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.
Political Power
YES! believes in the fundamental right of people to determine their own political future, and reports on efforts to expand access to democracy and voter enfranchisement, while also acknowledging the limits of electoral politics, and “democracy” as it has been used as a bludgeon by imperial powers.
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.
Turning Skiers Into Climate Voters
With 10 million skiers in the U.S. who are at risk of losing their snow to climate change, it's time to mobilize.
Predictions of Record Voting
Political interest is high— from the number of small-donor contributions made to presidential candidates to cable news viewership—signaling voter turnout may reach new heights in November.
Are Community Schools the Future of Education Reform?
“If we help them tap it, our kids have endless potential.”
Harvard Students Connect the Dots Between Slavery and Prison
Students suing the Ivy League say rather than helping to dismantle the system of “human caging,” the school is profiting from it.
Teen Wellness Starts Inside High Schools
Planned Parenthood’s new Wellbeing Centers in Los Angeles offer much-needed resources and care for teens and their parents.
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
How Advocates Are Fighting Voter Suppression
As the 2020 election season gets under way, activists are beginning to push back against voter disenfranchisement across the country.
10 Things You Should Know About Socialism
What do we mean when we talk about “socialism”? Here are ten things about its theory, practice, and potential that you need to know.
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
Ranked Choice Voting Gains Traction For 2020
As an independent candidate for public office, Tiffany Bond might typically be seen as a spoiler in a conventional election. But when she ran for Congress in 2018 in Maine’s
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
How Educators Are Rethinking The Way They Teach Immigration History
In the summer of 2017, before her senior year of high school, Isabelle Doerre-Torres met Carlos,* a Salvadoran immigrant on the verge of deportation. Doerre-Torres was an intern at a
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
Nurturing the Future of the Northern Triangle
Gabriela Yanes, 19, is from one of El Salvador’s most dangerous municipalities, Las Palmas. Her parents run a food store out of their home, selling rice and other basic commodities
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,
A Return to Nature-Based Education
At the beginning of the 20th century, untempered industrialization and rampant deforestation prompted the conservation and preservation movements. The creation of Yellowstone and Yosemite National Parks at the end of
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