Living in an age where the word “woman” is routinely weaponized in favor of white, cisgender, heterosexual, and male supremacy, and against Black, Brown, Indigenous, and LGBTQ people, it’s challenging to think of a world where the word “woman”—and those who fit its definition—is no longer controlled and manipulated in the interests of power.

My own relationship to “womanhood” (and its policing) began early. 

I was no older than 11 when my mother first told me that the way I was sitting—legs in a V shape, knees about a foot apart—was “not how ladies sit.” I was confused as to why there were rules for the way I sat but none for my brothers. As I got older, and curse words began making their way into my vocabulary, my father would tell me “girls don’t talk like that.” And so I learned there were rules to how women spoke. 

By my junior year of college, I defined myself as a “womanist,” embracing Alice Walker’s definition of “a Black feminist or feminist of color.” Feminist theory encouraged me to begin interrogating my conception of my own womanhood. I discovered things about myself that had long been suppressed because they did not fit into the patriarchal definition of “woman,” like my bisexuality, nonbinary identity, or that I—like many other humans—curse. I ultimately realized that my true womanhood was defined by a resistance to these arbitrary rules.

In a world where (rates that are ), just existing as a woman is an act of resistance. If “womanhood” can be defined as resistance, then “woman” can be defined as resistor. 

So many women throughout history have called out the “rules” for what they are—illusions of a white-supremacist, patriarchal dream—and vowed to resist them. This collection of YES! stories is about (just some of) those women. 

From how Indigenous people embraced the meaning of gender equality long before that same framework would be adopted for women’s suffrage, to LGBTQ women finding safety and solace within a community that recognizes—not rejects—their identities, to the long history of a truly inclusive feminism, these stories show how resistance and womanhood are often intertwined. 

Women’s History Month, like any history month, is a calling to continue the work of these women—and those whose names we’ll never know—because they resisted what the world was for what it could be.

What Women’s Suffrage Owes to Indigenous Culture

Gender equality in Haudenosaunee society gave 19th-century white women some big ideas.

By Bridget Quinn

How Women-Led Movements Are Redefining Power, From California to Nepal

In the face of corporate domination, economic injustice, and climate change, movements led by women offer a revolutionary path.

By Rucha Chitnis

WATCH: Meet the Gaza Mom Suing the U.S. Over Israel Military Aid

A plaintiff in the legal case on the United States’ complicity in enabling Israeli genocide against Palestinians speaks out.

By Sonali Kolhatkar

LGBTQ Migrants Find Community at Mexico’s “House of Women”

After traveling thousands of miles fleeing violence and discrimination, LGBTQ women find safety and support in Tapachula, Mexico.

By Alice Driver

The Black Mothering Body, Fortified

In creating new life, Black mothers must overcome medical malpractice and social unsafety together.

By Gloria Alamrew

Menopause Matters

The end of menstruation has been stigmatized and misunderstood. The “menopausal multiverse” can change that.

By Omisade Burney-Scott

This “New” Feminism Has Been Here All Along

Our grandmothers showed us a bigger, better feminism with women’s rights, racial equity, and gender justice at its heart.

By Dani McClain

In this reading list, YES! revisits five stories published since 2022 that spotlight Black people who are creating change today in entertainment, land justice, and more. From a Black futurist approach to social justice, to the essential contributions of Black actresses in sci-fi, to reclaiming stolen lands in solidarity with Indigenous communities, Black people remain drivers of solutions in all kinds of movements and sectors. 

By highlighting their current contributions, this reading list invites a broadened conception and appreciation of Black history, moving from solely honoring progress of the past, to admiring—and even joining—the progress of the present. 

While it’s important to celebrate history that’s been made, celebrating history that is in the making—and uplifting the people who are actively making it—can help everyone recognize their own power to co-create a more just and equitable world.

How Black History Paves the Way for a Just Black Future

Alicia Garza is searching for Black-led solutions to some of the biggest problems of our democracy—solutions that go far beyond a hashtag.

By Sonali Kolhatkar

Black Placemaking in Rural Oregon

Despite the region’s anti-Black past (and present), there is rich Black history being preserved amid the Columbia River Gorge and the Wallowa Mountains.

By Bruce Poinsette & Intisar Abioto

How Black Actresses Fought for Science Fiction Roles for Nearly a Century

Hollywood didn’t decide on its own to portray Black women as heroes and women of power in science fiction. Their central roles in sci-fi film and television were the result of more than 80 years of Black-led struggle and strategy.

By Jonita Davis

Indigenous and Black Communities Find Common Cause for Land Justice

Historically, Indigenous and Black folks have been turned against each other by colonizers and enslavers. Now, communities are learning from one another and finding solidarity in efforts to reclaim stolen lands.

By Pennelys Droz

This Is What Black Resistance Looks Like

We asked three Black artists to create pieces inspired by this year’s national Black History Month theme: Black Resistance.

By Michael Luong

To keep up with YES!’s Black History Month celebration, and for more reading lists like this one, follow YES! on , , and .

It’s been a big year for YES! We published more than 300 stories online, four beautiful print magazines—“Growth,” “Thirst,” “Endings,” and “Elders”—and, thanks to the addition of , stepped into broadcast media in a bold way, bringing YES!’s unique brand of solutions journalism to television and radio audiences nationwide. We reached millions of listeners through our ongoing partnership with Public News Service, and were proud to produce two grant-funded digital series: “,” with support from the Decolonizing Wealth Project, and “,” with support from the Kendeda Fund. We welcomed dozens of new writers onto the pages of YES!, including the cohort of emergent strategists who are carrying forward the originated by adrienne maree brown. 

And, like so many of you, dear readers, we faced challenges this year. In addition to social, political, and environmental turmoil, we found ourselves in the midst of a media landscape that is increasingly hostile to independent news, during an economic recession that continues to impact individuals’ ability to donate to the causes and outlets they care about. And as always, YES! does not accept money from advertisers, governments, or corporations. As such, we underwent an organizational restructuring that required us to say goodbye to several of our colleagues. We are still recalibrating in the wake of that shift, but our commitment to you, and to the principles and mission that guide YES!, remains steadfast. 

Among those core principles is an abiding commitment to community care—including for each other, as our Executive Editor Evette Dionne often reminds our team. That’s why the Editorial team will be taking time away from our computers for the final two weeks of the year. This means that we will publish our last piece of new content for the year on Dec. 21, 2023. We will return on Jan. 3, 2024, refreshed and ready to bring you a new year of hard-hitting, hopeful, inspiring, truth-telling content that helps create the blueprint to build a better world.

We remain grateful for your ongoing support, which allows us to seek out and produce stories about the innovative, impactful ways that people are finding solutions to our world’s biggest challenges. We consider it a privilege to help share these stories, and our solemn duty to elevate the voices of the people on the front lines of this kind of change. We could not do this work without your support—so if you feel inspired, and are able, we invite you to make a to YES! All gifts made by Dec. 31, 2023, will be matched, doubling your impact.

We wish you and yours a safe, peaceful, and happy holiday season. And we look forward to celebrating a new year with you—one that we hope brings with it more peace, justice, and solidarity—for all of us who call this planet home. 

With gratitude, 

The YES! Editorial Team

But when growth becomes the sole objective, we lose sight of our interconnectedness. We move further away from the interdependence that history (and nature) shows us is essential to our survival and ability to thrive. Our allegiance to “growth above all else” has facilitated rampant inequality—as seen in the racial wealth gap, health and access disparities, and oppressive laws advanced under the pretext of expanding “individual freedom” for some. 

Both domestically and globally, we continue to see real-world examples that growth cannot, in fact, be infinite—the endless pursuit of economic growth and GDP has long been running up against ecological limits. In the same way that individual environmental footprints distract us from corporate pollution, the commodification and prioritization of personal and economic growth is designed to obscure and distract us from seeking paths toward communal betterment. 

What would the world look like if we prioritized symbiotic growth instead of individual, linear “progress”? 

What if we redefined what growth means? A holistic assessment of the cost, benefit, and impact of the change we seek could help us move away from the exploitative models that racialized capitalism has taught us, and embrace change that results in positive growth for everyone. In that world, people are free to pursue their dreams and desires, and they are provided not only opportunities to do so, but also armed with a deep understanding of and empathy for how their actions and decisions will affect the people, plants, and planet around them. 

Our fall 2023 issue will highlight the people and communities that are changing how we think about growth—and showing what it means to grow together. From questions about the environmental value of planting trees and the omnipresence of a “growth mindset” to worker-led sustainable agriculture practices and the growing pains of a nation’s shifting racial identity, the “Growth” issue will dig deep to interrogate our long-held assumptions about what it really means to grow. 

We want to hear about the communities, organizations, and individuals who are redefining growth, prosperity, and the very idea of success. 

In particular, we are seeking:

• Nominations for “People We Love” who support Black folks re-engaging with nature. Please send nominations directly to sonali@yesmagazine.org.
• Op-eds that unpack situations where growth can be detrimental or cancerous, or scenarios where one’s own growth took them in unexpected directions.
• Cultural critique and/or media analysis exploring the idea of symbiotic growth.
• Explorations of the unique experience and value of playing a supporting role in the raising of children—serving as an auntie, uncle, or other trusted adult who helps to shape a child’s worldview.

All the stories we seek will be examples of excellent journalism and storytelling: stories with compelling characters that are well-researched and demonstrate struggle and resolution. Hurry and send your pitches to fall2023@yesmagazine.org by June 20 to be considered for the Fall 2023 issue. (After that, you can continue to send them to submissions@yesmagazine.org).

Lornet was many things: an ace reporter and prolific journalist, an avid lover of nature and the outdoors, a sister, a daughter, a spouse—and an eminently kind, generous person. Through her work at YES!—and at The Seattle Times, The Washington Post, and local newspapers in Ohio and Michigan—Lornet elevated the humanity at the core of countless issues that are often politicized and distanced from their impact on living, breathing people. Her background and education was in “traditional” journalism, but she was a consummate solutions journalist, even before that phrase entered the cultural consciousness. She was a friend and mentor to many of her colleagues here at YES!, both within and beyond the editorial team.

Lornet joined YES! in 2016 as a contract editor leading our newly established civil liberties beat. As a Black woman who immigrated to the U.S. from the British Virgin Island of Tortola, Lornet brought a unique, compassionate, and nuanced lens to her coverage of not only immigration, but also reproductive rights, voting access, gun violence, racial and environmental justice, and then-burgeoning efforts to resist the increasingly oppressive tactics of the newly minted Trump administration. She was that rare journalist who was equally skilled at covering breaking news as she was at reporting a deep-dive feature that explored how communities responded to challenges they faced due to systemic discrimination or disenfranchisement. For the Summer 2020 “Community Power” issue of YES! Magazine, Lornet reported on the innovative ways her own community of South Park, a neighborhood in south Seattle, was creating mutual aid and emergency health care networks to meet the needs of its residents. A year later, she published an equally powerful follow-up story exploring how those networks had been maintained and adapted to meet the shifting demands of an ongoing pandemic.

Lornet was also integral in the creation of our special report on migration, published in summer 2020. Lornet’s characteristic thoughtfulness and commitment to the humanity at the center of every story was on full display in the editor’s letter opening that special report, “Forward: Solutions from Immigrant Journeys.” She wrote:

“Like more than 1 million newcomers each year, I came in pursuit of an education and afterward stayed because the U.S. seemed a better fit for a wide-eyed journalist looking to make a difference in the world.

“But in the years since, and through the course of a two-decades-long reporting career, I’ve had a front-row seat to the escalating , horrific , and  new immigrants face as they try to make a home for themselves here.

“That’s why I was excited by the frame we adopted for what was to be our summer issue on migration: ‘By Immigrants, For Immigrants.’ I know first-hand that immigrants, refugees, and migrants have a rich history of working alongside their communities to make a way out of no way in this country. …

“In that same spirit of perseverance, we bring you this special report. When the YES! editorial team decided to pivot our summer issue theme from migration to community power in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, we also knew that the stories we’d assigned for the migration issue—almost all written by immigrants—still needed to be seen, shared, and understood.” 

I first had the privilege of meeting Lornet when I joined YES! as editorial director in 2019. Her vibrance and abiding love of life and her work was apparent from our first interaction. Not only did she bring strong story ideas to each team discussion, she was also always willing to collaborate with her colleagues, offer a helping hand during print magazine production, and give thoughtful feedback on stories and topic ideas from fellow editors, interns, and contributors. I loved seeing her beaming smile each morning we were in the office together, and I always knew our check-ins would be a delightful mix of editorial “nerding out” about upcoming stories or issue themes, and swapping tales about our beloved dogs’ latest antics. Her sweet and silly black labrador, Mojo, often joined us for those conversations. Even after she stepped away from YES! in late 2020 following her cancer diagnosis, she continued to contribute beautifully written stories—both reported pieces and introspective first-person pieces that touched on her experience as someone navigating life with cancer, as an immigrant, and as a Black woman living in the United States.

I know that I am a better journalist, better editor, and better person because I had the good fortune to cross paths with Lornet. I am confident that her legacy, and the impact of her work and how she lived her life, will continue to ripple out for years to come, like drops in the middle of an ocean that grow into powerful waves breaking on the shore.

There are no words that can adequately capture the scope of this loss. But in the spirit of honoring Lornet’s life and her commitment to amplifying the power of individual people to create lasting change, below are reflections from Lornet’s colleagues at YES!, sharing how she changed them, supported them, and helped shape their own journeys toward embracing the joy, enthusiasm, and unequivocal kindness that Lornet embodied. Interspersed with these reflections are a selection of stories Lornet authored for YES! that begin to show the breadth of her extraordinary skill as a journalist. A comprehensive account of Lornet’s work for YES! can be found here.

Building Community by Buying Nothing

“It’s like a radical new economy, except of course it’s an old economy that has been around forever.”

“I remember first meeting Lornet as an intern at YES! Fresh out of college and new to the professional world, I felt so intimidated and shy in this new field. But Lornet, always gracious, made me excited to learn and grow professionally. It was obvious from our first meeting that she was brimming with sharp talent and good ideas. In team meetings, I loved hearing about her deep well of writers and sources, and I learned a lot from seeing her weave her networks and her hard-earned skills together to conceptualize, write, and edit pieces. Her natural affinity for storytelling was beautiful to watch in real time: In her hands, ideas came to life. By her example alone, I learned so much about storytelling as an art. But beyond her talents and skills as a journalist, she was such a kind, empathetic person. Through good times and tougher times on our team, I always appreciated her willingness to be vulnerable and her care for us as humans first.

Thank you, Lornet, for sharing yourself with all of us. The world is a better place because of you.”—Ayu Sutriasa, YES! digital editor

Hiking as Medicine

With a body weakened by chemotherapy, flat, low-elevation hikes have become my new obsession.

“It was clear from the first time I met Lornet that she was someone special. Every conversation we had—from story collaborations at YES! to discussions of bike trails around Seattle—was a joy and left me buoyed by hope. She exuded warmth and love, and had such a talent for connecting with people. In this way, she inspired me as an editor and as a person. She was so good at seeing the best in everyone and the good in everything—not naively, but in a way that brought a better world into being. I feel so lucky and grateful to have shared space with Lornet, and I will continue to send love her way every time I bike by the Chief Sealth Trail.”—Breanna Draxler, YES! senior editor

A Square Mile of “Ready for Anything”

“When you have humans and you have heart, ��dz�’r�� pretty much used to doing what you have to do to make things happen.”

“During an interview for my current job, I was asked about the editors I’ve worked with who I admire and would want to emulate. I spoke Lornet’s name. I loved working with her—she pushed me to ask harder, more thoughtful questions and helped me become a better writer. And I’m so grateful that I had the chance to know her outside of work. My favorite moment with her was sharing laughs over Caribbean food and cocktails. Lornet was such a light and I’ll miss her.” —Deonna Anderson, former YES! Surdna reporting fellow

How a Seattle Neighborhood Confronted Food Insecurity in the Pandemic

Seattle’s square-mile neighborhood of South Park has turned its early pandemic community supports into a sustainable system tackling food insecurity.

“Lornet made me feel welcomed, respected, and seen from the very first time I met her. Her ability to see and capture stories as effortlessly as she did was beautiful to watch. Her special report on immigrant journeys was one of my favorite pieces of work because it resembled the conversations we had about being Black immigrants in the U.S. I miss you, Lornet, and will always hold a space for you in my heart.” —Iman Mohamed, YES! digital producer

Five Years After Ferguson Uprising, Still Seeking Justice and Healing

On the fifth anniversary of Michael Brown’s death, his family and the town of Ferguson look to the past—and future—to bring about meaningful change.

“Have you ever met someone for the first time—that person with the radiant smile that exudes warmth, welcome, and wonderfulness—and instantly knew you were going to be friends? Lornet was that person for me, and for so many of us.

“One standout collaboration was when I had the privilege of using Lornet’s article, ‘Two-Thirds of Americans Live in the Constitution-Free Zone,’ for a national student writing competition. Lornet was thrilled that her story would go beyond being consumed by YES! readers, and invited young people to reflect on anti-immigrant policies and the danger of unfair assumptions.

“Lornet’s living with cancer taught me to lean into what’s possible and to do what feeds my soul. I wave to Mt. Rainier whenever ‘she’s out’ because it reminds me of my dad, who died eight years ago. I’d like to think that Lornet has joined my dad on the mountain, and now I get to see both of them nearly every day.”—Jing Fong, former YES! education outreach manager

How Colorado Halved Abortion and Teen Birth Rates

The decline is happening across the country, and it’s about more than just contraceptives.

“I had some great conversations with Lornet. There were so many more conversations we could have had, so much more time Lornet should have had, that it’s hard to realize she’s not still at the other end of the phone. We talked about work and journalism, of course, but also about life in general and loving the life you have. Lornet was a great one for appreciating the beauty of the world and the good in other people. And she was generous. Even when she was dealing with cancer, she found energy and empathy and sincere interest to share with others. I admired Lornet, and I miss her.”—Valerie Schloredt, former YES! books editor

Grandmothers Bring Food and Comfort to Asylum-Seekers at Bus Stations

Each day at Greyhound stations across the nation, families released from detention and traveling to sponsors’ homes find grandmotherly help.

“I knew Lornet was special from the moment I first met her. She exuded warmth and empathy in an office in which those qualities were already plentiful. Our respective mothers both passed away at about the same time, and I only hope I offered the same kindness to her as she did to me. This is in addition to being a thoughtful writer, a deep thinker, a consummate professional with a terrific sense of humor—Lornet brought joy to our workplace and our lives, and she is already deeply missed.”—Chris Winters, YES! senior editor

“Rarely do I have the chance to work closely with one of our editors, being on the operating and fundraising side of the organization. But a few years ago, I had the true pleasure of working with Lornet on the program of our big annual brunch. We were hosting an on-stage conversation with Lornet and some local Seattle-area women she had met in writing her story ‘For Women, by Women: A Sisterhood of Carpenters Builds Tiny Houses for the Homeless.’ That story reached so many people, sparking similar efforts around the country and the world! 

“Lornet was so committed to ensuring that the women she’d written about were supported throughout our process to develop the program, really shined onstage, and could take pride that their story was helping others in other places. There was a mutual respect among all of them that was beautiful to see, and a testament to the kind of reporter she was. On a personal level, I loved working with Lornet—she was kind, funny, and curious. Thank you for being a beautiful human, Lornet!”—Christine Hanna, YES! executive director

As editorial director, I have the privilege of seeing our stories come to life in real time—from concept, to assignment, to draft (and, sometimes, many more drafts), to final text supported by gorgeous illustrations, powerful photographs, and, increasingly, multimedia components. Then, we send them out into the world, where you, dear readers, not only consume the stories we publish, but also share them, write letters to us about them, and, we hope, find ways to apply the solutions we report on to the challenges you may be facing in your own life and communities. We hope you find inspiration, hope, and solidarity in the work we do—because we do it for, and with, you. 

One of my favorite year-end traditions here at YES! is exploring which stories most resonated with our audience. This year, we’ve gathered the Top 10 new stories, judging by the total time readers spent engaged on a given story’s webpage. Cumulatively, YES! readers spent more than 520,000 minutes reading these Top 10 stories (as of this writing). That’s more than 8,668 hours, or just over 361 days. It’s humbling to look at these numbers and recognize that you, dear readers, are with us for so many hours each day, almost every single day of the year. 

In 2022, the stories you spent the most time reading hint at the breadth of our readers’ interests, from introspective reflections on accountability (like adrienne maree brown’s Murmurations column), to practical advice about building resilience to shame, to timely questions about political polarization and disappearing civil liberties. These stories include pieces from our quarterly issues of YES! Magazine, and digital exclusives, including first-person essays, literary reviews, and original analyses that help all of us better understand the world we live in. 

We are grateful for your time, your support, and your willingness to engage with us as we have the profound privilege to amplify the stories, ideas, and people who are doing the work to create a more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate world—every hour of every day.

Your Top 10 of YES! 2022

10. Healing Generational Trauma

For Black and Indigenous communities, it takes more than therapy and medicine to tackle mental illness. We need a holistic approach.

By Jasmin Joseph

9. The Power in Pleasure

Despite what capitalism has taught us, pleasure is neither a commodity nor a reward. It’s a foundational human need.

By adrienne maree brown

8. The Case for Slow Work

“Slow work is an exercise in doing less, and more aspirationally, doing nothing.”

By Paige Curtis

7. How to Build Resilience to Shame

Today’s hustle culture claims “unearned” pleasure is shameful. But there are ways to resist this cultural response.

By Joaquín Andrés Selva

6. The Underground Economy of Unpaid Care

������Ƶ than 40 million people provide unpaid care for adults. My mother was one of them.

By Julie Poole

5. The Work of Radical Frugality

Frugality isn’t just a virtue practiced by bygone generations. It can also be a break with an all-consuming capitalist system.

By Harriet Fasenfest

4. Murmurations, with adrienne maree brown

Love Looks Like Accountability and Returning to the Whole

3. For a Healthier Society, Ditch the Myth of Normal

Celebrated physician Gabor Maté on how our toxic culture is making us ill.

By Travis Lupick

2.What Would It Mean to Codify Roe Into Law?

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, advocates and politicians are calling on states and congress to codify Roe. But what does this actually mean for abortion rights?

By Linda C. McClain

1. Why Conservative Parts of the U.S. Are So Angry

Republican America is poorer, more violent, and less healthy than Democratic America. But Republicans’ blame is misplaced.

By Mike Males

From overworked employees leading a resurgent labor movement to push back on corporate greed at some of the nation’s biggest companies, to undergraduate students demanding recognition for the work they do, to climate and labor activists finding common ground, to a café trying to buck the pressures of capitalism, the “Work” issue explored how real people are reimagining work right now.

The issue also invited readers to dream: Tricia Hersey, founder of The Nap Ministry, shared her own practice of centering rest in her daily life and entering a “DreamSpace” that allows her to be thoughtful, compassionate, and generative in relating to others—and in setting boundaries around work that allow her to prioritize her well-being. Nicole Froio dug into the possibility of what might seem a radical future: where work for the sake of meeting our basic needs is no longer necessary.

We hope these stories inspired you, dear readers, to ponder your own relationship with work—however you define it. Because while the abolition of work—and the capitalism that mandates it in the U.S. and elsewhere—might be a long way off, creating change and culture shift begins by imagining something better than where we are today.

In this spirit of generative dreaming and imagining new possibilities, we want to know: What does an ideal work-life balance look like to you? What kind of changes would need to be implemented to support that balance?

Please join YES! staff and editors in the comments below—your responses may appear in the next issue of YES! Magazine!

Our Summer 2022 “Pleasure” issue explores what it means to truly center pleasure in our lives—how do our movements, relationships, and bodies change when we prioritize pleasure? Guest editor adrienne maree brown opens the issue affirming that pleasure is neither a commodity nor a reward, but rather a foundational human need. Tracey Michae’l Lewis-Giggetts explores what it means to hold space for collective grief and joy at the same time, as a Black person living in the U.S. today. Joaquín Andrés Selva walks us through how to build resilience to the shame we have about experiencing pleasure. In compiling this issue, we wanted to provide both practical and radical ideas, tools, and ways of thinking that, we hope, will inspire each of you in your journeys to building a better world. 

The issue also challenges the messages that capitalism teaches us, and the ways it can restrict our access to pleasure. Consumerism tells us that pleasure will only come from luxurious resort stays and expensive massages, but if pleasure is really a foundational human need, then it cannot be solely accessed by spending money: “There are so many ways to incorporate pleasure in our lives that don’t impact labor rights, the environment, or our own financial bottom lines.”

Our editors shared their anti-capitalist pursuits of pleasure, but we’d like to know, dear reader, what yours are. What brings you pleasure, and is free and accessible? Maybe it’s smelling the flowers on your neighborhood walk, or perhaps gathering with your loved ones to celebrate a joyous occasion. Nothing is too small or too big—as long as it brings you pleasure. 

Please join YES! readers and staff in the comments below, and let us know what brings you pleasure—outside the bounds of consumerism. 

You may see your answers in an upcoming issue of YES! Magazine. 

While the individual grief of each of the families whose lives have been shattered is undoubtedly distinct, our collective response to these concurrent tragedies has become rote. If we aren’t yet numb to the violence visited on our communities—in churches, synagogues, mosques, grocery stores, and schools—I suspect most of us have come to expect it. The response is predictable: Local and national media will publish heart-wrenching photos of vigils for the dead, scores of people will turn to social media to express their outrage, and politicians will offer “thoughts and prayers” while continuing to and the gun lobby. Meanwhile, the number of mass shootings continues to increase each year; 2021 saw a record high of 249 school shootings alone, . This year is already on track to surpass last year’s record, as the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Texas is the 137th school shooting in the U.S., less than six months into the calendar year.

These acts of domestic terror occur so frequently that deep networks of support already exist to support survivors, family members, and national and global community members moved to action. Chalkbeat, a nonprofit media outlet dedicated to reporting on education, has compiled a list of resources for parents and educators who are struggling to determine “” in the wake of this latest tragedy. The , likewise, has a plethora of resources for “coping with mass shootings [and] understanding gun violence.” is an advocacy organization (largely financed by Michael Bloomberg) formed after the deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. The nonprofit Sandy Hook Promise, formed by parents whose children were killed in that school shooting, is in hopes of stemming the tide of violence.

Each of us responds to this kind of tragedy differently, and there is no singular “right answer.” For me, as a journalist who has covered mass shootings before, as a Coloradan who knew people attending Columbine High School when that school’s name first became synonymous with gun violence, and as a parent to a young child, I struggle to find hope for meaningful change. I do not know how I will tell my daughter, who turned 2 in March, to prepare for the lockdown drills she will inevitably experience when she starts going to school. I do not know what to say to the teenagers in my life who have never known a true sense of safety inside their school walls, who continue to look to the grown-ups in their lives to help keep them safe, and who continue to see us fail to do so. I do not know what to say to the politicians who sidestep their responsibility to provide the most basic protection to their constituents and who continue to prioritize political donations and partisan politics over human life. I don’t have any answers.

But maybe you do, dear YES! readers. Maybe you’ve had conversations in your homes, your communities, or your city halls that have changed hearts, minds, or even policy. Maybe your own children have asked you questions that made you think differently about these issues, or maybe you have cultural or ancestral knowledge that can help us find a path forward. I invite you to join me and the YES! staff in the comments section below. Tell us where your heart is today. Tell us what solutions you see, what conversations ��dz�’r�� having with your loved ones of any age, that point toward less violence. Share with us stories of restoration, of hope, and of harm reduction. Because it’s clear we can’t keep going on the path we’re on. But if we put our heads—and hearts—together, maybe we can start to move toward solutions that keep us all safer.

The theme of our Spring 2022 issue is a unique one for YES! Magazine: “The Personal Journeys Issue.” This theme doesn’t quite lend itself to the usual reported stories you know and love, but it still dives deep and, we hope, inspires you like so many of our past issues. In it, you’ll find meditation teacher and author Ruth King’s essay on her spiritual journey from rage to mindfulness, a poignant exploration of generational trauma—and healing—in Black and Indigenous communities, a heartwarming story of how sharing our vulnerabilities inspires change, and much more.

One of the things we hope you take away from this issue, as mentioned by YES!’s former Executive Editor Zenobia Jeffries Warfield in her letter from the editor, is that “your work starts with you.” Unfortunately, we at YES! can’t always answer your question about what, exactly, to do to alleviate the suffering and injustice in the world. But what if we learned from each other? What can we glean about our own journeys from learning more about others’ journeys? 

That’s the spirit of this issue, and that’s the question we want to pose to you: In your personal social justice journey, what is an important lesson you’ve learned?

Please join YES! staff and editors in the comments below, and let us know about the most important lesson you’ve learned in your own social justice journey. 

You may see your answers in an upcoming issue of YES! Magazine! 

Faced with such overwhelming suffering and systemic injustice, the temptation to succumb to despair is strong. We feel it too. But here at YES!, we’re fortunate to have windows into moments of hope, progress, and positive change. The stories we’ve been able to tell this year have reminded us—and you, we hope—that every single day, there are people working hard in their communities to build a more equitable, sustainable, and compassionate world. 

Looking back at the year’s top 10 most popular stories, it’s clear that you, dear readers, were hungry for those hopeful stories too. We’re inspired by your willingness to learn—about transformative justice, the roots of modern food movements, and the possibility of an ecological civilization. You dove in to stories exploring new possibilities for ways to return land to Indigenous communities, to provide housing for people often left out of existing structures, and to turn climate anxiety into meaningful action. And you stayed with us when we shared hard truths that needed telling: about White supremacy, environmental racism, and the colonial, racist underpinnings of the violence that grabs headlines nationwide. 

Every day, we strive to bring you content that helps you understand the chaos we’re all facing. And this year’s collection of most-read stories is a testament to the fact that there is still hope for us yet. Thank you for your time, your support, and all you do to build the better world we all believe is possible. 

1. 10 Examples of Environmental Racism and How It Works

Here’s what to know about the unexpected effects of discriminatory environmental policies.

2. What Does an Ecological Civilization Look Like?

A society based on natural ecology might seem like a far-off utopia—yet communities everywhere are already creating it.

3. Native Americans on Police Response to Capitol Insurrection

“No way would Black or Brown people be treated that way had they attacked a symbol of our democracy.”

4. Hearing the Language of Trees

The author of Braiding Sweetgrass on how human people are only one manifestation of intelligence in the living world.

5. Don’t Tell Me to Despair About the Climate: Hope Is a Right We Must Protect

There is no point at which we can no longer strive to make the future better than it otherwise would be.

6. The Unsung Caribbean Roots of the Vegan Food Movement

While eating a plant-based diet is often presented as a White, millennial fad that accompanies gentrification, Black people have a long and rich tradition of plant-based eating.

7. Addressing Anti-Asian Attacks With Transformative Justice

As attacks on Asian communities rise, so must understanding and solidarity between Asian and Black communities to challenge the real enemy, White supremacy.

8. The Yurok Tribe Is Using California’s Carbon Offset Program to Buy Back Its Land

With income from sequestering carbon in its forests, the tribe has supported youth programming, housing, road improvement, and businesses development.

9. This Is America

This country was founded on violence and desecration. If you want it to be better, prove it.

10. Black and Brown Trans People Have a New Place to Call Home in New York City

A building offering affordable housing now stands as a symbol of trans self-reliance and resilience.

As promised, here are some of your heartwarming answers to our question about the food that connects you to your roots, illustrated by our associate art director, Michael Luong.

Natalie Lubsen (YES! Marketing Manager) wrote about kaese spaetzle: For Christmas a couple of years ago, my dad gave me a spaetzle-maker and a laminated copy of the handwritten recipe for kaese spaetzle he’d taken down from his grandmother Rose, my great-grandmother. I’ve eaten kaese spaetzle at family gatherings for years, often helping to stir the giant pan full of caramelizing onions to top it off, but I’d never made the noodles myself until last year.

The spaetzle-maker has a plastic cup attached to a grater that can hook onto the top of a boiling pot of water. The sticky dough goes into the cup, which slides back and forth over the grater and presses little squiggles of dough out into the water to cook. It’s a sweaty, strenuous process as you stand over the boiling water, strain out the noodles, and deposit them into a bowl in the oven and layer them with cheese. But family lore has it that Rose didn’t need a spaetzle-maker—she could make the noodles with a knife and a cutting board, letting them roll right into the pot. (We haven’t been able to recreate it.)

There are other foods that feel like family—Waldorf salad at Thanksgiving comes from my mom’s side of the family, I recently learned—but the German foods passed down from Rose tie me to something older, to generations of women standing over a boiling pot (or so I imagine). Rose’s daughter Lilly, my grandmother who passed away at the age of 96 a couple of months ago, wasn’t a big cook, but she loved eating and would proclaim that every meal my mom cooked for her through the pandemic was “Deee-licious!” I never met Rose, but I got to experience Lilly’s abundant love for more than 30 years. I wonder now if the tight-knit bonds on this side of my family are in part because of the uprooting that took place when Rose immigrated to the United States after World War I. She lived with her daughter and grandchildren as my dad grew up, and she got to teach him how to make spaetzle and pfannkuchen (a German version of the crepe). In turn, my grandmother lived nearby for most of my life and moved in with my parents when the pandemic started. The food traditions Rose passed on to us were a link to her past, to the roots she had to leave behind, but she made strong roots of love that have anchored us to one another.

Fayelessler wrote about wontons and dumplings: About three years ago, my partner and I began a new tradition of making Chinese wonton and dumplings on the Lunar New Year. The feeling of the little squares of dough with their soft tofu filling sitting in my palm as my fingers clumsily pinch and pleat the edges closed … that sensation always brings me right back to my mother’s kitchen. I’m half-Chinese, so in between the standard American dinners of salmon or spaghetti, my mom would also regularly cook dishes like chow fun, gai lan (aka Chinese broccoli), and oxtail stew. Once or twice a year, we would sit down and make a big batch of wonton to freeze and eat whenever a steaming bowl of comfort was required.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was lucky to be raised by a Chinese cook. I’ve heard from so many people in my life that they grew up in a household that didn’t eat dinners together, didn’t cook, or didn’t engage with food beyond seeing it as fuel and a tool for maximum health. But in my household, food was, and is, a vessel for love. Cooking is what we do to show each other we care, how we say, “I’m thinking of you.” Food is where we connect, converse, and share our lives. 

Now that I’ve lived outside of my mother’s home for a decade or so, I’m starting to recognize just how lucky I am. As a result of her cooking, I love food. I love to cook and share my food with others. I honestly can’t think of any better way to express my love than through the holding, filling, and folding of hundreds of dumplings. Each little packet of flavor individually formed by my fingers, with my utmost attention and care.

Cooking and making dumplings is how I connect with not only my loved ones but also my ancestry. Like me, my mother was raised by cooks. Her father, my gong gong, worked at the family restaurant in LA’s Chinatown, where my ancestors fed Chinese food to railroad workers and Angelenos for three generations.

The restaurant closed before I could cook in its kitchens, but that hasn’t stopped me from inheriting our family tradition. Just like my mother, my aunts and uncles, and generations before me—food is my love language.

Charlie wrote about Christmas cake: I’ve never really thought about food until I met my husband, who is a food fanatic. He loves food, and its cultural origins and earthiness and connectivity, at a level I could never imagine. He wants to eat in all the places I find too dirty and frightening (even before COVID-19). Street food. Local cafés with old men hanging out all day in the plaza. The man in the jungle who offers to prepare ant salad.

I grew up in England and had “meat and two veg” for dinner. Food did not have a great reputation in my country at that time. We boiled and battered everything to death, and our impersonations of foreign food were pale facsimiles of the genuine article. My family had no money, so going out to dinner wasn’t a thing, and roast beef was a luxury. So when COVID-19 hit and we were at home forever, and I found myself in a rural U.S. context not understanding sheep or organic chard, and my husband was doing the subsistence thing, I realized I needed to up my game.

Being that female who, prior to the family thing, didn’t have a pan or pot, let alone a whisk, with only blunt knives and two items in the fridge, I found I had a whole new ontology to learn. I had no idea how to fry an onion, let alone bake bread. But I tried. Got up and tried again. And in the midst of all this, I asked my brother if he happened to have kept any of our mum’s recipes. Mum had died the year before COVID-19 hit, and I have yet to really believe this has happened, as I haven’t set foot in England since then. I was amazed that not only did my brother know how to find them, he’d also created a folder with all the key recipes. Recipes from 1970, which told us the cost of each portion. I started to dig them all out and recreate them—“Slade’s (yes, ) Shepherd’s Pie,” Christmas cake, mince pies, you name it. And I loved it.

I have always had trouble with reference to my “roots” or my “culture.” I don’t know how to consider the culture of a colonial country, one that wiped out so many others. I’d always just wanted to acknowledge my awful privilege, appreciate the green fields and buses, and think of someone else’s much more colorful, cultural ways of being. But making and eating my first-ever homemade (by me) Christmas cake brought my mum, and her mum, back to me in ways that photos never would. I have begun, through that experience of eating cake, to understand that my mum is my culture. All the “old wives’ tales” she passed down to me, the odd eccentricity of the British and the vivid humor, lives on in me. Making that cake connected me to something I never knew was there.

YesFoodie_1308 wrote about sweet potatoes: Sweet potatoes. I can smell the sweet fragrance wafting up the stairs, around the corner, and under the door of my studio office. It is dinner tonight. There’s nothing that takes me back home to Alabama more than the simplicity and versatility of this wonderful vegetable.

Whether roasted, baked, in pies, or in soups, sweet potatoes bring back memories of my Uncle Bro, who was a farmer, pulling up the hill to our house in his aged green vegetable truck. It would be heavy, laden with a variety of the summer’s harvest of peas, butter beans, watermelons, greens, and more. But my favorite were the sweet potatoes. It wasn’t just about the potatoes themselves; it was the scene of my mother showing appreciation of her brother’s harvest, which would feed our family for the winter in exchange for us shelling the peas and butter beans for his farm stand.

As kids, we could select our own potato to be washed and baked in a large pan in the oven as we commenced the shelling. The warmth from the oven was only rivaled by the interesting conversations in the kitchen; it was always a treat as a child to be allowed to be present during “grown-folks” talking. Soon, the fragrance from the baking potatoes would overtake all conversations in anticipation of the tasty treat ahead. This perfectly packaged food would be served with a generous amount of butter, a sprinkling of brown sugar, and a dusting of cinnamon.

For me, it simply doesn’t get much better than that, except, perhaps, to be served in a crust in the form of sweet potato pie, made by my late oldest sister, Harriet. I bake them every Thanksgiving morning in her honor. Additionally, to carry on my family’s tradition of sweet potatoes, I have introduced a special time between my young grandson and me. It is his favorite vegetable, served with butter, cinnamon, and the sweetness of generations of love.

Janny11 wrote about pie: I come from a pie family, and it was a milestone when my children could make their own pie. Here is what I have written about pie and how it relates to my roots: Over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was making pies from a dessert cookbook I made a few years ago—and I read the introduction that I wrote back in 2011. 

Pie is a simple offering in a complex world.
I’m a messy, imprecise cook and I like it that way.
The cake may be lopsided or the pie patched,
But its imperfection makes it real—not manufactured—hand made.

I was writing about pie—but upon reflection, I now realize I was also writing about myself and of people I admire and people I want to know. I used to feel burdened by my imperfections—my mistakes, my pain—my shoulders sore, my brow worried. I was weighted by stones in my pockets. But over time, I’ve dropped those stones one by one. They sit by streams, under a fern, and on a windowsill. I still have one or two in my pocket and in my palm—for comfort. To hold on to.

And because we know so many YES! readers have been our longtime companions on this journey toward building a more sustainable, equitable, and compassionate world, we want to know more about what has kept you moving forward all these years. We want to know about the emerging movements, leaders, and organizations that help you keep hope alive, doing meaningful work that makes a tangible difference in the communities where you live, work, and play.

Please join YES! staff and editors in the comments below, and let us know: Which social justice movements and organizations do you see helping to build a better world right now? How have they inspired you or transformed how you think or act?

You may see your answers in an upcoming issue of YES! Magazine!

One dish that helped me understand the power of food is bakso, an Indonesian meatball and noodle soup:

Inside that bakso, held tenderly by its ingredients, I felt connection, nostalgia, joy, deep nourishment, and equally deep sorrow and grief. That bowl of bakso was a portal to my past, to the parts of me I had long neglected, revealing the invisible strings that tether me to my loved ones, my past, and my legacy, despite time and distance. And this portal has always been there—I just had to walk through. 

Food is, of course, essential to our lives, but it can also be an important connection to our cultures, our histories, and our own sense of self. So we want to hear from you, dear readers, about your own connections to food. What food makes you feel connected to your roots? Maybe you make it during the holidays to enjoy with loved ones, maybe you cook it when ��dz�’r�� sad and need some comfort, or maybe you have a perfect combination of flavors and spices that sends your senses soaring.

In the comments below, tell us about the food that moves you—and you may see it on YES! Our editors will select several responses to have illustrated and shared on the YES! website and social media in the coming weeks.

YES! Fest is coming up on Oct. 7-8, and I want to share some more details about the program for the second day. After hearing from Vandana Shiva, David Korten, Sarah van Gelder, adrienne maree brown, and Fania Davis on Day 1, we have another fabulous lineup for Day 2 on Friday, Oct. 8. (Find an outline of the schedule for both days here.)

To kick it off, join our editors for an “Ask YES! Anything” panel. Bring your questions for editorial director Sunnivie Brydum, new racial justice editor Sonali Kolhatkar, environmental editor Breanna Draxler, and senior editor Chris Winters, who covers politics and economics. They’ll answer questions and talk about the work they’re most excited about in the coming year. The panel will be moderated by YES! board member Manolia Charlotin, co-founder of Press On, a collective that supports journalism by and for communities advancing transformative social change.

Next, Sonali will moderate an incredible panel on the theme of transformative justice, which rejects police and prisons in favor of community-based models of safety and accountability. Practiced by Black, Indigenous, and other marginalized communities for generations, it gained traction during last year’s racial justice uprisings. Calls to defund the police were part of a broader push to reinvest in communities and reimagine public safety. Together we’ll explore what this looks like in practice. Sonali will be joined by Amanda Alexander, executive director of the Detroit Justice Center, Mariah Parker, county commissioner of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia, elected on a platform of criminal justice reform, Dallas Goldtooth, an organizer with the Indigenous Environmental Network supporting Indigenous communities fighting fossil fuel extraction, and the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis, co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign.

Finally, I’ll sit down with Alicia Garza, Principal at Black Futures Lab and co-founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network. We’ll discuss what she’s learned as an organizer about how diverse groups of people, communities, and organizations can build power for transformative change, and other ideas from her book, The Purpose of Power: How We Come Together When We Fall Apart. (Bonus: Your registration for YES! Fest includes a special 40% discount on this book). I can’t wait for our conversation!

In between our main sessions on both days, we’ll be treated to performances from some of our favorite national recording artists and poets, including Brett Dennen, Dar Williams, Raye Zaragoza, Chris Pierce, Mollywop!, Taíni Asili, and Tawana Petty.

You’ll also get to meet more of the people behind YES!, have the chance to win prizes (including an electric bike!), and learn about the work we have planned for the future and how you can support it.

YES! reader, I hope you’ll for what’s sure to be an inspiring two days.

Zenobia Jeffries Warfield
YES! Executive Editor

P.S.  to join us at YES! Fest.

On Oct. 7-8, ��dz�’r�� invited to YES! Fest, a two-day virtual festival celebrating 25 years of YES! Ahead of the event, I wanted to share a little more about the program for the first day on Oct. 7. (You can if you haven’t already.)

For starters, world-renowned scholar and activist Vandana Shiva will give a keynote address. Vandana is a longtime YES! contributing editor, and her words and work have appeared in many of our issues over the past 25 years. She’s known for her work in the anti-globalization movement, as well as her advocacy for food sovereignty, biodiversity, and protecting the commons in the face of GMO monocultures and global climate change. I can’t wait to hear the wisdom she’ll share with us at YES! Fest.

Next, I’ll have the privilege of moderating a conversation with Vandana and the co-founders of YES!, David Korten and Sarah van Gelder. David is an author whose work challenges us to rethink the very foundation of our economy so that we can better support life and ecological well-being. And Sarah has been dedicated to telling stories of community resilience for more than 30 years, from her time as executive editor of YES! Magazine to her book, The Revolution Where You Live. The three of them will reflect on some of the big ideas and movements of the past 25 years, and where they see us headed now.

Finally, you’ll be treated to a conversation between adrienne maree brown and Fania Davis. adrienne is a writer, facilitator, and YES! contributing editor whose book Emergent Strategy has helped shape a generation of activists. And Fania is an activist, attorney, educator, and practitioner of restorative justice who is helping to change our paradigm of what justice looks like: from punishment and control to healing and restoration. Their conversation will tee us up for our second day of panels and speeches exploring the theme of transformative justice.

And that’s just Day 1!

On Day 2 we’ll be joined by Alicia Garza, Mariah Parker, Amanda Alexander, Dallas Goldtooth, and the Rev. Dr. Liz Theoharis. Find an outline of the schedule for both days here.

In between our main sessions on both days, we’ll be treated to performances from some of our favorite national recording artists and poets, including Brett Dennen, Dar Williams, Raye Zaragoza, Chris Pierce, Mollywop!, Taíni Asili, and Tawana Petty.

You’ll also get to meet more of the people behind YES!, have the chance to win prizes (including an electric bike!), and learn about the work we have planned for the future and how you can support it.

Reader, I hope you’ll for what’s sure to be a spectacular two days.

Sunnivie Brydum
YES! Editorial Director

P.S. to join us at YES! Fest.

The truth is, there are enough resources on this planet to support its human, animal, and plant inhabitants. But as Executive Editor Zenobia Jeffries Warfield and Senior Editor Chris Winters wrote in their letter from the editors:

“As a global society, we’ve bought into the idea of scarcity—yet that scarcity is a fabrication. Our problem is not that we don’t have enough, it is that the majority of us—particularly our most vulnerable—don’t have access to the abundance of resources Earth provides. And the hoarding of those resources by the wealthy reinforces a system of exploitation under which most humans on the planet live.”

Many of those most vulnerable—people, ecosystems, sociopolitical structures—are concentrated in what is often called the “,” a moniker used primarily to recognize the regions of the world historically marginalized, colonized, and oppressed by colonial and empirical powers, which have been concentrated in the “global North.”

In his article, Stan Cox points out that to arrive at enough for everyone, people in the global North will have to make change and sacrifice. This need not mean a life of misery and deprivation for those of us who have long enjoyed more than our fair share, but it does mean that it’s time to start rethinking the way we do things.

So we want to know: For readers based in the global North, what might these changes mean for you? What kinds of sacrifice or evolutions are you prepared to make? What might this mean for your community? And most importantly, what first steps can we start taking today—collectively and individually?

Share your thoughts, reflections, and actions in the comments below.

Do you feel like ��dz�’r�� using too much plastic? Maybe stories from our Solving Plastic issue made you want to reduce the plastic in your life. … I know I feel that way, which is why I’m excited to take part in the Plastic Free Ecochallenge starting July 1.

Will you ? 

The Plastic Free Ecochallenge is a monthlong effort to help all of us shift away from our single-use plastic dependency and care for our ecosystems. Hosted by our friends at Ecochallenge.org, it’s free and open to everyone.

You can choose from dozens of suggested ways to take action, from learning about local waste facilities and supporting policy proposals, to building new habits around food, personal care, pets, family, and more. As one past participant said, “The monthlong challenge really can change your habits for good!”

We’ll record our actions throughout the month so that we can track our collective impact. I can’t wait to see what the YES! community is capable of! 

. If ��dz�’r�� new to Ecochallege.org, you’ll need to create an account. Otherwise, you can log in.

The more the merrier so, once you sign up, invite your friends to earn extra points and complete the challenge together.

Looking forward to July!

Natalie Lubsen
YES! Marketing Manager
(and Plastic Free Ecochallenge Captain)

But as the “Solving Plastic” issue showed, everyday people around the globe are finding ways to make a difference, whether through personal re-use and reduction, or by organizing their friends, families, and neighbors to take action to hold Big Plastic accountable.

Now, YES! wants to know what actions ��dz�’r�� taking to fight plastic pollution. In the comments, tell us about your individual actions, the community organizing ��dz�’r�� doing, or the campaigns ��dz�’r�� a part of that are making progress and tackling the plastic problem. You might even see your comments in the “Readers Respond” page of our next issue!

Looking for more ways to take action? Join us for the Plastic Free Ecochallenge in July, a month-long effort to shift away from our single-use plastic dependency. We’re putting together a YES! team, and we’d love to have you on it. .

Update: This event is now over, but you can still when it is made available.

The petrochemical industry continues to flood the world with plastic—poisoning our bodies and ecosystems, and driving and exploiting inequality. Join us Thursday, May 20 at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET for our live virtual conversation with activists and contributors from the Solving Plastic issue of YES! Magazine as we explore the diverse ways communities are fighting back and creating healthier systems—and how you can be a part of it. You’ll hear from:

• Erica Cirino, a science writer, artist, and author of the forthcoming book Thicker Than Water: The Quest for Solutions to the Plastic Crisis (Island Press, fall 2021)
• Sharon Lavigne, founder of RISE St. James in New Orleans and a leading environmental justice advocate fighting the petrochemical buildout in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley”
• Christie Keith, international coordinator and executive director of GAIA (U.S.), a global alliance of grassroots groups, NGOs, and individuals working toward a just, toxic-free world without incineration
• Breanna Draxler, YES! environmental editor and moderator of the event
• Zenobia Jeffries Warfield, YES! executive editor and host of the event

This free event will be broadcast live on Zoom, and a recording of the event will be sent to all registrants.

We want to know where you’re seeing the principles of an ecological civilization take hold in your communities. Add your response to the prompt in the comments below. We will publish some in the “Readers Respond” section of our next issue.

In the new issue of YES!, we dig into what an ecological civilization can look like—and the people and movements already working to bring it about. Here’s a peek inside the issue:

Like what you see? by April 28 to get your copy of this issue. Or, and you’ll get an ongoing subscription to our quarterly magazine, a special insider newsletter just for our recurring donors, and the satisfaction of knowing you make every story possible!

If you haven’t already registered for our comments section, you can do so below. We’ll see you all Wednesday morning!

Dear reader, 

Are you feeling anxious? Scared about what’s to come? Uncertain if this “American experiment” — with all its cruelty and colonialism and racism baked in alongside the unyielding push for a better tomorrow — will turn out OK? You’re not alone. 

First, take a deep breath. Unclench your jaw. Relax your shoulders. Take another deep breath. 

Each of us on the YES! editorial team has felt some level of that same anxiety. Whether related to electoral politics, climate catastrophe, economic insecurity, or the fundamental right of our people to exist free from violence and harassment, we are deeply familiar with the challenges that lie ahead. We know the personal, social, and environmental toll of fighting for the change that’s so desperately needed. 

But as journalists who write, edit, and curate the content you see at YES!, we also know, deep in our bones, that humans are resilient. We know that community power can create systemic change, and support networks can spring up from even the most dire situations. We know that people who have been systematically oppressed for centuries continue to rise, demand justice, and make real progress. We have seen, firsthand, the broad diversity of solutions that emerge when everyone is invited to the table, when we listen to the original stewards of this land, and when we engage with people who are different from ourselves. 

No matter who’s in office, the work continues. 

We also know that no single political moment—no leader, no individual shock wave—solely determines the future. And as Iman Mohamed, our digital intern, reminded our team last week: No matter who’s in office, the work continues. 

Regardless of how this election shakes out, your voice is still needed. The work ��dz�’r�� already doing to make the world more just, equitable, and sustainable, must continue. Your willingness to learn, to grow, to connect with and support your fellow human beings—that will always be essential. The planet will still need your care and restoration, Black lives will still matter, Indigenous peoples will still have rights, immigrants will still be welcomed, and everyone in this country will still be entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The past four years have reminded us that we need to protect and expand those rights if we want to keep them at all. 

In late 2016, following the previous presidential election, we drafted a letter that laid out our promise to you in those uncertain times. Today, our commitment remains, more robust than ever. You can trust our journalism to tell you the truth, with verified facts and critical context. You can count on us to elevate the voices often excluded from “mainstream” conversations—because we believe the people creating change in their own communities are the experts on their success. 

We need you to keep the momentum going. 

You can rely on us to unabashedly name the root cause of the injustice we see all around us, be it unfettered capitalism, racism and White supremacy, sexism, or xenophobia. And you can rest assured we will continue to bring you stories of real, practical solutions—tools you can use to make a difference in your corner of the world.

In return, we need you to keep the momentum going. 

If the candidate you voted for wins, your work is still not done. You cannot become complacent.  We need you to continue to demand better from your elected officials, continue to show up for justice, continue to help restore the environment, continue to fight for a world where everyone has a right to life, sustenance, and their own individual and collective joy. Keep finding solutions, and we’ll keep reporting on them. 

If your candidate doesn’t win, we need you to keep hope alive. Some of you may need to take a moment to grieve, to process. Take that moment. Then move forward. Remember that the future is what we make of it, and making it better starts in our own lives and circles of influence. Talk to your family, friends, neighbors, and community members. Get involved with the local issues and groups that matter to you—simply reach out and ask how you can help. We will keep bringing you reasons to hope and inspiration to act through our original reporting, insightful commentary, and analyses that help you make sense of a nonsensical world. 

You can count on us to keep telling hard truths and pushing for that better, more just, sustainable, compassionate world. We’re grateful to have you with us in this effort, because it’s going to take all of us to bring about the world we want. 

In solidarity, 

The YES! Editorial Team 

Producer/Host Wanted for Radio Pilot (possible ongoing series)
PT/contract position, fee based on experience
Deadline to apply: Nov. 8, 2020 

YES! ������Ƶ and Public News Service* are looking for a high-energy person with a reporting background and experience in solutions journalism to serve as the producer/host for the pilot of a weekly national radio program that focuses on local and regional stories. Candidates should have working knowledge of radio programming formats, as well as strong familiarity with current events, and community and organizational activities related to social change (including movements and movement leaders, authors, policymakers, and other changemakers).

The purpose of the pilot/program is to introduce new audiences to grassroots efforts and movements that are working to solve systemic inequity and reimagining recovery across the country. Candidates must be available for potential ongoing production. 

Responsibilities:

• Develop the content for the program (including curated content from YES! & PNS)
• Research topics for programming
• Write copy
• Seek out and interview guests 
• Add on-air commentary, opinions related to topics
• Work efficiently and effectively with production team
• Manage social media account and promote program on social media
• Manage email correspondence
• Obtain permissions and licenses as needed

�ϳܲ������ھ������پ��DzԲ�:��

• Minimum 5 years experience in media/communications
• Demonstrated success in broadcasting (hosting/producing radio programming, audio recording, audio editing, narrating)
• Home recording/editing equipment
• Excellent verbal and written communication and storytelling skills
• Deadline-oriented, well-organized, flexible
• Ability to work well under pressure, independently, and with others 
• Familiarity with laws, rules, and industry regulations and standards around radio production

Send your resume, cover letter, and audio clip(s) to: pilot@yesmagazine.org. 

*Both YES! and PNS are national media outlets with local impact. Collectively, we reach millions of people through daily radio, online, and print coverage, and the quarterly publication of YES! Magazine. 

YES! ������Ƶ is a nonprofit, independent publisher of solutions journalism. It reports nationally on the positive ways communities are responding to social problems, and publishes insightful commentary that promotes constructive discourse that inspires people to build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. 

is an independent radio/audio news service, operating in 37 states. It pioneers a model of member-supported journalism to engage, educate, and advocate for the public interest. Combining legacy and new media, PNS reaches audiences across geographic, technical, and political divides.  

YES! and PNS are equal opportunity, affirmative-action employers. We do not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, military or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or political ideology. People of color, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual orientations are encouraged to apply. We are strongly committed to building a staff that represents the diversity of communities on which we report.

“Joining the Trust Project is a critical step in our goal to make YES! as trustworthy a resource as possible for readers,” said Christine Hanna, YES! ������Ƶ Executive Director. “If we as a country are going to make it through these uncertain times, we need our news sources to be open, honest, and transparent. There is simply too much at stake.”

YES! ������Ƶ, the publishers of YES! Magazine, underwent an extensive, five-month process to implement the —evaluating and updating policies, creating new processes, and adding transparency to existing standards. The 8 Trust Indicators, a widely accepted transparency standard developed by The Trust Project in collaboration with the public and news organizations worldwide, help news media hold themselves accountable and ensure reliable, accurate news sources.

The Indicators help people know who and what is behind a given news story through disclosures about:

● Best Practices (Standards and Policies)
● Journalist Expertise
● Type of Work Labels
● References
● Methods
● Locally Sourced
● Diverse Voices
● Actionable Feedback

“YES! has shown extraordinary commitment to the public good, implementing the Trust Project’s 8 Trust Indicators while their staff contended with the triple challenge of a pandemic, public unrest and a financial crisis. The public will benefit greatly from the transparency now offered on their site,” said Sally Lehrman, founder and chief executive of the Trust Project. “As more news organizations adopt the 8 Trust Indicators, we slow the spread of false and misleading news and amplify integrity-based journalism from reputable news organizations around the world.”

The Trust Project is funded by Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the Democracy Fund, Facebook, Google and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

To learn more about The Trust Project and the 8 Trust Indicators, visit .

About the Trust Project
The Trust Project is a global network of news organizations working to affirm and amplify journalism’s commitment to transparency, accuracy and inclusion. The project created the Trust Indicators, which are a collaborative, journalism-generated standard for news that helps both regular people and the technology companies’ machines easily assess the authority and integrity of news. The Trust Indicators are based in robust user-centered design research and respond to public needs and wants. For more, visit .

About YES! ������Ƶ
YES! ������Ƶ is a nonprofit, independent publisher of solutions journalism. Through rigorous reporting on the positive ways communities are responding to social problems and insightful commentary that sparks constructive discourse, YES! ������Ƶ inspires people to build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. YES! ������Ƶ is independent and nonpartisan. Our explanatory journalism analyzes societal problems in terms of their root causes and explores opportunities for systemic, structural change. Our stories uncover environmental, economic, and social justice intersections. Our solutions reporting spotlights the ideas and initiatives of people building a better world. Our commentaries address dominant economic, political, and social structures and consider alternative ways of thinking that can produce a more equitable and Earth-friendly world.

This free event on Thursday, Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET is open to the public via Zoom. Tickets will be limited for this special event, so .

Harriot is the senior writer at The Root and a frequent guest of MSNBC and CNN, and Jordan is an African and African American historian. Harriot, Jordan, Bronner Helm, and Jeffries Warfield will discuss the impact of the tens of millions of people who have taken to the streets of nearly 550 cities to declare that “Black Lives Matter,” and unpack what Black Lives Matter really means and what it looks like. The panelists will also discuss their contributions to the new issue of YES! Magazine and answer questions from attendees.

Available now, the Black Lives issue of YES! Magazine is a collaboration between YES! and Colorlines. Edited by Jeffries Warfield and Bronner Helm, it features, along with Harriot and Jordan, more than 20 Black journalists, historians, policymakers, researchers, artists, and photographers who imagine a world in which public safety does not require racist and violent policing, where there are no racial inequities in health care, and the debts owed by this nation for Black labor are paid. To get your copy, at our special introductory rate of just $15.

About the Speakers

Michael Harriot is the senior writer at The Root, where he covers the intersection of race, politics, and culture. His work has appeared in the Washington Post, The New York Times, and on his mother’s refrigerator. He is a frequent political commentator on MSNBC and CNN, and earned the National Association of Black Journalists Award for digital commentary, as well as TV writing. Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Auburn University and a Masters in Macroeconomics from Florida State University. His book, BlackAF History, will be released in the spring of 2021.

Jamon Jordan is an educator, writer, and historian. Jamon has been a teacher and researcher of African and African American history for more than 20 years. He is founder and CEO of Black Scroll Network History & Tours in Detroit, where he leads tours and presentations on African and African American history. He also serves as the President of the Detroit branch of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and on the Board of Trustees for the Historical Society of Michigan. Jamon has been featured on CBS Radio, NPR, C-SPAN, CNN, and the History Channel.

Zenobia Jeffries Warfield is the executive editor at YES! ������Ƶ, and has been in media going on 15 years. An award-winning journalist, she honed her skills as a reporter, managing editor, and editor for nearly eight years at a community newspaper in her hometown of Detroit. She joined the YES! editorial team in 2016 as an associate editor charged with building and growing YES!’s racial justice beat. In addition to writing and editing, she has produced, directed, and edited a variety of short documentaries spotlighting community movements to international democracy. Zenobia directs editorial coverage for YES! Magazine, YES! ������Ƶ’s editorial partnerships, and serves as chair of the YES! Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee.

Angela Bronner Helm is a journalist and editor with more than 20 years of experience in media. She began her career at The Source magazine during hip-hop’s golden era and is a founding editor of Honey magazine. She has held top editorial positions at Uptown and Essence magazines; she also served for six semesters as an adjunct professor of journalism at the City College of New York. Most recently, Angela was an editor at The Root, where her focus was on racial, social and reproductive justice, mental health and culture. She currently is Senior Editorial Director at Colorlines, a nonprofit news site committed to racial equity and centering the voices of marginalized people.

About YES! Presents

YES! Presents is a live event series from the team behind YES! Magazine that brings to life stories of solutions to some of society’s biggest issues. From deep explorations based on YES!’s award-winning solutions journalism reporting, to discussions with some of the most influential national and local figures at the forefront of these solutions, YES! Presents events offer a thought-provoking look into the role we all play in building a better world. Headquartered in Washington state, YES! ������Ƶ is a national nonprofit, independent publisher of solutions journalism. Through rigorous reporting on the positive ways communities are responding to social problems and insightful commentary that sparks constructive discourse, YES! inspires people to build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world.

About Colorlines

Colorlines is a daily news site where race matters, featuring award-winning in-depth reporting, news analysis, opinion and curation. Colorlines is published by Race Forward, a national organization that advances racial justice through research, media and practice.

Since the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, millions of people across the country and around the world have taken to the streets to declare #BlackLivesMatter and push for justice not only for George Floyd, but for Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Tony McDade, and every other Black life that has been taken by police violence.

As people demand change—systemic, transformative, burn-it-down-and-start-over change—we at YES! asked: What do we mean when we say Black Lives Matter? What does that look like?

To answer that, YES! and Colorlines, a daily news site that centers race and racial justice, collaborated on this issue to give the space for Black voices to lead the conversation. This issue features Black journalists, historians, policymakers, researchers, artists, and photographers who imagine a world in which public safety does not require racist and violent policing, where there are no racial inequities in health care, and the debts owed by this nation for Black labor are paid.

Here’s a preview of our new Black Lives issue.

Like what you see? The best way to get this issue—and to support YES!—is to . You’ll get an ongoing subscription to our quarterly magazine, a special insider newsletter just for our recurring donors, and the satisfaction of knowing you make every YES! story possible! You can also to get just the magazine.

This free virtual event on Thursday, July 16 at 12 p.m. PT/3 p.m. ET is open to the public via Zoom.

“������Ƶ than 20 years ago, David Korten was offering small groups of people a profound vision to ‘restore democracy and create mindful market economies. We can create cultures and the institutions of the just, sustainable, and compassionate world of which we all dream.’ It’s taken a full-blown pandemic to snap us awake…Within this threshold moment, outsized opportunities to bring such vision into the forefront of policy are rapidly emerging.”
— Nafeez Ahmed, reporter, best-selling author, and System Shift Lab executive director

We want to hear from you. What has to happen to go beyond the slogan and ensure that Black lives really matter?

Add your response to the prompt in the comments. We will publish some in our upcoming “Black Lives Matter” issue. Comments will be pre-moderated, meaning they must be approved by a YES! staff member before they appear on this page. This is to screen out hate speech and ensure a civil discussion.

Your words could end up in the next magazine, as we’ll publish a few of our favorite comments with every upcoming issue. 

Check out the issue—and join us in the comments below!

Here’s a preview of our “Community Power” issue.

Like what you see? The best way to get this issue—and to support YES!—is to . You’ll get an ongoing subscription to our quarterly magazine, a special insider newsletter just for our recurring donors, and the satisfaction of knowing you make every YES! story possible! You can also to get just the magazine.

Hopefully ��dz�’r�� enjoying our new daily dose of YES!, A Better World Today (you can ). We aim to give you at least one inspiring story every day.

This is where we need your help: We’re counting on you to share how your community is coming together to build resilience, connection, and strength during the COVID-19 crisis. Bookmark this page for easy reference so you can continually share the essential examples and ideas of how we can come together to overcome the worst of this global pandemic. We’ll feature some of the best in our A Better World Today newsletter.

Yesterday, my co-worker Camille returned from the grocery store, rattled by a scene unimaginable just days ago.

Our neighborhood market had been transformed: extra long lines, parents in tears over empty shelves, and a shopper carrying a shotgun ready to defend his right to limited supplies.

It was the latest reminder of the new world we’re living in because of the coronavirus.

An extraordinary unraveling is occurring, and no one will be untouched. The social and economic disruptions of this crisis will be deep, broad, and long-lasting. I want you to know that YES! is here for you as things unfold.

In the face of an overwhelming tidal wave of bad news, fearmongering, and finger-pointing, what we need most right now are daily reminders of our better human selves, so that each of us can rise to this challenge. There are thousands of inspiring, creative community responses to this pandemic, and these stories must be told and widely shared.

YES! is responding immediately to this critical need. Here’s what you can expect:

Daily news direct to you. Next week, we are expanding our newsletter to make sure you see at least one inspiring story every day. Called A Better World Today, it will focus on uplifting community responses and ideas in this critical moment. Watch your email for more information. If you don’t already get YES! emails, sign up now.

Shifting our coverage. We’ll be including all the beautiful ways communities are stepping up their compassion and people power in this challenging time. A few of the stories on deck:

• What kinds of social safety nets are helping communities prepare—and protect—themselves

• How “Nordic economics” offers us a model for handling uncertainty

• Books that help us find courage in times of anxiety

• How neighbors in Appalachia are building community by facing coronavirus together

Our summer magazine: Community Power. We’ve done a quick pivot and instead of the issue we had planned, we’ll be looking at community responses to coronavirus and other crises to draw the best lessons about how communities can take charge and build resilience, connection, and strength.

Learning from each other. When so many of us are facing fear and physical isolation, it is essential that we find ways to connect with others and share our collective knowledge of solutions. We must remind ourselves that we’re part of a greater community, and that our greater purpose is to emerge from this crisis with the tools to build a better world. Look for invitations from YES! to join in online conversations about solutions arising in your community and family, and to share ideas with other readers.

Free, unlimited access. All of our online content will be free to ensure these stories of hope and inspiration are available to everyone during this crisis.

Please, share the hope with your community

If ��dz�’r�� a regular YES! reader, you know how solutions stories help lift your spirits and keep you going when times are dark. In the coming weeks and months, I hope you’ll share YES! emails and stories with friends and loved ones. We all need as much hope and inspiration as we can get. And in a time of social distancing, it’s a safe and positive way to connect.

The bigger picture—a new and better world can emerge

I want to end this letter on a note of hope. In this crisis, I see new ways of being beginning to emerge.

The virus is exposing the unfairness and vulnerability of our basic systems—economic, health care, information, political—that we rely on to survive. YES! has long challenged systems built on inequity, racism, and environmental destruction. We’ve introduced you to thousands of people who are paving the way to better systems that put the well-being of all people and the planet first.

Now, in response to the pandemic, those experiments are speeding up. Even as we shelter at home, people everywhere are tapping into new—and old—ways to survive and thrive.

Telling the stories of solutions for a more just, sustainable, compassionate world has been our mission for nearly 25 years. No other media outlet does what we do. Truly, more than ever, the world needs YES!—and YES! needs you. Like many nonprofits, YES! will struggle financially in the wake of this crisis. If you can, please help us light the path to a better world.

Finally, I imagine you—like all of us—are anxious, and made more so by our necessary physical isolation. Please know you are part of a larger community of people who believe that another, better world is possible. If we all hold that vision together, we can get there, one day at a time.

Sending love and strength to you and your community,

Christine Hanna
YES! Executive Director

In this issue, we ask what it will take to build the world we want in the next decade. You’ll find our editors’ hopeful visions for the economy, the environment, racial equity, health, and civil liberties. And you’ll read inspiring stories of people and communities building the foundation for a better world right now—proving the potential of public banks, restorative justice programs, and new models for home health care.

Here’s a preview of “The World We Want” issue.

Like what you see? The best way to get this issue—and to support YES!—is to . You’ll get an ongoing subscription to our quarterly magazine, a special insider newsletter just for our recurring donors, and the satisfaction of knowing you make every YES! story possible! You can also to get just the magazine.

Created by Vox ������Ƶ and funded in part by The Lenfest Institute’s Community Listening and Engagement Fund, this is different than many of the commenting platforms you may have encountered elsewhere. This one was created with real people in mind. You can engage directly with fellow readers, as well as editors, writers, and other YES! staff to talk about the topics that matter to you and share story ideas and feedback in real time. 

To celebrate the launch of “The World We Want” issue, we’re making this a dedicated space for you to tell us what inspired you, what made you think, and what you could have done without. Your words could end up in the next magazine, as we’ll publish a few of our favorite comments with every upcoming issue. 

Check out the issue in print or online—and join us in the comments below!

As you’ve hopefully noticed, things look a little different around here. We’ve redesigned the YES! website (more on that here), but those changes aren’t stopping with our new look. Today, we’re formally launching a renewed effort to better communicate with you, our incredible, loyal, thoughtful, inspiring readers.

Thankfully, you haven’t waited for us to start the conversation. Day after day our inboxes are full of your unsolicited words of inspiration, thanks, ideas, and constructive feedback. It’s a powerful reminder for the team here that there’s a community of millions behind us.

For more than 20 years, we’ve been partnering with you to build a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. As beautiful as that relationship has been, we know we can have an even greater impact in the world by providing a better way for you to bring your thoughts, ideas, and expertise to the table more prominently for our—and each other’s—work.

The first step of this renewed effort is the launch of our all-new discussion platform, powered by the brilliant folks at Vox ������Ƶ’s and funded in part by the generous support of ’s Community Listening and Engagement Fund.

Unlike commenting platforms you’ve probably seen elsewhere (including YES!—we’re sorry!), Coral was built with you in mind. The platform, and our programming for it, are ultimately crafted to provide you with a great experience engaging with us and each other.

What you won’t find:

������Ƶ trolls than a DreamWorks movie. We’re committed to making this a constructive space for all of us to discuss solutions for a better world. Violators of our guidelines will not be tolerated. To help make this possible, you also won’t find:

The ability to comment on every single story. Great discussions require great moderation. To make sure your experiences are positive, we’ll be limiting the number of stories we offer commenting on.

Real names. Your privacy and safety is our primary concern. You’re more than welcome to use your real name, but it is not required. 

What you will find:

Opportunities to go deeper on a story. You’ll be able to chat, ask questions, and get more insight from YES! contributors, editors, and sometimes even the story subjects themselves. 

Opportunities to build our issues with us. That’s right, we’re bringing you into the process of creating issues of YES! Magazine. We have a community of some of the greatest forces for good in the world. We want your thoughts, ideas, and feedback.

Opportunities to provide input on our products. We want you to have a say on your experience reading YES! What do you like? What could be improved? How can we make the YES! experience better?

Great conversations. With YES! staffers, and hopefully each other. Ultimately, our goal is to create a space that allows us to better partner with each other.

We’re putting that goal to test with our very first discussion on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST).

Join YES! Editorial Director Sunnivie Brydum, Creative Director Tracy Matsue Loeffelholz, and me for a discussion about what you would like to see from YES! in 2020—our coverage, our magazines, our website—whatever you want, really. This is your space. To get started, you can register now to submit your comments or questions ahead of time. Otherwise, we’ll see you Thursday!

Matt Grisafi
Sr. Director of Product & Marketing
YES! ������Ƶ

Join YES! on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST) for a live discussion with Editorial Director Sunnivie Brydum, Creative Director Tracy Matsue-Loeffelholz, and Sr. Director of Product and Marketing Matt Grisafi.

Register below to submit your comments and questions in advance of the conversation.

As the digital editor at YES!, I have the unique opportunity to read every single one of our solutions stories before we publish them for all to see. I have learned that solutions take many forms. Sometimes they are replicable, such as the library in British Columbia that is decolonizing how it organizes information. Sometimes solutions look like one small, individual action, such as connecting with a neighbor. And sometimes, solutions require us to name the problems courageously to solve them, like toxic masculinity or the whitewashing of Martin Luther King Jr. 

Based on our most popular stories of 2019, it’s clear our readers craved honesty, hope, and guidance from YES! articles, and on behalf of myself and the editorial team, sharing these kinds of stories with you all is our sincerest pleasure. Please enjoy our most popular stories of 2019, and here’s to more solutions in 2020. 

One final note: YES! needs to raise $317,000 by December 31 to fund the stories we have planned in the coming year. We’re nonprofit and ad-free—we depend on readers like you—so if you value stories like these, please to ensure we can keep them coming.

1. This Is How Borrowing Sugar From Our Neighbors Strengthens Society 

Research shows that small talk and casual connections create happy communities and less-lonely individuals.

2. 20 Ways You Can Help Immigrants Now

How you can take action to help immigrants in transition, in detention, and in crisis.

3. The Choices We Make For Others at the End of Life

A palliative care nurse explains what to expect in the last days and hours.

4. The Trauma of Toxic Masculinity

What really lies beneath the anger and aggression of traditional White masculinity.

5. The Part About MLK White People Don’t Like to Talk About

Dr. King was widely disliked for his message of liberation for oppressed people in this country—Black people, Brown people, Native people, all poor people.

6. This Library Takes an Indigenous Approach to Categorizing Books

Xwi7xwa library in British Columbia is working to decolonize the way libraries organize information.

7. The Trauma of Transracial Adoption

It takes a lot to break through the brainwashing and barriers of Whiteness—even for those raised with racial support.

8. “When They See Us” Is Triggering. That’s Why You Should Watch It

Ava DuVernay’s Netflix miniseries pulls back the layers of a corrupt, barbaric system that devalues Black and Brown lives.

9. The White Earth Band of Ojibwe Legally Recognized the Rights of Wild Rice. Here’s Why

Finally, plant species have rights, too.

10. How to Turn Dirt Into Soil 

Simple steps for cultivating a revolution in your backyard.

For the past year, in addition to producing the inspiring solutions journalism you’ve come to love and expect from YES!, our staff has been hard at work rethinking how to deliver these stories to the world with the most impact. 

What you see now is the result of countless hours of research, with our fantastic agency partners , including time spent speaking with readers like you—the people who are building a better world. Every corner of our new online home has been designed with you in mind, and it’s our hope that our important stories of solutions for a more just, sustainable, compassionate world shine even brighter and reach even further.

Here’s just a sampling of what you’ll find on the new yesmagazine.org:

A revamped homepage. Visit YES! throughout your week, and you’ll see all the inspiration you need where it matters most: social justice, environment, health and happiness, economy, and democracy. We’ve rethought our front page to carefully curate and provide important context on the latest news. If you haven’t already, take a moment to bookmark us and for our email updates so you don’t miss a thing. 

An all-new hub. We’re aiming to bring the powerful ideas of YES! stories to a half-million students nationwide through our YES! for Teachers program. This program puts free YES! subscriptions and teaching resources into the hands of thousands of educators across the country, and it starts with a new site designed to make it easy to find and use those resources. You can by making a gift right now—every $50 puts YES! into the hands of five teachers, reaching hundreds of students. 

A reimagined digital YES! Magazine. We believe in the power of magazines—and we know you do, too. One of our fantastic readers may have put it best in a recent message to us: “Magazines help our world reclaim humanity and civil logic.” We’ve worked hard to re-create the singular experience that our print readers love so much—the feeling of exploring an issue of YES! Magazine—but digitally. It’s perfectly suited for phones, tablets, and desktops. 

We know readers like you are hopeful, inquisitive, reflective, and believe in the power of YES! Magazine stories to inspire us all to build a better world. You’re willing to roll up your sleeves and do something—and you depend on the rigorous reporting and insightful commentary that YES! provides on some of the most important issues facing our society. 

Now you can pore over a topic like Building Bridges or a Good Death to consider the multiple solutions and complex perspectives. And for a limited time, we’re making our archives available to all readers free.  

So welcome to our new home—come on in and feel free to look around! We’re excited to share this new digital incarnation of YES!, but this is just the beginning. In the coming weeks and months, you can expect to see continued improvements and new features as we make this new house a home. (And like new homes, we’ll probably need to get out the toolbox and fix a few things—so send us your website “honey-do” lists and feedback to website@yesmagazine.org.)

Thanks for your continued support and for joining us in our mission to build a better world.

Sincerely,

Matt Grisafi
Sr. Director of Product & Marketing
YES! ������Ƶ

P.S.  YES! is nonprofit, ad-free, and reader-supported. We are in the midst of our most critical fundraising campaign of the year. So if you love YES!, if you value what it provides to the world, . There are simply no other outlets that cover the most important issues of our time through a positive, solutions-focused lens like YES! does. But to keep doing it, we need your support.