Has History “Sanitized” King’s Words? Inside the Push to #ReclaimMLK Day
Organizers hope to connect today’s civil rights movements to those of the past with a week of demonstrations across the country leading up to Inauguration Day.
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.
What’s Up, Pussy Hat? Knitting Activists Cause Shortages of Pink Yarn
In the weeks leading up to Inauguration Day and the Women’s March on Washington, a furious knitting revolution is sweeping craft baskets across the country.
North Dakota’s Public Bank Was Built for the People—Now It’s Financing Police at Standing Rock
The nation’s only state bank was created to empower small farmers and local economies, but now it’s being used to silence indigenous people with militarized force. How did this happen?
20 Ways to Take a Bigger, Louder Stand in the Post-Election World
Many of us are rekindling our activist spirit knowing that the next four years will require everyone to act.
How to Attempt Racial Healing—Even During a Trump Presidency
America’s past truth and reconciliation processes show us what works.
How Cities Can Protect People Threatened By Trumpism
Cities can offer shelter and protection to their vulnerable citizens and become a place progressives can exert real power.
The Call to “End the War on Black Lives” Starts With Accountability
Next year, the DOJ will collect nationwide data on police shootings and other violent encounters with the public. Is that enough progress?
Who Deserves a Liberal Arts Degree? For Inmates, It’s a Way Out
Obama's controversial pilot program will make higher education dollars available to inmates this year. Proponents hope it will build on the success private liberal arts programs are achieving in prisons across the country.
It’s Citizens Who Will Save Us From Citizens United
Constitutional amendment organizers are confident of an eventual victory. “The push toward justice has always started at the grassroots.”
Will Historic Standing Rock Talks Change U.S.-Tribe Relationships?
The Department of Justice promised to consider nationwide reform in how the U.S. treats tribal land. Legal experts consider what, exactly, that might look like.
My Brush With Terrorism Helped Me Find My Courage
Sometimes it seems that the world is responding to violence only with violence, but there are other possibilities.
A Test of U.S. Climate Leadership Will Be How We Treat the Standing Rock Sioux
Can we trust Clinton-Kaine promises of an energy future “where no one is left out or left behind”?
As #BankBlack Moves Money, Black Credit Unions Are Ready
While the number of Black-owned banks is down to only 22, there are 318 Black credit unions uniquely positioned to invest in their communities.
#WallOffTrump: How Humor Defied Racism at the RNC
Laughter makes us feel safer, stronger, and more together. In Cleveland, activists used it to flip Trump's own ridiculous words upside down.
In New York, Republicans and Democrats Join Forces to Overturn Citizens United
Seventeen states have called for a constitutional amendment to reduce the influence of money in politics. So who’s next?
Climate Change Film Tells Us “How to Let Go of the World”
In his new documentary, Josh Fox says we can use love to push aside the fear and hopelessness that comes with climate change.
Seattle Students Call for Nationwide Awakening on Campus Racism
Seattle University students plan to sleep outside their dean’s office for as long as it takes her to resign. Will she budge?
Still Saying YES!—20 Years of Solutions Journalism
Like many startups, YES! Magazine began with an energized small team, an idea we thought important, and a basement office. Twenty years later, we're stronger than ever.
Politics on the Dance Floor: Reclaiming Queer and Black Roots in Electronic Dance Music
As the multibillion-dollar electronic music industry grows, artists and organizers are taking back the spaces and sounds of the marginalized people who started the genre.
How Women-Led Movements Are Redefining Power, From California to Nepal
In the face of corporate domination, economic injustice, and climate change, movements led by women offer a revolutionary path.
The Feminist Rappers Who Are Updating Sweden’s Old-Fashioned Definition of Rape
In Sweden, Femtastic gives survivors of sexual violence a voice in a male-dominated music industry.
Flint Whistleblowers Who Exposed Their Poisoned Water: We’re Just Getting Started
Long before the state declared an emergency in Flint, Michigan, a pastor, a mother, and an attorney teamed up to reveal the state’s lies about their drinking water.
White Privilege II Showed Me What an Unruly Mess We’re In
A Seattle music writer quoted in Macklemore’s controversial new song appreciates how it speaks to young white people—but wishes it had gone further.
New York’s “Carwasheros” Push for Safer, Fairer Workplaces
Car washes are the “wild, wild West” of workplace regulation. The Car Wash Accountability Act will improve that—if it is ever implemented.
Waging Life in a War Zone
From Gaza’s colorful neighborhood to its underground theater, resistance is an art.
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