This story was originally published at Prism.
By Jenn Fang
The Asian American community comprises over 19.9 million people—a statistic that masks incredible ethnic, linguistic, and sociopolitical diversity—but they are still often treated as a monolith.
by Tina Vásquez
This article was originally published at Prism.
Many are still trying to untangle the case of Lizelle Herrera, the 26-year-old Texan who was arrested April 7 for an alleged self-induced abortion that occurred in January.
by Frances Nguyen
This article was originally published at Prism
The night before the Jan. 6 insurrection in the U.S. Capitol, Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan came across an envelope tucked inside her father’s Bible. Inside was a receipt for $2.12: the poll tax her father paid in 1948 to vote in Tennessee, a financial barrier meant to exclude Black voters in the decades after Reconstruction.
by Vilissa Thompson
This story was originally published at Prism.
Over the past two years of the pandemic, we have witnessed the rise of telehealth services, but now that popularity is waning in the cultural push to “return to normal,” threatening to leave behind many for whom telehealth has become a lifeline.
by Sydney Pereira
This article was originally published at Prism.
Five years ago, the only full-service grocery store in the Walnut Hills neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, closed.
It was a blow to the neighborhood, which was home mostly to Black residents. Community activists, including Mona Jenkins, asked grocery chains to bring a new store to their area, but she says they weren’t interested.
by Cat Brooks
This article was originally published at Prism.
On March 13, 2020, 26-year-old Breonna Taylor was asleep with her partner Kenneth Walker when they were startled awake by three white Louisville, Kentucky, police officers breaking down their door during a no-knock warrant raid. The medical technician was killed, and her home was never searched. No one has been held accountable.
by Tina Vásquez
This article was originally published at Prism
Health care providers employed by North Carolina’s Piedmont Health Services (PHS) are awaiting the results of their union election, a pivotal step that is part of their larger push to address challenges that impact their ability to properly care for their patients. Their efforts are part of a larger trend.
by Montse Reyes
This article was originally published at Prism.
“I am so sorry. What a horrible, hard time to be a trans teenager.”
Owen Egerton, an Austin-based filmmaker and writer, received that text from a friend the morning of Feb. 23, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released an order directing health agencies to investigate gender-affirming care for trans youth as child abuse.
by Williesha Morris
This article was originally published at Prism
A recent spate of book bans have accelerated at schools across the U.S., and students, activists, and educators from marginalized communities are aggressively speaking out against them—especially since many of the recent bans have disproportionately targeted BIPOC and LGBTQ+ authors.
by Cirien Saadeh
In a Feb. 24 announcement, teachers with the Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) and the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT), which includes both teachers and Education Support Professionals, announced an intent to strike. Filed with the state of Minnesota’s Bureau of Mediation, the intent to strike was authorized by the board in a vote counted Feb. 17 and provides a legally-mandated, 10-day warning to the school districts about a possible strike.
by Mai Tran
This article was originally published at Prism
As a vegetarian on a restricted diet, Joel Davis is often the first to notice when commissary items become scarce.
“I literally have to remove the vegetables from my lunch tray and save them until I can see if there is anything on the dinner tray to combine them with,” Davis said. “I’m used to fasting a lot, so I often just go without eating.
by Sakshi Udavant
This article was originally published at Prism
When a 35-year-old server from Pittsburgh tried to organize around COVID-19 safety at her job in early January, she was fired for sending “negative texts” to her coworkers. Nicole, who has asked to withhold her last name to protect her identity, had worked at the restaurant for four months and was increasingly frustrated by management’s lack of health considerations for staff.
by Sravya Tadepalli
This article was originally published at Prism
Disability advocates in California have given their blessing to proposed legislation that would curb the power of conservators and promote less restrictive alternatives to conservatorships. Conservatorship abuse gained a national spotlight when singer-songwriter Britney Spears fought to be released from a 13-year conservatorship that allowed her father to have full control over her person and assets.
by Natasha Ishak
This article was originally published at Prism
Last week, Justice Stephen Breyer surprised the public by announcing his retirement, paving a path for President Joe Biden to pick a liberal replacement to fill the retiring jurist’s seat on the Supreme Court. The president had repeatedly stated he would nominate a Black woman to the court during his presidential campaign and reaffirmed his pledge to do so.
by Reina Sultan
This article was originally published at Prism
Eric Adams began his tenure as New York City’s mayor making explicitly pro-policing and -incarceration promises, with a so-called tough-on-crime approach that he argued was what voters wanted when they elected him. Historically low voter turnout—the lowest New York City had seen since 1953—suggests otherwise. Still, he has remained steadfast in his desire to be the law and order mayor.
by Trevor Smith
This article was originally published at Prism
When the pandemic first hit in Mar. 2020 and various states started to enforce mandatory lockdowns, the country’s low-wage workers of color suffered the most. Already facing lowered income, wealth, health coverage, and housing security, the pandemic only worsened these volatile economic conditions as Congress failed to pass bold economic legislation.
by Kinjo Kiema
This article was originally published at Prism
People selling food on the streets, whether out of a cart or a food truck, are ubiquitous in city life worldwide. Many street vendors sell fresh produce and food in places where grocery stores can be scarce in the U.S. But vendors themselves face challenges: Many are undocumented immigrants at risk of criminalization.
by Ray Levy Uyeda
This article was originally published at Prism.
“Help Wanted” signs have gone up and stayed up in storefront windows around the country as the COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread loss of life and fueled the Great Resignation. Still, criminal justice advocates say the worker shortage could be turned around if employers hired those most willing to work in a pandemic and in need of a job: formerly incarcerated people.
by Sravya Tadepalli
This article was originally published at Prism
When Houston resident Paul Middendorf woke up congested one early morning this month, he decided to get tested for COVID-19. He found a COVID-testing pop-up site in the East Montrose neighborhood of Houston and joined the approximately 40 others in line to get a test.
by Kinko Kiema
This story was originally published at Prism.
More than 38 million people experience hunger or food insecurity in the U.S., yet one-third of all food produced for consumption goes to waste.
by Sakshi Udavant
This story was originally published by Prism.
One evening last year after two months of being stuck inside due to shelter-in-place orders, Chital Mehta, an Indian mother living in Delaware, took her two young kids on a walk and broke down in the middle of the road.
“The lockdown deeply affected my sanity,” she said. “I struggled to engage my children inside our small apartment.
by Reina Sultan
This article was originally published at Prism
Last week, Twitter CEO and co-founder Jack Dorsey announced that he would be stepping down as the company’s CEO. In the post, Dorsey also named Twitter CTO Parag Agrawal as his successor. Agrawal, who has worked at Twitter for 10 years, has been involved in many key Twitter initiatives, from building out AI capabilities in 2014 to working toward Dorsey’s decentralization goals in 2019.
by Tasmiha Khan
This story was originally published at Prism.
Coverage of the fight against climate change in the U.S. often ignores the efforts of Muslim activists, for whom caring for the environment is a religious obligation. However, Muslims have been among those urgently calling for greater conservation efforts and more sustainable policies, both nationally and within their own communities.
by Delilah Alvarado
This story was originally published at Prism.
In February, severe winter storms sweeping across the U.S. caused an extreme power crisis in Texas. People across the state went without power for an average of two days, and some lost access to fresh water for even longer and had to boil the water that was available.
by Cat Brooks
This story was originally published at Prism.
In three courtrooms, in three American cities, the same familiar scene is unfolding. With arrogance, disdain, and even laughter, white men who have committed egregious acts of violence in the name of white supremacy are supposedly facing consequences.
by Frances Nguyen
This story was originally published at Prism.
Throughout the pandemic, news outlets have covered the restaurant industry’s struggle with labor shortages and rising costs.
by Lakshmi Gandhi
This story was originally published at Prism.
Urban planners and community advocates have long noted that the interstate highway system was designed to separate and isolate poor Black and brown communities from the economic hearts of their cities.
by Nick Nguyen and Carmen Scurato
This story was originally published at Prism.
So far the Facebook Papers have led to dozens of stories about how the company knew it was failing to remove hate speech, misinformation, and calls to violence in languages across the globe. As much as this focus on Facebook’s global harm is vital, we shouldn’t overlook the role that the social media language gap plays in harming communities within the United States.
by Juliana Clark
This story was originally published at Prism.
From an early age, Joel Velasquez knew that Texas A&M University was his dream school, drawn by the university’s sizable student population, traditions, and leadership opportunities.
by Lakshmi Gandhi
This story was originally published at Prism.
Last week, activists and organizers from Amazon’s Staten Island distribution center traveled to their regional National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) office to deliver the signatures needed to formally request a vote to form a union. Shortly after the signatures were delivered, Natalie Monarrez noticed an instant change in the moods of her coworkers.