Vanessa Taylor

Nearly a year after killing George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin is on trial, facing charges of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. If found guilty of any of the charges,…

Early on, Basma Eid, the national programs manager at Freedom To Thrive, an abolitionist organization, realized the pandemic contained a sort of blessing in disguise. Without general life demands taking her away from home, it became easier for Eid…

As police killings and trials of officers accused of murder continue to grip the nation, people are becoming increasingly familiar with the ins and outs of the United States legal system. We frequently hear (and learn) about things like bail,…

While the United States continues to struggle with the ramifications of a full-blown pandemic, some politicians have decided that trying to pass anti-trans legislation is the best use of their time. Over the past week, the GOP's anti-trans crusade…

The coronavirus vaccine rollout has been hectic, to put it mildly. Many have argued for vulnerable populations to be prioritized for the shots, but what exactly qualifies as "vulnerable" has largely been left to individual states. The problems with…

As a country, the United States heavily relies on incarceration to deal with just about any issue. From jails and prisons to immigration and juvenile detention centers, confining people in physical spaces, like cells, is commonplace in America. In…

For many, President Biden's political legacy will be defined by how he handles the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, Biden will not address the pandemic alone — he's got a bunch of Cabinet secretaries on hand to assist him. One person that will play…

In the United States, incarceration is almost as common as breathing air. After all, the U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country in the world. But why is incarceration so common here? That answer is complicated and involves looking at…

On Tuesday, a white gunman killed eight people in a string of shootings at three massage parlors located in and around Atlanta. Although officials have yet to publicly identify all of the victims, six of the people killed were Asian women. However,…

The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly been difficult for adults as many find themselves struggling to pay for basic necessities like rent and food. However, children are not escaping the pandemic unscathed either, enduring distanced learning and…

In the midst of a global pandemic, some find it difficult to think about anything else. We're already living a once-in-a-lifetime event, right, so why should any other issue take political precedence? Unfortunately, the problems that existed before…

If you look at the United States as a band, you can think of the president as the frontman. They're the face of the country and the most well known person in the administration. With President Biden's inauguration, people were not only eager to…

Although Title IX is only a short statute in the Education Amendments of 1972, survivors of sexual violence and harassment have come to rely on it for their safety. That's why it was so devastating when last year, the Trump administration passed new…

In the United States, police and carceral systems are nearly impossible to avoid. Interactions with police can range from being stopped when you're walking down the street or pulled over while driving to some people's worst fear: being arrested. If…

After a full year of living in a pandemic, many Americans are eager to get back to normal — or, as close to normal as possible. That desire, though, shouldn't get in the way of safety protocols — especially as new coronavirus variants continue to…

This past summer, protests erupted in Minneapolis, Minnesota after video emerged of police officer Derek Chauvin killing George Floyd by kneeling on his neck for nearly nine minutes. The local protests inspired similar uprisings nationwide, along…

Nationwide, trans communities are once again facing an epidemic of violence with trans women of color in particular bearing the brunt of it. Only two months into the new year, seven trans people have already been killed. The most recent killing was…

Throughout the summer, hundreds of thousands of people nationwide protested the police killings of Black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. These uprisings followed in a much longer legacy of people using protest as one form of action…

For New Yorkers, 2021 is another big election year. There's the high-profile, at-times bizarre mayoral race, as well as races for the majority of city council positions. But two district attorneys are up for re-election too, and although primaries…