Vann R. Newkirk II
The Atlantic
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Past articles by Vann:
When America Truly Became a Democracy
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 finally delivered on the stated ideals of this country. Now it hangs by a thread. → Read More
Earth’s New Gilded Era
The world is getting hotter, and the divide between rich and poor is getting bigger. → Read More
The Great Land Robbery
The shameful story of how 1 million black families have been ripped from their farms → Read More
Will Cohen’s Remarks on Trump’s Racism Change Anything?
The president has somehow proved resilient to accusations that he is a racist. → Read More
The Racial Divide Is the Political Divide
White, black, and Hispanic people hold distinctly different views of American identity and values. → Read More
Stacey Abrams’s New Strategy for Democrats
In her response to the president, the former Georgia legislator pushed voting rights to the heart of her party’s agenda. → Read More
The Racial Wealth Gap Could Become a 2020 Litmus Test
With black votes in the balance in the Democratic primary, would-be candidates are already developing aggressive policies to target inequality. → Read More
Trump Is Using the Opioid Crisis to Build His Wall
The epidemic is an integral part of the president’s anti-immigration rhetoric, but it otherwise hasn’t become an urgent part of his policy agenda. → Read More
Mike Espy's Uphill Battle for the Senate
Mississippi illustrates how racial polarization and barriers to the ballot disadvantage black candidates, even in the blackest state in the country. → Read More
Andrew Gillum Is Florida's Homecoming King
Andrew Gillum’s chances in the Florida governor’s race rest on expanding the electorate. If he wins, that expansion could change the country. → Read More
The Black Mothers Trying to Elect Stacey Abrams
A silent crisis of infant and maternal mortality could make the difference in the Georgia governor’s race. → Read More
Trumpism Is Bent on Creating a Police State
After the attack in Pittsburgh, Trump expressed a position common in his responses to violence over the past two years: that the only way to combat terror is to yield to it. → Read More
Cape Town Is an Omen
Climate change is going to revolutionize politics in cities across the world. → Read More
The Farm Bill’s Threat to Food Security
The major agricultural and welfare proposal currently before a conference committee would reduce poor Americans’ access to nutrition, even as the USDA acknowledges its food-stamp program has been instrumental in fighting hunger. → Read More
The Victims of Climate Change Are Already Here
With a new global summit approaching, communities in the southern United States are calling attention to the disaster scenarios they currently face. → Read More
Trump Can't Even Honor Aretha Franklin Properly
The president described the deceased soul legend first as a person who “worked for me,” a telling remark in his ongoing disparagement of black women. → Read More
Aretha Franklin’s Revolution
The soul singer was an architect of the civil-rights movement as much as a witness to it. → Read More
Trump’s Groceries Gaffe Is Even More Baseless Than It Seems
Contrary to what the president says, you don’t need ID to buy food. Lots of people don’t need ID for anything at all. → Read More
It’s Time to Worry About the Census
From cybersecurity issues to administrative problems to a legal drama over a possible citizenship question, the decennial head count is in trouble. → Read More
Voter Suppression Is Warping Democracy
A new survey from The Atlantic and the Public Religion Research Institute shows that black and Hispanic citizens are more likely than whites to face barriers at the polls—and to fear the future erosion of their basic political rights. → Read More