Social Justice

“Now They Can’t Get Me to Stop Talking”: How a Teenage Tobacco Farmworker in North Carolina Found Her Voice

In North Carolina, when school gets out each summer, a stream of young people—nearly all Latino—head into the fields to help bring in the state’s most profitable crop: tobacco. Neftali Cuello was twelve years old when she first accompanied her family into the fields.

Neftali Cuello | Jun 2, 2014

Activism

Tennessee Tied Teachers’ Jobs to Standardized Test Scores. Here’s How They Pushed Back—And Won.

The teachers found their careers at risk when an erratic statistical tool became a key measure of their success.

Molly Rusk | May 31, 2014

Activism

Remembering Maya Angelou: Fiery Poet of Peace

In Angelou’s poem “A Brave and Startling Truth,” we can sense the poet’s yearning for a more peaceful and loving future.

May 29, 2014

Cameron Esposito does stand up at the Crown Tap Room in Chicago. Photo by Erin Nekervis/Flickr.

Activism

From Stand-up to Twitter, A New Generation’s Fresh Take on Storytelling

Today's storytellers show that each of us can be part of something more powerful, diverse, and creative than we might have imagined.

Sarah van Gelder | May 24, 2014

Activism | Citizens United

Meet 6 Nutrition Blogger Moms Who Crashed the McDonald’s Shareholder Meeting

Current trends suggest one in three kids will develop Type 2 diabetes as adults. These moms told McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson what they think about the fast food industry targeting their kids.

May 23, 2014

Activism

The War on Drugs Destroys Lives—Here Are 6 Things You Can Do About It

The movement to end the violence through the decriminalization of drugs has never had so much momentum. And it's never been easier to get involved.

Wendy Call | May 17, 2014

Barbara Rose Johns image courtesy of Moton Museum

Activism

Meet the Girl Who Sparked Brown v. The Board of Education With a High School Walkout

The stories of people behind the landmark decision—like that of 16-year-old Barbara Rose Johns—are even more compelling and inspiring than the sea-changing ruling itself.

Nadine Bloch | May 17, 2014

Alfred Ray and Willa Price. Photo courtesy Alfred Ray Price.

Local economies | Jobs

The Coal Workers You Didn’t Know Existed—And Why They May Be At Risk

Thousands of workers may be at risk of chronic disease from the chemicals used to process coal—including MCHM, which recently contaminated the drinking water of nearly 300,000 West Virginia residents.

Erin L. McCoy | May 9, 2014

4 Da Mountains. Image courtesy Da Cloth.

Criminal justice reform

New York Inmates Draw Strength from Prison-Themed Hip-Hop Album

Members of the Rochester-based group Da Cloth have sent the tape to more than 150 inmates.

Nur Lalji | May 8, 2014

Activism

How Macklemore’s Trumpet Player Is Bringing Music Back to His Kenyan Hometown

The Madaraka festival is a celebration of African cultural heritage and modern-day entrepreneurship—and the proceeds will help build a recording studio for 68 youth in Kenya.

May 7, 2014

Activism

The Game of Thrones Rape Scene: Why We Can’t Pretend It Never Happened

Pretending that a rape never happened is a problem—regardless of whether it took place in fiction or reality.

Leigh Finke | May 6, 2014

Explainer: Agriculture and Human Rights

A journey into agriculture, from early irrigation to industrial farms.

May 2, 2014

Explainer: Garment Manufacturing and Human Rights

A journey into the garment industry, from Elizabethan England to Rana Plaza.

May 1, 2014

Activism

This Fifth-Grader Raised $200,000 to Clean Up the Gulf Oil Spill by Selling Watercolors

These three young activists found creative ways to tackle issues from climate change to voting rights.

Christine St. Pierre, Miles Becker | May 1, 2014

Activism

When This Teacher’s Ethnic Studies Classes Were Banned, His Students Took the District to Court—and Won

Curtis Acosta's classes in Mexican American Studies gave kids pride in their heritage—until the Arizona Legislature canceled them. That's when his students became activists, and some real-life lessons began.

Jing Fong | Apr 26, 2014

Meet the Real-Life Inmates Fighting for Mothers’ Rights at “Orange Is the New Black” Prison

On issue after issue, women prisoners have learned to be their own strongest advocates.

Victoria Law | Apr 26, 2014

Native rights

Brought Together by Keystone Pipeline Fight, “Cowboys and Indians” Heal Old Wounds

As natives and ranchers work together to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline, they're also learning to understand one another's history, culture, and relationship with the land.

Kristin Moe | Apr 25, 2014

Native rights

Photo Essay: “Cowboys and Indians” Against Keystone XL Bring Newfound Unity to DC

On the frontlines of resistance to the Keystone XL pipeline, ranchers and tribal members join forces in a striking display of solidarity.

Kristin Moe | Apr 24, 2014

Citizens United

They Started by Blockading a Bus Full of Detainees—And Went on to Shake Up the Immigration Debate

A look at the growing influence of undocumented voices in the movement for immigrant rights.

Ray Stoeve | Apr 17, 2014

Activism

Why Saul Alinsky, Author of “Rules” for Social Change, Would Probably Break Them Today

Most organizers today believe that Alinsky taught to focus on building organizations and not social movements. But the author's own political work shows a more flexible approach.

Mark Engler, Paul Engler | Apr 11, 2014

Native rights | Climate

Get Intersectional! (Or, Why Your Movement Can’t Go It Alone)

"Intersectionality" has evolved from a theory of how oppression works to a notion of how people can fight it.

Kristin Moe | Apr 5, 2014

Activism

Video: Festival Brings Spirit of Kenya’s Independence Movement to the US

The Swahili word "madaraka" means "self-realization." The festival bearing that name seeks to empower youth to create positive change in their own lives, their communities, and the world.

Apr 4, 2014

Cooperatives | Local economies

After Death of Radical Mayor, Mississippi’s Capital Wrestles With His Economic Vision

Mayor Chokwe Lumumba implemented only the first steps of his plan to address Jackson's extreme income inequality, which most seriously affected black residents. Now the city faces a choice between vastly different approaches to economic development.

Laura Flanders | Apr 2, 2014

Activism

Legalization is a Human Rights Issue: Latin America Steps Up Resolve to End the Drug Wars

On the heels of pot legalization in Washington and Colorado, the movement for less punitive drug policy is coalescing at every level. Its new leaders could come from the very countries that have suffered the most.

Wendy Call | Mar 22, 2014