For Walkers and Cyclists, A Swedish Road-Planning Strategy Helps Save Lives
Utah, Minnesota, and Washington have seen traffic fatalities decline by 40 percent. Here's how they did it.
YES! Article archive
Democracy
Should Your Town Have the Right to Ban Fracking? These Laws Will Have to Change First
Unless the legal foundation for local self-governance is truly built on the rights of communities, victories like the one in New York can easily be overturned.
What Battlestar Galactica Can Teach Us About the Militarization of Police
“There’s a reason you separate the military and the police. One fights the enemy of the state, the other serves and protects the people. When the military becomes both, then the enemies of the state tend to become the people.”
Domestic Violence in the NFL: How the Ray Rice Scandal Cracked the Conversation Wide Open
An ESPN commentator said women should try not to provoke men to violence. The public backlash has proved sports culture can be a fertile place to debate women's rights, after all.
Remembering Stephen Gaskin: A Conversation with the Man Behind the Original Off-the-Grid Farm
Gaskin had a talent for thinking through ways to combine simple living with social engagement. He died on July 1, 2014.
To Strike Back at Hobby Lobby, Crafters Re-Knit the Wall Between Church and State
The campaign has collected 700 hand-knitted bricks to dump on the Supreme Court steps to protest its infamous decision.
Worried About Online Surveillance? Use Your Library
Librarianship may be shaped by the broader society, but it is also marked by opposition to a dominant commercial culture.
Gay Marriage Went From Unthinkable to Inevitable. Here’s What It Means for the Change You Want to See
The momentum behind the legalization of gay marriage came from grassroots action, not from court cases.
Anti-Homeless Spikes? Heartless. Cementing Over Them? Ingenious.
Londoners have made their feelings clear about a corporate "solution" to the problem of homelessness—and the company listened.
Glenn Greenwald on Government Snooping: Why It’s Dangerous and What We Can Do About It
When it comes to stopping NSA surveillance, it may be more effective to write to Facebook and Google than to government officials.
Watch the Beautiful One-Minute Ad Asking the Washington Football Team to Change Its Name
With the owner of the team vowing "NEVER" to change its name, Native American tribes around the country launch a national campaign to do just that.
Meet the Solutionaries: Kids Skip Scary Climate Coverage to Focus on Local Changemakers
These high school students created a series of podcasts to tell the stories of inspiring people in their community.
Seattle Wins $15 Minimum Wage—Will Your Town Be Next?
Activists built support for the ordinance by demonstrating that it would reduce poverty in the city.
Meet 6 Nutrition Blogger Moms Who Crashed the McDonald’s Shareholder Meeting
Current trends suggest one in three kids will develop Type 2 diabetes as adults. These moms told McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson what they think about the fast food industry targeting their kids.
Tennessee Teachers Score in Fight for Fair Evaluations
A new law will end the practice of evaluating teachers based on their students' standardized test scores.
Meet the Real-Life Inmates Fighting for Mothers’ Rights at “Orange Is the New Black” Prison
On issue after issue, women prisoners have learned to be their own strongest advocates.
Why Saul Alinsky, Author of “Rules” for Social Change, Would Probably Break Them Today
Most organizers today believe that Alinsky taught to focus on building organizations and not social movements. But the author's own political work shows a more flexible approach.
The Supreme Court Just Gave You One More Reason to Join the Clean Elections Movement
The McCutcheon decision will boost the political power of the one percent at the expense of the rest of us. But it also adds to the urgency of the movement that's working to take back our democracy.
Edward Snowden’s TED Talk Offers Guided Tour of NSA Leaks
The former NSA contractor, who is living in asylum in Russia, spoke from the screen of a wheeled robot.
Jon Stewart on the “Insanity” of Buying Seafood with Food Stamps
What do right-wing TV anchors think low-income people should eat? Not salmon, apparently.
Infographic: The Math Error Behind 30 Years of Education Policy
An influential study's failure to consider factors like poverty, race, and immigration concealed the fact that scores were improving.
A Welcome Surprise: There Are More States Working to Expand Voting Rights than to Restrict Them
In 2013, 46 states introduced 237 bills designed to make voting easier, while restrictive measures were introduced in only 33.
In Pete Seeger’s Letters, A Voice for Justice Sings On
In the midst of Seeger's countless documents was one that stood out. The editor who found it reflects on coming back to that letter today.
As Trans-Pacific Partnership Falters, Opponents Go After Fence-Sitting Pols
A trade deal likely to harm environmental and labor protections may be losing momentum. But it's not dead yet.
Obama Calls for “Opportunity for All”: 8 Policies to Make It Happen
While the president outlined important steps forward last night, bolder steps are needed. Here are eight with the power to truly create the universal opportunity the president called for.
Help Fund Powerful Stories to Light the Way Forward
Donate to YES! today.