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.
New York State mandates fertility treatment coverage for same-sex couples
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s 2021 Women’s Agenda has already introduced a host of protections for women and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers such as mandating insurance coverage of in-vitro fertilization services, banning conversion therapy, and stronger protections for marriage quality. Most recently, Cuomo Read More...
The Fair Housing Act now includes protections for LGBTQ+ individuals
The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 to protect from housing discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin,” but did not explicitly include sexual orientation or gender identity. Now, motivated by a recent Supreme Court ruling, the Department Read More...
How Safe Families keeps kids out of the foster care system
Oftentimes kids wind up in foster care systems because their parents lack a basic support system that would allow them to meet their children’s basic needs. To prevent children from ever having to go through the trauma of being separated from their biological parents, an organization called Safe Read More...
Startup gives ex-cons a second chance while upcycling construction waste
One year ago, industrial commercial designer Sasha Plotitsa launched Formr, a startup that repurposes waste while transforming the lives of formerly incarcerated people, so that both have a second chance. Plotitsa’s father was a contractor, so he spent a lot of time on job sites while he was Read More...
This program in Austin aims to undo racism in the music industry
The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected many industries, but perhaps none has the weight of it so great as the music industry. Live music events and venues were some of the first to be shut down with the first wave of lockdowns and will be the last to open and function regularly once things Read More...
Nigerian farmers win 13-year case against Shell for oil spill damages
A 13-year environmental justice trial has finally come to a close with a long-awaited victory for four Nigerian farmers harmed by oil spills at the hands of Shell Nigeria. The company has been ordered by a Dutch court to compensate the farmers for oil spills that polluted their land in 2004 and Read More...
Utah activist lets people without a home set camp in his front yard
In one of the small yards adjoining the homes of the quiet Fairpark neighborhood in Salt Lake City sits an encampment made up of people experiencing homelessness. They are there at the invitation of homeowner Darin Mann. He has welcomed them to set up tents in his front yard and lets them use his Read More...
New CA vaccination sites target Covid-19 disparities
Last week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state will open two more mass vaccination sites located at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum and California State University campus in East Los Angeles. The chosen locations for the new sites represent the state’s efforts to prioritize Read More...
Meet the woman who created a safe haven for Black and Trans women in NYC
Ceyenne Doroshow knows first-hand the struggle of being a trans woman of color living on the streets. Feeling unable to express her true self in her home neighborhood of Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York, she set out on her own as soon as she reached adulthood. Unfortunately, with no shelter Read More...
Denver’s unarmed 911 response team arrested no one in its first 6 months
The waves of protests in 2020 against systematic racism and police brutality led to calls for cities to change their policing systems. Beyond just discriminatory policing, a big part of the problem was that police officers were being called on to respond to non-criminal 911 calls, something they Read More...