Social Justice

HUFFINGTON POST 5/26/17 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat Beyonce’s label, Ivy Park, launched in collaboration with British fast fashion company Topshop, is quickly falling short of her stated goal to “celebrate every woman and the body she’s in while always striving to be better”. Not every woman is being […]

TIME MAGAZINE 02/09/15 By Michael Shank and Justin Talbot-Zorn It isn’t just how much money people are making—it’s also what people are breathing, drinking and eating On Sunday, Hillary Clinton took leave from the New Hampshire campaign trail to address to a local church in Flint, Mich. Just a few […]

MSNBC 10/27/15 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Matt Cartwright The World Health Organization’s somewhat startling finding this week, that processed meats can be carcinogenic, has suddenly brought national dietary policy into sharp focus.  Although the headline is an unsettling one, it is nonetheless altogether timely because of what is […]

THE HILL 10/16/15 By Michael Shank and Lindsay Schubiner This month, North Carolina state lawmakers voted to prohibit so-called sanctuary ordinances in cities and counties throughout the state. While a sanctuary ordinance may sound esoteric enough, the reality is much more harsh. Among the myriad consequences, under the new law […]

MEDIUM 09/23/15 By Michael Shank As Pope Francis arrives in Washington this week, the buzz about what he’ll say to the U.S. Congress and the United Nations is ubiquitous. One need not veer far from what Francis has already summoned in his encyclical, Laudato Si’, to know his exact delivery, […]

HUFFINGTON POST 07/21/15 By Michael Shank Rarely am I inspired by a piece of writing so revolutionary that it cuts through the hubris and cacophony of contemporary society. Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, did that for me. There is hardly a more widely and recently distributed piece of literature that […]

HUFFINGTON POST 05/21/15 By Michael Shank It’s official. The Department of Homeland Security has placed me on a travel watch list. Every time I travel abroad, I now have “SSSS”, which stands for Secondary Security Screen Selection, on my boarding documents. That means I get an extra rigorous full-body screening, […]

UNITED NATIONS 03/30/15 The day’s third panel discussion was entitled, “Voices from the real economy”.  Moderated by Michael Shank, Director of Media Strategy, Climate Nexus, and Senior Fellow, JustJobs Network, it featured Nomvuzo Shabalala, Deputy Mayor of Durban, South Africa; Sanjay Kumar, Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association, Bharat, India; Vicenta Trotman, […]

HUFFINGTON POST 03/28/15 By Michael Shank In the wake of New York City’s devastating gas explosion and fire in the East Village, which destroyed residential buildings and injured dozens of New Yorkers, there couldn’t be a more critical time to take a serious look at New York’s housing situation. In […]

CNN 03/12/15 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Hank Johnson Editor’s Note: “Hank Johnson represents Georgia’s 4th Congressional District and serves on the House Judiciary and Armed Services committees. Michael Shank, a former congressional staffer, is adjunct faculty at George Mason University’s School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. The views […]