strive

The gig economy provides no safety net for its workers, but some activists are hoping to change that. Alyssa Lewis lost her 26-year-old sister, Bella Ann (Isabella) Lewis, in 2021. Bella had worked as a Lyft driver for two years, and then one day was shot by one of her customers in Garland, Texas. Surveillance cameras showed the passenger then exited the car, walked over to the driver’s side, pulled Alyssa’s sister out from the driver’s seat, got in, and then drove the car over her. She later died from the gunshot wound. Alyssa had tried contacting her sister’s employer to see what benefits, if any, their family was entitled to. “From Lyft, there was never any response,” she said. “To this day, nobody has ever tried to reach out to us to give us condolences or anything like that. There...

Genny Beemyn, University of Massachusetts Amherst Since its inception in 1975, the Common Application, the undergraduate admissions application used by more than 900 colleges, has required students to provide their “sex,” with only “male” and “female” as choices. But starting in August 2021, the Common App is also asking students their gender identities and the names and pronouns they go by. As a researcher who specializes in studying the experiences of transgender college students, I believe these changes represent a much-needed opportunity for colleges and universities that use the Common App to acknowledge and respect the gender identities of their trans students. The changes mean that some colleges will have information about their trans students for the first time. Other institutio...

Tag: strive

Gig Drivers Strive For A Safer Workplace

Colleges Strive To Better Support Trans Students – Common Applications Will Now Allow Students To Choose Their Gender Identity