News

Will Bunch

July 13, 2015

In Search of Philly's 'Missing' Black Men

THE NUMBERS that drive Philadelphia prison-reform advocate Patricia Vickers on her mission aren't the big abstract ones. Not 36,000, the shocking recent estimate of young black men in Philadelphia either behind bars or dead before their time. Not 1,500,000, the national tally of what academics now call "missing black men." No, the digits that motivate the 66-year-old mom have been pounded with a sharp needle,...

Tasbeeh Herwees

July 6, 2015

A Fiery Reminder That Black Lives Matter From a Hip-Hop Artist Rhyming Behind Bars

An imprisoned hip hop artist currently serving a 10-year sentence in a California state penitentiary released a track decrying the prevalence of state violence against black communities. The song, 28 Hours , by Richie Reseda , was co-released by Black Lives Matter and Los Angeles-based art collective G.R.E.E.D.Y. City last month. With lyrics that reference the deaths of Renisha McBride, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, and...

Steven Greenhouse

July 3, 2015

Farm Labor Groups Make Progress on Wages and Working Conditions

BURLINGTON, Vt. — It was an unlikely place for a labor protest: 120 migrant workers, students and clergy members were shouting outside the flagship store of Ben & Jerry’s, which displayed a “Peace, Love and Ice Cream” sign on its facade. See the slideshow here. They were demanding that Ben & Jerry’s — which prides itself on its progressive reputation — require the Vermont dairy...

Specer Buell

July 2, 2015

MBTA Youth Pass Launch Called 'Historic' by Young Activists

It was a celebration of what young people can accomplish Wednesday as activists and officials welcomed the first swipes of the MBTA Youth Pass pilot program. In a speech, 20-year-old youth leader Kasey Shen called the launch an “historic moment,” which came after nearly a decade of advocacy from band of community organizations under the banner Youth Affordabili(T) Coalition . “Youth power!” chanted a crowd...

Sal Rodriguez

July 1, 2015

After Hunger Strikes, Solitary Confinement Reforms Come to California’s Prisons—and Leave Thousands Behind

Four years ago today, approximately 6,600 people in California prisons launched a hunger strike in protest of long-term solitary confinement. The protest would be the first of three large-scale actions by state prisoners to bring awareness to the issue of long-term solitary confinement. At the epicenter was Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City, home of the state’s oldest and most notorious Security House Unit...

Kristian Hernandez

June 27, 2015

New Law Addresses Rising Death Toll of Unidentified Border Crossers

More than 1,000 immigrants have died in the Rio Grande Valley since 2005, the majority of whose bodies remain unidentified, because local authorities lack the resources to investigate their deaths and to extract their DNA. But a bill signed June 22 by Gov. Greg Abbott tasks the Texas Forensic Science Commission (TFSC) with establishing methods of extracting DNA and other forensic evidence from unidentified bodies...

Mackenzie Rigg

June 27, 2015

New Law Eases Tuition Rules for Undocumented

DANBURY — When she was 15, Anna said goodbye to her extended family to chase her dream of a better life outside of Brazil, where she believed her opportunities for education and employment were limited. Anna went to live with her mother, who had moved to Danbury a few years earlier. Her father stayed in Brazil so he could work and provide for his family...

Joseph Erbentraut

June 25, 2015

Here's A Way To Feel Less Guilty About Your 'Orange Is The New Black' Binge

The third season of "Orange Is The New Black" came out this month, and many of us have already made our way through the 13 new episodes (not to mention fallen in love with Ruby Rose). But over the course of the show's three seasons, the Netflix series has also been the subject of some complaints. Some have argued that the dramedy offers an unrealistic...

Cole Stangler

June 22, 2015

Ben & Jerry's Agrees To Negotiate Migrant Justice Program: Renowned For Supply Chain Ethics, Ice Cream Company May Be Turning From Sour Labor Conditions On Vermont Dairy Farms

Birthed decades ago in the exodus of Northeastern hippiedom to Vermont, Ben & Jerry’s has long radiated an aura of cultural rebellion and environmental responsibility. To produce iconic flavors such as “Cherry Garcia” and “Phish Food” -- nods to the tie-dyed rock bands beloved by its green-friendly consumer base -- the ice cream manufacturer uses cage-free eggs, avoids ingredients made from genetically modified organisms and...

June 21, 2015

Immigrants strike against conditions at detention center in Arizona

Last Saturday over 200 immigrants began a hunger strike at Eloy Detention Center (read prison) in Phoenix, Arizona. The hunger strike was initiated to protest the suspicious circumstance surrounding the death of Jose de Jesus de Deniz-Sagahún. Deniz-Sahagún was found dead in his cell on May 20. An official U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) statement says there was no sign of injury and ICE...

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