Beyond Compensation for Reparations
Every innovation our world has experienced began with imagination. In today’s society, we suffer from imagination deficiency when it comes to considering the humanity of all people, regardless of their
YES! Article archive
Social Justice
The Christian Right and Left Share the Same Faith But Couldn’t Be More Different
I didn’t know Christians could be Democrats until I got to college. Though affiliated with the relatively conservative Christian Reformed Church, my school had a small but vocal minority of
Tribal Elder Hears Grandfather’s Voice in Archived Songs
Alvin Schuster could scarcely believe his ears. He was hearing the voice of an ancestor whom he’d never met but whose legacy was a constant guiding presence in his life.
How a Stock Photography Project Is Confronting Fat Bias
The co-working office Rebecca Alexander has chosen for her latest collection has all the hallmarks of good stock photography—minimalist space, clean lines, lack of bold colors. On this Saturday, she
Code-Switching Is Not Trying to Fit in to White Culture, It’s Surviving It
The voice that sprung from my throat was unfamiliar as I introduced myself to a classroom of White students. Its tone was high-pitched and enthusiastic—a far cry from my naturally
How Drug Users Are Fighting Back Against America’s War on Drugs
Like so many activists, Jess Tilley discovered grassroots organizing through personal hardship. In 1997, she was living in Northampton, Massachusetts, regularly injecting heroin. A limited access to clean needles led
For Veterans in Jail, This Anti-Violence Workshop Provides Support
Some inmates are doing the chicken dance in the Pierce County Jail in Washington. They’re standing in a circle, so as they lift their arms to flap their wings, they
What a 19th-Century Prison Can Teach Us About Criminal Justice
A 190-year-old prison complex in Philadelphia, once the largest and most modern prison in the world, is finding new life in the 21st century’s criminal justice reform movement. The last
How Schools Can Sustain Students’ Cultures
High school students enter a classroom at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle on an October morning. They sit at their desks, but they’re soon asked to rearrange their chairs
American Jews Say “Never Again” to Detainment of Immigrants
Earlier this year, a newly formed coalition of Jewish people opposed to Immigration and Customs Enforcement organized their first action in New Jersey alongside movement partners Movimiento Cosecha. The New
Healing From Colonization on Thanksgiving and Beyond
Edgar Villanueva and Hilary Giovale share an ancestral bond that is far from unique, but one that is rarely acknowledged. Edgar is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North
Taking the Shame Out of Fat-Shaming
Recently at dinner, my neighbor’s 5-year-old grandson Taylor watched me sit down and said to his grandpa, at full volume, “Ha-ha, she’s even fatter than me! She’s fat.” He finished
What “Latinx” Doesn’t Include
I recently came across a video about the Chicano Moratorium March of August 29, 1970. In case you’ve never heard of it, the march was a watershed moment in the Chicano Movement,
From Alcatraz to Standing Rock: The 50-Year Arc of Native Activism
Months into the Occupation, a visitor arrived on Alcatraz Island. Chosen by the elders to reveal the traditional wisdom and prophecies of the Hopi Nation, Thomas Banyacya had come to
A New Generation of Black Farmers Is Returning to the Land
“Imagine your neighbor stole your cow. A few weeks later the neighbor comes over, laden with remorse, to offer a sincere apology and a promise to make it right. The
Stop Calling Me an Activist
Oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the case for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals began as I stood outside the massive stone blocks that sustain one of the
The Trauma of Transracial Adoption
It takes a lot to break through the brainwashing and barriers of Whiteness—even for those raised with racial support.
Black Trans Women Are Being Killed. Could Paying Them Help Stop This?
A little more financial security could make the difference between life and death for these women, who are often relegated to the margins of society.
The Fear of Fat: Our Last Acceptable Bias
A sexist, racist history of anti-fatness and a for-profit “health” industry has left the U.S. with a weight problem—but not in the way you might think.
In Detroit, A New Type of Agricultural Neighborhood Has Emerged
The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is focusing on food insecurity and community investment.
To Address Climate Change, We Need to Take Back the Supreme Court
Thom Hartmann on why we should use constitutional solutions to rescue our democracy from the agendas of billionaires and corporations.
How the Supreme Court Became Supreme
For a branch of government originally conceived as the weakest of the three, the high court has taken much more power for itself in the past 230 years.
Call Katie Hill’s “Scandal” What It Is: Sexual Assault
The Congresswoman resigned after having an affair with a campaign aide, but she’s also a crime victim, and those two facts don’t cancel each other out.
Ending Domestic Violence Requires Working With Those Who Harm, Too
The Alliance for Boys and Men of Color’s Healing Together Campaign aims to end intimate partner violence by advocating for policy changes—and seeking healing for both survivors and the people who harm them.
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