Carissa Wyant

Carissa Wyant is a former MintPress columnist specializing in faith, race and social justice issues. She has been published in the Huffington Post, Patch.com, American City Business Journals and various local publications around the American Midwest.

Fifty Years After The Equal Pay Act, American Women Still Fight For Equality

The pay gap continues to plague not only women, but the economic and moral health of American democracy.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

“Fifty years after the passage of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, women continue to be paid less than men in nearly every occupation. Because pay is a fundamental part of everyday life, enabling individuals to support themselves and their families, the pay gap evokes passionate debate.” relays a new study from the American Association of University

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From Slavery To Poverty: Confronting America’s Painful Past To Change The Present

Touring a former Louisiana slave plantation stirs up some inconvenient truths about present-day America — despite what the tour guides choose to omit.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

Two professors of peace studies boarded a tour bus in Louisiana, headed to gauge first-hand two historic French Creole plantations. Although this may sound like the beginning of an aberrant joke, its a true story. In fact, it’s my story. My friend and former Yale classmate Alexandra Carroll, professor of religion and peace studies at George

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Moore Tornado Highlights Physical And Emotional Risks Faced By First Responders

Experts have now begun to examine the toll taken on bystanders and rescue workers helping to ameliorate destruction.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

After a giant EF5 tornado slammed into the small suburban Oklahoma community of Moore earlier this week -- razing neighborhoods, businesses, churches, schools and anything else in its path -- the news media has covered the tragedy from a variety of angles. Amid the stories of the victims, damages estimates, discussions of the role of global

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Shortage Of Compassion Revealed In Report On US Prison “Compassionate Release” Program

The report recommends 11 ways that the program could be improved, including an examination of how much it costs to keep seriously ill prisoners in custody.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., wrote that "justice too long delayed is justice denied" in his "Letter from Birmingham Jail,” which was smuggled out of jail in 1963 and written into the history books. While King was referring to the plight of African Americans in their struggle to gain true equality in America, the phrase also seems

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The Largest Civil Rights Case In US History Still Hasn’t Been Settled

Pigford v. Glickman may not be as well-known as Brown v. Board of Education, but its impact on systemic racism is just as profound.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

Pigford v. Glickman. The name of this important legal case perhaps does not carry the same weight as Roe v. Wade or Brown v. The Board of Education -- but it is certainly just as important. Pigford v. Glickman was a 1999 class action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), which alleged racial discrimination in its

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Altruism In The Wake Of Human Destruction: A Message Of Hope

In the aftermath of the Boston Bombing tragedy, examples of human altruism that emerged perhaps showcase the best of humanity, and a glimmer of hope.

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

“Real love is not based on attachment, but on altruism." The Dalai Lama stated this recently at a talk he gave at the Taj Mahal in Delhi. “Thus, the practice of compassion and wisdom is useful to all, especially to those responsible for running national affairs, in whose hands lie the power and opportunity to create the structure of world

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Journalism Could Be Vehicle For Peace and Justice — Boston Bombing Coverage Proves Otherwise

Carissa Wyant If it’s not confirmed, don’t report it. It’s one of the very first rules that aspiring journalists learn to live by. So if this is one of the cardinal rules of journalism, why in recent tragedies such as the Boston Marathon bombing, has the media gotten so many details wrong in reporting on […]

Carissa Wyant
By Carissa Wyant

Carissa WyantIf it’s not confirmed, don’t report it. It’s one of the very first rules that aspiring journalists learn to live by. So if this is one of the cardinal rules of journalism, why in recent tragedies such as the Boston Marathon bombing, has the media gotten so many details wrong in reporting on the event? Have journalistic principles and

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