The Thread
Where policy, equity, and culture come together
Could the Iran War Accelerate the Energy Transition?
What’s In Your Wallet? If You’re a Parent, It Should Be a Library Card.
Looking Back at 9/11: Peter Bergen and David Sterman on 25 Years of the War on Terror
Beyond Nation-States: A New Reading List for Understanding Global Politics Today
Editor’s Picks
The SAVE Act Is the Wrong Way to ‘Nationalize’ Elections. There’s a Better One.
Four Ways to Protect Yourself from the Deepfakes Taking over the Internet
Is Trump Really a Fascist? Examining the Controversial Claim
The Cost of Beauty: Inside the Broken Promise of Cosmetology School
How Netflix’s ‘A House of Dynamite’ Might Change Our Thinking on Nuclear War
On-Screen Representation Means More Than Just Identity. It’s About Context.
The Latest
“A Warm Hug for Black Kids”: Celebrating Self-Love Through Reading
Natasha Tarpley, author of I Love My Hair!, discusses writing her book and how authors of color are navigating the book-banning landscape.
Ending America’s Exception to Slavery
The 13th Amendment created a loophole allowing slavery to persist in the US. This Labor Day we focus on those forced to work in our prisons.
An Ode to Hip-Hop, from Education: 50 Years of a Genre in the Classroom
50 years later, hip-hop still has a major impact on U.S. education and educators continue to use hip-hop to engage young people in school.
60 Years After the March on Washington: Remembering MLK’s Radical Honesty
60 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech to thousands, but his most important words may have gotten lost.
An Alabama Brawl and the Power of Black Resistance
Violent ideologies, a brawl divided on racial lines, and collective resistance—the Montgomery boat brawl was generations in the making.
The Remedy for America’s Loneliness Problem? Restoring Our Civic Health
Reinvesting in our civic infrastructure—the people and places that bring us together—is one solution to the loneliness crisis.
The Alley: One Murder, Eight Life Sentences, Many Questions
New America’s newest podcast is uncovering the truth behind the 8th & H murder case that shook the local DC community and the nation.
How Title IX Catapulted Women’s Soccer onto the Global Stage
Title IX helped launch women’s soccer as a global sensation—setting an equity standard and influencing how women’s sport is viewed today.
Baby’s Digital Footprint: A New Parent (and Technologist) Grapples with Protecting His Child’s Privacy Online
As a new parent in 2023, technologist Nat Meysenburg wrestles with what it means to create and contain a digital footprint for his baby.
Re-Scripting Hollywood Stories to Shift Culture: A Q&A with Sanaz Alesafar, Executive Director of Storyline Partners
Together with Storyline Partners, the Better Life Lab works to shift narratives and culture through inclusive storytelling on TV and film.