Editor’s Note

A

 little under a year and a half ago, we at Stanford Politics released our first magazine. The day before sending our first issue to print, I, a sophomore who had never laid out more than a few pages of her high school newspaper, worked diligently through the night alongside then-incoming editor in chief Ruairí Arrieta-Kenna to make the impossible possible. Although we were only two people, we managed to design, lay out, copy edit, and nearly perfect a 56-page magazine with little more than the help of a few friends. When the magazine was finally released, we were exhausted but proud.

This year, I’m excited to step into the role of editor in chief to continue to help this publication improve and grow. Although we’ve only been printing for about a year now, our magazines have come to define us. They contain some of the most in-depth, longform journalism at Stanford. They are beautiful, if we do say so ourselves. And they feature thoughtful and original commentary on local, national and international politics.

I’m proud to say that this issue does just that. Our cover story discusses the efforts and trajectory of one of the most powerful activist groups on campus: the Stanford Coalition for Planning an Equitable 2035. We also have two pieces written by new staff writers, both of whom are freshmen—one regarding California Proposition 47 and the other about the Uighur and Hui Muslims in China. Lastly, our magazine director, Nathalie Kiersznowski, has published her first piece for Stanford Politics: an analysis of the relationship between religious thought and political action in American society. Although this magazine has no theme, it is emblematic of exactly what Stanford Politics stands for: high-quality, well-researched, comprehensive journalism from all sides of the political spectrum.

While putting these magazines together is still no easy task, I’m happy to say that we now have a team. Our writers, editors, and graphic designers have all worked tirelessly to make this issue possible, and their efforts cannot be understated. But the success and significance of our work depends on you, our readers.

Please read, share, and discuss our content. As Ruairí once wrote: “Quality journalism is only as good as it informs the public.”

Daniela González
Editor in Chief, Stanford Politics

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Contents

Leaving Religion at Home
Engaging Religious Thought and Action in American Society

       Nathalie Kiersznowski

“If I [were]Stanford, I would be threatened by us.”
How SCoPE 2035 became the most powerful activist group on campus

       Roxy Bonafont & Emily Lemmerman

Second Chances
The Enduring Empathy of Prop 47

       Kyle Wang

China’s Puzzling Islam Policy

       Wilson Liang

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Daniela González, a senior studying computer science and English, is the editor in chief of Stanford Politics.