Opheli Garcia Lawler

Bio

Opheli is a staff writer at Mic.com, covering culture, social justice, and politics. A lot of her reporting focuses on immigration, incarceration, and detention in the United States. She also covers reproductive rights, climate change, income equality, college debt, music, art, film, fashion, and television. Opheli also has work in The Cut, The Fader, Vice, Refinery29, Deadspin, and Complex. She has worked on a PBS Newshour special from Peru and has completed research work in Argentina and Mexico. She has a Bachelor's degree from New York University in Journalism and Politics, Rights and Development, and is pursuing a Master's degree in Journalism. When she's not working on a story, Opheli can typically be found at the beach, at the gym, or listening to Bad Bunny. She loves to think about the way transit and infrastructure impact our lives, especially while she's waiting for the train. You can find her on Twitter at @opheligarcia.
New research shows that black women are more likely to experience and report sexual harassment at work than white women, according to a study that surveyed sexual harassment complaints between the years 1997 and 2016. Over that 20-year period,…
On Tuesday, June 25, a waitress spit on President Donald Trump's son Eric while he drank at The Aviary, a Chicago bar. According to the Chicago Sun Times. the woman, who has not been identified, was detained by members of Trump's Secret Service…
As more reports come out about the U.S. government's disturbing treatment of immigrants, an increasing number of people in positions of power are choosing to speak out about the issue — including Rihanna. In an interview with the Root held after the…
Samaria Rice buried her 12-year-old son Tamir Rice nearly five years ago, after he was shot and killed by police officers in November 2014, in a Cleveland, Ohio park. The moments that would ultimately end her son's life were recorded on CCTV…
The first debates of the 2020 presidential election are here, with 20 of the 24 Democratic candidates about to take the stage in two separate events. You won't want to miss out — not only will the debates mark the first time many of the candidates…
After extensive public pressure to move the migrant children being held in a dirty, overcrowded Texas facility, authorities announced on June 25 that the kids in the Clint location would be transferred elsewhere, according to the AP. Yet while the…
Back in 2018, three Latina women — Jessica Ramos, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Julia Salazar — all won tight races in New York against more established opponents. Meanwhile, across the country, a total of 42 women of color, including…
Sex work is often ignored by mainstream politicians unless they're demonizing it. Still, it's continuing to gain momentum as a national issue in the 2020 election. Two Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders,…
Rihanna, reigning goddess of music, makeup, fashion, and more, is mastering a new trade: the art of the troll. For many months, loyal fans have been begging for new Rihanna music to accompany the star's highlighter drops and lingerie designs. And…
Over the past few days, Jon Stewart and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have sent barbs back and forth over the senator's lack of urgency in reauthorizing the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund. During a June 16 appearance on Fox News Sunday,…
In the days prior to Joe Biden announcing his presidential candidacy in April, multiple women came forward and accused Biden of inappropriate conduct like unwanted touching and uncomfortable comments. Following the allegations, the politician…
On Monday, June 17, CNN reported that the Supreme Court declined to rule on a highly consequential religious freedom case, sending the case back to lower courts instead. The case involved the owners of an Oregon bakery, Melissa and Aaron Klein, who,…
Spoilers for Game of Thrones Season 8 ahead. After eight seasons of creating chaos throughout Westeros and committing unspeakably cruel acts, Cersei Lannister dying under a pile of rubble in the Game of Thrones series finale felt like a…
For the most part, the gender-flipping Snapchat filter has been used for the entertainment of everyone on the internet interested in seeing how they look with long hair or a beard, and little else. But a college student who was hoping to catch sex…
Over the last few years, Kim Kardashian has begun using her platform as a reality star to advocate for criminal justice reform, working to free individual people from jail and fighting for policies to end mass incarceration. Now, she is taking…
Ava DuVernay's Netflix miniseries When They See Us follows the Black and Latino men now known as the Central Park Five, who, as teenagers in 1989, were wrongfully convicted for raping a woman. The boys — Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond…
With student loan debt at an unprecedented high and wealthy parents bribing their children's way into schools, income inequality in America's higher education system has never been more apparent. And it's not just about who can afford college…
A helicopter crashed into a New York City high rise on the afternoon of Monday, June 10, according to The New York Times, resulting in a two-alarm fire. The paper reported that the helicopter crashed into 787 Seventh Avenue at 51st Street, in…
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On Netflix's Queer Eye, Jonathan Van Ness provides lucky people with the opportunity to be made over. He teaches them how to wear their hair, do their makeup, and moisturize their faces, convincing them (and us) that a little self-care can go a long…
Sneaker designer John Geiger's most recent release, the cream colorway version of the minimalist high top sneaker he's best known for, sold out in just four minutes. (If you're lucky, you can find a pair on a resale site, where the $350 shoes are…