The coronavirus lockdowns have magnified inequalities in U.S. society—with higher unemployment rates among women, young workers, and those without a college degree. The gap looms especially large along racial lines, a fact now amplified by nationwide protests in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

While many people would like to see more government help, some people in cities like Baltimore are taking their own steps to ease economic burdens. 

With millions of Americans unemployed or reluctant to travel or socialize because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and even though most courses will be online, summer registrations at colleges nationwide appear to be booming. 

As more students fill summer courses, which speeds up degrees and saves students money, many are asking: Why aren’t all colleges open in the summers? Experts say it’s time to rethink a calendar that dates back to when students had to go home to help on the farm. 

Hundreds of thousands of international college students sent home this spring are still stuck there because of travel and visa restrictions.

Colleges, which were already losing enrollment because of the anti-immigrant political environment, are bracing for losing still more students this fall.