The California Dream Has Always Warned of Its Own Demise

ICE Can’t Silence Prince’s Minneapolis

In South Minneapolis, where a teenage Prince couch-surfed, performed, and dreamed up a diverse sound that revolutionized music, thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers still occupy the streets, even as the federal government says it is decreasing forces. By banding together, the people of this Midwestern city challenged the federal government's actions, exposed their lawlessness, and perhaps showed the nation what a multiracial democracy looks like in the process.

Does an Oil Spill Matter If It’s Not Somewhere Beautiful?

On January 28, 1969, three miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, Union Oil workers began removing lengths of drill pipe from a well. Suddenly a gap in pressure between forces above and below the waters strained the well’s casing, causing gas and mud to burst uncontrollably on the water’s surface. Attempts to stem the oil’s flow over the next several days failed. Oil reached the beaches, killed wildlife, and resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. history at the time.

The Massacre That Made Modern California

Discover the forgotten 1880 Mussel Slough massacre, a bloody conflict between settlers and railroad barons that sparked national outrage and fueled the transformative Progressive Era movements in California.

No One Should Be President, Gavin Newsom Included

Joe Mathews urges Governor Gavin Newsom to abandon presidential ambitions, arguing the American presidency has become an inherently dangerous, monarchical office that must be abolished to save democracy.

The Mother of Black Los Angeles Finally Gets Her Due

Biddy Mason is finally getting her due. Earlier this month, the L.A. City Council voted to rename Pershing Square in honor of the often-overlooked founding mother of Black Los Angeles, who broke free from slavery and rose to become one of the wealthiest women of color in America by the time of her death in 1891.