Social Justice

Global Power Shift conference. Photo by Shadia Fayne Wood / Project Survival Media.

Why the Smartphone Became the Lightsaber of the Environmental Justice Movement

From West Virginia to the Gulf Coast, residents of communities facing environmental problems are discovering that visual storytelling brings results. Their number-one tool is the humble smartphone.

Kristin Moe | Jan 25, 2014

Keone Kealoha at Malama Kaua'i. Photo by James Trimarco.

Activism | Sustainable food and farming

Paradise Farmed: Inside Kaua’i’s Local Food Movement

The issue of local food is more urgent when you're more than 2,400 miles away from the nearest continent.

James Trimarco | Jan 24, 2014

Anti corruption rally in India. Photo by Ishan Khosla.

Activism

India’s Own “Occupy”: How a New Political Party is Battling Corruption—and Winning

A few months ago, India's Aam Aadmi Party was a curiosity; now, it’s a call for pro-democracy movements elsewhere to step up their game.

Nathan Schneider | Jan 23, 2014

Zapatista mural in San Pedro Polhó. Photo by Dario Ribelo.

Native rights

Zapatista Communities Celebrate 20 Years of Self-Government

The Zapatistas are still running their own schools and hospitals, raising new generations, and carrying on a dialogue with the outside world that has enriched both sides.

Laura Carlsen | Jan 18, 2014

Abernathy and MLK march. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

How a Great Man Put Down His Guns: Martin Luther King’s Path to Nonviolence

It took years of political evolution for King to understand nonviolence not merely as a moral force, but as an effective strategy for leveraging political change.

Mark Engler, Paul Engler | Jan 17, 2014

Officer Greg Ruprecht. Still from video taken by rjcolorado1.

Criminal justice reform

How Restorative Justice Changed This Colorado Cop’s Views on Prison

In restorative justice, those who commit crimes have to face the consequences of their actions. After this Colorado policeman tried it out, he came to believe it's part of the answer to America's prison problem.

Molly Rowan Leach | Jan 15, 2014

Activism

Beyond Classic Disney: 5 Great Animated Kids’ Films Without the Racial Stereotypes

Many of the Disney classics contain outdated images of racial and gender groups. Luckily, recent animated masterpieces provide alternatives without sacrificing anything in the way of imagination.

Leigh Finke | Jan 11, 2014

Activism

How a Chicago Mom Liberated a Foreclosure and Got a Home for Her Four Kids

Displaced by foreclosure, this family took direct action—and got a place to live.

Laura Gottesdiener | Jan 10, 2014

The Sampson family. Photo by Rachael Stoeve.

Native rights

Movement to Resist Tar Sands “Megaloads” Brings Together Northwest Tribal Members, Environmentalists

The struggle pits the tribes and their allies in the environmental movement against the General Electric subsidiary that manufactured the evaporators and the hauling company that is providing transportation for them.

Ray Stoeve | Jan 9, 2014

Activism | Local economies

After 20-Year Fight, Bronx Community Wins Big on Development Project Committed to Living Wages and Local Economy

The people of New York’s poorest borough fought to ensure that redevelopment of its castle-like landmark will benefit those who live there. Will it be a gamechanger?

Laura Flanders | Jan 4, 2014

Get Hopeful For 2014: YES! Founder Sarah van Gelder Talks to Democracy Now!

From new leadership in the fight against climate change to an uprising in the education system, there's a lot to be excited about in 2014.

Jan 1, 2014

10 Hopeful Things That Happened in 2013 to Get You Inspired for What’s to Come

Beyond the headlines of conflict and catastrophe, this year’s top stories offered us some powerful proof that the world can still change—for the better.

Sarah van Gelder | Dec 28, 2013

IPCC Climate Haiku. By Gregory C. Johnson.

Activism

This Guy Turned a 2,000-Page Report on Climate Change into 19 Stunning Haikus

By stripping a technical report of its jargon and unfathomably large numbers, Gregory C. Johnson's haikus offer an arresting and informative entry point into climate science.

Anna Fahey | Dec 21, 2013

Nettle Tea photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Native rights | Health care

How a Cup of Nettle Tea Taught Me How To Live Well and Remember the Past

I am a Muckleshoot Indian, but little of what I used to eat bore much connection with the landscape I lived in, which had fed my ancestors for many generations. When I discovered nettle tea, it was as if I were remembering what it was like to feel well.

Valerie Segrest | Dec 19, 2013

Activism

Less Stuff, More Heart: 5 Gifts On a New Dad’s Christmas List

This is my first Christmas as a father. Since my baby has never known holiday commercialism, it's made me re-examine what I really want to ask for this year.

Leigh Finke | Dec 14, 2013

Activism

The Education of Bill McKibben: How the Unlikely Activist Learned to Break the Rules

“Sometime in the course of the past decade I figured out that I needed to do more than write—if this fight was about power, then we who wanted change had to assemble some.”

Madeline Ostrander | Dec 12, 2013

Activism

Boulder Votes to Break With Xcel and Start Its Own Power Utility

Why moving utilities from corporate to public control puts energy, dollars, and decisions into the hands of local communities.

Bob Massie | Dec 10, 2013

Nelson Madela. Photo by United Nations Photo.

Mandela’s Spirit of Forgiveness

Those in Mandela's circle were united in their compassion for the architects of the Apartheid system.

David Korten | Dec 7, 2013

St. Mary's wage campaign. Photo by Caroline Selle.

Activism

Can this Small College in Maryland Pass the Fairest Wage Policy in US Academia?

An initiative developed by staff, students, and faculty would tie the earnings of the school's highest-paid employees to those of the lowest.

Caroline Selle | Dec 6, 2013

Activism

We Know Who Stole the Economy—National People’s Action Moves to Take It Back

"Listen to and work with your base to create a shared, big-picture narrative."

David Korten | Dec 4, 2013

Criminal justice reform

This New Bill Could Put 2,500 More People In Prison: Meet the Organization Trying to Stop It

"Violence is not simply shooting people. Violence is also poverty. It's also incarceration—putting people in prison is incredibly violent."

Nur Lalji | Nov 28, 2013

Painted building on the Navajo reservation. Photo by Aura Bogado / Colorlines.com

Native rights

A Native Answer to “The Onion” (And 4 Other Great Things Happening on Reservations)

Native people are crafting some seriously creative and progressive ways of life, from same-sex marriages in states that don't allow it to the revitalization of indigenous languages.

Aura Bogado | Nov 26, 2013

Light Projection about TPP. Photo by Jerrick Romero / Backbone Campaign.

Activism

TPP Protestors to Foreign Negotiators: “Don’t Let U.S. Bully You”

Negotiators from Latin American and Asian countries said they were "doing their best" to stand up to the U.S. Trade Representative.

James Trimarco | Nov 23, 2013

Art Tanderup and Faith Spotted Eagle. Photo by Mark Hefflinger

Native rights

“Cowboys and Indians” Camp Together to Build Alliance Against Keystone XL

At the Ponca Trail of Tears Spiritual Camp, tribal members and their ranchers are learning to understand each other as never before.

Kristin Moe | Nov 23, 2013

Activism

8 Courageous Things Harry Potter Fans Did to Fight Real-Life Dark Forces

If Harry Potter were a real person, he’d fight child labor, voter suppression, and poverty. Here are our favorite ways Harry's fans have taken his values from the page to the real world.

Katrina Rabeler | Nov 23, 2013

Post navigation

Older posts

Newer posts

← Previous 1 … 90 91 92 … 101 Next →

Inspiration in Your Inbox

Enter Your Email(Required)

CAPTCHA

Name

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our Vision to Create the Best Stories Imaginable

In 2025, we will temporarily pause the printing of YES! Magazine.

LEARN MORE

Help Fund Powerful Stories to Light the Way Forward

Donate to YES! today.

Donate

Inspiration in Your Inbox

Our Vision to Create the Best Stories Imaginable

Inspiration in Your Inbox.