Column Archive

“What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?” by Frederick Douglass

This is the perfect time to read the entirety of Frederick Douglass’s famous speech, and not merely because of the date on the calendar.

The Paris Olympics Are Developing a Familiar Stench

A recent raid shows that the Olympic corruption follies aren’t going anywhere.

“I Write Things I Cannot Play”: The Secret of Liz Phair

Thirty years after the release of her classic album Exile in Guyville, the singer-songwriter is taking the record back on the road.

How Michael Franti Finds Hope in Troubled Times

A music legend, and longtime Nation reader, talks about music, optimism, and Howard Zinn.

Get Ready for AI Surveillance at the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Olympics don’t make authoritarian countries more democratic; they make democratic countries more authoritarian.

Boston Tears: Why the Sports World Rejoiced at the Celtics’ Loss

The sense that Boston possesses a special sporting sparkle is grating. It’s also, at least in recent history, true.

Jim Brown’s War Within Himself

The passing of the football great is an opportunity to speak about his tangled legacy.

Ja Morant and This Country’s Sick, Hypocritical, and Racist Relationship to the Gun

The media shouldn’t be so sanctimonious about the NBA All-Star while ignoring the origins of American gun lust.

Ron DeSantis’s Anti-Trans Agenda Exiles Dwyane Wade, NBA Superstar and Loving Father

The Wade family, which includes their trans daughter, is fleeing Florida for their safety.

Lamar Jackson Made the Billionaires Blink

After a two-year odyssey, the MVP quarterback scores a contract that was even more about power than about money.