Bylines

Matthew D. Lassiter

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How Liberal Policymakers and White Suburban Parents Drove the War on Drugs

A Q&A with Matthew Lassiter about how liberal policymakers and white parents drove the escalation of the War on Drugs.
Ronald Reagan signing anti-drug legislation as Nancy Reagan and legislators look on.
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America's War on Drugs Was Always Bipartisan—And Unwinnable

There was really only one big difference between liberal drug warriors and conservative ones.
Police aiming guns at unarmed black people

Police and the License to Kill

Detroit police killed hundreds of unarmed Blacks during the civil rights movement. Their ability to get away with it shows why most proposals for police reform are bound to fail.
Black students from West Charlotte High School leave the school bus
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How White Americans’ Refusal to Accept Busing Has Kept Schools Segregated

The Supreme Court has refused to force White Americans to confront history.
Greenpeace demonstrators opposing drilling.
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Liberal Activists Have to Think Broadly and Unite Across Lines

The forgotten environmental action that pointed the path forward for the left.

Biden’s Defense Of Anti-Busing Past Distorts History Of Segregation In Delaware

Like other northern liberals in the 1970s, Biden worked to restrict federal civil rights enforcement to the Jim Crow South.
Nancy Reagan speaking at a podium with a "Just say no" logo.

The Suburban Imperatives of America's War on Drugs

Since the 1950s, disparities along class and racial lines have defined the nation's drug policy.
Trucks and cars moving on the highway

Keep on Truckin’

The road to right-wing deregulation began on our nation's highways.