Activism

YES! Media’s coverage of activism centers on the ways that grassroots mobilization and activism work to change the political zeitgeist around the most pressing social issues we are facing.

Why Is It So Hard to Find Films Where Women Actually Talk to Each Other? How Sweden’s Making It Easier

Four Stockholm cinemas are adopting a system that rates films on how deeply their female characters are developed—and how much they interact. It could radically change the way we see movies.

Leigh Finke | Nov 9, 2013

Keep Washington Beautiful - No Coal Exports

Citizens United

How the Voters of One Small County May Have Stopped 48 Million Tons of Coal

In a council election unlike any other in the history of Whatcom County, voters sided with representatives believed to be against a proposed coal export facility.

Ray Stoeve | Nov 7, 2013

Citizens United

Four Signs that Regular Folks Can Still Win (and One That Shows the Power of Money)

Here are four cases in yesterday's election where people power won out over corporate interests. And one that went the other way.

Sarah van Gelder | Nov 7, 2013

Three Elephants Head from Zoo to 80-Acre Sanctuary

A specialist in animal psychology sees the decision as evidence of progress in understanding between species.

Cynthia Daniel | Nov 2, 2013

Meet the Comic Book Artist Fighting Back Against Rape Culture

Comics artist Tess Fowler has a second great talent—communicating about misogyny through social media. Warning: This article contains accounts of sexual assault and may be triggering to some people.

Leigh Finke | Nov 2, 2013

10 Films to Inspire Your Inner Environmental Superhero

Movies have long helped us understand what it means to live on earth and contribute to an ecologically sustainable planet. Here are ten of our favorites.

Leigh Finke | Oct 26, 2013

Meet the New Climate Heroes: Faces of the Frontline

Not all of these young people focus directly on climate change in their work. But it tends to take a prominent position in their worldview, which sees issues of race, class, labor, and environment as inextricably connected.

Kristin Moe | Oct 26, 2013

Blackfish still. Photo by Gabriela Cowperthwaite.

“Blackfish” on CNN: Documentary about Captive Orca Whales Goes Mainstream

The public reaction to a documentary about captive orca whales showed an empathy we don't usually associate with TV audiences.

James Trimarco | Oct 25, 2013

50 Years On, Dylan’s “Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” Still Speaks Truth to Power

New generations of singers continue to adapt the song to talk about how injustice plays out in cases like those of Trayvon Martin and Rachel Corrie.

Erika Lundahl | Oct 24, 2013

Native rights

A Win for Indigenous History at Columbia University

Students in Columbia's Native American Council think the University could do more to acknowledge indigenous history, and they're helping to make it happen.

Nur Lalji | Oct 23, 2013

Why the Climate Movement Should Have No “Keystone”

We must call for what we really need—an end to all new fossil fuel infrastructure and extraction.

Arielle Klagsbrun, David Osborn, Kirby Spangler, Maryam Andragi | Oct 22, 2013

Renewable energy

Pro-Coal Kids’ Pages Pulled from Government Site as Public Pressure Increases

Two sections that essentially told kids that coal was safe and good for the environment disappeared today from the website of a state agency in Illinois.

Jeff Biggers | Oct 15, 2013

Emma Goldman street art. Photo by Dr. Case.

Why the Government Shutdown Is Not Anarchist Utopia

Real anarchists aren't just for abolition of the state. They're for a society in which ordinary people can freely and democratically govern themselves.

Nathan Schneider | Oct 4, 2013

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Meet its Real-Life, Climate-Defending, Disney-Dissenting Villains

When their name appeared in Joss Whedon's new TV show, the environmentalist group Rising Tide took to social media to fight back.

James Trimarco | Oct 2, 2013

One Vibe Founders photo courtesy of One Vibe Entertainment

Mental health

The Nairobi Mall Attack: Let’s Give Our Boys Something Better to Be a Part Of

When the Westgate Mall was attacked by a terrorist group that aggressively recruits young men, one Kenyan asked—how can we respond to the pain and vulnerability of our boys before groups like Al-Shabab can reach them?

Simon Okelo | Sep 28, 2013

Domestic Worker photo by Sharon Mollerus

Jobs

White House Makes History by Granting Minimum Wage to Home Care Workers

The Obama administration makes good on its promise to give direct care workers the same rights as nearly everyone else—and to top it all off, California follows suit.

Christa Hillstrom | Sep 28, 2013

Indian Garment Workers photo by UUSC4all

Jobs

For Safer Factories, CEOs Are Listening to Workers on the Frontlines

The future of corporate responsibility means hearing firsthand from factory workers about their conditions.

Samir Goswami | Sep 19, 2013

Citizens United

6 Good Things Occupy Wall Street Made Possible (That You Probably Already Take for Granted)

Now that the encampments are gone, what do we have to show for our movement? As it turns out, quite a bit.

James Trimarco | Sep 18, 2013

Straw Poll at Zuccotti Park. Photo by Collin Anderson.

Occupy at Two: How a Flawed and Fleeting Utopia Changed the World

Author Rebecca Solnit brings you back to the encampments of Occupy, and to the months that forged new friendships, changed the horizons of possibility, and terrified elites.

Rebecca Solnit | Sep 17, 2013

Lincoln Memorial LightBrigade. Photo by Elvert Barnes.

How People Pushed Back on Syria—and Slowed the March Toward War

In Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other cases, the people protested and got war anyway. Why—at least, so far—has the story played out differently with Syria?

Sarah van Gelder | Sep 12, 2013

Finding the Gold in “Tough” Neighborhoods

To transform economically and socially depressed areas into healthy, vibrant communities, we have to focus on their strengths and trust residents to solve their own problems.

Jay Walljasper | Sep 12, 2013