Daylight San Diego • 06/04/2026

How Pride in San Diego began and why we celebrate it now

San Diego’s LGBTQ+ liberation movement dates back to Spanish colonization of California when Spanish Catholic explorers and missionaries observed Native Americans who were proudly Two-Spirit, homosexual and cross-dressing, according to the San Diego History Center.

As California established statehood and San Diego took form, state and local legislation worked to “eradicate” these acts.

Daylight San Diego • 06/04/2026

Where to celebrate Pride in San Diego County this year

LGBTQ+ pride season spans at least two months in San Diego, with events honoring the nationally recognized Pride Month throughout June and official San Diego Pride events in mid-July.

From city-wide flag raisings and celebrations to drag performances and LGBTQ+ film, music and art shows, there are many local spaces to uplift LGBTQ+ pride this year.

Daylight San Diego • 05/21/2026

Interfaith vigil emphasizes connection amid grief

Some with flowers, others with prayer rugs, filled the sidewalks leading to Lindbergh Park in Clairemont Mesa Tuesday evening as they walked to an interfaith vigil in support of the Islamic Center of San Diego following Monday’s mass shooting.

The sunset left warm tones on an array of hijabs, taqiyahs, keffiyahs, dark suits, light robes and sunglass-worn faces as mourners and San Diego community members gathered.

Daylight San Diego • 05/14/2026

Newsletter: How to create a mental health care routine

Before you keep reading, inhale through your nose for four seconds, hold it for four seconds — don’t worry, I’ll wait! Now, exhale for four more seconds.

Awesome! You just took a small but crucial step in creating a mindfulness routine to support your mental health.

Daylight San Diego • 05/14/2026

Want to get involved in environmental activism? Here’s how.

Climate anxiety is more than just a buzz phrase. It’s a studied phenomenon with various definitions that revolve around the same theme: pervasive worry about the current state of our environment and ecosystem.

Youth are especially affected by such anxiety, and it’s led to a bump in activism around environmental issues, according to an analysis of more than 94 studies across 27 countries.

Daylight San Diego • 05/14/2026

How to prioritize your well-being during Mental Health Awareness Month in San Diego

May is Mental Health Awareness Month — a time to share stories of struggle, reduce stigma and build community connections around mental health.

Here are a few cost-free ways to mindfully engage with Mental Health Awareness Month in San Diego and get motivated to start or strengthen your own mental health care practices.

Daylight San Diego • 05/06/2026

Southeast Asian Americans reflect on the end of the Vietnam War

“Ăn quả nhớ kẻ trồng cây…When eating fruit, remember who planted the tree,” Mimi Phùng said to dozens of San Diegans eager to listen to and connect with San Diego’s Southeast Asian communities.

She shared that the Vietnamese proverb is a reminder to appreciate what elders sacrificed for the things the community enjoys today.

Intergenerational connection was a major theme behind a community event on April 30.

Daylight San Diego • 04/08/2026

Creating a space to ‘Gossip’ with local artists

Amber Schnitzius works in health insurance. She calls it her “boring job,” but it supports her creative side hustle as a ceramic artist.

Much like her knack for crunching numbers, Schnitzius was obsessed with fine-tuning her pottery skills. She said she wanted to make the same thing over and over again, almost as if they were machine-made.

Daylight San Diego • 04/02/2026

Newsletter: A lesson in community-building with San Diego environmental activists and advocates

This week marks the beginning of Earth Month. Each year, people celebrate environmental activism and its evolution since the modern movement began in 1970. More than 20 million Americans participated in the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970. Now, one billion people in over 200 countries participate each year, according to the National Archives.

Daylight San Diego • 04/02/2026

Meet some of the leaders behind San Diego’s environmental movements

Local environmental activism can begin in one's backyard or far from home — through academic study, career necessities or simply talking to peers — before fully taking root on San Diego's streets.

In light of Earth Month, four community leaders shared how they found their current work in environmental activism and advocacy.

Daylight San Diego • 03/05/2026

Women's History Month Events in San Diego

As San Diego starts to shed the winter weather and the Southern California sun brings warmer temperatures to the county, Women’s History Month comes with an array of events that provide mindful and exciting ways to celebrate women’s history in San Diego.

Women’s History Month began in Santa Rosa, CA with a week-long celebration in 1978 revolving around International Women’s Day on March 8.

Daylight San Diego • 01/29/2026

Newsletter: Finding gender-affirming care in San Diego just got harder. Here’s how to help.

Rady Children’s Hospital announced last week that it would be closing its Center for Gender-Affirming Care and canceling new and pending appointments for the center’s patients under 19.

The closure leaves few options locally for minors seeking gender-affirming care. Daylight spoke with activists, community members, nonprofit leaders and LGBTQ+ individuals who are personally connected to this issue with a central question in mind: Where do we go from here?

Daylight San Diego • 01/29/2026

Protestors push for Rady Children’s Hospital to rescind decision to end gender-affirming care

More than 600 San Diegans gathered outside Rady Children’s Hospital Saturday to show support for transgender and gender-expansive youth during a protest against the hospital’s plans to close its Center for Gender-Affirming Care after nearly 14 years.

Protestors waved diverse pride flags, gripped homemade posters and donned colorful clothing.

Daylight San Diego • 01/17/2026

Five activists escorted out of San Diego City Hall while demanding mayor confront ICE

Police escorted five people out in handcuffs during Mayor Todd Gloria’s annual State of the City Address on Thursday afternoon after they interrupted him by yelling concerns about immigration enforcement and other city issues.

Daylight San Diego • 12/29/2025

Shedding a light on immigration

In November, Daylight San Diego hosted its first community conversation to shed light on immigration arrests in San Diego. More than 100 people listened to a panel of experts and engaged in group discussions both in person and on Zoom.

Daylight San Diego • 12/18/2025

‘Tis the season to be an ally

Allyship with the LGBTQ+ community is a year-round commitment, but when it comes to the holiday season, some extra support from friends, families and community members can help make this time more comfortable and affirming.

As queer and gender-diverse people struggle to find community and act in a way that is true to their identities this holiday season, here’s what allies can do to lift them up.

Daylight San Diego • 12/12/2025

Navigating the holidays as gender-diverse individuals

The holidays are rapidly approaching, and while for some that comes with feelings of joy, for many it’s not the relaxing, comfy getaway the season is often associated with.

For some gender-diverse people — including transgender, nonbinary, intersex, gender fluid and other gender queer individuals — the holidays can bring forward uncomfortable, dysphoric and even unsafe situations and feelings.

Daylight San Diego • 10/27/2025

Newsletter: ‘Halloween is like our Super Bowl:’ What the holiday means to the queer community

Halloween is just around the corner, and the holiday holds a deep meaning for the LGBTQ+ community.

With an increase in anti-LGBTQ+ policies and attitudes, Kathie Moehlig, the executive director of TransFamily Support Services, said it’s critical that queer people feel safe in their community spaces, especially those in the transgender youth community.

Daylight San Diego • 10/24/2025

Where to find fun and frights in San Diego this October

Written by Sam Barney-Gibbs, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp

Ready to get the most out of the spookiest season in San Diego?

Family farms, local businesses and nonprofit organizations are hosting events throughout the fall season to celebrate autumnal vibes and Halloween spirit, from the beachy shores all the way to the inland cropland.

Daylight San Diego • 09/19/2025

‘Viva México!:’ Barrio Logan celebrates Mexican Independence Day with ancestral restaurant opening

For the first time in 215 years, a woman led Mexico’s El Grito (Cry of Independence), as the country’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, rang the Bell of Dolores in México City.

On Tuesday, people celebrated the beginning of Mexico’s liberation from Spanish rule, which began more than two centuries ago.

Daylight San Diego • 09/19/2025

Salon for trans youth provides gender-affirming care

Written by Sam Barney-Gibbs, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp

Melinda Pitula is a mom. She’s a librarian. She’s queer. She’s neurodivergent.

Pitula identifies as many things. But, she said growing up in the 80s and 90s in a religious fundamentalist household made it difficult for her to be open about her identity.

“There were so many things, even to this day, I wouldn't even remotely talk to my mom about,” Pitula said.

Daylight San Diego • 09/15/2025

‘No justice, no peace:’ Protestors decry Amy Coney Barrett

Written by Sam Barney-Gibbs, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp

More than two dozen San Diegans gathered for a last-minute demonstration in downtown San Diego Wednesday evening to protest U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s visit to the city.

The demonstrators marched and chanted outside the Intercontinental Hotel, where Barrett was said to be attending an event in her honor, though nothing was publicly confirmed. She has, however, been on a book tour across California.

Daylight San Diego • 09/13/2025

Where to celebrate Mexican Independence in San Diego this weekend

Sept. 16 marks the 215th Día de la Independencia (Mexican Independence Day), celebrating the start of a revolution led by Catholic priest Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla.

In 1810, his “Grito de Dolores” (Cry of Dolores) was publicly read in the town of Dolores, decrying 300 years of Spanish rule.

Today, gritos, fiestas patrias (patriotic celebrations) and other events in honor of Mexican Independence Day continue across the border in San Diego.

Daylight San Diego • 08/25/2025

Hoops with a higher purpose

Every day, for the past five years, Jeremy “Jay” McGee has woken up at 5:30 a.m. to head to the  basketball court or gym. There, he shoot hoops, lifts weights and hones his basketball skills.

“I used basketball kind of as my muse,” McGee said. “I just dedicated my life. I'm going to make the most out of what I have right now.”

Daylight San Diego • 07/20/2025

Spirit of Stonewall rally spotlights queer activism

More than 56 years after the Stonewall Uprising, San Diegans came together Friday evening to celebrate community members at the forefront of local LGBTQ+ activism.

Smerconish.com • 02/06/2025

Beware the Information Pandemic

Regardless of your placement on the political spectrum, I assume it’s been difficult these past couple of weeks to keep track of and digest President Donald Trump’s deluge of executive orders as he re-enters office.

But that’s the reaction he wants...

Office of International Affairs - Lehigh University • 07/24/2024

Getting the ‘dream’ job: Lehigh alumna champions two roles at the United Nations

The United Nations can be enigmatic. It may seem intangible how an organization can focus so intricately on international affairs and peacebuilding. It may also seem like a “dream.”That’s how Aliya Haddon, ‘23, described her perception of the U.N. on her first trip to the headquarters in New York City as a first-year student at Lehigh.Five years later, Haddon held two different roles at the United Nations post-graduation. She was the 55th Lehigh student to apply for an internship with the U.N. a...

Office of International Affairs - Lehigh University • 05/28/2024

Tackling antimicrobial resistance, from Lehigh showers to the World Health Organization

Swabbing the dorm showers of Lehigh University may not be the most popular way people wrap their heads around studying health, but for Rhema Hooper, ‘26, it was a tangible way to understand the impacts of microbiology in her own home.Hooper attended a documentary screening about antimicrobial resistance early in her Lehigh career and was swept away by the video and intense discussion that followed. This would change the way she went about her Lehigh education — including making her shower a pers...

The Brown and White • 12/07/2023

Professors present on Israel-Hamas conflict

Three professors considered academic experts on topics relevant to Israel and Palestine presented and answered student questions at a “teach-in” in Linderman Library on Dec. 5.

The event, which had over 100 people in attendance, was hosted by the Berman Center for Jewish Studies, the Center for Global Islamic Studies, and the College of Arts and Sciences.

The featured speakers included history professor Nitzan Lebovic, who is also the Apter Chair of Holocaust Studies and Ethical Values at Lehi

The Brown and White • 11/09/2023

Rally supporting Palestine draws mixed reactions

Over 200 students and community members gathered on the STEPS lawn Thursday, Nov. 9, to show their solidarity for Palestine as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues. The Student Political Action Committee and Lehigh4Palestine organized the demonstration.

The demonstration started at 1 p.m. and encouraged students to walk out of their classes.

At around 2:30 p.m., the group marched and chanted from the STEPS lawn to the flagpole in front of the University Center. Guest speaker and Palestinian-bor

The Brown and White • 11/08/2023

Mercury found in Iacocca Hall lab

Update (Nov. 15): After a small amount of mercury was found in a room on the first floor of Iacocca Hall in the C-Wing, the risk of exposure to Mercury was deemed low, according to a HawkWatch alert sent to the campus community Wednesday, Nov. 8, by Jason Schiffer, the assistant vice president of campus safety.

He wrote all mercury that is or was present has been contained or removed according to air quality test results that tested below requirements from the Occupational Safety and Health Adm

The Brown and White • 11/02/2023

Director of WHO discusses global public health

Werner Obermeyer jokingly started his presentation by telling a classroom full of students he hoped his presentation on health issues around the globe wouldn’t give anyone indigestion.

But physical health was only one of the many topics Obermeyer discussed when he visited Lehigh last week to speak with students and representatives from the College of Health. His presentation, titled “The Role of WHO and the Future of Global Public Health,” covered the World Health Organization’s role in the Uni

The Brown and White • 10/25/2023

Theresa May delivers Compelling Perspectives conversation

Theresa May, a former prime minister of the United Kingdom, spoke to the Lehigh community in a nearly-full Baker Hall Oct. 24 for Lehigh’s inaugural Compelling Perspectives conversation.

Rt. Hon. Theresa May was the second female prime minister of the United Kingdom, serving from 2016 to 2019. Before that, she served as home secretary, becoming the longest-serving conservative home secretary in the past century.

Lehigh President Joseph Helble said the aim of the Compelling Perspectives series

The Brown and White • 10/02/2023

Some students to receive free tuition by new grant

Current and incoming undergraduate Lehigh students whose families make less than $75,000 annually (with typical assets) will no longer pay tuition starting fall of 2024 because of a new grant, the Lehigh Commitment.

University President Joseph Helble, ‘82, and Provost Nathan Urban sent an email to the campus community Monday afternoon about the grant. They wrote that it expands on university-wide efforts to ensure students have access to Lehigh’s opportunities and resources so they may excel th

The Brown and White • 09/29/2023

These voices are heard from Bethlehem to Nigeria-

When Claire Kirshenbaum, ‘24, was applying to colleges, Lehigh didn’t even appear on her radar of preferred colleges and universities.

“I was very anti-Lehigh,” Kirshenbaum said, giggling as she understood the irony of being interviewed on Lehigh’s campus.

Despite Kirshenbaum’s apathy, her mom happened upon a webinar highlighting the partnership Lehigh has with the United Nations.

When Kirshenbaum joined the Zoom, her interest was piqued. Soon after, she was drafting passionate supplemental e

The Brown and White • 09/03/2023

Bite into the experiment at Donerds Donuts

The word “donut,” just like the word “nerd,” can signify the same thing, respectively, whether in Spanish-speaking Chile or in the English-speaking United States. Either place, the former means a puffy ring of sweetened and fried dough and the latter may be a potentially awkward yet devoted person to specific interests.

This fun fact is well known by Annabel Figueroa and Andrew Underwood, co-founders and owners of Donerds Donuts. They even combined these common words to create self-proclaimed t

The Brown and White • 06/09/2023

Lehigh releases 2023 strategic plan

Lehigh released the 2023 Strategic Plan, “Inspiring the Future Makers.” In an email sent Tuesday to the campus community, University President Joseph Heble introduced the plan, which will guide Lehigh students, faculty and staff over the next 10 years.

About 76,000 Lehigh community members, including alumni and families, were surveyed as part of the planning process.

The process, named “Our Future, Our Lehigh,” ultimately involved 2,444 perspectives in 105 in-person or virtual engagement sessi

The Brown and White • 06/07/2023

Antisemitic post reported to administration

A Lehigh student shared a social media post containing a hand gesture in the shape of a swastika and tagged members of Lehigh’s Jewish community, according to an email sent on Tuesday to the campus community by Ric Hall, vice president for student affairs, and Donald Outing, vice president for equity and community.

A swastika is defined by the Anti-Defamation League to be a symbol of hate, anti-Semitism and white supremacy. Hall and Outing wrote that Lehigh must serve as an example for condemni

The Brown and White • 05/08/2023

No active shooter detected, LUPD investigates

Update (May 8): Jason Schiffer, assistant vice president of campus safety and chief of Lehigh police, said the active shooter threat incident was confirmed to be a hoax in a campus-wide email titled “Follow-up From False Active Shooter Incident.”

He said Lehigh police is working in conjunction with Pennsylvania State Police and the FBI to identify and locate the person responsible for the false reporting.

According to the email, Northampton County 911 non-emergency received a call stating ther

The Brown and White • 05/06/2023

Edit Desk: A piece of unusual advice for grads

Hi everyone. My name is Sam, and I’m (gulp) a natural flirt.

This identity has brought with it a cloud of shame. I’ve developed an eye twitch eerily similar to a cheeky wink (Which medical and spiritual professionals found is actually just an inner flirt demon attempting to befriend my retina), and I can’t help but compliment people’s eye color.

Honestly (wink), it’s been a burden — I struggle day and night. But I’m here to tell you my recovery story and new outlook on this stigmatized, yet fu

The Brown and White • 03/28/2023

The geographic divides of the South Side

Bethlehem city government launched an initiative known as “We Build Bethlehem” in an effort to increasingly seek out public opinions for citywide decisions.

It was imagined and created by Mayor J. William Reynolds, who was elected five months prior to the program’s inception in April 2022. It became part of a greater effort to bridge communication gaps between constituents within Bethlehem and the leaders tasked with addressing their problems.

They planned to do this for a community that is cu

The Brown and White • 02/18/2023

Mayor Reynolds facilitates a new era for Bethlehem

City Council president Michael Colón didn’t know the name of his mayor growing up.

“Most of my upbringing, I really was not paying attention to city government much,” Colón said.

His adolescent worldview consisted mostly of his friend group, school and some national news stories every so often.

Meanwhile, his home city of Bethlehem was undergoing a revolutionary transformation from a focus on steel production to a new era welcoming multiculturalism and business development.

Leaders emerged i

The Brown and White • 02/03/2023

Q&A with Pulitzer Prize-winner Anne Applebaum

Before Lehigh’s 2023 Kenner Lecture on Cultural Understanding, Pulitzer Prize winning historian, journalist, commentator on geo-politics and keynote speaker Anne Applebaum instigated a discussion with a select group of wide-eyed, notebook-wielding students.

The roundtable discussion, which occurred in Williams Hall’s Global Commons, centered on communications and world politics.

“The story never ends,” Anne Applebaum said about the outlook of democracy.

After the discussion, The Brown and Whi

The Brown and White • 11/09/2022

2022 midterm election: Shapiro, Fetterman win

Update (8:30 p.m.) Eyes were on Pennsylvania, specifically the Lehigh Valley, Tuesday night as federal government positions were up for grabs in the 2022 midterm elections.

Pennsylvania proved to bleed blue, with the state’s governor seat, open U.S. Senate and the contested 7th District House seat all going to Democrats.

The Brown and White aggregated and averaged all polling result data from six nationwide news sources: Associated Press, National Public Radio, The New York Times, Fox News, CN

The Brown and White • 09/19/2022

Lehigh construction affects Van Buren Street

The construction of the new Lehigh Business Innovation Building is affecting adjacent off-campus housing and the students living there.

Concerns from nearby residents and owners include safety, noise levels, parking convenience and renting disruptions.

Quadratus Construction Management began construction of the business building over a year ago and is now expected to finish by the end of this year.

The construction site is located between four streets: East Packer Avenue, Taylor Street, Webst

The Brown and White • 09/13/2022

Understanding the new Strategic Plan

Thirteen years ago, Lehigh set out to expand its “intellectual footprint,” the theme of its 2009 Strategic Plan.

It involved “grand challenges” of energy, environment and infrastructure, health and globalization — in addition to emphases on research and academic success.

“Our Future, Our Lehigh” is the topic for the Strategic Plan that will be finalized by June 2023.

A Strategic Plan is what Chris Cook, the vice president of Strategic Planning and Initiatives, calls “a long-term planning tool

The Brown and White • 08/29/2022

UPDATED: Individual who made threats to current Lehigh students is in custody

Update (Aug. 31, 11:00 p.m.): The New York City Police Department took former Lehigh student Muhamad Diop into custody Wednesday morning after an investigation involving threats Diop made to a group of current Lehigh students, according to an email sent to the campus community by Lehigh University Police Chief Jason Schiffer.

The Bethlehem Police Department filed Harassment and Terroristic Threats charges against Diop.

The campus community was made officially aware of these threats in an earli

The Brown and White • 05/05/2022

Local air quality sensors falsely read high levels

Faulty air quality sensors gave misleading high readings of pollutants in the Bethlehem area starting at 9 p.m. on May 4.

Air quality in Bethlehem was labeled “Hazardous” by an environmental data organization that measures the air quality, known as BreezoMeter. “Hazardous” is the worst possible rating on BreezoMeter’s scale. This was a drastic change from the “Good” air quality in the same location at 3 p.m. earlier in the day.

Lehigh University Police Chief Jason Schiffer said LUPD received o