Social Issues

The women’s recession isn’t over — especially for moms
One year since the start of the women’s recession, hundreds of thousands of moms have been forced to leave their jobs — and grapple with the consequences.
Jelani Cobb at Westminster Town Hall Forum series: 'The Arc Toward Justice'
New Yorker writer Jelani Cobb is the first speaker in a new four-part series from the Westminster Town Hall Forum: “The Arc Toward Justice: Taking Stock One Year After George Floyd’s Death.”
Biden raises refugee cap to 62,500 after earlier criticism
The new ceiling for refugee admissions will be 62,500 — far above former President Donald Trump's cap of 15,000. Advocates had been concerned Biden was not moving fast enough on a campaign promise.
Minnesota drug overdose deaths jumped in pandemic year
Overdose deaths rose by 27 percent in 2020, topping 1,000 last year. That included an 81 percent rise in deaths due to synthetic opioids like fentanyl and similar drugs, the Health Department said Monday. Deaths started to pick up with the initial COVID-19 surge.
Separated families to reunite in the U.S., as immigrant advocates push for more
Four migrant families that were separated at the border by the Trump administration will be allowed to reunify in the United States this week, the secretary of Homeland Security announced.
'Black America’s attorney general' seems to be everywhere
These days it seems Ben Crump is everywhere. The attorney has become a powerful figure in the movement seeking equality for Black Americans and justice for those killed by police. Those who know Crump say he’s been fighting for fairness long before anyone knew his name.
Combating the ag industry's history of discriminatory practices
A lawsuit filed by a group of white farmers from the Midwest asks a federal court to declare a program that erases USDA loans for farmers from “socially disadvantaged groups” discriminatory and unconstitutional. But there's a long history of discrimination against women and people of color in agriculture — and the effects continue to impact the industry today.
Can a teacher fly a Black Lives Matter flag at school? A Florida court will consider
A schoolteacher in Jacksonville, Fla., was disciplined after she put a Black Lives Matter flag up outside her classroom and refused administrators' orders to take it down. Now the case is in court.
'Their lives were intertwined with ours': Artist wants us to see the lives of Black men killed by police
A northeast Minneapolis artist is posting signs where Black men killed by police lived, worked and went to school. He wants people to see neighbors, not just headlines when they read their names.