Opinion
From spine-tingling tales to faces in the trees, Alabama trip puts Kansas in perspective
I was driving along an Alabama backroad with my mother-in-law, hearing about various Southern Gothic deaths that had befallen residents of her neighborhood, when I realized something simple yet important: This country is vast. The contiguous United States stretches more than 2,500 miles from coast to coast. Our 50 states go from sapphire blue to […]
Contrary to popular belief, Gen Z activists in Kansas have stepped up to cultivate social change
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Rija Nazir is a senior at Wichita State University studying political science with a minor in Spanish. Like many Gen Z voters, my urge to become […]
These four dumb responses totally misread the stunning Kansas abortion rights vote
You could tell that no one was prepared for the nearly 20-point victory by abortion rights forces in Kansas by the incredibly dumb takes that soon followed. Anti-abortion supporters, insulated by the U.S. Supreme Court over the past half-century from the unpopularity of their beliefs, were faced with a broad public rebuke. This wasn’t a […]
Johnson County sheriff’s stonewalling on election probe keeps Kansans in the dark
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Max Kautsch is an attorney whose practice focuses on First Amendment rights and open government law. Johnson County Sheriff Calvin Hayden doesn’t want you to know […]
Rewriting veterans’ stories with a happier ending, thanks to bipartisan Senate effort
The Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Darrell Ehrlick is the editor-in-chief of the Daily Montanan. I want to thank Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, and Jon Tester, D-Montana. Not on behalf of me, […]
Blaming mainstream media provides a misleading shortcut for Value Them Both
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Eric Thomas directs the Kansas Scholastic Press Association and teaches visual journalism and photojournalism at the University of Kansas. On election night Tuesday, I read a tweet from Kansas […]
Disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline will reduce disparities for Kansans
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Tiffany Anderson, superintendent of Topeka USD 501, and Shannon Portillo, associate dean and professor at the University of Kansas, served as co-chairs of the Governor’s Commission on […]
Abortion-rights victory shakes Kansas political landscape from roots to branches
The failure of the anti-abortion amendment in Kansas on Tuesday was more than a single election result. It was an earthquake. That quake rumbled across the U.S. political landscape, surprising onlookers who had expected a tight contest or outright victory for anti-choice forces. All of a sudden, the rough political consensus that had formed since […]
Kansans embark on statewide civics experiment of abortion amendment vote, outcome unknown
The abortion amendment battle comes to a head this August election day, and if nothing else it proves that civic debate thrives in Kansas. TV ads burble, yard signs protrude and glossy fliers stuff mailboxes from one side of the state to the other. Online forums buzz with the back and forth. Folks chat in […]
Kansas has been here before: Lessons from policing women’s sexuality 100 years ago
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Nikki Perry is a fourth-generation Kansan and the author of “Policing Sex in the Sunflower State: The Story of the Kansas State Industrial Farm for Women,” a […]
As a ‘Free State,’ Kansas has a long history of deciding who should wield political power
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Dave Kendall served as producer and host of the “Sunflower Journeys” series on public television for its first 27 seasons and continues to produce documentary videos through […]
Young people in Kansas deserve better in wake of Cedric Lofton’s death
Kansas Reflector welcomes opinion pieces from writers who share our goal of widening the conversation about how public policies affect the day-to-day lives of people throughout our state. Tyler Williams and Yusef Presley are youth leaders with Progeny. While September marks one year since Cedric Lofton was tragically killed at the Sedgwick County Juvenile Intake […]