Race, Religion & Social Justice

This Saturday marks the 80th anniversary of the executive order that allowed all Japanese-Americans living on the West coast to be removed and incarcerated in camps like Heart Mountain between Powell and Cody.

A bill banning the teaching of critical race theory had different results in the Wyoming House and Senate. A bill fell five votes short of the necessary two-thirds required for introduction in the House, but easily gained approval in the Senate.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs announced reforms to its criminal justice system Monday, including more training on how to perform death investigations. That follows a Mountain West News Bureau and NPR investigation into more than a dozen deaths in tribal jails. There are also ongoing questions about the firm hired to review the deaths for BIA. Some Congressmen have been critical of the BIA’s choice because the firm was led by a former agency official.

Ignoring Black and brown communities impedes durable climate policy, BIPOC leaders tell federal lawmakers.

Four drug companies settle with federally recognized tribes on opioid case. The Eastern Shoshone tribe weighs in.

Carl Hart is a nationally renowned psychologist and neuroscientist who earned his Ph.D. at the University of Wyoming. Last year, he published the book Drug Use for Grown-Ups: Chasing Liberty in the Land of Fear. In it, he advocates for drug legalization and an end to the War on Drugs. He also comes out of the closet as an avid drug user himself, writing that drug use can be a rational, positive and safe part of one's pursuit of happiness. Wyoming Public Radio's Jeff Victor asked him why most Americans tend not to see it that way.

Nearly half of Native Americans and Alaska Natives have struggled with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report published by several Native-led groups.

The King Soopers strike is emblematic of a broader labor movement sweeping the country, and parts of the Mountain West, as workers walk out for better pay and benefits or unionize to harness their collective power.

It has been 150 years since Yellowstone National Park became the first national park in the country. Yellowstone Superintendent Cam Sholly said the park didn't have a very good track record of resource conservation in the beginning.

Wyoming State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow is leaving the state. Her plan is to take on the same role in Virginia, joining that state's soon-to-be governor in his efforts to "lead on the front lines of educational transformation in this country."