The Equity Beat Power, People, and the Fight for What's Right

The Equity Beat

Power, People, and the Fight for What's Right

Latest Articles

Dollar Stores Are Eating America's Poorest Communities — And Local Governments Are Finally Fighting Back
Economic Justice

Dollar Stores Are Eating America's Poorest Communities — And Local Governments Are Finally Fighting Back

The explosive growth of dollar store chains has displaced grocery stores, suppressed wages, and deepened food insecurity in low-income communities while delivering massive shareholder returns. Now cities and counties are passing zoning restrictions to reclaim their economic futures from corporate predators.
Medicaid Work Requirements Are Back — And They're Designed to Kick Sick People Off Coverage, Not Get Them Jobs
Economic Justice

Medicaid Work Requirements Are Back — And They're Designed to Kick Sick People Off Coverage, Not Get Them Jobs

Republicans are pushing Medicaid work requirements as fiscal responsibility, but Arkansas's failed experiment proved these policies don't increase employment — they just strip healthcare from vulnerable people. The real targets aren't 'able-bodied adults' but caregivers, chronically ill patients, and workers in unstable jobs who can't navigate bureaucratic maze.
The Prison Labor Loophole: How the 13th Amendment Made Slavery Legal — And Corporations Are Still Cashing In
Economic Justice

The Prison Labor Loophole: How the 13th Amendment Made Slavery Legal — And Corporations Are Still Cashing In

The 13th Amendment abolished slavery except as punishment for crime — a loophole that has allowed corporations to exploit incarcerated workers for over 150 years. From McDonald's to Walmart, America's biggest companies are still profiting from labor that pays pennies per hour while disproportionately affecting communities of color.
Medicare Advantage Is a Scam — And the Insurance Industry Is Getting Rich Selling It to Seniors
Economic Justice

Medicare Advantage Is a Scam — And the Insurance Industry Is Getting Rich Selling It to Seniors

Private insurers have turned Medicare Advantage into a $400 billion cash grab, using deceptive marketing and prior authorization denials to extract profits while leaving seniors with worse coverage than traditional Medicare. It's privatization disguised as choice—and taxpayers are footing the bill.
The Unpaid Care Economy: How America Profits Off Women's Labor Without Ever Cutting Them a Check
Economic Justice

The Unpaid Care Economy: How America Profits Off Women's Labor Without Ever Cutting Them a Check

Women perform $3.8 trillion worth of unpaid caregiving labor annually in the United States, subsidizing corporate profits while facing career penalties and financial insecurity. America's refusal to invest in care infrastructure isn't an oversight—it's a deliberate policy choice that treats women's time as worthless.
The School-to-Prison Pipeline Is a Policy Choice — And We Keep Choosing It
Economic Justice

The School-to-Prison Pipeline Is a Policy Choice — And We Keep Choosing It

Zero-tolerance discipline policies and police in schools aren't making students safer — they're systematically funneling Black, Latino, and disabled children into the criminal justice system. The data proves this crisis is manufactured by our own policy choices.
Rent Is Too Damn High — And Private Equity Is Why
Economic Justice

Rent Is Too Damn High — And Private Equity Is Why

Wall Street firms are buying up homes by the tens of thousands, converting homeownership dreams into rental profits and driving working families out of entire neighborhoods. This isn't market forces — it's financial engineering at the expense of housing security.
Gerrymandering Is Voter Suppression by Another Name — And the Maps Prove It
Voting Rights

Gerrymandering Is Voter Suppression by Another Name — And the Maps Prove It

Across America, manipulated congressional maps are diluting Black, Latino, and urban voting power before a single ballot is cast. This systematic disenfranchisement represents democracy's most insidious threat—one that courts have largely abandoned fighting.
The Hidden Tax on Being Poor: How America's Two-Tiered Financial System Bleeds Working Families Dry
Economic Justice

The Hidden Tax on Being Poor: How America's Two-Tiered Financial System Bleeds Working Families Dry

While wealthy Americans enjoy free banking and investment perks, the poorest pay the highest fees just to access their own money. This predatory system isn't an accident—it's a feature of American capitalism that demands urgent reform.