An illustration of hands around a ballot box

Enfranchisement Is the Only Route to Security

In our final security studies column, our columnist posits that security as a permanent mode of government is actually making Americans less secure.
Rock Against Racism in Trafalgar Square, London, 1978

How British Teens Blended Pop and Politics

In the 1970s, the National Front blamed immigrants for the UK's economic problems. Anti-racist groups formed in response, with the help of pop music.
Mary Agnes Chase collecting plants in Brazil in 1929.

The Woman Agrostologist Who Held the Earth Together

When government wouldn't fund female fieldwork, Agnes Chase pulled together her own resources.
21 Savage in 2018

21 Savage and “Deported Americans”

Rapper 21 Savage’s deportation battle highlights an important aspect of contemporary immigration policy that is often overlooked.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 1977 ©Lynn Gilbert

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Radical Project Isn’t Finished

A fiery advocate against gender discrimination, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s radicalism reveals itself in her argument for the Equal Rights Amendment.
Enhanced infrared imagery of Hurricane Hugo

How Audre Lorde Weathered the Storm

When Audre Lorde wrote from St. Croix that Hurricane Hugo would not be the last natural disaster of its scale, she was pointing to human failures.
Poster for Women's Day, March 8, 1914, demanding voting rights for women.

The Socialist Origins of International Women’s Day

Why is International Women's Day on March 8th? The answer is much more complicated than you might think.
Collage of mugshots

What Violent Acts Get Defined as Terrorism

Why was the Weather Underground group labelled as a terrorist organization, while the KKK was not? A brief look at the history of domestic terrorism.
Border between Mexico and US reaching into the pacific ocean

Border Walls are Symbols of Failure

From feudal fortresses to contemporary border barriers, walls have always offered more symbolic value than real protection.
The war elephants of Phyrrus at the battle of Asculum, 279 B.C.

How “Pyrrhic Victory” Became a Go-To Metaphor

We call futile victories "pyrrhic," after an ancient Roman battle. But that battle may have been misinterpreted--or had a different conclusion altogether.