Why the Future of Journalism Is in the Story of Solutions
Taken all together, the practical actions YES! Magazine features reveal large societal shifts that hold the potential for a better world.
Democracy
Better than Cyber Utopia: How the Internet Helped Us Create the Sharing Economy
Back in the ’90s, people thought the Internet was going to open up a zone of perfect cyber-freedom. It didn’t work out that way. But the Internet’s real significance may be found elsewhere: in a growing sector of the economy based around peer-to-peer sharing networks.
Get Apocalyptic: Why Radical is the New Normal
Feeling anxious about life in a broken economy on a strained planet? Turn despair into action.
March Against Monsanto: Saturday’s Fight for Food Freedom Spreads to 36 Countries
This weekend, people in 250 cities on 6 continents will march against meddling in the global food supply by Monsanto—the company that brought us Agent Orange, Dioxin, PCBs, and the bovine growth hormone.
Georgia Professors Teach Undocumented Students—for Free
Georgia is one of three states that exclude undocumented students from full access to higher education. "Freedom University" operates on the principle that “you can stop me from going to a UGA classroom, but you can’t stop a UGA professor from teaching me.”
Will the 99% Outbid the Billionaires Trying to Buy the LA Times?
A new player has joined the high-stakes bidding war over the Tribune Company, which owns some of America’s largest newspapers: the people of the United States.
Fracking the Suburbs: An Explosive Combination?
As oil and gas get harder to find, the industry is drilling in suburbia—and the neighbors aren’t pleased.
Marriage Equality Victories Show How Change Happens, One Step at a Time
Before 2004, no state allowed same-sex marriage. Today, it's legal in 12 states and the District of Columbia. If you want to see how political progress is made, look to the local level.
Would Smokey the Bear Get Arrested to Stop Fracking?
When artist Lopi LaRoe used Smokey the Bear imagery to encourage anti-fracking activism, the Forest Service threatened her with a lawsuit.
Not Your Father’s Union Movement: NYC’s Young Workers Committee
The Young Workers Committee of New York’s transit union was out on the streets in a vibrant march. This video shows the group rallying, taking over an official’s office, and using the Occupy-style “people’s mic.”
Rights, Not Riots: What Seattle’s May Day Was Really All About
The largest march on May Day in Seattle was about immigrant families and their supporters standing together for human rights. Not to be confused with the rowdiness that took place later in the day.
A Tax System for the 99 Percent
Feeling like taxes are more unfair than ever? Three ways corporations, banks, and individuals exploit an unjust system—and three ways the people are pushing back.
Look out Monsanto: The Global Food Movement Is Rising
The book Harvesting Justice isn’t just a look at the world’s most exciting food justice groups—it’s also a knockout organizing tool.
Florida Farmworkers March 200 Miles for a Fairer Tomato
After marching halfway across the state of Florida, members of the Immokalee Coalition of Farmworkers got fired up at a rally in front of Publix headquarters in Lakeland, Fla. Here’s some of what they had to say.
Arab Spring Breakers: 50,000 Gather in Tunisia to Plan People-Powered Economy
Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered in Tunisia last week to talk about creating a fairer world. Here are some of the hottest topics from the panels in Tunis.
Live from Denver: The Fight for a Stronger Media
A contingent from YES! is in Denver this week for the National Conference for Media Reform, where we’ll be hosting a panel on solutions journalism. Check out the conference’s livestream here.
Donald Trump Picks the Wrong Scottish Farmers to Brawl With
When Donald Trump tried to develop a stretch of pristine Scottish seaside into a golf course, the feisty local community pushed back. A new documentary film tells the story.
The Supreme Court on DOMA and Prop 8: What You Need to Know
This week, the Supreme Court deliberates on whether to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8. Forty-three years of precedent will play a key role in their decisions.
Gas Industry Report Calls Anti-Fracking Movement a “Highly Effective Campaign”
A report intended to help the oil and gas industry squash the anti-fracking movement turns out to be full of useful information—and admits that much of what activists are saying is true.
Remembering Chinua Achebe, Nigeria’s Master Storyteller
The great Nigerian author and essayist Chinua Achebe died on Thursday in Boston. In this interview with Bill Moyers, first broadcast in 1988, he explains why “The storyteller has a different agenda from the emperor.”
For Thriving Public Spaces, Just Add Seating
Could it be as simple as that? Author Jonathan Rowe thought so, and tried it out in his own hometown.
Three Tactics for a Stronger Climate Movement
In January, the Sierra Club reversed a 121-year-old ban on civil disobedience to reflect the urgency of climate change. The move presents an opening for radical groups to try new tactics like the three discussed here.
New Film Calls Worker-Owned Cooperatives “Next American Revolution”
Gar Alperovitz’s film points to worker-owned cooperatives as a growing alternative to traditional capitalism and socialism.
Teaching Emotions: A Different Approach to Ending School Violence
A growing network of programs is teaching kids how to understand and express their emotions. Among their results: decreased aggression and violence.
Hugo Chavez: Friend of the Poor, Demagogue, or Both?
From 1999 to 2013, Hugo Chavez served as president of Venezuela. He leaves behind a mixed legacy that includes admirable efforts to empower the poor, but also a disturbing tendency toward authoritarianism.
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