144 issues · 2020–2023
The crisis in Congo is the result of decades of colonialization, violence, and the exploitation of the land and its people.
The censure of Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who was silenced after expressing her criticism of the Israeli and U.S. governments, follows a history of suppressing political dissent.
Although voting is a powerful tool for democracy, going beyond the ballot is critical for our collective wellbeing.
Colonialism is often seen through a historical lens despite dispossession and exploitation being a present reality for many current and formerly colonized people.
Muslim communities have been subjected to cycles of extreme Islamophobia based on the belief that they're a threat to U.S. life.
Propaganda and unsubstantiated claims make it harder to filter out disinformation and feed into harmful stereotypes.
Examining the role of qualified immunity and the U.S. judicial system in keeping law enforcement from facing accountability.
Our understanding of genocide is so narrow that when one meets the criteria, it is rarely seen or accepted.
From police brutality to bombing for peace, state-sanctioned violence has been normalized as a necessary tool against "true" violent acts.
A Study Hall discussing the Israel-Palestinian crisis and how to hold space for the civilians caught in the middle.
With the latest re-escalation of the Israel-Hamas conflict, it's important to understand the broader context of the conflict.
The fight for immigrant justice grows as the future of almost 600,000 people becomes uncertain with the recent DACA ruling.
Discussions on the lack of government transparency sparked following the Congressional hearing on UAPS and the possibility of aliens.
Examining how the latest changes to the citizenship test have made it even more challenging to become a U.S. citizen.
Though it portrays itself as a defender of democracy, the United States has intervened in foreign elections more than any other country.
White supremacist groups pose the highest risk to our nation's security. Yet, most counterterrorism programs unfairly target communities of color, especially after 9/11.
Residents of the U.S. territories were categorized as "sort of" Americans by the Supreme Court, which has led to their continued exploitation and neglect.
Following Trump's presidency, liberals have been plotting an exit strategy from red states, ignoring the limitations and consequences of such a move.
Georgia's expanded domestic terrorism statutes are being deployed to suppress anti-racist and anti-police brutality protests.
Before five wealthy men perished in the Titan submersible, 500 migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Greece with minimal news coverage.
What will come of efforts to diversify college campuses with the end of affirmative action in higher education?
Stop Cop City protesters and bail fund organizers accused of "terrorism" in the latest attempt to stifle discontent for the project.
Silencing criticism of Israel by claiming that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are identical is unacceptable. We can fight antisemitism while also supporting Palestinian rights and free speech.
Major U.S. corporations, lawmakers, and the Biden administration are actively exploiting child labor to secure votes and corporate profits.
Recent attacks on contraception threaten to undo decades of progress made by the landmark Griswold v. Connecticut ruling.
The Transcontinental Railroad is hailed as one of the country's greatest engineering feats, but the immigrants who built it have long been ignored.
From reproductive health to LGBQT+ rights, Florida has been a hot spot for many of the country's major social issues.
De facto residential segregation is increasing today, creating segregated hospitals, schools, and transportation systems—the very things permitted by Plessy v. Ferguson.
Despite ongoing inhumane treatment and policies, immigrant rights receive significantly less attention from the media, public, and legislators post-elections.
Recent shooting incidents have renewed conversations on “stand your ground” laws, their impact, and who is protected by the self-defense law.
Leveraging human life for normalcy has been the theme of the U.S. pandemic response.
Recent discussions of the U.S. invading Mexico follow a history of the U.S. invading and meddling in Latin America, including the Bay of Pigs invasion.
The Fair Housing Act broke down barriers in the housing market, but over a century of discriminatory practices continue to linger.
The Ciudad Juárez fire tragedy is not an outlier but a direct result of deprioritizing human life in U.S. immigration policies.
Congress is trying to greatly reduce U.S. residents' privacy rights through legislation banning TikTok, using rhetoric with anti-Asian tropes.
The addition of a MENA category would recognize a community that has been rendered invisible by the government.
With the current political and economic system, special measures to protect financial markets are seen as urgent over efforts to support the survival of everyday people.
The RICO Act was initially passed to prosecute the Mafia but has since been used against protesters, doctors, and artists.
Learn how Seattle’s decision to ban caste discrimination addresses how caste discrimination affects the workplace.
Railroad workers warned that a wreck like a derailment in East Palestine would occur unless officials mitigated railroad companies' power.
The U.S. legal system played a vital role in constructing the country's understanding of race and whiteness, as was the case of Bhagat Singh Thind.
The outcome of the Perez v. Sturgis Public Schools case will affect the redress disabled students have in resolving disability rights violations from schools.
This year, the importance of participating in politics and our communities were greatly emphasized, from court rulings to the polarizing political campaigning of key issues.
A protest movement to stop Cop City and protect an Atlanta forest continues despite a brutal police raid on the protest encampment.
Cities and states are developing unprecedented reparations initiatives to address economic inequities and historical injustice against Black people.
Concerns of an imminent population collapse stoke fear that humanity is about to face its biggest threat due to declining birth rates globally.
Historically, the United States government has stripped, ignored, and infringed on the water rights of Indigenous communities.
Initiatives like land rematriation aren't just reparations but a clear way to dismantle white supremacy and center Indigenous communities.
Despite political messaging during the 2022 midterms, violent crime rates are not just a blue or red state nor an urban or rural occurrence.
News of the BTS army draft is a reminder of the U.S. proxy war whose burden has fallen on Korean citizens on both sides of the border.
The Supreme Court reviews a case that, if upheld, will reverse strides in rectifying the cultural genocide and displacement of Native families.
The United States' role in global affairs has been instrumental in the creation of transracial and international adoption politics.
The 2022 Midterm Elections results will have consequences we can't yet predict, but it's important to keep fighting for a better society.
State and local governments, organizers, and activists are worried about violence on Election Day and over the coming weeks.
Here's an explainer on voter ID laws, how the contentious legislation came to pass, who they affect, and why they're so controversial.
Trust in this year’s midterms is low, and far-right organizations are trying to influence the vote by intimidating poll workers and voters.
In pursuit of voter fraud, policies said to protect the electoral system create barriers to access and penalties for voters.
An explainer on President Biden's marijuana pardon and its impact on drug incarceration and decriminalization efforts.
People have taken to the streets in weeks-long protests against the killing of Mahsa Amini and Iran's discriminatory and compulsory veiling laws.
The toll from the Roe v. Wade reversal emphasizes that this is not just a loss of abortion access but part of a broader attack on reproductive health and bodily autonomy, with the most marginalized feeling the brunt of the attack.
Prioritizing equitable education, housing, public health services, and more can help reduce crime and police dependency.
The influx of Mexican journalists killed in the past decade are deeply connected to the U.S., which has backed the policies that increased their risk of reporting.
An explainer on the Supreme Court, the federal judiciary's highest court, which has been instrumental in leveraging and stripping rights.
The use of the phrase "woke" has strayed far from its roots and has been co-opted by conservatives and mainstream culture to discredit calls for accountability and justice.
The worker shortage argument is misleading and ignores the fact the country continues to fail civilians by not raising the minimum wage and implementing lifesaving social safety net programs.
Demands for stricter red flag laws and mass surveillance won't stop gun violence but will disproportionately affect marginalized people.
Policies like Title 42 and Remain in Mexico fail to address or deter migration but ensure the journey to the U.S. is more dangerous.
The controversy surrounding Brittney Griner's case reflects the discrimination that women and LGBTQ+ athletes experience at all levels of success.
A breakdown of four key Supreme Court rulings in the 2021-22 term that will have major rippling effects on the country beyond the individual cases.
The recent Supreme Court rulings pose a threat to religious freedom in the country as the separation of church and state erodes.
In overturning abortion rights, Justice Thomas urged the court to reconsider other decisions that used "substantive due process precedents."
With the overturning of Roe v. Wade, here are the ways we can further prepare and mobilize for safe abortion access and reproductive health.
The introduction of the Puerto Rico Status Act acknowledges the history of colonization against the island and sets a path for radically shifting the island's relationship with the U.S.
Given the political landscape, protecting reproductive healthcare will require more than voting and liberal electoral feminism.
More than 60 years later, the Loving v. Virginia case continues to be “one of the most significant legal decisions of the civil rights era.”
Since the protests in summer 2020, over 100 pieces of anti-protest legislation have been introduced or implemented across the U.S.
From preventing civil rights legislation and raising the minimum wage, the filibuster has always been a racist means of hindering progress.
While necessary in a democracy, having diverse political representation fails to ensure that marginalized people or their needs will be addressed.
Being an exceptional Black candidate sometimes grants access to predominantly white spaces, but at the expense of being taunted as a diversity hire.
After 200 years, the government will finally implement anti-lynching legislation which will make lynchings in America a hate crime.
The trans community across the U.S. faces an onslaught of violent state legislation. Here's a state-by-state guide on anti-trans bills in the U.S. and how you can help those fighting for trans rights.
The 2020 Census grossly undercounted communities of color, which will have rippling effects on these communities for the decade that follows.
Defunding the police allows communities to reinvest in other forms of community support while dismantling a system rooted in racism and white supremacy.
Imposing sanctions on countries is considered a peaceful way to advance human rights, but it often leads to mass suffering and death among the people we're told we're defending.
While reports of "government-funded crack pipes" are false, harm reduction activists support adding them to safe smoking kits.
Despite a common border and more than two decades of partnership, the U.S.-Mexico relationship has been contentious.
Upon the announcement of Justice Stephen Breyer's retirement, discussions on who will be his successor highlight a need for more Supreme Court representation.
International adoption is the denaturalization and transfer of thousands of children, but the U.S. isn't winning a humanitarian award for its involvement. From U.S. militarism to the white savior complex, transracial adoptees risk racial isolation as they age in a "color-blind" system.
For many marginalized communities in America, being patriotic means ignoring a history of violence and oppression that continues to this day.
It's been over a year since one of the largest movements in U.S. history, yet the American justice system is far from being reformed.
A travel ban on countries dealing with vaccine inequity won't stop the spread of COVID-19 or prevent new variants. It's vaccine apartheid created by rich nations.
People have been forced to rely on basic needs fundraising because the U.S. government has failed to address the current public crisis.
Conversations around police reforms sometimes highlight specific illegitimate acts by police officers. But law enforcement ignoring the law en masse raises deeper questions about the legitimacy of an institution with a long history of racism and brutality.
Infrastructure is necessary for creating more equitable communities. Learn how you can advocate for accessible public utilities.
Support organizations addressing community conflict, and minimizing state-sanctioned violence in the process.
And abolish the brutality at our borders.
The case of Gabby Petito highlights the need to amplify stories of all missing – particularly those most marginalized.
A reflection on Citizenship Day from teh perspective of undocumented immigrants.
Muslim communities are disproportionately targeted by counterterrorism initiatives, even when domestic terrorism is led by white men.
The disparities between those forced to rely on a public defender and those who can afford a private lawyer.
The Department of Homeland Security announced that they would start considering migrants whose cases were terminated by the Trump administration.
Simply put, there is no place for antisemitism in anti-racist work. Antisemitism is antithetical to collective liberation, and it is real. Yet, the accusation that the left is as inherently antisemitic as the right is false: antisemitism in the right, specifically in white supremacist groups, is deadly, systemically legitimized, and funded (JFREJ).
The insurrection at the Capitol hasn't deterred major corporations from contributing to individuals responsible.
The U.S. positions itself as a just country with a superior legal system where people are always considered innocent until proven guilty and always granted the right to a trial before a jury of their peers. Except this isn’t true at all. Despite the promise of the Sixth Amendment, we do not have an effective right to trial because today, the overwhelming majority of cases will never see a judge.
Israeli settlers are trying to evict Palestinian families from homes in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. “Since 1967,” says Amnesty International, “it has been the policy of successive Israeli governments to promote the creation and expansion of Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories” (Amnesty International).
According to the ACLU, 11% of U.S. citizens – or more than 21 million Americans – do not have government-issued photo identification (ACLU). Much of the conversation around the need for IDs revolves around voting, driven by the rise of legislation that states across the country are implementing that include stricter identification requirements (NPR). Marginalized groups, including those disabled, the elderly population, and people of color, are less likely to have identification than the general population, which means their voices are minimized in elections. But beyond that, the identification gap causes many issues for people across the country, particularly during COVID-19.
16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was killed on April 20th, 2021, outside of her foster home by a police officer called to help (NYTimes). The officer resorted to extreme and fatal force without issuing any clear verbal warnings or commands to the girl who had been in foster care since 2018. Unless you’ve been a child or teen in the foster care system or a foster parent, this situation may be hard to understand. As a product of the foster care system, this case hit home. In light of National Foster Care Month, I’ll be telling my story, one of hundreds of thousands of stories of current and former foster care youth in America.
Despite the strong evidence, the GOP has continued to rail against these protests by proposing legislation to prevent citizens from utilizing their constitutional right to protest. In the 2021 legislative session, 81 anti-protest bills have been introduced in 34 states – twice as many as previous years. Often veiled as “anti-riot” bills, these statements exacerbate the hateful rhetoric that demonstrations against police brutality and violence are an act of violence in themselves (NYT).
The US is the top military spender on the planet. What’s more, it spends more on its military than the next ten countries–China, India, Russia, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, the UK, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil–combined. The gargantuan military budget sponsors 800 American overseas military bases spread across more than 70 countries (Politico). In 2016, U.S. Special Operations Forces deployed to an astounding 138 countries. Given that there are only 195 countries on Earth, this means more than 70% were visited by American commandos (Forbes).
Last Thursday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed a sweeping voter suppression bill into law that allows for more legislative oversight and control on election proceedings. The bill has a couple of positive provisions, like lengthening the time of early voting in general elections, but they fail to compensate for the negative.
As an unaccompanied minor who traveled to the U.S. for refuge, Sergio shares his story and how we can support other unaccompanied youths.
In November 2020, tens of thousands of farmers and their families took to the streets and blocked highways across India to invoke a national strike. The news about the passing of three new agricultural laws hit the fan, and just as fast as rumors travel, farmers of more than 250 million people from the northern states crowded the capital city. They joined together in a protest to fight against the Indian government and their ideas for the future of farming in India.
Since his presidency began two weeks ago, President Biden has signed 26 executive orders to rewrite our political history and create a distinction between his and the previous administration. And in text, these statements are powerful. Four of them signed last Tuesday directly address racial equity, and cover topics you’ve seen in this newsletter: they stress the importance of land sovereignty for Indigenous communities, address anti-Asian sentiment due to COVID-19, reduce the use of private prisons, and acknowledge the role the federal government has played in discriminatory housing policy. The previous sentence links to previous newsletters. Read more about these orders on Politico.
On January 19, outgoing-secretary of state Mike Pompeo published a tweet that excoriated multiculturalism as “not who America is” and a ploy to “make us weaker” (NYTimes). The irony that his last name is Italian is lost on no one, though his use of the government’s imprimatur to make this racist statement is no joke. Pompeo’s denouncement is in-line with the Trump administration’s goal to sow division and erode the rights of anyone who does not align with whiteness (Forbes).
Black farmers lost 870,000 farms in the past 60 years. Now, Black farmers advocate for agricultural education in their communities.
The following are the BLM's list of demands in response to the Capitol coup shared via email. Action items in today's email reference the points made below. I've added contextual information in italics with an asterisk *.
After Kamala Harris was elected America’s first Black, Indian American, and female vice president, South Asians largely reacted with enthusiasm. A September poll found that 72 percent of Indian Americans were going to vote for the Biden-Harris ticket (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace). But when the vice president-elect takes office in a few weeks, how are South Asian American communities going to grapple with their legacies of anti-Blackness alongside their celebration of this historical milestone? How will we make sure that we reject model minority tropes and also center her Black identity?
On September 22, the Trump administration signed an executive order prohibiting “divisive concepts" in diversity training programs such as systemic race and sex discrimination and implicit race and sex biases.
There are two Senate seats up for a runoff election in January. If Democrats win both, we will have a 50/50 Senate split and a Democratic VP making tie-breaking decisions (NPR). This political power could make both a lasting and immediate impact. Some key issues have been stalled in the Senate, like the second round of coronavirus relief (Vox), that could pass more swiftly. To do this, we need to win both seats in the run-off election in Georgia.
I sometimes joke that when I moved to the United States from Mexico, I changed races. I went from being Mexican to being identified as an Asian-American by others.“You don’t look Latino,” Americans would say when I introduced myself. I was born in Mexico City to a Chinese mother and a Mexican father of Indigenous descent. Spanish was my first language, and for a while, the only one I spoke. But when I arrived in the United States at seven years old, I quickly realized that I was not allowed to claim my Latinidad because I did not fit a narrow understanding of what being Latinx was supposed to look like.
Most people don’t realize that the popular vote doesn’t choose the President of the U.S. That’s only the first step. States first vote in favor of a presidential candidate, which validates the states’ electoral college. Then, these "electors" from each of the 50 states gather in December and vote for the President (and Vice President). The person who receives a majority of votes from the "Electoral College" – at least 270 out of 538 total potential votes – becomes President (National Archives).
I need you to show up today. Our nation is at a crossroads. And the most urgent action we can take right now (if we have been granted the right) to transform this nation is to vote in the U.S. Presidential election.
This week, the Senate holds confirmation hearings for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who was nominated as the next Supreme Court justice appointment. As you watch, be sure to listen for how her confirmation may impact how the U.S. responds to this racial reckoning for decades to come.
With over 208,000 people lost and 7.5M reported cases, yesterday the President told the American people not to “be afraid of COVID-19”. This tweet was sent after the President was rushed to the hospital after contracting COVID-19 last week, likely at a White House event where most participants did not wear masks or properly social distance.