Erie County Sheriff and Trump superfan Timothy B. Howard should be as notorious as Joe Arpaio, the famously racist Republican sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona, whom Howard sees as a kindred spirit. Yet few outside of Western New York have ever heard of Howard. That’s not for want of headline…
Women shouldn’t need a ‘good’ reason to end a pregnancy.
‘Gold is not a human right. Housing is.’ Between 2012 and 2021, Berlin’s median rent rose by over 70 percent. The cost of housing did not skyrocket because the city suddenly became a better place to live, but because investors looking for a secure place to park their money discovered…
In the past year, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has gone from being a national media darling and fantasy presidential contender to a forlorn, scandal-plagued figure, walking the executive grounds enrobed in a blanket. Before the pandemic, most politically engaged New Yorkers knew Cuomo as a bully and a tyrant—traits…
Despite mounting evidence that taking vacations makes people happier, healthier and better at their jobs, many Americans remain chained to their worksites. The United States is the only country in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that does not require employers to provide workers with annual paid leave —…
Citing years of police brutality and racial disparities in arrests, activists are pushing candidates to embrace reforms ahead of next week’s Democratic primaries. Last summer, the U.S. erupted in protests against police brutality in response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The ferment was especially acute in Buffalo,…
Essay about my years in the world of corporate feminist nonprofits. (Subhead: “Accountability, cupcakes, and other adventures in pink-washing.”)
By failing to invest in child care, the U.S. government is placing mothers in an impossible position. Ashley Patrick was thrilled to land a full-time position at a prestigious publishing house in July 2016. The job came with smart, bookish colleagues, opportunities for advancement, a regular salary, and health insurance.…
A few days before May Day, Marcela Mitaynes, a Brooklyn tenant organizer who is running for the New York State Assembly, started getting calls from neighbors she hadn’t heard from in a while. Rent was due, and they were worried about paying. Many were already living paycheck to paycheck before…
Working from home under lockdown has highlighted some unanticipated gender and class issues. I have a vivid memory of a 1990s television commercial for a then-state-of-the-art cordless phone. It portrayed an industrious young businesswoman working her way through the weekend from home. Her three young daughters appear and beg her…
Even with ridership down by 90 percent and fare collection suspended, public transportation is considered an essential service. In recent weeks, the coronavirus pandemic has forced transit systems worldwide to suspend fare collection to keep workers and riders safe. These changes were implemented to protect the public in a crisis,…
Picture the biggest city in the United States. Now imagine everything that makes it unique going dark: the theaters, the restaurants, the museums, the bookstores, the bars, the parties and lectures and meetings and rallies; even the hair and nail salons. It’s been eerie watching one of the world’s great…
Grassroots organizers are proving to be a formidable challenge to the Republican Party’s voter suppression tactics.
The death of 27-year-old India Cummings in 2016 garnered national media attention and a renewed push by local activists over conditions of confinement in the New York county’s jails. But the deaths haven’t stopped.
Representative Carolyn Maloney was one of a record number of women elected to federal office in 1992 in the wake of Anita Hill’s testimony. She has remained popular, and won every race for reelection to date, in spite of primary challenges. Maloney was already up against three candidates in the…