Ayana Byrd

exterior of a McDonald's fast food restaurant
Ayana Byrd  Nov 13, 2019 11:13AM EST

McDonald's Hit With Another Lawsuit For Sexual Harassment

Hundreds of the company’s Michigan-based employees are preparing to strike in response to its handling of gender-based discrimination allegations.
industrial plant releases pollutants into the air next to a waterway
Ayana Byrd  Nov 12, 2019 4:30PM EST

EPA Seeks to Ban Some Scientific Studies in Creation of Public Health Regulations

Health advocates warn there will be an increase in air pollution and unsafe water.
smoke being released from smoke stack on a container ship
Ayana Byrd  Nov 6, 2019 1:02PM EST

11,000+ Scientists Warn That The World Is in a 'Climate Emergency'

A new report stresses the need for a major shift in environmental policies.
coal plants spewing smoke into the sky
Ayana Byrd  Nov 5, 2019 1:40PM EST

New EPA Rules Will Allow More Coal Plants to Contaminate Fresh Water Supplies

Environmental activists warn that million of Americans—and a disproportionate number of people of color—will be affected.
two boys playing on a swing with a man in a hat
Ayana Byrd  Nov 4, 2019 1:12PM EST

It Could Soon Be Legal to Prevent LGBTQ+ Couples From Adopting

The Trump administration is scrapping an Obama-era regulation that protected same sex couples from discrimination.
Tina Tchen. Laughing Asian woman with clasped hands.
Ayana Byrd  Nov 1, 2019 8:00AM EDT

Q&A With Tina Tchen, The New President of Time's Up

An attorney and former chief of staff for Michelle Obama, Tchen centers women of color in the fight for workplace equity.
women in support of abortion rights holding pink, purple and white protest signs on Capitol Hill
Ayana Byrd  Oct 30, 2019 2:58PM EDT

Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Alabama's Restrictive Abortion Law

If it had gone into effect, abortion would have been illegal from the moment of conception.
Transgender rally. Lots of people and two flags.
Ayana Byrd  Oct 29, 2019 10:00AM EDT

LIVESTREAM: Congressional Hearing on Housing Protections for Transgender People

The National Center for Transgender Equality will testify before the House Committee on Financial Services about the growing housing crisis.
A Black female doctor examines a young Black boy
Ayana Byrd  Oct 28, 2019 1:20PM EDT

STUDY: Widely Used Medical Software Says Black Patients Don't Need Same Level of Care as White Patients

More racism.
a scientist with brown hands stands in front of a blue table covered with blood samples and vials
Ayana Byrd  Oct 23, 2019 2:04PM EDT

STUDY: Black Scientists Less Likely to Win Federal Funding For Research

Grant applications that include the words “socioeconomic,” “disparity” and “reproductive” are the least likely to win funding from the National Institutes of Health.
Black person in hospital gown standing in front of chemotherapy station
Ayana Byrd  Oct 22, 2019 11:35AM EDT

Why Is Endometrial Cancer Killing Black Women?

“We are not going to help women, and we are not going to solve this problem, if we don’t deal with the problem of race and racism.”
A Black person's hand pouring bottled water into a coffee maker
Ayana Byrd  Oct 21, 2019 4:13PM EDT

READ: Five Environmental Justice Activists On The Roots and Future of The Movement

Mustafa Ali, Dr. Robert Bullard and other key figures in environmental justice explore why their fight is a critical one.
students and others marching in a protest in Chicago
Ayana Byrd  Oct 17, 2019 11:38AM EDT

Demanding Better Wages, Smaller Class Sizes and More, Chicago Teachers Go on Strike

The Chicago Teachers Union’s decision will keep more than 300,000 students out of classrooms. 
Red, white and blue Puerto Rican flag in front of a high rise office building
Ayana Byrd  Oct 16, 2019 2:07PM EDT

SCOTUS Considers Constitutionality of Law That Pulls Rico Out of Debt

PROMESA was created to provide Puerto Rico with relief from its then-$72 billion in debt. Now a group of hedge funds wants it to fail.
Kimberly Teehee. Indigenous woman wearing blue and white jacket speaking at a podium with brightly colored flags behind her
Ayana Byrd  Oct 15, 2019 2:08PM EDT

ICYMI: Cherokee Nation Appoints First Delegate to U.S. House of Representatives

If recognized by the federal government, Kimberly Teehee would be able to introduce bills on behalf of the more than 300,000 people in the Cherokee Nation.
Two Black hands with one holding a blue pill
Ayana Byrd  Oct 9, 2019 2:21PM EDT

ICYMI: FDA Approves HIV Prevention Drug That Isn't Safety Tested for All

The Food and Drug Administration says that safety trials for Descovy primarily tested White cisgender men.
Rainbow pride flag flies in front of brick building and blue sky
Ayana Byrd  Oct 8, 2019 12:29PM EDT

Supreme Court To Decide If Employers Can Discriminate Against LGBTQ+ Community

SCOTUS to consider three cases that cite the protections afforded by Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Protesters hold signs in support of abortion rights outside of Supreme Court.
Ayana Byrd  Oct 7, 2019 1:32PM EDT

SCOTUS To Hear Case That Could Dismantle Roe v. Wade

“Access to abortion is hanging by a thread in this country, and this case is what could snap that thread.”
Pink and white sign in support of abortion rights held outside Old Courthouse in St. Louis, Missouri
Ayana Byrd  Oct 2, 2019 5:43PM EDT

Planned Parenthood Covertly Opens Clinic to Provide Care for Missourians

The 18,000-square foot facility is located in Illinois—just 13 miles from Missouri’s lone abortion clinic, which is currently under fire.
Signs in support of abortion rights hang on a metal fence
Ayana Byrd  Oct 1, 2019 1:42PM EDT

New Poll Shows Most Americans Back Federal Funding of Abortion

Support is highest among women of color and people who live in abortion battleground states.