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.
Political Power
精东影业 believes in the fundamental right of people to determine their own political future, and reports on efforts to expand access to democracy and voter enfranchisement, while also acknowledging the limits of electoral politics, and “democracy” as it has been used as a bludgeon by imperial powers.
When This Teacher鈥檚 Ethnic Studies Classes Were Banned, His Students Took the District to Court鈥攁nd Won
Curtis Acosta's classes in Mexican American Studies gave kids pride in their heritage鈥攗ntil the Arizona Legislature canceled them. That's when his students became activists, and some real-life lessons began.
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.
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.
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.
Edward Snowden’s TED Talk Offers Guided Tour of NSA Leaks
The former NSA contractor, who is living in asylum in Russia, spoke from the screen of a wheeled robot.
The 鈥淭wilight鈥� Manifesto: What Pop Culture Gets Wrong鈥攁nd Right鈥擜bout Masculinity
Blockbuster series like Twilight have left their mark on a generation of girls, but what message are they sending boys? Here are a few to look out for.
These Seattle Teachers Boycotted Standardized Testing鈥攁nd Sparked a Nationwide Movement
Parents, students, and teachers all over the country have joined the revolt to liberate our kids from a test-obsessed education system.
W. Virginia’s Grassroots Response to Water Crisis: A Movement in the Making?
Community responses to the Elk River chemical spill draw on West Virginia's long, proud history of grassroots work for environmental and economic justice.
John Lewis鈥� Moving Graphic Novel Brings the Civil Rights Struggle to a New Generation
In the tradition of 鈥淢aus鈥� and 鈥淧ersepolis,鈥� 鈥淢arch鈥� tells the story of young African Americans who, like its author, rose up from the Jim Crow South to assert their human rights.
This Is What Happened When Scholastic Tried to Bring Pro-Coal Propaganda to School
鈥淭he United States of Energy鈥� was a colorful series of lessons on the advantages of coal, aimed at 4th-graders鈥攁nd sponsored by Big Coal. Here鈥檚 how educators and activists worked together to get it out of classrooms.
Teenage Defender of First Nations Rights Becomes Literal Superhero
Shannen Koostachin, a teenage activist who died before ever seeing the results of her work, has inspired a new hero in the DC Universe.
A 精东影业 Tour of Oscar Winners Through the Decades
The upcoming Academy Awards will recognize some of 2013鈥檚 best social justice-themed films. Here are some of our favorite past winners.
From Trayvon Martin to Jordan Davis: Can Art Provide Justice When Courts Fail?
"Having not been a judge or a witness who could've helped communicate what Michael Dunn did, my art is the only way I can give Jordan Davis justice."
Tiny Houses for the Homeless: An Affordable Solution Catches On
A growing number of towns and cities have found a practical solution to homelessness through the construction of tiny-house villages鈥攁nd housing officials are taking notice.
How the Fight Against Alabama’s Anti-Immigrant Law Transformed a Community
Gwendolyn Ferreti Manjarrez is an organizer with the Alabama Coalition for Immigrant Justice. Here, she speaks about the role of grassroots groups in the fight to roll back HB 56.
In Pete Seeger’s Letters, A Voice for Justice Sings On
In the midst of Seeger's countless documents was one that stood out. The editor who found it reflects on coming back to that letter today.
Darth Vader’s Death Star Created Jobs, Too! New Video Pokes Fun at Keystone Pipeline Claims
The public comment period for the Keystone XL pipeline opened on Wednesday. This video is the comment from California-based climate group Movement Generation.
“So My Daughter Won’t Have To”: Why Kelly Sue DeConnick Fights to Make Women Welcome in Comics
Kelly Sue DeConnick is a woman author working in the comic book industry, who's had successful titles in both mainstream and independent forms. In this Q&A, she talks about her feminism, creativity, and her love for old-school "exploitation" movies.
Growing Concern Over Japan’s Dolphin Hunt Leads to Widespread Outcry
The dolphin massacre depicted in the Oscar-winning film The Cove took place again this year. But the reaction to it shows a changing public mindset toward the rights of sea mammals.
Photo Essay: Pete Seeger鈥檚 Life on the Hudson
In December 2007, 精东影业 editor-in-chief Sarah van Gelder interviewed Pete Seeger in his home in Beacon, New York. Seeger showed Sarah his family photo albums, his DIY solar-powered car, and, of course, a whole wall filled with banjos.
“We Shall Overcome”: Democracy Now! Remembers Folk Icon Pete Seeger
Folksinger and lifelong activist Pete Seeger passed away on Jan. 27. He was a constant presence in the labor and antiwar movements, and an innovator in the use of music to create solidarity and social change. In this video, Democracy Now! commemorates Seeger's life and work.
Why the Smartphone Became the Lightsaber of the Environmental Justice Movement
From West Virginia to the Gulf Coast, residents of communities facing environmental problems are discovering that visual storytelling brings results. Their number-one tool is the humble smartphone.
Paradise Farmed: Inside Kaua’i’s Local Food Movement
The issue of local food is more urgent when you're more than 2,400 miles away from the nearest continent.
India’s Own “Occupy”: How a New Political Party is Battling Corruption鈥攁nd Winning
A few months ago, India's Aam Aadmi Party was a curiosity; now, it鈥檚 a call for pro-democracy movements elsewhere to step up their game.
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