Rapper Brother Ali on Privilege, Hope, and Other People’s Stories
In this exclusive interview, hip-hop artist Brother Ali talks to YES! about the personal transformations that have shaped his life and lyrics.
Social Justice
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.
Green Housing: In Buffalo, It’s Not Just for Rich People Anymore
Can we build sustainable housing that's affordable, too? The city of Buffalo did, and created a community jobs pipeline in the process. Here's what can happen when neighborhoods take the lead.
Today, One Billion Rise
Rise, strike, dance: The worldwide walkout for the end of violence against women and girls.
Arrests in Washington Signal Increasing Urgency on Keystone Pipeline
Forty-eight leaders of environmentalist groups such as the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and 350.org were arrested today while participating in civil disobedience. They were demanding that President Barack Obama stop construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Why Canada’s Indigenous Uprising Is About All of Us
When a new law paved the way for tar sands pipelines and other fossil fuel development on native lands, four women swore to be “idle no more.” The idea took off.
From the Culture of Aloha, a Path Out of Gun Violence
Beneath mainstream culture runs a current of domination, individualism, and exclusion that is harming our children. We assume this is normal—but is it really?
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.
Europe Authorizes “Robin Hood Tax” on Financial Transactions
Support for the tax on stocks, bonds, and derivatives was so strong among EU finance ministers that it wasn’t even necessary to take a formal vote.
Eleanor: The Radical Roosevelt
Hollywood just can’t seem to tell the truth about Eleanor Roosevelt, who was a fierce defender of human rights. Historian Peter Dreier steps in to set the record straight.
To Follow in MLK’s Footsteps, Join the Fight against Foreclosure
How can today’s Civil Rights leaders follow in the tradition of MLK? Lester Spence argues that foreclosures are the issue and the church may just be the solution.
Vandana Shiva: Our Violent Economy is Hurting Women
There is a connection between the growth of unjust economic policies and the intensification of crimes against women. The Delhi gang rape has triggered a revolution—one that we must sustain.
Ta’Kaiya Blaney on First Nations: “We’re Awake and We’re Standing Up”
Video: She’s only 11 years old, but she’s already been working for environmental justice for a few years now. Here, she addresses the crowd at an Idle No More event in British Columbia.
Indigenous Women Take the Lead in Idle No More
Motivated by ancient traditions of female leadership as well as their need for improved legal rights, First Nations women are stepping to the forefront of the Idle No More movement.
“Flash Mob Prayer Circle” Shows Idle No More’s Spiritual Side
Speakers at an Idle No More event in Seattle drew comparisons between spiritual and political struggles, making the movement seem closer to Civil Rights than Occupy.
Human Trafficking Awareness Day: Let’s Take a Stand for Domestic Workers
150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, it's time to recognize domestic labor as real work that should be protected.
Welcome to Blockadia!
The corporate push to construct tar-sands pipelines is transforming the environmental movement across North America by increasing the involvement of local residents and normalizing the use of direct action.
In Rural Mexico, Student-Led Education Heals Old Wounds
Unitierra has no classrooms, no teachers, and no formal curriculum. Yet the school has successfully helped local people learn practical skills for years.
Idle No More Rises to Defend Ancestral Lands—and the Planet
Bill McKibben on the tradition of environmental activism he’s seen among members of First Nations, and the unique role of the Idle No More movement in the fight against climate change.
Why First Nations Movement Is Our Best Chance for Clean Land and Water
In an urgent pursuit for environmental justice and basic human rights, First Nations gather across North America under the banner of Idle No More.
Idle No More: Indigenous Uprising Sweeps North America
Idle No More has organized the largest mass mobilizations of indigenous people in recent history. What sparked it off and what’s coming next?
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