Vanessa Taylor

Bio

Vanessa Taylor is a staff writer for Mic's Current section, where she focuses on justice in all forms. Through news briefs, essays, and reported features, Vanessa covers politics, technology, and identity, particularly Black Muslim womanhood. She is also the founder of The Drinking Gourd, a literary magazine, and NAZAR, a newsletter that explores everything wrong with surveillance. Vanessa is based in Philadelphia, although Minnesota will always be home. You can follow her on Twitter at @BaconTribe or see more of her work at https://taylorv.contently.com/.

After 9/11, the U.S. leaned into security theater. Here's how that's playing out 20 years later
By Vanessa Taylor
On Sept. 11, 2001, the United States experienced the deadliest terrorist attacks in its history, leaving nearly 3,000 dead. In the immediate aftermath, then-President George W. Bush assured the nation that the attacks "cannot touch the foundation of…
Overnight, Texas essentially outlawed abortion
By Vanessa Taylor
This summer, Texas politicians have escalated their attacks on reproductive rights with the support of Gov. Greg Abbott (R). Just two months ago, Abbott signed two of the nation's most extreme anti-abortion laws. Despite efforts from reproductive…
5 reasons to feel hopeful about the climate change fight
By Vanessa Taylor
In this day and age, if you hear the word "climate," the word "disaster" — or perhaps "crisis" — is likely to follow. From terrible wildfires, to microplastic pollution, to Earth clocking in at the hottest it's been in 12,000 years, there's no…
Muslim women don't need to be saved from Islam
By Vanessa Taylor
Throughout the so-called War on Terror, the United States positioned itself as the savior of countries like Afghanistan with claims that invading would bring democracy to the Middle East. For 20 years, the U.S. painted its war as benevolent, the…
Fox News wants to know whether the U.S. really needs to take in Afghan refugees (Spoiler: Yes)
By Vanessa Taylor
This weekend, people around the world watched with horror as the Taliban swiftly advanced across Afghanistan. Following the capture of three provincial capital cities and the siege of Kabul, the national capital, many are desperate to leave the…
How to talk about the news without being an asshole
By Vanessa Taylor
In the last 10 days, the Taliban has quickly advanced throughout Afghanistan. Over the weekend, the armed group seized three provincial capital cities — Kandahar, Lashkar Gah, and Herat — and entered Kabul, the national capital. As Afghanistan takes…
Even the former surgeon general who served under Trump thinks banning mask mandates is "unconscionable"
By Vanessa Taylor
People everywhere are eager to see the end of the coronavirus pandemic. As cases surge, the logical conclusion would be to put your damn masks back on, right? But as usual, some politicians are railing against the most basic of preventative measures…
Why is the DOJ going so easy on the Capitol rioters? A federal judge wants to know
By Vanessa Taylor
When Trump's supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, they racked up quite the bill. From covering architectural repairs to the costs of bringing in police and the National Guard, the tab was in the millions. With that in mind, you might think…
A Texas Republican leader who shared anti-vaccine memes has died from COVID
By Vanessa Taylor
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of conservative leaders have used social media to push conspiracy theories about vaccines, masks, and the coronavirus itself. But if the past 17 months have taught me anything, it's that the universe won't…
"This is how I'm gonna die": Capitol cops' testimonies highlighted the cowardice of the GOP
By Vanessa Taylor
When former president Donald Trump lost the 2020 election, he made it clear that he and his supporters would not bow out with grace. Following Trump's disturbing "Stop the Steal" rally speech, hundreds of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol Hill…
Sarah Sanders is here for the vaccine — as long as she can credit Trump for it
By Vanessa Taylor
It's been well over a year since the coronavirus pandemic first hit, and in that time, more than 600,000 people in the U.S. have died as a result of COVID-19. Even so, conservatives have consistently downplayed the pandemic and ignored vaccines —…
Long COVID may qualify as a disability — if only we could define it
By Vanessa Taylor
For over a year, Americans have dreamed about the end of the coronavirus pandemic. But even when the country finally contains the spread of the disease, many will be left dealing with lingering side effects. In a White House event on Monday,…
Should governments make life harder for the unvaccinated?
By Vanessa Taylor
Coronavirus cases are once again on the rise across the country, due in part to the Delta variant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 35% of counties in the U.S. were seeing high levels of community transmission as of last…
Biden's idea of filibuster reform is to bring back painfully long and boring floor speeches
By Vanessa Taylor
There are plenty of things in American politics that deserve to be hated on. I mean, the electoral college? A two-party system? The vast majority of our politicians? The list goes on and on. One thing that doesn't get dunked on enough for my liking,…
The Norwegian women's handball team was fined for a sexist uniform rule that no one can explain
By Vanessa Taylor
You don't have to be a huge sports fan to know that women in sports deal with a lot, especially surrounding their bodies. Under the guise of uniform requirements, officials go wild when it comes to policing what women wear. And, unfortunately,…
Democrats want the State Department to "recognize Islamophobia," whatever that might mean
By Vanessa Taylor
In recent years, Islamophobia across the world has continued to rise through not only individual incidents, but global policy as well. Despite all of its talk about religious liberty, the United States is no exception to this. Some politicians are…
So weird how Sean Hannity is super into the vaccine now
By Vanessa Taylor
Over the past year, the media has been an essential source for many to receive information about the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In some cases, that means people got accurate information about the pandemic and the political nonsense that has…
Much of the American West is on fire. Again
By Vanessa Taylor
This summer, the weather throughout the United States has been defined by extremes, as 30 cities started off with record high temperatures. But while hot weather is one thing, fire is another entirely. And currently, wildfires are blazing on the…
The protests in Cuba are about much more than the current economic crisis
By Vanessa Taylor
Over the weekend, a series of protests that spread throughout Cuba captured global attention. In the United States, the Cuban protests have especially caught the interests of Republicans like Mitch McConnell and Ted Cruz. But while some…
Mississippi has the lowest vaccination rate in the country, and Facebook isn't helping
By Vanessa Taylor
When the coronavirus vaccines first dropped, many people were hopeful that the pandemic would come to a quick end. But unfortunately, the misinformation that has run rampant since the pandemic began didn't just go away. As social media continues to…