The Thread
Where policy, equity, and culture come together
Becoming America: Marielena Hincapié on Writing Her Family’s Immigration Story
The Night Shift at Reykjavik: What ‘The Brink of War’ Tells Us about Arms Control
Could the Iran War Accelerate the Energy Transition?
What’s In Your Wallet? If You’re a Parent, It Should Be a Library Card.
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
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.
Us@250: The Many Stories of One Nation
New America organizes a network of individuals to champion the spirit of a more inclusive America as the semiquincentennial approaches.
The Supreme Court and Affirmative Action: America’s “Deservedness” Myth
SCOTUS’s affirmative action decision not only says a lot about education but America’s prevailing economic narrative of who deserves what.
America’s New Reality: Forcing Birth With No Support
One year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe, the Better Life Lab team talks about the urgent need for paid leave and abortion rights.
Protecting Our Most Vulnerable: Centering Black Queerness in the Fight for Equality
Joe Wilkes discusses the vital need to protect our most vulnerable, specifically the Black LGBTQ+ community, in our fight for human rights.
Youth, Pride, and the Digital Divide: Keeping Today’s LGBTQ Youth Connected and Safe
Queer and trans youth face a future of increasing discrimination as the number of policies targeting LGBTQ communities online grows.
10 Years of Ranking Digital Rights: Corporate Accountability for Human Rights in the Digital Age
For the past decade, Ranking Digital Rights has been a galvanizing force for holding Big Tech accountable.
Why Saving New York City’s Universal Preschool Matters for the Country
New York City’s universal pre-K and 3-K programs are struggling. Here’s why it matters for the care crisis in the United States.
The Flaws of Federalism: On “Laboratories Against Democracy”
Oscar Pocasangre examines federalism’s democratic backsliding & inequities, using Jacob Grumbach’s new book as a benchmark.