“Beauty Feeds a Different Kind of Hunger”: An Interview with Terry Tempest Williams
"I used to ask the question, 'Am I an activist or a writer?' I don't ask that anymore. I am simply a human being engaged."
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.
Two Years After the Eviction of OWS, Here’s 5 People Keeping the Movement Alive
Two years ago today, when Occupy Wall Street was evicted from Zuccotti Park, many wondered what was next for the movement. Two years later, we profile five projects that got their starts in the encampments and are still making change today.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Detroit Bankrupt? Six Ways the Motor City Is Thriving
National media accounts of Detroit's bankruptcy miss the growing industries, strong communities, and policy changes laying the foundation's for the city's recovery.
Syria: Six Alternatives to Military Strikes
Many of the legal and diplomatic processes that led to peace in other times of conflict haven't even been tried yet in Syria.
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