A Service Industry Where Every Worker Thrives
The pandemic is the gravest crisis for tipped workers and the service sector in U.S. history, but also the greatest opportunity for transformation.
Social Justice
Gardening Advice from Indigenous Food Growers
“Gardens represent resiliency, strength, wellness, culture.”
“Think in Circles Rather Than Straight Lines”
A weeklyish commentary about climateish stuff, and how to keep it together in a world gone mad. This week, circle back to this email.
Or just get around to it right now!
Antiracist Parenting During COVID-19 and Beyond
The cultural work we do in our homes and the activism we do to end systems of oppression may look different during this pandemic, but it matters all the more.
Basic Education Is Now a Constitutional Right
Although each state's constitution contains a right to education, state courts interpret these rights in different ways—sometimes to the detriment of children.
Call for Submissions: What the Rest of the World Knows
Send us your leads and pitches by May 31.
Refugees Share Their Coronavirus Stories
While the pandemic has created new challenges for refugees, it has also sparked a new sense of unity.
How I Found Racial Healing During the Pandemic
There’s no upside to the uptick in anti-Asian violence, but I’m glad to see more of us awakened and speaking out.
Gun Sales Are Up Across Appalachia. Here’s Why
Historically we know current events tend to effect gun sales—and this influx is coming from first-time firearm buyers.
Muslims Are Redefining Ramadan Traditions Amid COVID-19
In many ways, this forced pause embodies the spirit of Ramadan, focusing on slowing down, and making deeper spiritual connections.
The Community Power Issue
Like many of you, I've experienced grief—deep personal grief, shared familial grief, collective community grief. But until the COVID-19 pandemic, I had not felt a part of an immense and widespread global grief. So often we in the United States watch from a distance as epidemics, famines, and wars plague other parts of the world. But now we’re in it too—sheltering in place, social distancing, wearing masks and gloves in public—and dying—right alongside people in Italy, Japan, South Africa, and most other countries.
How to Make Black Lives Matter During COVID-19
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unveil the deficiencies in all of our systems, racial disparities—particularly the disproportionate number of Black people dying—top the list. The staggering statistics keep pouring
How Birth Doulas Are Helping Parents Navigate Coronavirus
Doulas provide emotional and physical support before, during, and after birth. With concerns over the spread of COVID-19, this service has become even more crucial.
The Rescue Operation Bridging a Food Access Gap in California
A nonprofit in Contra Costa County is adapting every aspect of its operations to address food insecurity during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Shared History of Wild Horses and Indigenous People
Horse sanctuaries along the Native American Horse Trail are working to save America’s last Indigenous horses and rewrite official histories that claim they don’t exist.
How Black Women Are Reshaping Afrofuturism
The science fiction subgenre known for its utopian and liberation themes has become a vehicle for Black women artists.
What We Can Learn About Resilience from Indigenous Leaders
Staying connected to community, caring for the most vulnerable, and finding joy should all be a priority right now.
Policing During the Pandemic Shows That a Hands-Off Approach Works
Due to the coronavirus outbreak, a less invasive model of policing is being employed. Here’s why we should consider this approach even after the pandemic.
The First Earth Day: A Cry Heard Around the World
Without the first Earth Day protest 50 years ago, global action against environmental problems and climate change would have taken much longer—or might never have happened at all.
The Pandemic Makes Clear What We Already Knew: The Rent Is Too Damn High
Terra Thomas, a florist in Oakland, California, doesn’t know when she’ll receive her next paycheck, a concerning predicament millions of Americans are now facing. “It’s terrifying for sure,” she says.
How to Get Mutual Aid to Those Most in Need
The deep digital divide means organizers must step away from their screens to reach low-income residents.
Can Facial Recognition Overcome Its Racial Bias?
The dystopian surveillance state of science fiction media is within reach—and some privacy activists argue that it’s already here. Facial recognition advancements have spiked fear and uncertainty over misuse and
How Technology Helps Preserve Endangered Indigenous Languages
From smartphone apps to web tools, tribal members are using tech to document and practice their native languages.
For Americans Without Water Access, Coronavirus Adds Another Layer of Struggle
As Californians shelter at home amid the COVID-19 outbreak, an estimated 1 million of them lack access to clean drinking water, one of the most fundamental resources for maintaining health and hygiene.
How the U.S. Southern Border Became a Militarized Zone
A new database by American Friends Service Committee tracks companies involved in border militarization, including the building and monitoring of walls and immigrant detention and surveillance.
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