Make Connections

What social structures shape our biases?

Moving the Race Conversation Forward

Now that we know something about individual biases, we need to think about what kinds of systems promote them, how they are patterned, and the social structures they help to uphold. Jay Smooth asks: is our thinking on social justice systemically aware?

How To Tell Somebody They Sound Racist

Social justice educator, Jay Smooth, gives suggestions for how to reduce defensiveness and engage in effective dialogue around race and racism.

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Discussing Race

Social justice educator, Jay Smooth, suggests that we need to stop worrying about being perfect and think about resisting built-up biases and prejudices as a daily practice.

Checking Your Privilege

Nearly everybody benefits from some form of social privilege (due to class, gender, race, ability, religion, first language, or nationality, etc.), and it's all too easy to ignore the role these identities play in our lives when they're helping us out rather than running into barriers. Kat Blaque discusses how to be mindful of privilege and responsible for its impact.

5 Things You Should Know About Racism

Racism is complicated! Which is why, understandably, talking about racism is not an easy task. It’s hard to know how to approach the subject no matter who you are. Franchesca Ramsey of MTV's Decoded talks about 5 things everyone should know about racism.

10 Excuses Used to Deny Racism, Debunked

When we really just want to avoid thinking about a subject, usually any excuse will do. These are some of the most common excuses used to shut down serious discussion of racism. Franchesca Ramsey of MTV's Decoded explains why these excuses just don't hold up.

Tropes vs Women in Video Games

In this acclaimed series, Anita Sarkeesian explores the ways that many video games rely upon demeaning, stereotypical, and exploitative portrayals of women. Taking on tropes from "damsels in distress" to "women in refrigerators," the series challenges us to be more aware of the way these tropes influence attitudes towards women and to build a more creative and humanizing gaming industry.

If Women's Roles in Ads Were Played by Men

Sometimes a little gender-flipping tells the whole story.

Why Pronouns Are Important to Trans People

Honoring a trans person's pronouns is just part of respecting them. Kat Blaque explains.

Slavery to Mass Incarceration

How many of us know about the way the criminal justice system has been used to enforce racial oppression over the history of the United States? This stunning video featuring art by Molly Crabapple tells a story that shows how this history shapes our present.

The Future of Race in America

Michelle Alexander, author of The New Jim Crow, explains how the criminal justice system creates racial disparities in 'The War on Drugs,' policing, prosecution, sentencing, and post-release disenfranchisement. How do we fix this system?

How should the U.S. address problems of violent policing?

As a nation, we may be asking the police to do certain things that they shouldn't, says author and columnist, Ta-Nehisi Coates.

#AllLivesMatter?

Of course they do. That's why people never feel the need to say this except when trying to silence people who are insisting that Black lives do. Kat Blaque suggests that if someone really believes that All Lives Matter, they'll have no problem saying that Black Lives Matter.

#ThisIsMyStory

Speaking at the 2015 GLADD gala, Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson talks about the messages so many of us receive that we are supposed to be quiet about who we are and the injustices that we face. When we come out of the quiet together, the world changes.

The Power of Student Protests

After weeks of protest, a hunger strike, and a solidarity strike by the football team, Black students at the University of Missouri won their demand for the university president to step down. How is student activism challenging and changing the climate on campuses around the country?