Cj Alexander

  For the past two years, I’ve worked as a server at a restaurant in Ogden, where I earned less than the minimum wage, at the “tipped wage.” My hourly pay was $2.30 an hour, unlike other servers in the state, who typically earn $2.13. The two-week paychecks I brought home ranged between $0 and...

In Utah’s 2022 General Session, the legislature’s priorities branch out into various topics, including the Great Salt Lake, vaccine requirements and income tax cuts. Noticeably missing from the session’s agenda are COVID-19 bills to help end the pandemic. Mask mandates remain out of the question s…

  This marks my 51st op-ed, which blows my mind considering I never saw myself writing for The Daily Utah Chronicle. But I’m incredibly grateful to my supportive editors and peers for teaching me so much about myself and writing. My time at The Chronicle has been nothing short of valuable. I’ve gained incredible skills, broadened...

  After finding my work with Critical Race Theory, a local Utah high school teacher invited me to discuss the topic with their school’s Black Student Union. Because I support the teaching of CRT, I happily obliged and taught the students what it is and what an average lesson may look like. I answered their...

Rep. Sandra Hollins’ House Bill 238 aimed to recognize Juneteenth National Freedom Day, or “Juneteenth,” as a state-observed holiday. Rep. Hollins and Ogden’s NAACP Chapter President Betty Sawyer worked tirelessly on the bill, and their hard work paid off when Utah’s legislature passed it unanimou…

The Ukraine conflict has forced us to confront numerous issues and, surprisingly, racism is among them. In covering the devastating invasion, many journalists have taken a compassionate stance for Ukrainians while being hostile and indifferent to people of color experiencing similar events. There …

Lillian Bowles-Brown transferred to the University of Utah after earning herself an associate degree at Salt Lake Community College. She’s taken numerous political science and research classes to decide between a future in law school or a potential Ph.D. program. As a double major in sociology and…

The Utah State Legislature recently overrode Gov. Spencer Cox’s veto of H.B. 11. The policy prohibits transgender athletes from competing on high school teams aligned with their gender identity. In the wake of Lia Thomas, a trans woman competing in collegiate-level swimming, states across the coun…

  In January 2022, the University of Utah’s Black Cultural Center received a bomb threat that left many members of our campus’s Black community feeling unsafe. Instead of notifying students immediately, the U Police Department released a statement hours after the incident, claiming a timely warning was “unnecessary.” After students called out the delayed response...

If I have to dedicate my life and legacy to upholding DEI in a place where it’s not welcome, then so be it, because we have a lot to answer for in this country.