Stories about North America from May, 2017
The Myth of the ‘Nice Canadian’
Is Canadians' reputation for niceness preventing Canada from really achieving true greatness as a country?
Chinese Foreign Ministry Rebukes Student for Exalting Free Speech in Graduation Remarks
Foreign ministry officials are using Yang's speech to prove a recycled conspiracy about overseas Chinese students being contaminated by Western ideology.
In the Age of Trump, Fewer Lenders in the US Want to Provide This Med Student With Student Loans
Just 160 out of 11,300 applicants were accepted to Loyola’s medical school. But that’s not the only hurdle for undocumented students who get a coveted spot.
Why Trump's Hostile Handshake Routine Was No Big Deal for Tajikistan's President
Never try to strong-arm the strongman.
A Wikipedia Made for—and by—the Atikamekw First Nation in Canada
An ongoing project, funded by the Wikimedia Foundation, is working with the Atikamekw community to develop Wikipedia content in their own language.
Have You Heard of ‘Cash for Keys'? Many Elderly Immigrants in Los Angeles Have—and Are Fighting It.
How one community group is helping low-income residents — many of them immigrants — realize their tenant rights.
Netizen Report: Chelsea Manning and the Power of Transparency
This week, Chelsea Manning was finally released from prison, Ukraine censored Russian web platforms and Thailand threatened legal action against Facebook.
Among First Nations Youth, Hip-Hop Is a Tool for Self-Expression and Cultural Preservation
"This is the day you’ll hear our scream / cause we lost our way in life as youth / but I believe that one day we will rise."
Dresden Musicians Take Reagan’s Advice for Gorbachev to the U.S.-Mexican Border
To protest against the border wall that divides the U.S. and Mexico, Germany's Dresden Symphonic Orchestra will stage an international concert with musicians on June 3, 2017, at the border.
For Refugees in Seattle, Rising Rents Mean the Search for Home Isn’t Over
As rents rise in Seattle on the US west coast, Congolese refugees are facing the very real threat of homelessness.
Why 78 Asylum-Seekers Marched to the US Border, Even Though Their Requests Will Probably Be Denied
Guatemalan, Nicaraguan, Salvadoran and Honduran migrants participated in the Caravan of Refugees to advocate for the right to request asylum.
The Russian Journalist Responsible for the Trump-Lavrov Photo Speaks Out
TASS photojournalist Alexandr Scherbak, the man who took Wednesday's controversial pictures in the Oval Office, accuses the U.S. government and media of “hysteria.”
What the Resistance to Trump Can Learn From Latin America
After decades of struggle, four lessons that movements in Latin America can teach those in the United States organizing against their own authoritarian leader, President Donald Trump.
How California’s Greenhouse Gas Laws Can Better Serve Disadvantaged Communities
Environmental justice advocates are working to ensure the state’s efforts to combat climate change benefit everyone — and the lessons can be applied elsewhere.
Law Enforcement's Selective Crackdown Curbs Indie Music Space in Hong Kong
"...the latest raid seems more like part of a well planned campaign aimed at crashing every business that does not belong to the big business."
With an Eye on the Future, First Nations in Canada Are Switching From Audio Cassettes to Digital
With a helping hand from the Indigitization project, First Nations communities in British Columbia are digitally preserving the rich cultural content contained in audio cassettes.
The Proud Pacific Nation That Preserves Its Homeland With the Bikini Anthem
"No longer can I stay, it's true / No longer can I live in peace and harmony / No longer can I rest on my sleeping mat and pillow..."
There Is a Wall Along the Mexico-U.S.A. Border and I Want To Show What It Really Looks Like
The big and “beautiful” wall that some politicians promised to build, it already exists. But despite the massive metal fences and militarized checkpoints, love has no borders.
US Law Students, Driven by Their Own Family Stories, Are Helping Asylum-Seekers
“...there’s almost like an invisible thread of your past pulling you to do certain areas of work, whether you sort of realize it or not."