The Quiet Shift That Could Redefine Who Gets To Go To College
“As federal borrowing limits tighten, policymakers and colleges must confront a basic question: Will higher education remain a pathway to mobility, or become increasingly reserved for families with wealth?“
I’ve long been interested in the relationship between power and policy, and few scholars have shaped that conversation more than Kimberle Crenshaw, who coined the terms intersectionality and Critical Race Theory. In her new memoir, Backtalker, Crenshaw reflects on the origins of those ideas, how they’ve been distorted in public debate and why Black women remain central to any honest conversation about economic justice. In this conversation, she talks about the limits of race neutral approaches, the ways Black women are left out of policymaking and why she decided to tell this story now.
New polling shows Black women are asking for economic policies that prioritize dignity and financial security.
“Black women understand that success is holistic. It is spiritual. It is relational. It is grounded in family, faith and the ability to live without constant financial strain. That is not a narrow definition of well-being. It is a fuller one than many of our public policies are designed to recognize.” – Aisha Nyandoro
“Living in Mississippi taught me how much wisdom exists in communities that are often underestimated. That understanding has shaped every aspect of my work.”
Black women in Mississippi are clear — they need more than survival. They need systems that create dignity, stability and joy.
New polling from the Highland Project and brilliant corners research shows that 90% of respondents say economic conditions are getting worse, more than half say their income is not keeping up with the cost of living and 76% say lawmakers rarely listen to people like them when designing programs.
These findings reinforce what Springboard has always known: when families have breathing room, they can build lives rooted in care, rest and possibility. Now it’s time for policymakers to take note and craft programs to create this reality beyond one community in one state, so that everyone has the opportunity to create a joyful life.
In a wide-ranging conversation, access to medicines advocate Tahir Amin explains how patent rules, neoliberal policy and corporate influence shape who gets lifesaving care.
Tahir Amin has spent years tracing a through line from patent law to pharmaceutical pricing to the question of who really holds power in both the U.S. and global economies. In this conversation, he explains how his path from private law practice to the access to medicines movement led him to a central conclusion: “I’m not practicing law, I’m practicing power.” We sat down to discuss how this power translates to the financial and physical health of Americans, and other themes from the new book he co-authored, Pharma Monopoly: The Battle for the Future of Medicines, which is out this week.
