Stories by Laura Gottesdiener

Laura Gottesdiener is a freelance journalist and the author of A Dream Foreclosed: Black America and the Fight for a Place to Call Home, forthcoming from Zuccotti Park Press.

How We Can Commemorate Boston

Posted on: Apr 18, 2013, Source: AlterNet

We can run towards a world where atrocities don't happen.

South African Police Drag Man to Death

Posted on: Feb 28, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Gruesome death, caught on video, is sparking global outrage.

University Buried Rape Cases Because It Was Afraid of Revealing the Grades of Alleged Rapists?

Posted on: Feb 27, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Yet another university administration makes excuses for failing to protect female students on campus.

Atheists Win Civil Rights Lawsuit in Michigan

Posted on: Feb 27, 2013, Source: AlterNet

The courts ruled that a private social club cannot discriminate against a speaker for his religious beliefs.

Some Frat Brothers Join Struggle for Equal Rights for Transgender Students on Campus

Posted on: Feb 27, 2013, Source: AlterNet

With a viral campaign for one of its transgender brothers, a frat at Emerson College is making headlines this week.

Rapid City, S.D.: The City Without Separation of Church and State

Posted on: Feb 22, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Despite scrutiny, city officials are vowing not to remove Christian prayer at City Council meetings

10 Celebs You Didn't Know Were Atheists

Posted on: Feb 21, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Julianne Moore? Kiera Knightley? Here are some movie star non-believers.

'I'm a Good Man! I'm a Gay Man!'—Watch Inspiring Subway Car Speak Out

Posted on: Feb 21, 2013, Source: AlterNet

When a hateful man began his anti-gay tirade on the subway, another rider decided to counter hate with love.

Are Republican Brains Different?

Posted on: Feb 21, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A new study indicates a biological basis for conservative tendencies.

200,000 Demand House Republicans Pass Violence Against Women Act

Posted on: Feb 21, 2013, Source: AlterNet

More and more people are just not going to accept these shenanigans any longer.

Mississippi Finally 'Officially' Banned Slavery -- But It's Alive and Well in America and the Rest of the World

Posted on: Feb 20, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Modern-day slavery is still a thriving industry.

5 Times Police Killed People with Mental Disabilities

Posted on: Feb 20, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Police are charged with the murder of a man with Down's syndrome, after he was arrested for trying to watch a double feature—and that's just the tip of the iceberg

Oscar Pistorius Accused of Murdering His Girlfriend -- Latest Reminder That Athletes Don't Always Make for Good Role Models

Posted on: Feb 14, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A common storyline for male athletes, even as society continues to revere them for their athletic talent if not for their moral fiber.

When God Is Not Enough: Religious States Have Highest Rates of Anti-Depressant Use

Posted on: Feb 14, 2013, Source: AlterNet

They say that religion is the opiate of the masses, but it seems that the opiates of the religious are antidepressants.

15-Year-Old Girl Raped, Police Dismiss the Case Because Victim and Attackers Have "Low IQs"

Posted on: Feb 13, 2013, Source: AlterNet

How police treat rape in America.

Privatizing Roads, Bridges, Schools and Energy Grids? Corporatism Pervades SOTU

Posted on: Feb 13, 2013, Source: AlterNet

While the President pledged to reel in corporations, his grand plans for the U.S. proposed just the opposite.

Why Is Mark Zuckerberg Hanging Out With Anti-Marriage Equality Governor Chris Christie?

Posted on: Feb 13, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Thousands are calling on Facebook founder to un-friend the governor who is standing in the way of marriage equality in New Jersey.

How Sheriffs and Administrators are Turning Schools into War Zones

Posted on: Feb 1, 2013, Source: AlterNet

From shooting blanks in hallways to deployed armed criminals to patrol school grounds, safety measures are only causing more danger.

War over Roses in Rhode Island, as Vendors Refuse Business to Atheist Teenager

Posted on: Jan 31, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A slew of flower shops allegedly refused to deliver a bouquet to a 16-year-old atheist who had fought to have a prayer banner removed from her high school.

Fox Paid Sarah Palin $15.85 a Word During Her Three-Year Contract

Posted on: Jan 31, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A 100-word string of Palin proclamations cost as much as an ounce of gold (in the eyes of Fox).

Crazy -- Republican Lawmaker Wants to Jail Rape Victims for Ending Pregnancies

Posted on: Jan 24, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A New Mexico lawmaker has proposed that the fetus is evidence and terminating it could cost women three years in jail.

Paint it Blue! Democrats Launch Plan to Take Back Texas

Posted on: Jan 24, 2013, Source: AlterNet

The party is launching a full-scale offensive in the Lone Star with the aim of slowly turning the GOP stronghold into a battleground state

Nearly 2/3 of Americans Support for Path to Citizenship for Immigrants -- But Will Obama Step Up?

Posted on: Jan 23, 2013, Source: AlterNet

Wide majority of all Americans favor a legal path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, according to an AP poll.

About Time Women and Men Got Charged the Same Rates for Hair Cuts

Posted on: Jan 23, 2013, Source: AlterNet

From Denmark to New York City, governments are cracking down on the practice of overcharging women for haircuts.

7 Brilliant Insights from Noam Chomsky on American Empire

Posted on: Jan 17, 2013, Source: AlterNet

One of the nation's greatest thinkers explains the New World Order.

The Top 10 Biggest Beneficiaries of 'Citizens United' in the 2012 Election

Posted on: Jan 17, 2013, Source: AlterNet

A report from the Center for Public Integrity reveals that Citizens United allowed an extra $1 billion in special interest money in the last election.