Sacramento Bee
1 December 2016
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Orlando, Florida, United States
For the third election in a row, House Republicans got bonus seats in 2016, through gerrymandering. Thanks to a grassroots citizen movement and computer sleuthing, Florida admitted to breaking the law and has replaced state maps with more competitive, voter-friendly districts.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/05/29/guiding-poor-families-to-a-fair-day-in-court
David Bornstein
The New York Times
29 May 2015
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Millions of families of arrested individuals do not know what to do to help, how to obtain a lawyer, or what the process entails in the court system. Created by Albert Cobarrubius Justice Project, participatory defense is a type of community organizing that teaches and empowers people who face criminal charges. Individuals know how to work with attorneys in order to navigate the system and ultimately feel equipped to become drivers of their own change.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/29/lobbying-for-the-greater-good
David Bornstein
The New York Times
29 May 2013
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Big money has big lobbyists - but small lobbyists can also bring about big changes. Groups like Results and the Citizens Climate Lobby train ordinary people to approach and make arguments to politicians and journalists.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/archives/2015/03/21/tulsa-outreach-key-palatable-school-closures/73899232
Lindsey Anderson
El Paso Times
21 March 2015
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Tulsa Public Schools drew on expertise across many sectors and extensive neighborhood input to address the issue of thousands of empty seats in local schools. Through a community-focused process, they were able to mindfully close under-utilized schools and better maximize the community's resources for students.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/on-the-web-a-revolution-in-giving
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
31 March 2011
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New crowdfunding options can help even the smallest donor's contributions to have a meaningful impact, bolstering a sense of personal involvement, maximizing knowledge about causes, and inspiring greater participation.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/in-india-latrines-are-truly-lifesavers
Vivekananda Nemana
Ankita Rao
The New York Times
13 November 2014
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India has had a problem in which 620 million people openly defecate outdoors, causing harm to hygiene, sanitation, food, and water resources. The president of India funded an initiative to build public toilets for the people in his country, but the people did not use them because of old traditions and behaviors. The Total Sanitation Campaign is slowly changing villagers’ minds by having local leadership persuade those who resist the toilets by holding community activities and creating special committees to maintain the sanitation.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/12/08/iowa-redistricting-takes-partisanship-out-mapmaking/efehCnJvNtLMIAFSQ8gp7I/story.html
Tracy Jan
The Boston Globe
8 December 2013
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In Iowa, the “redistricting” of the state’s legislative and congressional boundaries is done by mapmakers who abide by nonpartisan metrics that all sides agree are fair — a seemingly revolutionary concept in the high-stakes decennial rite of redistricting.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/13/a-military-manual-for-nonviolent-war
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
13 February 2015
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The Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies provides a "blueprint" for peaceful and democratic revolution, busting myths about the process of nonviolent revolt and helping dissidents in countries around the world to accomplish political goals, such as fighting corruption or protecting the environment.
http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20140222/News/302229724
Greg Barnes
Fayetteville Observer
22 February 2014
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Civic leaders in the U.S. struggle to effectively help their distressed neighborhoods. East Lake, Atlanta, created a replicable model that mixes residents of differing socio-economic status, and focuses on education and health in the area.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/03/how-iran-derailed-a-health-crisis
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
3 December 2010
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Two columns on how Iran is treating its massive epidemic of injecting drug use by tackling it as a health problem, effectively lowering H.I.V. rates among drug users using an approach to drugs known as harm reduction.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/21/from-young-adult-book-fans-to-wizards-of-change
Courtney E. Martin
The New York Times
21 March 2012
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Global social and economic problems are difficult to change. However, fan-activism fuels the interests of fans of popular young adult fiction. Books such as Harry Potter and the Hunger Games have inspired activist groups that raise awareness of global hunger, reading, and relief supplies to impoverished nations, among others. Being a fan has served as a bridge to become politically active and solve the world’s problems.
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