Black Lives Matter

‘This Is Historic’: Why the Van Dyke Guilty Verdict Is a Victory For the Movement For Black Lives

In an interview, Black Lives Matter organizer Aislinn Pulley explains why she sees the verdict as a step toward dismantling the systems of racist policing and economic inequality that have defined Chicago for decades.

Miles Kampf-Lassin

The Inside-Outside Approach to Bernie 2020

Endorse, but play the long game.

Peter Frase

With Rahm Out, Chicago’s Black Youth Demand Mayoral Candidates Side With Communities—Not Police

A community survey says residents don’t want a police academy on Chicago’s West Side. Six mayoral candidates weigh in.

Isabel Bloom

Seeking Justice for Laquan McDonald—Without Relying on Prisons

Locking up killer cop, Jason Van Dyke, won't address the root cause of his violence.

Benji Hart

How Young Black Radicals Put the World on Notice

Charlene Carruthers’ new book, Unapologetic, showcases a queer women-led black liberation movement that’s upending past paradigms.

Salim Muwakkil

On the Complexities of Calling 911, Even in Cases of Sexual Violence

A police abolitionist and anti-rape advocate explains why involving the police doesn't always ensure safety.

Alisa Bierria

There’s Nothing New About Not Calling the Cops

Communities of color have long led the way in reducing reliance on police—because they have to.

Benji Hart

Shaming White People for Calling the Cops Is Just the First Step

Next, we have to reduce our reliance on police.

Derecka Purnell

Law Enforcement Has Quietly Backed Anti-Protest Bills in at Least 8 States Since Trump’s Election

And that may be the tip of the iceberg.

Simon Davis-Cohen and Sarah Lazare

Ta-Nehisi Coates Made the Case for Reparations—Here’s Who Is Making the Plan

Black scholars and organizers are thinking beyond just a check.

Dayton Martindale

Cooperative Banking for Black Lives

After facing decades of disinvestment and targeting by powerful financial institutions, African-American-owned credit unions could offer a way to build economic power and grow black wealth.

Valerie Vande Panne

INVESTIGATION: The Troubled History of the Fund Tapped for Rahm’s Controversial Cop Academy

$20 million in West Side TIF money for job creation has sat unspent, and another $36 million was "ported" to other districts. Now more than $10 million is being used for a police academy that will create only 100 temporary jobs.

Rebecca Burns

The Arc of History Doesn’t Bend Toward Justice On Its Own.

It’s been 50 years since the Kerner Commission report was released, and institutional racism still pervades our society.

Joel Bleifuss

Behind the Explosion in Socialism Among American Teens

The dramatic growth of YDSA chapters confirms that millennials don’t think capitalism is working for them.

Rebecca Stoner

When They Call You a Terrorist

Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Khan-Cullors on her path to activism and being criminalized at age 12.

Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha bandele

Centrist Think Tanks Won’t Save Our Cities

Economic democracy must come from below.

Gar Alperovitz

How SWAT Team Expos Are Militarizing Police Departments Across the Country

Instead of disaster preparedness and storm relief, resources are being funneled into violent police trainings and arms exchanges.

Tara Tabassi

Barbara Lee’s War on War

Washington’s voice of conscience since 9/11.

Matthew Cunningham-Cook