African Americans
Into the Light
For Lorraine Hansberry, American radicalism was a passion and a commitment. It was, in fact, a requirement for human decency. Read more
A Charter School’s Explanation for Banning Durags Is Worse Than the Ban
To say that a durag sets up a black man for failure is ignorant, at best. Read more
Changing the Stories of Police Shooting with the Justice Teams Network
The network trains people to take charge of the narratives around police shootings, and to help communities heal. Cat Brooks describes how it's done. Read more
Wakanda: A Nation Without Chains
The mythical African nation in ‘Black Panther’ is allowed to thrive on its own terms—offering a fascinating and rooted alternative to existing Western notions of nation-building. Read more
The Aftermath of Wisconsin’s Act 10: Less Experienced Teachers and Needier Students
Within Wisconsin’s stellar statewide graduation rates and test scores lie the largest racial disparities in the nation. Read more
‘We Mean Business or No Washing’: The Atlanta Washerwomen Strike of 1881
The strike—a group of black women organizing against omnipresent discrimination to demand recognition and respect for their work—stands out in union history as a most unlikely success. Read more
Picturing a Struggle for Civil Rights: Black and White Photojournalists Covered a Common Cause
Eleven images from a new exhibit capture the role photojournalists played in giving Americans a window into the Civil Rights movement, and what it was up against. Read more
Erica Garner: A Life and Loss that Demands an Inclusive Progressive Agenda
Erica’s death occurs in the midst of a growing maternal mortality crisis that hits mothers of color particularly hard. The drivers of the crisis are complex—but we know what they are—and we can do something. Read more
54 Years After the March on Washington, We're Far From Racial Pay Equity
People of color cannot overcome wealth and wage gaps when structural racism and violence are the foundations of U.S. society. Read more
Black Women Continue to Struggle for Equal Pay
It took black women nineteen months to earn the same amount that white men did in twelve. Read more
St. Louis Case: Another Black Man Shot, Another Excuse
“Feared for my life” is a go-to excuse, accepted in the court of public opinion and by juries, when considering the deaths of black men. Read more
40 Acres for Liberation, with Chinyere Tutashinda
To mark Juneteenth with action, organizers planned 40 actions in 40 cities reclaiming land for black people. Read more
Confederate Statues Are Down in New Orleans, but Structural Racism Still Stands Tall in Our Schools
When Stalin's statues came down in Russia, it was because the people had toppled the system—not just a statue. We certainly cannot say the same thing about the system of racist oppression General E. Lee’s statue represented. Read more
Magnet Schools Push Back Against a Growing Tide of Segregation
"All welcome here." Read more
Redefining the Safe City: A Conversation with Rosi Carrasco
Working with Organized Communities Against Deportations, based in Chicago, she's working on a new sanctuary city, connecting policing in black communities to ICE in immigrant communities. She and others have big plans for May Day. Read more
Sports and Women's Liberation
Where are the calls for equal pay, equal respect, and, most pointedly, equal coverage emanating from the world of women’s athletics? The answer is complicated. Read more
“Do They Know That I’m…..?!” The Film “Get Out” Reflects on What White People See.
Black is in. And the wealthy want it. Read more
Why Everyone Needs to Know What Happened to Sixteen-Year-Old Kalief Browder
Filmmaker Jenner Furst talks about the tragedy of our juvenile justice system, and a moment in history to possibly make it right. Read more
Dave Zirin Talks About Why the NBA Sets the Bar for Sports Activism in the Trump Era
Why are basketball stars some of the most politically outspoken players in sports? It’s a global sport with a young audience, made of athletes with shared experiences of discrimination. Read more
Feminism for the 99 Percent
An organizer of the international women’s strike set for March 8, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor talks about a feminist politics that focuses on women’s labor, and how to wake up the world to the power of women’s work—by doing nothing. Read more
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