In early February, while the nation was still reeling from the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents, Loretta Ross and Jackson Katz—two feminist academics with decidedly different backgrounds and identities—discussed how U.S. federal agents became the enforcement arm of the nation’s racism and misogyny.
Ross calls ICE “the best dream the [Ku Klux] Klan ever had, which was to get government support and funding to go around terrorizing people and murdering any inconvenient white people that get in their way.”
Their candid exchange critiques the forces behind ICE and right-wing populism, but also challenges us to rethink empathy, identity and our strategies for building a more inclusive feminist movement.
“When a natural disaster strikes, we don’t stop and say, ‘Did the right people suffer?’” Ross points out. “Why can’t we pull out that same human instinct for connection and for interdependence for manmade disasters like racism and poverty and misogyny?”
Here’s what else you’ll find in the Spring issue:
Iran’s Deadly Crackdown, From the Inside
Human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh speaks from Tehran while her husband, activist Reza Khandan, calls in from Evin Prison—offering a rare, firsthand account of repression, resistance and the stakes for democracy inside the country.
Rewriting Theater’s Rules
A group of older women playwrights, felled by sexism in their youth and ageism later in life, fight for representation and recognition in American theater.
From Clinic Protection to Political Persecution
Enacted to safeguard patients and providers, the FACE Act has been weaponized by the Justice Department against journalists and peaceful protesters.
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