34justice

  • It’s Not What Employers Are Doing, But What They Can Do, That Matters

    A few days ago, Buzzfeed reported that Staples, the large office supply chain, had stepped up its enforcement of a cap on hours worked for part-time employees. Despite the company’s unconvincing claim* that the policy is longstanding, it appears that Staples implemented the 25-hour-per-week cap in January of 2014 “to…

  • Social Justice Unionism, Education On Tap Style

    I recently discussed why teachers unions are important agents of social justice on “Education On Tap,” a Teach For America (TFA) podcast created by Aaron French. I really enjoyed the conversation – French goes above and beyond his promise to make the show “a little bit of fun” – and…

  • Everything You Need to Know About Inequality

    Jared Bernstein and I just published a comprehensive PowerPoint presentation on inequality in the United States (available for download here). This presentation is first and foremost intended as a resource. Part 1 of the presentation documents the increase in inequality over the past 35 years; the trend is evident from…

  • The FDA Modifies Gay Blood Ban But Continues to Disregard Facts

    Just before Christmas, the FDA accepted the recommendation of a Department of Health and Human Services panel and announced its plan to modify its ban on gay blood donation. Instead of barring gay (and bisexual) men from donation for life, as the policy has up to this point, the FDA…

  • Shaming the Victim: The Public Backlash against Jackie and How It Reinforces Rape Culture

    In this post, Lela Spielberg discusses the media’s coverage of a gang rape at the University of Virginia and its complicity in American rape culture.  Lela is a lifelong advocate for gender equality and has spent time as an elementary school teacher, education policy analyst, and director at an education nonprofit. Last…

  • Dear FDA: Let Gay Men Donate Blood

    Gay men cannot donate blood in America. I was reminded of this discriminatory and illogical policy after a recent conversation about student advocacy on Twitter.  In 2005, at the end of my junior year of high school, several friends and I mounted a campaign to change this rule.  I wrote…

  • TFA, CTA, and What It Means to Be a Union

    A former instructional coach and one of only five people selected nationwide as a 2012 recipient of the Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence, Jen Thomas is now President of the San Jose Teachers Association (SJTA).  In this post, also destined for the next issue of the California Educator, Jen…

  • A Response to Machiavelli: Three Legislative Proposals

    Tom Block is an author, playwright and artist.  In his last 34justice guest post, Tom described Niccolò Machiavelli’s influence on American politics.  He also laid out his proposal for a “Moral Ombudsman,” a nonprofit that would “offer a true moral center from which to judge the legislation and actions of”…

  • Machiavelli in America and One Response to this Social Illness

    Tom Block is an author, playwright and artist, whose work spans more than two decades.  In this blog post, Tom introduces us to his political antidote to our Machiavellian political sphere.  Adapted from his book, Machiavelli in America, this piece is part of Tom’s greater exploration of how to bring…

  • The Political Lens: What Global Warming and Wright v. New York Have in Common

    During the 2003-2004 school year, my chemistry teacher told my class that global warming wasn’t occurring.  I believed her.  When I attended New Jersey’s Governor’s School of International Studies in the summer of 2005, a professor told me the opposite – the evidence for global warming, and for the human…