In Dawoud Bey’s Photography, the Past Isn’t Past
“It begins with the subject,” Dawoud Bey has said of his photography. “A deep interest in wanting to describe the Black subject in a way that’s as complex as the experiences of anyone else. It’s meant to kind of reshape the world one person at a time.” It is an audacious mission, but Bey’s work—now…
Trump Is Blowing Up Native Burial Grounds to Build His Wall
Organ Pipe, Arizona, USA – Ongoing construction of border wall at Organ Pipe National MonumentBob Torrez/ZUMA Wire Contractors hired by Customs and Border Patrol began blasting ground last week in areas of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the latest step in President Donald Trump’s $646 million plan to build a 30-foot wall along 63 miles…
The Messy Racial Politics of the Super Bowl Halftime Show
Tossing and turning, emotions were strong.Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Even before it was announced last September that Jennifer Lopez and Shakira would headline the 2020 Super Bowl halftime show, the performance was already steeped in controversy. The commotion began a month earlier, when rapper Jay-Z revealed he was partnering with the NFL to help manage the league’s…
Thanks to Trump, Keystone XL Is Back. The Anti-Pipeline Movement Is Ready.
A water protector wielding Indigenous flags stands before floodlights at the Dakota Access Pipeline construction site on December 31, 2016.Richard Tsong-Taatarii/ZUMA You may remember the Keystone XL pipeline from 2015, when a movement galvanized by the growing threat of climate change successfully pushed President Obama to reject the project. But Keystone XL, which would pump…
How Football Shaped Indigenous Identity
Carlisle Indian School players surround head coach Glenn “Pop” Warner in Carlisle, Penn., circa 1900s.AP Photo/Pro Football Hall of Fame This Sunday, when the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers meet on the field for Super Bowl LIV, at least some headdress-adorned Chiefs fans in the stadium will be chanting and tomahawk-chopping their…
Warren vs. Sanders: Inside the Progressive Debate Over the Student Debt Crisis
Mother Jones illustration; Getty Last April, the socialist magazine Jacobin had a message for its favorite presidential candidate: “As President, Bernie Sanders Should Cancel All Student Debt.” The secretary of Education, the magazine argued, could wipe out most of the $1.6 trillion in outstanding college loans “with the stroke of a pen.” As his reward,…