Social Justice
Read about the newest efforts to overthrow systemic inequalities and address injustices in terms of wealth, opportunities, and privileges to make the world a better place.
Amsterdam residents can pick up a free book on the city's history of slavery
Last year, on behalf of the municipality of Amsterdam, the International Institute of Social History explored the city’s historic role in the global slave trade and published its findings in a book entitled Amsterdam and the History of Slavery. Now, all residents are offered a free copy of Read More...
Community rallies around bakery criticized for Pride celebration
After Confections, a small bakery in Lufkin, East Texas posted an image of a rainbow-colored cookie with a message in support of Pride Month, the shop, unfortunately, lost many followers and had several large clients cancel orders. In an inspirational move, people from around the world stepped up Read More...
Volunteers in Myanmar build a library for orphans out of discarded plastic
Myanmar’s Ayeyarwady River intercepts an estimated 119 tons of plastic waste per day, making it one of the most polluted waterways in the world. It is not uncommon to see plastic waste littered on the country’s roadsides and clogging up sewage drains. The excess of plastic litter inspired Read More...
To avoid stigma, Covid-19 variants will be given Greek alphabet names
Scientific names for the variants of diseases and illnesses can be complicated to say and difficult to remember, so people often fall back on distinguishing between variants based on where they were detected. This year especially, the world has seen how identifying diseases based on certain Read More...
Illinois bill bans police from lying to underage suspects
In an effort to improve the criminal justice system, Illinois became the first state this week to ban policy from giving youth false information during interrogations. This practice has been linked to higher rates of wrongful convictions and false confessions, especially among juvenile Read More...
Miss South Africa pageant opens its doors to transgender women
For the first time in South Africa’s beauty pageant history, transgender women are allowed to compete. The Miss South Africa organization published the eligibility news on their website this past Wednesday, a historic move that was met with lots of excitement and approval on social Read More...
Dancers fight to rid the ballet of harmful Asian stereotypes
Inflamed by racist stereotypes during the pandemic, cases of hate crimes against people from Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are on the rise. This bubbling over of racist attitudes hasn’t just appeared out of nowhere but is an indication of how the undercurrent of one-dimensional Read More...
LEGO unveils its first LGBTQ+ toy set titled ‘Everyone Is Awesome’
Among other things, toy-maker LEGO stands out as a role-model company when it comes to inclusivity and environmental action. Now, the company decided to also celebrate diversity — and inspire others to do so — by unveiling its inaugural LGBTQ+ set, titled 'Everyone Is Awesome.' The 346-piece Read More...
New bill aims to reduce recidivism rates with expanded resources
Introduced by bipartisan lawmakers this week, the One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act aims to tackle recidivism rates in the US. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the rate of crime after leaving prison, also known as a recidivism rate, is 49.3 percent during the eight-year period Read More...
Thought Leader Series: Improving Black student college graduation rates
The percentage of first-time, full-time undergraduate students who complete their bachelor’s degree in six years or less is 61 percent. This statistic isn’t great, but for Black students, the rate is even more alarming. Only 42 percent of first-time, full-time Black undergraduates complete a Read More...