. Watch him here at a recent Wu Tang Clan concert in Madison Square Garden. Hi primary campaign platform includes affordable housing, free college education and free transportation. This Social Democrat could go far!

Looking for hope? Read this article  on Robert Reich’s  Substack from August 4,  to learn where he gets his hope and optimism and some strategies to keep your own hope alive. Hee writes that one day, “the regressive moral squalor of Trump and his Lackeys will be swept into the dustbin of history“