“They” and the Emotional Weight of Words
Even in the smallest of interactions—like how we use pronouns—we can create connections that allow us to challenge one another on our assumptions about gender.
Social Justice
Spring 2016: “What We Fear” Powerful Voice Winner Jazmyn Bryant
Read Jazmyn's essay, "A Serf in the Midst of Feudalism" about personally confronting racial injustice, and how necessary it is to act collectively for a reformed system.
The Next Libyan Revolution Will Be Led by Women Wielding Words—Not Guns
“Soft power” gives communities words and tools to fight against violence, fear, and corruption and offers youth weapons of peace against an enemy that wants to drag them into war.
After a Century In Decline, Black Farmers Are Back And On the Rise
These Black farmers don’t stop at healthy food. They’re healing trauma, instilling collective values, and changing the way their communities think about the land.
Why the Economy Should Stop Growing—And Just Grow Up
“How do we grow the economy?” is an obsolete question. Local initiatives across the world are looking for maturity instead as they rebuild caring, place-based communities and economies.
Immigration Is Not Just a Latino Thing. Here’s Why We Need Black Leaders
For years, the immigrant rights movement has been largely led by Latinos. Today, Black leadership is playing an increasingly important role in the grassroots fight to change U.S. immigration policy.
The Tiny House Village Holding a Family Together
A tiny house complex in Seattle shows what it can do for homeless families by helping one couple raise their baby together under one (very small) roof.
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.
Beyond the NFL: A New Plan to Treat Brain Injuries For Women Escaping Abuse
Unlike players in the NFL, women who struggle with lifelong effects of concussions from abuse are rarely diagnosed. In Phoenix, scientists and advocates are working to change that.
What Small Farms Need to Compete With Corporate Food
Most small farms have to follow the same rules as big corporate ones. In Maine, flexible food ordinances have increased the number of small farmers.
Happiness Inequality Is a Better Measure of Well-Being Than Income Inequality
Researchers say happiness reveals more about human welfare than standard indicators like wealth, education, health, or good government.
A Sanders-Clinton Combined Strategy Could Boost Native Americans’ Quality of Life
To meet multifaceted needs in Indian Country, Sanders and Clinton should combine their economic proposals.
National Parks Are Used Mostly By Older White People. Here’s Why That Needs to Change
With its history of segregation, the Park Service has had a rocky relationship with race. But if youth of color don’t connect with the outdoors, who will be its future stewards?
In Photos: The Indigenous Protectors of the World’s Most Sacred Places
All around the world, sites sacred to indigenous people are besieged by mining, tourism, and other threats. Meet the groups safeguarding and restoring them.
Want to Hire a Worker-Owned Co-op? There’s an App for That
Coopify wants to bring a sense of community to the app-based booking world by connecting worker-owned cooperatives and other low-income task workers directly with consumers.
Progressive Politics Don’t Feel So Inclusive When You’re Latino
Failing to understand the interests of 55 million Latinos has been one of the greatest political failures of our time. Latinos want to be heard on more than just immigration issues.
What’s It Like to Be the New Kid and a Refugee?
Small town and suburban public schools become welcome centers as more immigrants are moving outside major metropolitan areas.
How to Talk With Your Kids about Donald Trump
The success of Trump’s candidacy isn’t just a political problem. It’s also a psychological and cultural one that needs to be addressed by parents.
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.
Finally, the U.S. Steps Closer to Racial Healing With a National Truth and Reconciliation Commission
South Africa used truth and reconciliation to address its racist history. Now these organizers think it's time for the United States to do the same.
What I Learned From My March With Democracy Spring
The political march is a tool for social transformation in itself. This one gave me a taste of the connected, empowered society I’m working to create.
How to Educate a Generation of Syrian Refugees? Makeshift Classrooms and the Teacher Next Door
In response to overcrowded public schools in countries neighboring Syria, caravan schools provide refugees with free education to keep them from falling behind.
In a Surprise Win for Democracy Over Corporate Power, GMO Labeling Has Arrived
Those predicting an easy Senate defeat for mandatory labeling saw corporations fold one by one in the face of a strong food movement.
As the EU Stalls on Refugees, Volunteers Provide a Taste of Home
For people in the overcrowded refugee camps of Idomeni, Greece, local volunteers and students work to make life more normal for displaced families.
Proud of Our Pidgin: The Newest Language in the U.S. Census
When Hawaiian Pidgin Creole joined an official list of 350 languages spoken in U.S. homes, it lifted up communities throughout Hawai‘i and their rich immigrant history.
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