Only Bridging Can Heal a World of Breaking
At a time of heightened polarization and intense inequality in the United States and around the world, social differences run the risk of being turned into fault lines, and exploited
YES! Article archive
Making Room for Spirits Among the Living
How immigrants have brought diverse traditions to keep their ancestors and dead loved ones close.
How Death Doulas Ease the Final Transition
End-of-life caregiving is an ancient practice that’s now re-emerging in the death positivity movement, which urges a shift in thinking about death as natural and not traumatic.
Leveraging White Privilege for Racial Justice
These White people aren’t just checking their privilege. They’re using it to bring about positive racial change.
Why I Wore Black After He Died: Lessons from Victorian Mourning Culture
I needed others to see me—to acknowledge my grief.
Editor’s Note: The Death Issue
When I learned that my first issue as editorial director of YES! would be on death, I cringed a bit. No one likes to think about death, much less talk about it. In fact, death might be more taboo to discuss than even sex or money. A recent survey found that only about a third of people had discussed making wills with their partners, or their wishes concerning their funerals. It’s almost as though we believe that dying doesn’t actually happen. At least not to us.
An Ancient Calendar Helps Me See Seasons Change Every Few Days
Climate change requires closer attention to the changes in our environment.
Where Bill McKibben Finds Hope Amid the Climate Crisis
The environmental activist says surviving an existential threat like climate change requires honesty—and hope.
Why the Planet Needs You to Repair Your Broken Stuff
Overproduction and planned obsolescence are the new normal. But fixing your broken things is a way to resist—and build community.
6 Shows for Some Women-Led Belly Laughs
Time and time again women have proven that viewers are interested in the stories they tell.
Can We Work Less and Save the Planet, Too?
Building a new world will require first reexamining—and dismantling—the cultural ethos of productivity that creeps into our lives every day.
Dealing With Loss When Death Is Uncertain
For families of missing or disappeared persons, mourning the ambiguous loss of their loved ones is complex.
The Story of Death Is the Story of Women
…and they want to bring back “The Good Death.”
Black Funerals Are a Radical Testament to Blackness
For African Americans, homegoings are the ultimate form of liberation.
Post-Soviet Co-ops: Mongolian Herders Borrow a Tool From the Recent Past
When capitalism supplanted communism in Mongolia, state-run co-ops disappeared and rural communities suffered. Now the herders are bringing back the practice for their own survival.
The City That Dances With Death
In New Orleans, colorful street festivals celebrating death grew out of necessity, incorporating West African rhythms and syncretized dance.
Return to Nature
Green burials go beyond not polluting or wasting. It’s about people needing and caring for land, conducting life-affirming activities there—including death.
Why “Radical” Travel?
We knew right away this was not going to be a typical summer travel issue. A survey of our readers showed that while many of us daydream about sunny vacations
How Capitalism Exploits Our Fear of Old Age
Getting older isn’t all loss and no gain—we may actually become happier and more emotionally resilient.
A Climate Action for Every Type of Activist
No matter your age, gender, race, or political ideology, there are ways to fight climate change that fit your life and values.
How to Travel at Home: Finding New Routes Through Our Daily Lives
Many of us don’t look up from our smartphones long enough to notice what’s around us.
How Do We Teach “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Honestly Confront Racism?
Harper Lee’s novel is the closest thing America’s had to required reading. But the book’s failings in confronting racism are more apparent than ever to White educators—and Black ones wonder what took so long.
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