“Think in Circles Rather Than Straight Lines”
A weeklyish commentary about climateish stuff, and how to keep it together in a world gone mad. This week, circle back to this email.
Or just get around to it right now!
Activism
YES! Media’s coverage of activism centers on the ways that grassroots mobilization and activism work to change the political zeitgeist around the most pressing social issues we are facing.
Fossil Fuel Bailouts Are Class War. This Is How We Fight Back.
Global oil markets are in turmoil, with crude prices at their lowest level in years, even going negative at one point in April. When the U.S. economy is in trouble,
The First Earth Day: A Cry Heard Around the World
Without the first Earth Day protest 50 years ago, global action against environmental problems and climate change would have taken much longer—or might never have happened at all.
The Pandemic Makes Clear What We Already Knew: The Rent Is Too Damn High
Terra Thomas, a florist in Oakland, California, doesn’t know when she’ll receive her next paycheck, a concerning predicament millions of Americans are now facing. “It’s terrifying for sure,” she says.
Can Facial Recognition Overcome Its Racial Bias?
The dystopian surveillance state of science fiction media is within reach—and some privacy activists argue that it’s already here. Facial recognition advancements have spiked fear and uncertainty over misuse and
How Controversy Over “American Dirt” Inspired a Movement for Change
Latinx writers are demanding accountability from the publishing industry—and encouraging the public to read responsibly.
How the Climate Change Generation Is Redefining Community
We need to shift more than just our economy. We need to revolutionize our concept of community.
Coronavirus Is a Historic Trigger Event. Now Is the Time for a Social Movement to Rise
We can build a powerful people’s response to provide care in our communities and reshape the limits of what is politically possible.
Poets of Color Pave the Way for the Next Generation
Today in the U.S., a number of contemporary poets carry the torch of their work pushing for social change in their communities.
Facing COVID-19 With Community Instead of Fear
As the coronavirus spreads anxiety and panic across the globe, people are finding ways to
share information and support each other.
Environmental Activists of Color
Young Black people, Indigenous people, and people of color at the center of environmental justice movements are often overlooked. This was evident in 2019 during Swedish teen climate activist Greta
Could the U.S. Reinstate the Military Draft?
Fears of a new U.S. war in the Middle East surged at the beginning of the year, along with speculation that the government could reinstate the military draft. In this
Meet the Women Challenging India’s Anti-Muslim Law
The leaderless sit-in demonstrations by Muslim women have continued around the clock for the last three months and are now being replicated in cities across the country.
When Cops Evicted These Moms, the Housing Conversation Changed
Just after 5 a.m. on Jan. 14, about 30 deputies from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office arrived at 2928 Magnolia St. in West Oakland. They came armed with rifles and
I Turned My Child Marriage Trauma into Activism
Between 2000 and 2010, nearly 250,000 minors were married in the U.S.
Asylum Seekers Receive Grassroots Aid Along the Border in Mexico
Gaby Zavala was in her obstetrician’s waiting room in Brownsville, Texas, when she first saw the video. Across the river in Matamoros, Mexico, a 15-year-old Honduran girl had been swept
Minneapolis Activists Ask Local Leaders to Invest in Communities, Not Cops
In dramatic effect, a Minneapolis resident dumps a bag of money onto a podium during public comments at the final City Council meeting on the 2020 budget last month. The
Gabby Giffords: There is Only One Side When It Comes to Gun Violence
Former U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, retired from Congress after she was shot in the head at point-blank range during a congressional event in her district in
Alicia Garza: How to Prepare for 2020
Who’s ready for 2020?! As we head into the next decade, many of us are already worn down, discouraged, and exhausted from the rapid-fire struggles of the past three years
How to Start a Union When You Don’t Have the Right
The growers have the money but . . . the farmworkers have the time. —Cesar Chavez From 1962 to 1993, more than 2,200 people—all ages, all walks of life, and
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
How Youth Have Changed the Climate Movement
“We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We borrow it from our children,” affirms the Oglala-Sioux version of a belief common to several indigenous cultures. To David Brower,
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
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.
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