Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

‘Stand By Me’ — a jam session for democracy

Stand By Me | Playing For Change | Song Around The World

Not every voice can use words in essays or logical arguments to express the longing of our soul to connect, to be accepted. Sometimes we use music, poetry, dance, paintings, drawings and theater. Sometimes we use stories, documentaries and streaming entertainment to be seen and heard.

As the publishers of The Fulcrum, we believe that to succeed we must apply balanced, impeccable journalistic standards and, at the same time, provide a voice of all Americans who yearn for a healthier governing system: young people, people of all ethnic and racial backgrounds, rural and urban dwellers, conservatives and progressives.


And what better way to do so than through music. Music when played together results in an interplay that depends on the relationship and blending of all those in the band, orchestra, or ensemble. Ideas worth hearing reside within all of us.

And a healthy democracy is much the same. As you listen to this rendition of "Stand By Me," produced by Playing For Change, see if the Ben E. King classic that features musicians around the world reminds you that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people.

We believe it does. Do you? Please email us at pop-culture@fulcrum.us and provide us with other examples that you think represent the connection between the arts and democracy. Whether music, theater, poetry, comedy, spirituality, sport or other mediums, please send us your ideas.

Read More

Where’s Athlete Activism During Trump’s Second Term?

Antoine Bethea #41 and Rashard Robinson #33 of the San Francisco 49ers raise their first during the anthem as Eli Harold #58 while teammates Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 take a knee, prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi Stadium on October 2, 2016 in Santa Clara, California.

(Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)

Where’s Athlete Activism During Trump’s Second Term?

Despite the 2016-17 NFL season featuring Tom Brady and the New England Patriots’ iconic 28-3 comeback over the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl, the retirement of legendary quarterback Peyton Manning, and the emergence of Joey Bosa as one of the top defensive players in the league, one monumental event stands above the rest: Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem in the heart of Donald Trump’s first term to protest racial injustice and police brutality in the United States.

Kaepernick spawned one of the most talked-about protests in the history of American sports, leading to national conversations about police brutality while earning himself severe backlash in the process.

Keep ReadingShow less
Political Spectacle: Sydney Sweeney’s “Great Jeans”

A digital advertising display featuring US actress Sydney Sweeney is seen outside an American Eagle store in Times Square in New York City on August 4, 2025.

Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Political Spectacle: Sydney Sweeney’s “Great Jeans”

What began as a denim campaign has morphed into a political spectacle, with far-right groups, conservative commentators, and progressive critics all weighing in on Sydney Sweeney’s American Eagle ad. The slogan—“Sydney Sweeney has great jeans”—was interpreted by many as a pun on “genes,” sparking accusations of racial messaging and white supremacist undertones.

- YouTube youtu.be

Keep ReadingShow less
A Place for Women of Color: Woman Made Gallery

Building a Home Out of Dirt (2018)

A Place for Women of Color: Woman Made Gallery

While the Trump administration seeks to erase places for those with historically marginalized identities, Woman Made Gallery offers more than representation—it offers response. Through exhibitions like the most recent Acts of Care, the gallery creates an intentional space where women, women of color, and nonbinary artists don't have to ask for permission to belong—they build that belonging themselves. As a nonprofit rooted in justice and community dialogue, Woman Made Gallery continues to model what inclusive, women-of-color-led spaces can look like: ones that honor lineage, complexity, and care as forms of resistance.

For Program Coordinator Corinne Pompéy, the mission of Woman Made Gallery is more than just representation—it’s about creating an entry point for connection and care. “Our goal is to ensure women and nonbinary artists are seen in the art world,” she said. “But more than that, we want people to feel something when they walk in—whether that’s reflection, joy, or even release.”

Keep ReadingShow less
House Committee on Homeland Security Discusses Public Safety During the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

Witnesses are sworn in at the House Committee on Homeland Security hearing, Tuesday, July 22, 2025.

(Medill News Service/Erin Drumm)

House Committee on Homeland Security Discusses Public Safety During the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics

WASHINGTON— Police leaders from cities across the United States that have experienced deadly attacks at major gatherings urged Congress Tuesday to provide adequate federal funding to cities hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup and 2028 Olympic Games.

Security concerns were top of mind for law enforcement officials at a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing as the United States prepares to host mass events with millions of international travelers for its 250th anniversary and the FIFA World Cup, which will hold games in 11 cities across the country in 2026. The United States will also host the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Keep ReadingShow less