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.
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...
Oakland to launch alternative response program for nonviolent 911 calls
Following successful alternative policing programs in Denver and Newark, Oakland, California is the latest city to adopt such a program with an initiative to redirect nonviolent, noncriminal calls to mobile teams of civilians. Projected to launch this fall, the program is called Mobile Read More...
New version of "The Oregon Trail" finally portrays Indigenous perspectives
When it was first launched in 1971 as a computer game, “The Oregon Trail” told the story of white settlers traveling across the American West in 1848 and let players assume the roles of wagon leaders whose mission was to keep people and cattle alive while facing starvation and other threats. A Read More...
Jaden Smith's free vegan food truck is a restaurant for the homeless
For his 21st birthday back in 2019, Jaden Smith, son of famed actor Will Smith, decided to celebrate with the launch of his series of 'I Love You' vegan food trucks that provide free, healthy, and sustainable meals to the homeless community of Skid Row in Los Angeles. Now, 22-year-old Smith Read More...
Degree Inclusive is the first deodorant designed for people with disabilities
'Inclusivity.' It’s a term that is coming up more and more frequently as humanity strives towards a more equitable playing field that addresses the historic exclusion of marginalized and minority voices and needs. On the topic of diversity, most discussion circles around race and class, Read More...
Alabama removes anti-LGBTQ language from sexual education curriculums
Sexual education classes are a critical component of health education, but the content and quality of these curriculums vary widely from state to state. For example, only 22 US states actually require schools to teach sex education. In Alabama, curriculums in much of the state emphasize Read More...
Cob on Wood is a refuge center that empowers the unsheltered in Oakland
A charming refuge for the unsheltered in Oakland has taken form under a highway overpass in West Oakland thanks to a coalition of organizations and members of both the housed and unhoused community. The structures are made of “cob,” a mixture of organic materials including sand, subsoil, water, Read More...
Stimulus checks were critical in dropping hunger rates during pandemic
Back in April, we wrote about how Americans were overwhelmingly using their stimulus checks to cover basic expenses and reduce their personal debt. Now, according to new census data, stimulus checks, in conjunction with expanded access to SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits, Read More...