Social Justice

A Milwaukee Black Lives Matter march. Photo by Light Brigade.

“Justice for All” Student Writing Lesson

Dig deep to identify and explain how you personally can treat people more justly. Describe what treating people fairly and humanely looks like to you. How might your actions make a difference where you live (school and community)? In greater society?

Mar 1, 2016

Criminal justice reform

24 States Put Juvenile Offenders in Solitary, But Advocates Are Trying to Change That

Studies show kids held in solitary confinement experience long-lasting psychological damage. Activists hope a wave of local and national policy changes means widespread reform is on the way.

Marcus Harrison Green | Feb 29, 2016

How A Small Town Won an Unlikely Victory Against Big Oil

A port commission vote against a proposed $1.2 billion oil refinery in a Washington town proves that the people still have a voice.

Fran Korten | Feb 26, 2016

Local economies

What Legalizing Street Vending Could Do for L.A.’s Local Economy

Los Angeles is one of few U.S. cities where street trade isn’t widely permitted. But for immigrants and low-income people, it’s often the only way to earn a living.

Daniel Ross | Feb 23, 2016

The Role of an Activist Attorney in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement

For civil rights lawyers, litigating isn't enough. They need to engage with the struggle of black Americans firsthand.

Nyasha Laing | Feb 23, 2016

Police Shooting Data Reveal New Tactics and Training Will Only Go So Far

To create meaningful change, we must look beyond high-profile cases and ask why certain police-civilian encounters occur at all.

Nirej Sekhon | Feb 20, 2016

The Radical Work of Healing: Fania and Angela Davis on a New Kind of Civil Rights Activism

"Self-care and healing and attention to the body and the spiritual dimension—all of this is now a part of radical social justice struggles."

Sarah van Gelder | Feb 19, 2016

One Southern Leader Bridges Civil Rights’ Past and Black Lives Matter’s Future

Irving Allen on creating an inclusive movement. “You’re not organizing unless you’re training up the next generation.”

Marcus Harrison Green | Feb 17, 2016

Ten Counterproductive Behaviors of Well-Intentioned People

Common mistakes made in social justice conversations and how to correct them.

Cody Charles | Feb 17, 2016

The Program Helping Youth Unify the Most Segregated City in America

In Chicago, low-income kids don’t usually have the opportunity to travel outside their own neighborhoods. My Block, My Hood, My City is changing that.

Marcus Harrison Green | Feb 16, 2016

Activism

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.

Lindsey Weedston | Feb 12, 2016

Life in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp

Along the Kenya-Somalia border, people have been displaced for decades. A new book profiles nine Somali refugees to explain the political forces that keep them—and hundreds of thousands more—from getting out.

Leigh Finke | Feb 11, 2016

When You Can’t Afford the Cost of Clearing Your Record

People who’ve done their time and paid their fines still face barriers to employment. Memphis-based Just City helps them start fresh.

Jaclyn Zubrzycki | Feb 10, 2016

Activism

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.

Larry Gabriel | Feb 3, 2016

Native rights

The Oil Industry Won in Alberta. Now First Nations Look to Heal Their Land

The Alberta tar sands are home to the third-largest proven reserves of crude oil in the world. Here, First Nations engage in a complex dance of resistance to and cooperation with industry in order to survive.

Erika Lundahl | Feb 2, 2016

Activism

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.

Jonathan Cunningham | Feb 1, 2016

Native rights

As Rising Seas Force Exile, Islanders Hold Fast to What Matters Most

Pacific Islanders are among the first victims of climate change-induced sea level rise. As natives quickly run out of land and struggle to maintain crops, leaders are searching for ways to protect their people and thousands of years of cultural heritage.

Keith Barbalato | Jan 29, 2016

Native rights

One Clan’s Unique Weapon Against Big Oil

Because the Unist’ot’en clan has given up no land rights after decades of courtroom battles, they maintain a strong foothold on land crucial to future oil expansion plans.

Stephen Miller | Jan 26, 2016

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Native rights

In North Dakota’s Booming Oil Patch, One Tribe Beat Back Fracking

The Turtle Mountain Band was among the first tribes to ban the drilling process. Here’s the difference it made.

Sarah van Gelder | Jan 21, 2016

Activism

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.

Jean Stevens | Jan 20, 2016

Native rights

Big Oil and Gas Want Them Out, But One Small Clan Is Standing Up to Pipeline Expansion

A First Nations clan is bringing pipeline projects to a grinding halt—simply by occupying their traditional lands.

Tony Manno | Jan 19, 2016

Sustainable food and farming

The New Face of Hunger: How Statistics Underestimate the Food Problem

Today, 800 million of us are considered “hungry,” but we produce enough calories to feed us all. Rather than a lack of food, we’re dealing with a lack of democracy.

Frances Moore Lappé | Jan 19, 2016

Our Continued March to the Mountaintop

In his speech delivered in Seattle, YES! reporter Marcus Harrison Green acknowledges that realizing King’s dream will require more than kind words and promises.

Marcus Harrison Green | Jan 18, 2016

Mental health

The Brilliance of Using Pillowcases to #GiveRefugeesRest

A human rights campaign to protest Islamophobic rhetoric sent message-scrawled pillowcases to 31 governors who expressed support for refugee bans. And more are on the way.

Yessenia Funes | Jan 15, 2016

How This Black Student Used Documents and DNA to Find Her Slave Ancestors

Like many African Americans, Lakisha David wanted to trace the roots of her family, who for years were documented only as property. Here’s how she did it.

Alexa Mills | Jan 14, 2016

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