THE CHICAGO MAROON
I Am the IOP Whiteboard Girl
by Evita Duffy
March 6, 2020

Last week I was asked by the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics (IOP) to participate in a digital initiative, called “I vote because…,” where students pose with a small white board stating their personal reasons for voting. Some examples included “Medicare for All,” “Universal health care shouldn’t be considered a radical idea,” and “Children shouldn’t be kept in cages.” I wrote, “I vote because the coronavirus won’t destroy America, but socialism will.”… I am a proponent of free speech, and I hoped my white board message might even encourage a lively and robust debate on economics. However, I was naïvely unprepared for the onslaught of online hate and threats of violence I received. READ MORE