Citizen Better

Why do so many social movements start on college campuses? KJ Kearney looks at student protests from the 1960s through today to learn how close knit communities and a culture of critical thinking create so many student activists, and how we can all stay connected to civic engagement long after graduation.

Despite decades of equal pay legislation, gender and racial wage gaps still persist. Millennial and Gen Z workers like TikTok star Hannah Williams hope that they are starting new conversations from the office break room to the halls of Congress, in hopes that increased pay transparency can help make equal pay a reality.

LGBTQ+ rights advocates in South Carolina wanted to start a movement, even when coming out meant risking their relationships, their jobs, and their personal safety. So activists like Harriet Hancock built safe spaces that Queer and Trans people could call their own. A simple picnic in the late 1980s started a fight for LGBTQ+ equality in South Carolina that continues today.

Mutual aid requires many skills: organization, tracking inventory, cleaning and maintaining supplies, and most of all building relationships. But what if you could practice all those skills—by collecting sneakers? KJ visits Harlem's Closet sneaker shop in Columbia, SC, and the Rock Hill Community Fridge to learn how two business owners are using their hobbies to practice community care.

Climate change impacts our natural environment, but it's also a racial justice issue. Communities of color in the US and globally are impacted first and worst by flooding, heat, and pollution. That's why environmental justice advocates from these communities in South Carolina are working toward solutions—from monitoring the water in their neighborhoods to lobbying their local legislators.

When a disabled fan was not allowed to board a flight to see Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour with his wheelchair, the Beyhive sprung into action to get him to a new tour date. But was online organizing enough to make change?

Everybody needs a place to belong. But it's especially challenging to feel at home in the midst of an affordable housing crisis. But just as Black soldiers in the 70's created the DAP to build Dignity and Pride while locked out of equal housing opportunity, community organizers today show us how community solidarity can be a first step to making housing attainable.

Community organizer KJ Kearney learns about the link between food and the freedoms this country promised for all. Food has always been political—It provides a place to gather, share ideas, to express our identities, and take care of each other’s basic needs. KJ visits restaurants like A Peace of Soul and or Gillie’s to see how they’re preserving Black history and culture with every plate.