Red and Blue States Agree on Taxing Corporations More (And Lots of Other Stuff)
When you ask Americans specific questions about the policies they support, it turns out we're not so polarized after all.
YES! Article archive
Social Justice
The Power of Oral History: Personal Narratives Take Us Deep Into the Human Rights Stories Hidden Behind the Headlines
When people tell their own stories, history is written from the bottom up.
“Never Think You’re Worth Less Than the Boss”: How a Mexican Seamstress Learned to Speak Up for Justice
Ana Juárez started her first job at the age of fifteen, as a sewing operator’s assistant in Mexico. She was working at a local contracting company of global brands like Levi Strauss & Co. when senior workers began to organize.
A Modern-Day Debtors’ Prison? Judges Push Back Against the South’s Privatization Wave
In Southern states, small-town courts have outsourced probation management to for-profit companies charging fees out of reach to the country's poorest residents. Many people end up in jail for nonpayment. These judges want private companies out of their courts.
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.
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?”
“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.
“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.
“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.
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.
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.
New York Inmates Draw Strength from Prison-Themed Hip-Hop Album
Members of the Rochester-based group Da Cloth have sent the tape to more than 150 inmates.
How a “Black Snake” in the Heartland Brought Spirit to American Environmentalism
It's possible that the Cowboy Indian Alliance offers a glimpse into what a spiritually integrated environmental movement might look like, honoring diversity while resisting cooptation.
The Game of Thrones Rape Scene: Why We Can’t Pretend It Never Happened
Pretending that a rape never happened is a problem—regardless of whether it took place in fiction or reality.
Explainer: Agriculture and Human Rights
A journey into agriculture, from early irrigation to industrial farms.
Explainer: Garment Manufacturing and Human Rights
A journey into the garment industry, from Elizabethan England to Rana Plaza.
Explainer: Electronics and Human Rights
A journey into the electronics industry, from transistor radios to semiconductor suicides.
Explainer: Mining and Human Rights
A journey into resource extraction, from colonization to transnational corporations.
Brought Together by Keystone Pipeline Fight, “Cowboys and Indians” Heal Old Wounds
As natives and ranchers work together to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, they're also learning to understand one another's history, culture, and relationship with the land.
Photo Essay: “Cowboys and Indians” Against Keystone XL Bring Newfound Unity to DC
On the frontlines of resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline, ranchers and tribal members join forces in a striking display of solidarity.
They Started by Blockading a Bus Full of Detainees—And Went on to Shake Up the Immigration Debate
A look at the growing influence of undocumented voices in the movement for immigrant rights.
An End to “The Hole”?: 6 Signs that Solitary Confinement Reform Is Coming
Much of the momentum in the movement to reform the use of solitary confinement in the United States comes from the work of prisoners themselves.
Russian Aggression Deserves a Response, But U.S. Lacks Credibility to Lead It
The United States cannot legitimately lead an international response to the illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine until it abides by international law itself.
Immigrant Detainees’ Hunger Strike Targets Legal “Grey Area”
A hunger strike in a Washington state detention facility draws attention to a facility where most U.S. laws don't apply.
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