Why Is There So Much Violence in Chicago? Lack of Resources and Systemic Racism

A guiding principle of many activists is that making change doesn’t require starting from scratch. Instead, we can look to the people who are already doing the work and build from there. That was the idea behind the Chicago Transformation Collab, a three-day event in June that brought together Black and brown organizers, artists, public defenders, and other stakeholders working to rethink approaches to crime and policing in the city. MORE

Misogyny Is Fueling the Country’s Gun Violence Epidemic, Experts Say

There’s a large piece missing from many of the conversations around gun violence, some academics, lawmakers, and other experts said. We are not sufficiently talking about the role that misogyny — and, often, its collision with white supremacy — plays in gun violence.   There are a lot of guns and a lot of anger — much of which is fueled by misogyny and white supremacy that spreads like a wildfire because of social media.  MORE

NPT Review Conference Ends Without Agreement: What Next?

Last week, after four weeks of deliberations, the 10th Review Conference of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty concluded with no final agreement. The holdout on the final document was, not surprisingly, Russia. But the failure to adopt a final document does not necessarily imply a failed conference. Proposals discussed during an NPT Review Conference can take a life of their own despite – or even stimulated by – the lack of agreed outcome. MORE

How Kazakhstan Gave Up Nuclear Weapons

Between 1949 and 1989, the Soviet Union conducted at least 450 nuclear tests in Kazakhstan. In doing so, it spread nuclear contamination across an area five times larger than New York’s Long Island. As the Soviet Union was breaking apart, the people of Kazakhstan embarked on a grassroots movement weaving denuclearization and the quest for national independence into an international effort with other nuclear-affected peoples. MORE

If Biden Wants to Talk Nuclear Weapons, China Says U.S. Needs Less of Them

As tensions over Taiwan continue to rage with the second visit by U.S. lawmakers in as many weeks to the disputed island, the United States and China remain at odds over Washington's efforts to add limits to Beijing's growing nuclear weapons arsenal. The People's Republic said that if President Joe Biden's administration wants to engage in nuclear talks in good faith, he must first take steps to reduce his own country's far larger arsenal. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to Protect Children in Agriculture

In the United States, children as young as 12 are legally allowed to work in the fields with little to no protections. And every day around 33 children are seriously injured in an agriculture-related incident. The Children's Act for Responsible Employment and Farm Safety, H.R. 7345, or CARE Act, would help end exploitative child labor and protect child laborers. Justice for Migrant Women urges us to tell our legislators to co-sponsor the CARE Act. TAKE ACTION

Federal Courts Chip Away at a Vision for a Humane Immigration System 

The U.S. Supreme Court decided last month to delay hearing a case regarding the reinstatement of immigration enforcement priorities released last year by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. This has serious implications for how immigration enforcement is carried out, with direct consequences for immigrant families, including those with U.S. citizen children. MORE

How Immigration Can Offset the U.S. Labor Shortage and Rising Inflation

The United States is struggling with a labor shortage due to a low level of workforce participation amid the pandemic and baby boomers reaching retirement age. The current labor force participation rate is still below the pre-pandemic level in early 2020. Economists have long warned that immigration levels would need to ramp up to offset baby boomers’ retirement. But immigration has been declining in the United States since 2016. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Protect Our Public Waters from New Offshore Drilling

Our climate cannot afford more federal offshore oil and gas drilling. Every gallon of oil extracted from our coastal floor is possible because of a lease sale. Data proves that new federal leasing won’t lower gas prices now or for decades — but it will irreversibly harm our communities and our environment, all while fast-tracking climate disaster. Earthjustice urges us to tell the federal government to say no to new leases. TAKE ACTION

Outrage in Appalachia Over Manchin’s “Vile” Pipeline

Senator Paul Manchin, who receives more campaign financing from the fossil fuel industry—including pipeline companies—than any other lawmaker in Congress, had agreed to back his party’s historic climate legislation before the crucial midterm elections. But only after he negotiated a side deal to fast-track the Mountain Valley pipeline.  Area residents are calling it “a deal with the devil.”  MORE

California Votes To Ban New Gas Car Sales By 2035

California air regulators voted last week to approve stringent rules that would ban the sale of new gasoline cars by 2035 and set interim targets to phase the cars out. The measure is a historic one in the U.S. and would be one of the first such bans worldwide. It has major implications for the U.S. car market, given how large California's economy is. Multiple states are expected to follow suit. MORE

5 Things to Look for In Anti-Trafficking Organizations You Support

Some 40 million people are enslaved around the world today, though estimates vary. There are many organizations with a mission to end human trafficking. When looking to get involved with an organization, there are several factors to examine – and some things to be wary of. Love146, with a vision of ending child trafficking and exploitation, outlines five considerations. MORE

Slavery and War Are Tightly Connected          

Modern slavery takes many different forms, including child soldiers, sex trafficking, and forced labor, and no country is immune. Scholars of modern slavery seek to understand how and why human beings are still bought, owned, and sold in the 21st century, in hopes of shaping policies to eradicate these crimes. Many of the answers trace back to causes like poverty, corruption, and inequality. But they also stem from something less discussed: war. MORE

Hundreds Protest Against Release of 11 Convicted Rapists in India

Hundreds of people across India have protested against a recent government decision to free 11 men who had been jailed for life for gang-raping a Muslim woman during devastating religious riots in 2002. Protesters in the country’s capital, New Delhi, chanted slogans and called for the government in the western state of Gujarat to rescind the decision. Similar protests were held in several other states across the country. MORE

Domestic Violence Survivors Come Clean About the Reality Behind Some of the Picture-Perfect Social Media Moments

Many domestic violence victims take great pains to create a social media presence that offers a perfect, anesthetized version of their relationship. Some survivors are telling their true stories: re-posting Instagram photos she posted of her previous relationship, and now revealing horrifying stories of emotional and physical abuse behind the picture-perfect moments curated while suffering abuse. MORE

TAKE ACTION: Tell Congress to End Felony Disenfranchisement

Every citizen deserves a vote. But as of 2020, one in 16 Black Americans of voting age have lost their voting rights due to unjust felony voting laws and our criminal legal system that locks up people of color and poor people at a disproportionate rate. Common Cause urges us to tell Congress and our state legislators to overturn unjust felony voting laws and ensure that no one is wrongfully denied a say in our democracy. TAKE ACTION

How Tenants Use Digital Mapping to Track Bad Landlords and Gentrification

Between 2005 and 2015, Oakland, CA witnessed more than 32,402 unlawful eviction proceedings, according to data obtained by the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project (AEMP) through record requests. But AEMP hopes to change these statistics by providing tenants and housing advocates with map-based data to challenge these evictions. The project is part of a rising tide of social justice cartography, where maps are being harnessed for activism. MORE

As Students Go Back to School, Many Face a Lunch Bill for the First Time In 2 Years

After two years of free meals, families are once again being asked to apply for free or reduced-price meal programs. Congress' decision to not extend a pandemic benefit that provided free meals to all students regardless of need will soon hit the pocketbooks of parents and provide new challenges for schools still grappling to return to normal. MORE

Alan Miller is scheduled to be executed on September 22 by the state of Alabama for the murders of Lee Holdbrooks, Christopher Scott Yancy, and Terry Jarvis. Please hold Alan, Lee, Christopher, Terry, their families, and the people of Alabama in prayer. TAKE ACTION

John Ramirez is scheduled to be executed on October 5 by the state of Texas for the murder of Pablo Castro. Please hold John, Pablo, their families, and the people of Texas in prayer. TAKE ACTION

Benjamin Cole is scheduled to be executed on October 20 by the state of Oklahoma for the murder of Brianna Cole. Please hold Benjamin, Brianna, their families, and the people of Oklahoma in prayer. TAKE ACTION