Kristina Marusic

Author / Award-Winning Journalist 

EHN •

A history-making millennial politician explains what air pollution and police violence have in common

In November, 30-year-old Summer Lee is expected to become the first black woman to represent the Pittsburgh region at the state capital.

In May she won a landslide victory against incumbent Paul Costa, who has represented Pennsylvania's District 34 for nearly 20 years and is a member of a multi-generational political family that's deeply entrenched in Pittsburgh's Democratic party.
Bustle •

Gun Reform Is Possible — If We Learn From The Fight For Gay Marriage & Healthcare

When devastating tragedies like the mass shooting in Las Vegas happen, it's easy to feel powerless.

After all, the statistics are grim: The U.S has one of the highest rates of death by guns in the developed world, and we now average more than one mass shooting every day. After every sizable mass shooting, we see a brief period of frenzied public outcry and protest by politicians, but sweeping gun reform efforts never seem to materialize.
Fusion •

Here’s What Happened When a City Sold Its Pride March to a Fracking Company

On a hot, sunny Sunday in Pittsburgh, several dozen people in bright orange T-shirts that read “WalMart Pride” marched through the downtown streets behind a WalMart-branded 18-wheeler. A handful of rainbow flags waved from the truck’s windows.

“I’m here, I’m queer, I’m your cashier,” read one of the employees’ signs. The driver of the truck honked his horn and waved at the thousands of bystanders gathered for the city’s annual LGBTQ Pride parade.
LOGO News •

The Women's March On Washington Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg

I wanted the march to make me feel better. I'm so glad it didn't.

The Women’s March On Washington Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg

Today I joined more than 500,000 women and allies who believed that women’s rights are human rights.

Organized in cooperation with nearly 200 progressive groups, The Women’s March on Washington represented everything from LGBT equality to voting rights, racial justice, access to abortion, gun safety, the living wage, healthcare, immigration reform, and the environme
Women's Health •

Why Eating Healthy Remains a Privilege Many People Cannot Afford

A diet rich in healthy foods is one of the most direct pathways to overall health: Eating regular meals that consist of a diverse variety of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains has the power not only to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer, but also to combat depression, improve brain function, and generally improve your odds of living a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, though, healthy food is something that many Americans lack access to, due to both cost and physical location.
MTV News •

9 Ways You Can Use Your White Privilege For Good

That moment that you discover that you have certain unearned advantages just because of the color of your skin can be jarring – and can sometimes lead to feelings of guilt. But once you learn about your privilege, there’s actually a lot you can do that’s empowering and constructive. While white people can’t help having been born white into a system where whiteness affords them privilege, they can help to create meaningful change.
MTV News •

Badges For Badasses: Meet 12 Radical Girls From Oakland Who Are Changing Scouting Forever

The Radical Brownies aren’t Girl Scouts — they’re way more hardcore.

The troop consists of 12 girls between the ages of 8 and 11 who earn badges for completing lessons and activism related to social justice in Oakland, California. Since forming 3 short months ago, they’ve already gotten a whole lot of media attention, namely over the badges they earned participating in the Black Lives Matter movement.
MTV News •

We Can Has Better Future Because Memes? One Writer Tackles The Question Of A Generation

In late January Japanese citizens responded to a $200 million ransom request by ISIS for two Japanese hostages with a “memefest” caption contest, photoshopping images of the ISIS captors and hostages. The hashtag associated with the posts, #ISISクソコラグランプリ, roughly translates to “ISIS crappy collage grand prix,” and has been used more than 67,000. To lend humor to the otherwise grim image, the photo was enhanced with everything from selfie sticks to llamas and lightsabers to Mickey Mouse ears.
MTV News •

31 Cities Where The Pope Could Have Gotten In Big Trouble For Feeding The Homeless

The Pope made headlines earlier this week when he skipped a meeting with politicians in D.C. to dine with people experiencing homelessness instead. It was a powerful gesture rendered somewhat ironic by the fact that, as of 2014, at least 31 cities in the U.S. have taken “strides to restrict or ban the act of food-sharing.” A number of municipalities have even gone so far as to fine or jail people for distributing food to these individuals.
MTV News •

From Peaceful Protests To Violent Uprisings, Here's What History Can Teach Us About The Baltimore Riots

Following Freddie Gray’s funeral on April 27, the media has been ablaze with gut-wrenching images of the riots in Baltimore, including burned buildings, smashed windows, and police responding in riot gear.

In response, many people are calling for peace, and tweeting out phrases like,’violence doesn’t help anything,’ and ’violence is part of the problem.’ However, there are others who are suggesting that sometimes, maybe the destruction of property can actually serve an important purpose in a social movement — and they’re not the first to make this claim.
MTV News •

Meet One Activist Helping To 'Shine A Spotlight' On Trans Issues At Movement For Black Lives Conference

This weekend, Black Lives Matter activists and others from around the country convened in Cleveland, Ohio, for a 3-day conference called The Movement for Black Lives. One area of focus was violence against transgender women of color. MTV News caught up on Monday (July 27) with 28-year-old Elle Hearns, a transgender activist with GetEqual and one of the organizers of the conference, to talk about how these movements overlap, and how young people are changing the way activists get things done.
MTV News •

Find Out How You -- Specifically, YOU — Can End Racism

Heroically scaling flagpoles isn’t for everyone. Neither is protesting, for that matter. If you’ve every wished you could get involved with the fight for social change in other ways, you’re not alone — and you’re in luck.

WeTheProtesters, the same Black Lives Matter activists who developed the Mapping Police Violence project have launched a new website, StayWoke.org, which aims to help people get involved with the movement in the ways that best match their unique skill set.
MTV News •

Your Activism Is More Contagious Than Mono And You Should Be Proud

It doesn’t take much for an entire friend group to catch the same sickness — especially if that sickness is mono, and you’re all inclined to make out with each other. But as it turns out, there are a few good things that are also highly contagious: A new scientific study found that being pro-social — doing things for the common good even if when it costs us something personally — has a ton of viral potential.
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