Language Matters: How #YesAllWomen Named a Problem With No Name
If you lack words for a phenomenon, an emotion, a situation, you can’t talk about it—which means that you can’t come together to change it.
YES! Article archive
Seattle Wins $15 Minimum Wage—Will Your Town Be Next?
Activists built support for the ordinance by demonstrating that it would reduce poverty in the city.
Game Changer: EPA to Regulate Carbon Emissions from Power Plants
Coal-fired power plants are responsible for about 40 percent of United States' carbon emissions. That pollution would be regulated for the first time under the new proposed rules.
“Look Mom, No Bus!”—Walking to School Helps Kids Stay Fit and Have Fun
A program called the Walking School Bus provides kids an easy way to get regular exercise while getting to know their neighborhood.
“In 10 Years, I Want to Walk Again”: How a Worker Making Circuit Boards Got Sick—and Is Holding Samsung Accountable
While manufacturing circuit boards for Samsung, Hye-kyeong Han was diagnosed with a brain tumor, leading her to undergo a number of surgeries and radiation treatments. She was just 26 years old.
“Closing Down the Mine Brought Our Community Back Together”: How a Small Pacific Island Stood Up to a Transnational Company
Clive Porabou was born on the Pacific island of Bougainville. Transnational mining company Rio Tinto was beginning to dig the world’s largest open-pit copper mine, displacing native residents. Armed conflict started even before excavation began.
We Went Behind the Scenes of the Global Economy to Bring Back Workers’ Stories
After dozens of interviews, the guiding question of this oral history project shifted from, “Who are the people in the factories?” to, “How are workers and communities putting their futures at risk when they demand something better?”
“Now They Can’t Get Me to Stop Talking”: How a Teenage Tobacco Farmworker in North Carolina Found Her Voice
In North Carolina, when school gets out each summer, a stream of young people—nearly all Latino—head into the fields to help bring in the state’s most profitable crop: tobacco. Neftali Cuello was twelve years old when she first accompanied her family into the fields.
Portland’s E. Coli Scare: How Mushrooms Could Have Helped Prevent It
Filters that contain fungi with powerful antibiotic properties can help remove harmful bacteria from water.
Tennessee Tied Teachers’ Jobs to Standardized Test Scores. Here’s How They Pushed Back—And Won.
The teachers found their careers at risk when an erratic statistical tool became a key measure of their success.
“Black Women’s Blueprint” Helps Low-Income Women Get By—Through Bartering
Farah Tanis learned that, of the women in poverty she worked with, 9 out of 10 had experienced violence—so she started a bartering network to help them survive.
Remembering Maya Angelou: Fiery Poet of Peace
In Angelou’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth,” we can sense the poet’s yearning for a more peaceful and loving future.
Everyone Still Loves “Reading Rainbow” (And This New Kickstarter Proves It)
The PBS classic, which taught a love of books to generations of kids, will be coming back in an online version.
A Lesson in Tranquility … From a Porcupine
A midnight run-in with a spiny interloper forced me to re-evaluate my priorities.
How Wolves Help Yellowstone’s Trees Grow Taller
In some parts of the park, the average height of the trees quintupled over six years.
Norway’s Military Does “Meatless Mondays” for the Climate
Signs of change are appearing in the United States military as well.
Meet 6 Nutrition Blogger Moms Who Crashed the McDonald’s Shareholder Meeting
Current trends suggest one in three kids will develop Type 2 diabetes as adults. These moms told McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson what they think about the fast food industry targeting their kids.
That Book About Inequality That’s Sold Out of Bookstores? Here’s What It Means for 2016
The popularity of a new book by French economist Thomas Piketty should be a wake-up call for politicians. If inequality sells in the stores, it will sell at the polls as well.
Our Economy Wants You to Be In Debt—5 Things You Can Do to Take Charge
We pored through a debt-resistance manual created by former Occupiers to bring you these practical tips.
Katie Couric Investigates America’s Corporate Sugar Pushers in “Fed Up”
Food can no longer be dismissed as niche news. It’s universal, vital, and urgent—and this film drives that point home.
Will My Visually Impaired Daughter Ever Read? (And Why Does That Question Scare Me So Much?)
I've learned not to worry about whether others approve of my life. But applying the same thinking to my daughter is a challenge.
Europe Leads U.S. in Effort to Tax Financial “Speed Demons”
The European Commission expects a tiny tax on financial transactions to raise an estimated $42 billion per year while discouraging purely speculative short-term trading.
Portland Is First U.S. City to Divest Funds from Walmart
The initiative also prohibits the city from purchasing Walmart bonds in the future.
The War on Drugs Destroys Lives—Here Are 6 Things You Can Do About It
The movement to end the violence through the decriminalization of drugs has never had so much momentum. And it's never been easier to get involved.
Meet the Girl Who Sparked Brown v. The Board of Education With a High School Walkout
The stories of people behind the landmark decision—like that of 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns—are even more compelling and inspiring than the sea-changing ruling itself.
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