The Big Picture - The Emancipator

the big picture

The Big Picture | Suja Sawafta
Arab Americans Have Been Without A Census Category for Years. Here’s Why That Matters
People from the Middle East and North Africa have been categorized as White for decades. Is it time to rethink this classification?

The Big Picture | Katrina Gipson
Overpoliced hospitals are a scary place for the traumatized or undocumented
We can provide a safe work environment without risking illegal searches, interference with treatment, and fear of deportation in patients.

The Big Picture | Daryl A. Carter
The Tennessee GOP has a problem with democracy
From expelling Black members to sabotaging health care, Republicans’ zero-sum politics assault Black, Brown, and poor Tennesseans, but the people are fighting back.

The Big Picture | Bennitta Joseph
Move over cancel culture: Gen Z is seeking its due process
A New York firm hopes a lawsuit will bring lasting change to a hostile work environment at Dos Toros, a popular Mexican-style food chain allegedly engaging in unchecked bigotry and casual use of the N-word.

The Big Picture | Ya’Ke Smith
DEI Denial is the modern day lynching
Where lynching was an arbitrary and barbaric act to terrorize Black people, modern attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion threaten the livelihoods of those challenging oppressive systems and keep us all in the dark.

The Big Picture | Adam Shamsi, Monica L. Wang, and Hannah McKinney
Who’s going to check them?
Racial equity audits, when done right, can provide the knowledge and data for organizations to make real improvements in racial equity.

The Big Picture | Arionne Nettles
Saving Black homes lost to tax inequity
For decades, the sale of tax debt and unfair property assessments have disproportionately caused Black Americans to lose their homes across the United States.

The Big Picture | Gaurav J. Pathania
Caste should not be part of the ‘American Dream’
Caste could become the newest protected class in Seattle’s anti-discrimination law. More lawmakers need to follow suit to prevent this system of rigid hierarchy from taking root in the U.S. and protect the rights of lower-caste South Asian immigrants.

The Big Picture | Nicholas Turner
Long prison sentences are cruel and ineffective: here’s the proof
The United States incarcerates nearly 2 million people. More than half are serving sentences of 10 or more years. Long sentences were promoted with weak evidence, and the evidence of the harm they do is clear — so how did we end up here?

The Big Picture | Neda Khoshkhoo and Jasmine Gonzales Rose
Yes, filling out race on forms is tiresome. Here’s why it matters.
Completing a race questionnaire can be tiring, intrusive, or even inaccurate, but the data they collect are necessary for understanding how racism operates, how resources are distributed, and how different racial and ethnic groups experience benefits or harms.

Year-in-review
Justice Dictionary 2022
To tackle pressing social problems, we first need the language to describe them. Here are concepts and takeaways amplified this year by contributors to The Emancipator.

The Big Picture | Spencer Piston
Reimagining the police
Jacqueline Kung joined Cambridge HEART after witnessing a neighbor handcuffed and detained after his mother died. The Massachusetts-based mutual aid group is a kind of citizen-driven alternative to traditional policing, though activists worry these approaches will be watered down by government officials.

Changemakers | Khalif Ali, Common Cause Pennsylvania
Helping people discover their power through civic education
“I'm in a position where I'm able to meet legislators face to face or virtually and talk about real issues -- but anyone can do that.”

Changemakers | Heather Odom, Carolina For All
Exposing gerrymandering and its impact on South Carolina voters
“That’s the whole point of this: education [and] elevation.”

Changemakers | Bob Kafka, REV Up Texas
Unleashing the power and diversity of voters with disabilities
“The disability vote is something candidates need to be aware of.”

Changemakers | Joey Williams, California Native Vote Project
Turning the volume up on Native Americans so we can all hear
“Voting is just evidence of good organizing.”

Changemakers | Jyoti Jasrasaria, Elias Law Group
She’s in the courtroom so you can get to the polls
“Without voting being easy and accessible, it’s so hard for us to even imagine a world truly, fully accountable to everyone.”

Changemakers | Kadida Kenner, New Pennsylvania Project
Engaging the overlooked, inspiring the vote in Pennsylvania
“If we're going to bring about change, if we're going to expand democracy and make it more representative for all people, we need to expand the electorate.”