Dispatches
Dispatches
News from the front lines of progressive grassroots politics.
Minnesota Historical Society
Campaigns for Reparations Are Gaining Steam Across the Country
As H.R. 40 gathers dust in the U.S. Congress, St. Paul, Minnesota, becomes the latest city to join the national grassroots movement to make reparations to Black communities. Read more
Mar 3, 2021
Remembering the First Gulf War
Amid the ongoing horror, it’s important to find ways to atone for war crimes —including reparations. Read more
Mar 2, 2021
Smart Ass Cripple: Amtrak’s History of Dodging Access Laws
The service was given two decades to become fully accessible after the signing of the ADA. It’s been more than thirty years, and it’s not even close. Read more
Mar 1, 2021
Mitigating Climate Impacts Means Meeting Everyone’s Basic Needs
We must attend to the structural injustices that immiserate so much of this country. Read more
Mar 1, 2021
Black Movies Matter: Pan African Film Festival Goes Virtual
The twenty-ninth annual film festival showcases 200-plus productions by and about Black people from forty-five countries. Read more
Feb 28, 2021
It’s the Windmills’ Fault
Make no mistake, people freezing to death in Texas was fossil fuel related. Read more
Feb 26, 2021
Why We Should Be Paying Attention to the Farmers’ Protests in India
For more than eighty days, Indian protesters have demonstrated against a set of laws that would corporatize the country’s agriculture—and leave most farmers destitute. Read more
Feb 26, 2021
New Billie Holiday Biopic Looks at ‘Strange Fruit’ Through a Modern Lens
‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ dives into the singer’s struggles with the government, the media, and drug addiction. Read more
Feb 26, 2021
GOP Strategy: Embrace the Crazies, Suppress the Vote
The Republican Party focuses its efforts not on building its base but keeping the “wrong people” from the polls. Read more
Feb 25, 2021
Midwest Dispatch: Biden Is Upholding Standardized Testing
The new administration is renewing Betsy DeVos’s decision to resume school testing requirements, despite disruptions from the ongoing pandemic. Read more
Feb 25, 2021
New York’s Progressive Path Forward
State legislators, including progressive state senator Julia Salazar, recently unveiled a wish list of criminal justice reforms—many of which have already been implemented. Read more
Feb 24, 2021
A teacher receives a COVID-19 vaccine in Des Moines, Iowa on February 6, 2021. (Photo by Phil Roeder, via Flickr)
COVID-19 Testing, Not Standardized Testing: Schools Need Vaccinations, Not Examinations
President Biden just announced the return of high-stakes standardized tests. That’s the wrong way to go, especially during the pandemic. Read more
Feb 24, 2021
MOORS Michael
Why NATO Needs to Go
After three quarters of a century, it’s clear the alliance has done much more harm than good. Read more
Feb 24, 2021
(Photo by Milwaukee Teachers Education Association, via Flickr)
Why Aren’t There More Black Teachers?
Less than 7 percent of teachers are Black. That needs to change. Read more
Feb 23, 2021
Let the Sunshine In, for the Benefit of All
Proven strategies can make solar power available to lower income people. Read more
Feb 23, 2021
The Racist History of U.S. Law Enforcement
Why more cops and stricter surveillance will lead to an increase in racial injustice. Read more
Feb 22, 2021
Multimillion-Dollar ‘Union Avoidance’ Industry Faces New Scrutiny
As an Amazon distribution center considers unionizing, the spotlight is back on employer efforts to dissuade workers from organizing. Read more
Feb 20, 2021
Have Your Spine and Eat It Too
Whatever happened to the Republican Party’s strict textual reading of our nation’s founding document? Read more
Feb 19, 2021
Foreign Correspondent: What’s Really Going on with China’s Uighurs?
Experts say U.S. officials are seeking enemies, not the truth. Read more
Feb 19, 2021
‘Essential’ Workers Still Endangered by COVID-19
Biden and Congress must boost OSHA standards and enforcement to stifle the pandemic. Read more
Feb 19, 2021
