All Society
- 鈥楢 sense of belonging.鈥 How this Boston bookstore changes lives.More Than Words is a bookstore, but one that does more than sell $3.8 million worth of merchandise a year. It serves young people who are dealing with homelessness or legal challenges and gives them a聽place where they belong.
- Santa Clara鈥檚 new way to stop homelessness: Keep people in their homesAs the housing crisis spreads, Santa Clara County is pioneering a private-public model. It keeps families in their own homes instead of waiting for them to become homeless to help.
- First LookA 15-year legal battle ends. Harvard relinquishes images of enslaved family.Harvard University agreed in a settlement to transfer photographs of enslaved people to an African American history museum. Tamara Lanier sued the Ivy League in 2019 for the exploitation of those she identifies as her ancestors.聽
- Cover StoryGeorge Floyd鈥檚 murder sparked a reckoning on race. But did America change?George Floyd鈥檚 murder prompted Americans to reexamine their communities 鈥 and themselves. In Kansas City, Missouri, residents still confront a wall of racial separation.
- Focus鈥楳otivated and inspired鈥: California inmates are improving mental health behind barsFour years after two incarcerated men sought ways to help their peers face mental health issues, Los Angeles County is expanding their successful efforts.
- Beat cops to game wardens, Florida expands 鈥榓rmy鈥 of immigration enforcersDespite some pushback, Florida is deputizing local law enforcement with immigration powers in one of the most muscular policing movements in modern times.聽
- An Alabama county fought for civil rights. Now it鈥檚 facing an environmental crisis.As water management problems arise 鈥 and in some cases go unaddressed 鈥 in places such as Alabama, Michigan, and Mississippi, our columnist wondered, Is there a link between civil rights protests of the past and the environmental injustices of the present?
- 10 years ago, SCOTUS said same-sex couples could marry. Why do they worry today?Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court case that found a constitutional right to same-sex marriage, turns 10 in June. More than two-thirds of Americans consistently support marriage equality. But one attorney who argued the case likens the right to a 鈥渟plit screen鈥 in the Trump era.
- What US-Canada border security looks like through the eyes of a Border Patrol agentPresident Donald Trump is pressing the Canadian government over immigration and drug flows across the border with the United States. Stricter policies are welcomed by U.S. Border Patrol agents, yet community tension also brews.聽
- Destroyed by LA fires, this community is showing how to rebound 鈥 and rebuildThe first property in Altadena, California, to start rebuilding after the wildfires offers hope, despite hurdles. Officials have eased permitting, and locals are acting fast.
- Set in bronze: Dawn Staley statue honors her basketball legacy, and her missionThe newly unveiled statue in Columbia, South Carolina, honoring decorated athlete and coach Dawn Staley represents her basketball legacy,聽as well as her ongoing fight for equality.
- In the new Medal of Honor museum, courage lives in every roomWhat makes someone courageous? The Monitor spoke with Chris Cassidy, one of the leaders of the National Medal of Honor Museum, about recipients of the U.S. award 鈥 and how available courage is to everyone.
- For thousands abused as juveniles, LA County鈥檚 historic settlement opens new eraLA County supervisors are expected to approve a $4 billion settlement to thousands of survivors of alleged sexual abuse in juvenile centers. The largest such settlement in U.S. history includes an apology and validation of the harm done.
- When government promises are broken, how is trust restored?What can history tell us about the social contract between the U.S. government and the American people? Our columnist interviews author Justene Hill Edwards about the Reconstruction-era Freedman鈥檚 Bank.
- As cities fight to retain 鈥榮anctuary鈥 status, some immigrants question the policyThe Trump administration wants to take away federal funding from sanctuary cities; two in Massachusetts are suing. As they observe increased immigration enforcement, some immigrants say the policies aren鈥檛 effective.
- Remember the opioid crisis? 46 states recorded a decline in overdose deaths.After years of epidemic, the good news on overdose deaths is both pronounced and widespread. Not only did 46 states report a decline, the total number of deaths dropped by more than 27,000 in one year.
- Will Trump鈥檚 push to cut waste hit Social Security? The view from Georgia.What happens when the Trump administration鈥檚 effort to streamline government affects the Social Security system? The question is coming to the fore in places like Georgia.
- Are we still friends? US-Canada border towns face a strange new reality.Planned limitations on Canadian access to the Haskell Free Library & Opera House, which spans the U.S.-Canada border, symbolize a fraying relationship between towns with traditionally close ties.
- Cover StoryIn Kansas, the Shawnee vie for control of their historyA controversy in Kansas illustrates the dark history of聽U.S. Indian boarding schools. Can Indigenous peoples like the Shawnee control their story?
- FocusFor LGBTQ+ elders, a search for safe housingAffordable housing is an issue for many older Americans. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are searching for solutions that allow them to live both safely and with dignity.