Most of us can agree that America has a racist past. We enslaved other human beings, and even after the Civil War, injustices like lynching and Jim Crow laws persisted. But despite a troubling resurgence of white supremacy groups — a nearly 50% increase since 2022 — many Americans believe that racism is all in the past. “This is America,” we might think, “Everyone has an equal opportunity, right?” Or, talking about race or “seeing color” may feel like what is actually racist. So, why do we still need to talk about racism?
Okay But Why
Okay, But Why Are They Defunding the Weather Service?
If you’re like many Americans, one of the first things you do every morning is check the weather. And we definitely pay attention when there’s extreme weather – like hurricanes, blizzards, and tornadoes – on the horizon, putting our lives and property in jeopardy. Whether you get it from your phone, the morning news, or a Google search, that information all comes from the same place: the Weather Service, a part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). So why is the Trump administration getting rid of it?
Okay, But Why Do We Need Community More Than Ever?
Right now, many of us are feeling a ton of stress and anxiety. Add that to the rise in loneliness in our country, and it creates a toxic soup that isn’t just bad for our mood, it’s bad for our physical health too. The good news is, community connection can help with both of these problems! In these chaotic and stressful times, community is more important than ever. It isn’t just good for our hearts and minds, it’s good for democracy.
Okay But Why Is Social Security at Risk?
Social Security has been around for nearly a hundred years, and has been life-saving for many Americans. It provides retirement benefits to elderly Americans, unemployment benefits when people lose their jobs, and provides aid to families and people with disabilities. Those are all good things, right? So why would anyone want to get rid of it?
Okay, But Why Are Eggs Still So Expensive?
Have you been wondering why eggs – and pretty much everything else – is so expensive lately? Us too. So we decided to dig into it. It turns out, it’s not all due to the avian flu. And at the same time that prices are at an all time high, the government is cutting funding to critical programs that help families put food on the table.
Okay, But Why Should We Support Ukraine?
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Now, three years later, the war continues and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight. One of Trump’s campaign promises was that he would end the war, but what does that mean exactly? And who will benefit? What would be the best outcome for Ukrainians and for democracy?
Okay, But Why Are There So Many New Voting Laws?
We’ve all been seeing voting rights in the news a lot lately, with things like the SAVE Act. States have passed nearly 100 restrictive voting laws in the last 10 years. And just this year, President Trump signed an executive order that he claimed to be about protecting the integrity of our elections. “Election integrity” sounds like a good thing, but what happens when we read the fine print? What are these laws really about?
Okay, But Why… Do We Need the Department of Education?
The American Dream is built on public education. Most American adults today grew up attending traditional public schools. And just last year, about 80% of our children did as well. If the vast majority of American families rely on public schools, why would anyone want to get rid of the Department of Education? What exactly does it do and why do we need it?
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Okay, But Why Are People Drawn to Conspiracy Theories?
These days, it feels like conspiracy theories are everywhere. And some of these outlandish theories have caused real harm. So why are people drawn to conspiracy theories? What real harm do they cause? And how can we help a loved one come back to reality? See how we can find a common solution to people falling down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole!
Read This: A Seriously Brief Timeline of Women Organizing for Good
Throughout history, women have organized and fought for the greater good. Right now, as we witness great injustices and many of our freedoms are at stake, let’s recognize and celebrate some of the American women who showed us what’s possible through local organizing....
Do This: Fight the Climate Crisis
Remember learning about the hole in the ozone layer back when we were in school? And that to fix it, we had to stop using aerosol hairspray? We also learned the importance of recycling to preserve natural resources. And none of us will ever forget to cut through...
Okay, But Why Do Billionaires Have Our Data?
Americans are worried about the privacy of our personal information. We check our settings on social media and monitor our credit cards to protect our identity. But as more billionaires are given powerful roles and expensive contracts with the government, they’re accessing and sharing our information across agencies, raising new privacy concerns we should all be aware of.
Why do billionaires have so much of our data? And why isn’t the government protecting us?
Watch This: The Climate Crisis Is a Health Crisis
We’re not doomed yet, but we’ve wasted a lot of time. That’s one of the takeaways we learned from meteorologist and climate change communicator, Chris Edwards, when he joined us recently for our virtual event, Climate Change 101: What You Need to Know. Chris talked...