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YES! Article archive
Social Justice
“Non-Indigenous Culture”: Implications of a Historical Anomaly
Modern westerners often see indigenous people as weird or exotic. A look at history shows why they’re not the strange ones.
To Keep Kids Out of Trouble—And Prison—Teach Them to Understand Their Emotions
After teaching students to understand and talk through their conflicts, schools in Denver and Los Angeles have seen major reductions in disciplinary action.
Supreme Court Ruling Is “Call to Action” on Voting Rights
Civil rights advocates are calling the Supreme Court’s decision in Shelby County v. Holder “a dagger in the heart of the Voting Rights Act” and “a call to action.”
A Roadmap to a World Without Drone Proliferation?
It’s not too late to forge a drone-free future. International treaties have already helped ban landmines and nuclear weapons testing—and could mitigate drone warfare’s worst atrocities.
Meet the Rainforest-Dwelling Malaysian Farmers Fighting to Keep their Land above Water
The dams would cost $105 billion, flood an area twice the size of LA, and force the relocation of tens of thousands of indigenous people. Against all the odds, the local forest-dwelling people are coming together and organizing in a way that’s unheard of in this part of the world.
Nerds, Jocks & Conscientious Objectors: The Hidden World of Israel’s High School War Resisters
High school's tough enough without having to face prison time for refusing to serve an occupation you know is wrong.
Housing Crisis on the Rez: Why Haul a Run-Down Shack from the Plains to DC?
Tribal leaders trucked the battered old home to Washington to show the nation’s leaders what the housing crisis on reservations looks like in person.
Boston Aftermath Shows a Nation Less—Not More—Afraid of Muslims
Despite the horrific attacks and media slurs that followed the Boston bombing, the behavior of ordinary people and elected representatives shows improved tolerance of muslims and other immigrants.
Argentina Takes on Vulture Funds in “Debt Trial of the Century”
For years, "vulture funds" have preyed on struggling nations by purchasing their debt for a pittance. Could an upcoming U.S. court decision put an end to the extortion of poor countries?
Houston’s Most Polluted Neighborhood Draws the Line at Alberta Tar Sands
If the Keystone XL pipeline is approved, 90 percent of the tar sands crude that flows through it will be processed near an embattled Houston neighborhood called Manchester. Residents are joining up to demand a healthier future.
Could Our Deepest Fears Hold the Key to Ending Violence?
Feelings of fear and powerlessness are driving the cycle of violence that surrounds us. To change that, we need to recognize that we need each other to thrive as individuals.
Labor Dept. Deputy: It’s Time to Raise the Minimum Wage
Before joining the Department of Labor, Mary Beth Maxwell was a top organizer for the workers’ rights organization Jobs With Justice. Here, she speaks with Amy Dean about the lives of workers who make minimum wage and why the time has come to raise it.
After Police Shooting of Teenager, A Brooklyn Neighborhood Dreams of Justice
On March 9, two NYPD officers in plain clothes shot and killed 16-year-old Kimani Gray. At the marches and nightly vigils held in his memory, people are demanding a different kind of police department.
Pope Francis: Good News for the Global South?
The first pope chosen from outside Europe in a millennium lives in a small apartment, takes the bus, and calls out wealth inequality where he sees it. Can his vision change the Church?
Film Offers Fresh Take on Racism in Obama’s America
Cracking the Codes features stories of racism’s continuing effects told by those who experience it daily, and includes a teaching guide for those who want to address racial issues within groups and projects.
Dancing the World into Being: A Conversation with Idle No More’s Leanne Simpson
Naomi Klein speaks with writer, spoken-word artist, and indigenous academic Leanne Betasamosake Simpson about “extractivism,” why it’s important to talk about memories of the land, and what’s next for Idle No More.
MLK’s “Racism and the World House”: More Relevant than Ever
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s thinking on racism pertained to all of world society, not just the United States. In this writing, he makes the case that racism is a “corrosive evil” that must be conquered before we can achieve peace.
Global Day of Dance Connects Women around the Globe
Eve Ensler’s One Billion Rising brought women into the streets in every country registered with the United Nations, plus a few places that aren’t. At the Seattle event, a dancing little girl seemed to represent the movement’s hopes for women’s lives.
Today, One Billion Rise
Rise, strike, dance: The worldwide walkout for the end of violence against women and girls.
Only the People of the United States Can End Israel’s Occupation
Many progressives breathed a sigh of relief when last month’s Israeli elections set the stage for a centrist coalition and not a far-right one. Yet peace will remain out of reach until the American people pressure the Obama Administration to end Israeli impunity.
Pathway to Progress in Israel Runs through International Law, Local and Global Action
While Israel moved away from the far right in last month’s elections, the new coalition is unlikely to alter the occupation. But change may come from divestment campaigns, the new U.N recognition of Palestinian statehood, and in the Israeli and Palestinian campaigns of nonviolent resistance.
Why I Returned My Queen Elizabeth Medal of Honor
A letter to Canada’s Governor General explains why Maude Barlow–together with Idle No More–are speaking out against the country’s new environmental rules.
Tomorrow, We March on Washington to End the Gun Violence
Twenty-two times more children have been killed by guns since 1979 than military personnel in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined. Rev. Jacqui Lewis on why all of us—from clergy to factory workers—must not be too sad, too busy, or too afraid to say, enough.
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