Anyssa’s Insights

Once Upon a Time is the title of the biography of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy , C.B.K., written by Elizabeth Beller and published in 2024. “Once upon a time,” the prince of America, John F. Kennedy Jr. , fell in love with a Calvin Klein executive, an ordinary woman in many respects, yet a rising fashion icon far removed from the tumultuous world of the Kennedy family …      The biography inspired a miniseries created by Ryan Murphy ( American Horror Story , Glee , etc.), which aired in February 2025: Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette , starring Sarah Pidgeon as Carolyn and Paul Anthony Kelly as John.      Carolyn Bessette was born on January 7, 1966. Coming from a middle-class family, it was difficult for young Carolyn to build connections in her chosen field: fashion. In 1989, she worked as a sales associate at Calvin Klein in Boston. Nevertheless, her chic, refined taste and her outspoken personality quickly set her apart; sh...

            The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The goal of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African-Americans in the United States. This event has been marked by the famous speech of Dr. Martin Luther King in front of the Lincoln Memorial , a real symbol of freedom: “ I have a dream ”. Indeed, he called for an end of legalized racism and segregation. The march was orchestrated by Bayard Rustin and Asa Philip Randolph , both activists. According to multiple sources and the participants themselves, around 200,000 to 300,000 people were in Washington’s streets. Observers estimated that 75% to 80% of the marchers were Black which constitutes a revolution for the Civil Rights movement . The activists began their massive undertaking in 1961, and planned to advocate for a program of public works, including job training programs for the unemployed. They also urged t...

     Malcolm X was an African-American activist during the Civil Rights movement . Indeed, known by the name Al-Hâjj Mâlik al-Shabazz as well, he acted for equality between blacks and whites in the United States. He was born in 1925 and died assassinated in 1965. He was the spokesperson of the Nation of Islam (NOI) — a religious organization which pledges black nationalism and the orthodox values of the Quran — until 1964 when he left the movement. Therefore, he was quite a controversial figure in the Civil Rights movement as he called for revolution by violence against the implanted government. During his early years, Malcolm X has been known by the police for drug dealing, gambling, robbery, and pimping in New York. In 1946, he was imprisoned. In jail-time, Malcolm has encountered members of the NOI, which made him a part of the organization. From his liberation in 1956, he became important in the NOI. Within those years, he was known for his fiery rhetoric against s...

     Since January and the election of Donald J. Trump , African-American and immigrants’ rights have been threatened. Indeed, since the official end of segregation in 1964 , Persons of Color are still discriminated against in America, even today. The movement Black Lives Matter proves this: African-American do not feel welcomed in their own country. According to the Washington Post , 22% of the people killed by the police in the United States were Black whereas the community represents 13% of the population. Legally those murders are legal because of the Fourth Amendment that permits police to use deadly force when there is “an imminent threat of serious bodily harm or death to themselves or others”.      What’s more, supremacist groups are expanding as the international political field is becoming more extreme every single day. Indeed, according to the New York Times, flash demonstrations are happening every week in some cities where neo-Nazis or fas...