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.
Academy Award-winners are selected by algorithms that allow voters to rank candidates in order of preference, selecting backups if their first choices lose. What if we elected our leaders that way?
Behind the Kitchen Door: A Must-Read for Anyone Who Eats at Restaurants
Review: More than half of the nation’s worst-paid jobs are related to food. Saru Jayaraman’s new book dives into the explosive movement for better rights for those who plant, process, and cook the food we eat.
Largest Climate Rally in U.S. History Comes to Washington
What does it sound like when 40,000 people raise their voices for climate justice at once?
Rapper Brother Ali on Privilege, Hope, and Other People’s Stories
In this exclusive interview, hip-hop artist Brother Ali talks to YES! about the personal transformations that have shaped his life and lyrics.
Green Housing: In Buffalo, It’s Not Just for Rich People Anymore
Can we build sustainable housing that's affordable, too? The city of Buffalo did, and created a community jobs pipeline in the process. Here's what can happen when neighborhoods take the lead.
Arrests in Washington Signal Increasing Urgency on Keystone Pipeline
Forty-eight leaders of environmentalist groups such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and 350.org were arrested today while participating in civil disobedience. They were demanding that President Barack Obama stop construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Why Canada’s Indigenous Uprising Is About All of Us
When a new law paved the way for tar sands pipelines and other fossil fuel development on native lands, four women swore to be “idle no more.” The idea took off.
Only the People of the United States Can End Israel’s Occupation
Many progressives breathed a sigh of relief when last month’s Israeli elections set the stage for a centrist coalition and not a far-right one. Yet peace will remain out of reach until the American people pressure the Obama Administration to end Israeli impunity.
Tomorrow, We March on Washington to End the Gun Violence
Twenty-two times more children have been killed by guns since 1979 than military personnel in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. Rev. Jacqui Lewis on why all of us—from clergy to factory workers—must not be too sad, too busy, or too afraid to say, enough.
Europe Authorizes “Robin Hood Tax” on Financial Transactions
Support for the tax on stocks, bonds, and derivatives was so strong among EU finance ministers that it wasn’t even necessary to take a formal vote.
To Follow in MLK’s Footsteps, Join the Fight against Foreclosure
How can today’s Civil Rights leaders follow in the tradition of MLK? Lester Spence argues that foreclosures are the issue and the church may just be the solution.
Vandana Shiva: Our Violent Economy is Hurting Women
There is a connection between the growth of unjust economic policies and the intensification of crimes against women. The Delhi gang rape has triggered a revolution—one that we must sustain.
Indigenous Women Take the Lead in Idle No More
Motivated by ancient traditions of female leadership as well as their need for improved legal rights, First Nations women are stepping to the forefront of the Idle No More movement.
“Flash Mob Prayer Circle” Shows Idle No More’s Spiritual Side
Speakers at an Idle No More event in Seattle drew comparisons between spiritual and political struggles, making the movement seem closer to Civil Rights than Occupy.
Human Trafficking Awareness Day: Let’s Take a Stand for Domestic Workers
150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, it's time to recognize domestic labor as real work that should be protected.
Idle No More: Indigenous Uprising Sweeps North America
Idle No More has organized the largest mass mobilizations of indigenous people in recent history. What sparked it off and what’s coming next?
Robot Dogs and Other Weird Creatures Bring Nature to the City
How to create a world where people fly, salamanders text, and trash is useful.
Pete Seeger: “You Stick Together ’Til It’s Won”
Gleaned from letters, essays, and articles, “Pete Seeger: In His Own Words” reveals how the celebrated folk singer has considered, at every turn, what it means to sing out in a world where the din of injustice is deafening.
Your Body is a Body of Water
A storyteller asks what you'd do if you knew your body was part of the water web.
Alice Walker: “Go to the Places That Scare You”
Why a life worth living is a life worth fighting for.
8 Ways to De-Corporatize Your Money
Debit or credit? Keep your dollars out of corporate clutches.
Special Weapons for Fighting Corporate Giants
Revoke their charters, and other legal tools to hold corporations accountable to our laws.
Now, Let’s Occupy the Ballot
During election season, all eyes turn to politics. How do we ensure that the interests of the 99 percent are represented in the halls of power?
Change Now, Vote Later
Political answers will come when we build a network of solidarity and action that pushes on all fronts for a true democracy.
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