20 Search results for "environmental issues"

“E pluribus unum”: Federalism is a reactionary structure built on anti-Blackness
by Aaron Jamal E pluribus unum — Latin for “Out of many, one.” Included in the Great Seal of the United States in 1776. The political system of the United States is in a state of perpetual crisis. The state of Tennessee has proposed a new bill that will drastically limit the voting power of […]
Michigan Congressional Candidate Running On Platform of White Supremacy
Daniel Johnson is currently running for an open congressional seat in Michigan. He reportedly even has ties to Rep. Ron Paul. His platform: environmental protection and white supremacy. Why are people like this still given the time of day in this country?
Stop Cop City: Re-defining Community Safety
Stop Cop City: The Social Movement Re-defining Community Safety In the United States, police kill over 1,000 and injure more than 51,000 people each year, with evidence suggesting that these figures could be underreported by as much as 55%. In addition to these numbers being substantially higher than other developed nations, unfortunately, they are […]
Feature: Grassroots organization BYP100 uses “radical inclusion” to combat racial injustice
Editor’s Note: This month at BYP, we will be exploring Black Liberation & Organizing, and we are interested in publishing works that address these topics. How do we hold politicians accountable to Black communities? Is that even possible? What should be our role in the electoral politics? What does abolition look like in practice? What […]
Black folks die from broken hearts all the time
*This piece is published in partnership with Breakthrough as part of By & For: Black Youth, a written series documenting the issues affecting Black girls and gender non-conforming youth.* This essay mentions death, suicide and state violence. “Memory is a tough place. You were there. If this is not the truth, it is also not a lie.” […]
Menstrual cups are for Black people, too
by Neesha Powell-Twagirumukiza I’m on a self-ordained mission in the name of periods. A few months ago, I came across a story in Teen Vogue about Black people who menstruate and are disgusted by menstrual cups. As a Black menstruator whose quality of life improved once I began using menstrual cups, I charged myself with […]
Turning the fight to save the environment into a fight for racial justice
By Teju Adisa-Farrar Growing up in West Oakland, having asthma did not seem abnormal to me. My brother often had asthma attacks and my parents would have to rush him to the emergency room. I was taken to the hospital several times to do breathing treatments using a nebulizer. When playing sports at Lowell Park […]
White feminist Paganism and the colonization of Heaven and Earth
By “DJ Ferguson” If you were to listen to “Immigrant Song” by Led Zeppelin—really listen to the words and let their meaning sink in—it becomes clear after a few verses that despite its name the song is not about immigration. It’s about colonialism. We come from the land of the ice and snow From the […]
‘Good foods’ with high pesticide residue can affect pregnancies and abilities to give birth
Arguing for improved sustenance options in America seems less than first-world. However food and water, the very substances that fuel us, remain reproductive and environmental justice issues. Food and water quality matter because they affect people as a whole, but especially people of color and those in the socio-economic margins. The specific instances vary. Environmental […]
Chief medical executive faces involuntary manslaughter charge in Flint water crisis
When people envision environmental injustice, they likely think about nations deemed “developing” instead of “first world.” However, that binary fails to explain how the United States of America includes human crises like the Flint water crisis and similar water quality issues throughout the nation. When powerful officials mishandle information about the compromised environments in which […]
White people have long tried to obscure slavery as the cause of the Civil War. Donald Trump is no different.
In a recent interview with the Washington Examiner‘s Salena Zito, Donald Trump – the current President of the United States – asked, “What caused the Civil War?” This led many in the news media to highlight the sitting president’s apparent lack of knowledge about the historical context surrounding this country’s most deadly war. While it […]
Why intersectional feminism needs reproductive justice approaches to HIV
By Jallicia Jolly Amidst the recent attacks on access to quality health care and sexual and reproductive health services, the assaults on the lives of racial and sexual minorities specifically reveal the systematic violation reserved for poor women of color, particularly Black and transgender women. The neglect of Black women’s intersectional health experiences in national […]