I joined the Economic Research Service (ERS) in 2016. I wanted to use my academic training to do something in the public interest – I didn’t really expect to get involved in agriculture. Then I got absorbed in the subject: Humanity’s dependence on the environment is made explicit through our food systems; without the right combination of weather, soil and labor, nobody eats. Most people don’t need to think frequently, or ever, about the economics of honeybee pollination routes or the cost of the Federal Crop Insurance Program. But if they eat almonds (which are pollinated by bees) or pay taxes (which subsidize farm insurance), they need experts to make sure that food systems work efficiently and public funds are spent effectively. At ERS, we studied all aspects of food production, occupying an obscure but important niche: Many of our research topics wouldn’t make for an exciting academic tenure file, but had huge implications for policy.

It is widely assumed that few Republicans, if any, will support impeaching President Trump, but events are moving so fast that this could change. I hope it does.

Langston Hughes figured out something that still eludes too many black people almost 100 years later: If we can’t be free within ourselves, then we cannot be free.