Abolition Through the Ages: Reform Versus Transformation, Then and Now
Just as slavery couldn’t be reformed and had to be ended, policing can’t be reformed and has to be abolished, say leaders of modern-day abolitionist movements.
Social Justice
Sustaining the Chicano Movement Across Generations
In 1970, tens of thousands of people in East Los Angeles marched for equality, identifying themselves as “Chicano.” Today, the Chicano Moratorium continues as young and old learn from one another.
A New Social Justice
The theme for our 100th issue was inspired by the political earthquake of 2020 and the butterfly model of transformative social justice.
The Third Reconstruction
New momentum in the continuing march toward a more equitable society.
Awakenings: The Collaborations That Create Change
Movements adapt and evolve toward a new social justice.
When Reparations Grow From the Grassroots
Until federal reparations happen, local organizations across the country are stepping up.
The Healing Work of Returning Stolen Lands
The Wiyot Tribe regained its sacred island home after decades of unrelenting prayer and relationship-building.
Fighting Back for Abortion Rights
As more states enact punitive laws restricting abortions, reproductive justice organizations look for new ways to regain ground and expand their movements.
A Bigger Picture Gives Our Ancestors Their Full Humanity
“The Dawn of Everything” confronts deep assumptions about how human society developed from its humble origins.
Reverberations as a Generation Takes a Knee
With a simple gesture, Colin Kaepernick started a movement.
At COP26, Indigenous, Black, and Brown Activists Offer Radical Solutions for Climate Change
While elites fixate on technological fixes such as “net zero” emissions, communities of color fear it will disproportionately impact them and instead demand a just phasing out of oil and gas—and a seat at the table.
A Road Trip to Explore Race Along the Nez Perce Trail
“I felt a kinship with the Nez Perce who, like my Japanese American community, were banished to less desirable land.”
Noam Chomsky Talks Climate and Racial Justice
A conversation about the roots of our current climate crisis and humanity’s prospects for emerging into a livable future.
The Attractive and the Anonymous: Inequity in Media Coverage for Victims of Violence
The Gabby Petito case illustrated yet again how media outlets disproportionately fixate on missing and murdered White women. Veteran journalist Guillermo Torres analyzes why— and how editors can do better.
3 Indigenous Women Talk COP26 and What Real Climate Solutions Look Like
“It’s not just swapping out oil and gas. It’s about changing the system so that it’s sustainable for everybody.”
Indigenous Leaders Call for Landback Reforms and Climate Justice in “Required Reading”
The authors, who are taking part in COP26 this week, discuss ways to support Indigenous communities and their allies in healing the planet and moving forward to a post-oil future.
Immigrants Like Me Experience Two Ends of the Climate Crisis
While my family lives under existential threat from catastrophic cyclones in Mozambique, immigrant communities in the diaspora, like mine in London, also have to face toxic air quality.
Whose Voices Are (and Aren’t) Being Heard at COP26?
“COP26 is looking like one of the most inequitable, White, and segregated COPs to ever occur.”
Every Fraction of a Degree of Global Warming Matters
“The climate crisis is here and with 1.2°C bringing so much suffering already, fighting for 1.5°C is already a compromise.”
My Memories of Diwali Celebrations are Antithetical to India’s Hindu Fundamentalists
“India’s rightwing Hindu supremacists want to control how we celebrate Diwali, a Hindu-origin tradition that is widely embraced and signifies the universal idea that good will triumph over evil.”
Vanessa Nakate on What Irks and Inspires Her Climate Activism
A conversation with the Ugandan activist about her new book and how it helped her see climate change differently.
The Global South Widens the Frame on Climate
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate on the necessity of real representation in the climate movement.
A Master Altarista Explains the Essentials of a Día de los Muertos Altar
Mother of nine, matriarch Ofelia Esparza learned how to make Día de los Muertos altars from her mother. Now, she’s passing on the craft to a new generation.
Community Altars for Día de los Muertos Symbolize Tradition, Loss, and Hope
The annual Los Angeles Noche de Ofrenda in Grand Park—where Día de los Muertos blossomed into a national and international phenomenon— returns after a one-year hiatus.
Chicano Artists Resist Commercialization of Día de los Muertos
After decades of dedicated work by Chicano artists in East L.A. to promote Día de los Muertos as a festival unique to their community, it is now a hyper-commercialized enterprise. Still, many are working to recenter the festival’s original intent of honoring the dead.
Inspiration in Your Inbox
Sign up to receive email updates from YES!
Help Fund Powerful Stories to Light the Way Forward
Donate to YES! today.