Race and ethnicity
![A bustling plant market with numerous people shopping and mingling, surrounded by various stalls and potted plants.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/56501442-a99b-41fc-a26a-1092c3e1cf95/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Civic life
idea
The surprising way to tackle prejudice in the real world
The good news is there are many effective anti-prejudice interventions, but the most promising remains relatively unknown
by Wing Hsieh
![Crowd celebrating with vintage car, confetti, and food in foreground; reflections in glass show people, decorations, and American flags.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/5265fead-b4d2-4bb7-8fd3-4a7cbb7b0e8a/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Race and ethnicity
idea
If racial identity can be fluid, who changes their race?
Understanding how individuals change their self-described race helps us decode racial dynamics in the US and beyond
by Alexander Agadjanian
![A person sits in a chair on the phone in an art gallery, with two large paintings in the background and paintbrushes visible in the foreground.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/07855a95-2a95-4d79-9c31-68d3031decd5/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Painting and sculpture
film
After years of struggle, an artist faces a new obstacle – staggering success
Directed by Titus Kaphar and Alex Mallis
![Four children on a carpeted floor eating corn on the cob, with divided plates of pasta, hot dogs, and utensils around them.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/ed4f2c1d-4b3a-4ee2-a46c-6fad5d18f04c/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Progress and the future
idea
Over-optimism about racial justice is widespread and harmful
Achieving racial justice takes work, but narratives of ever-unfolding progress can make it seem as if the job is already done
by Michael Kraus
![Several men sit in a waiting area, one of them holding a cup and looking pensive, while another reads a book.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/acd67037-1f6a-44fa-8cdb-c6e1a2748c77/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Mental health
idea
Bias in mental health diagnosis gets in the way of treatment
Some groups are at risk of receiving less accurate mental health diagnoses. The expanded use of diagnostic aids could help
by Howard N Garb
![Woman walks past an old building with large windows and a wooden door, surrounded by greenery and flowers.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/fba95cf8-c28b-4573-acb8-16c396202fd9/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Race and ethnicity
idea
Fitting in is human: forcing someone to fit in is oppression
We’re all cultural code-switchers, altering how we present ourselves to fit into the world. For some, it’s a losing game
by Arianna Falbo
![Black woman with grey braids and blue lipstick stands next to another in a colourful headscarf and dress, in front of hair posters.](https://images.aeonmedia.co/images/7e16d134-a5ce-47b9-b239-7c02d6ab1c0e/original.jpg?width=3840&quality=75&format=auto)
Beauty and aesthetics
idea
Black beauty doesn’t have to be natural to be powerful and true
Black, beautiful, and fake: ‘natural’ became the byword for Black beauty, but we should celebrate the artificial too
by Robyn Autry