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COVER STORY
What’s Next for Public Safety in Minneapolis?
Inside the push to transform the department that killed George Floyd.
What’s Next for Public Safety in Minneapolis?
Inside the push to transform the department that killed George Floyd.
Featured
HISTORY
Hair and History in ‘Akron’s Harlem’
On Howard Street, in downtown Akron, Black life and culture flourished.
HOUSING
How to Buy a House in Milwaukee
Is homeownership the answer to Milwaukee’s affordable housing crisis? It’s complicated.
CITIES
The History and Possible Futures of an American Steel Town
McKeesport, Pennsylvania has been through two Great Depressions. Its recovery from the first holds lessons for today.
POSTCARD
Modernist Post Offices of Michigan
Eight mid-century post offices from small towns and exurbs across the state.
Modernist Post Offices of Michigan
Eight mid-century post offices from small towns and exurbs across the state.
Independent, context-driven regional writing. Support Belt Magazine today. »
More Stories
My Garden Folly
Backyard gardens are for you. Front yard gardens are for others.
Building a Black-Owned Food Ecosystem in Detroit
Detroit’s Black-owned food businesses thrive through networks of collaboration and support.
The Girl in the Mall
Growing up in my rural Ohio town, the mall was our refuge. It could also be dangerous.
What Chicago’s Major Taylor Trail Could Be
Marshall Taylor was a cycling legend. Residents say the trail that bears his name is an asset in need of investment.
Pittsburgh’s Glorious Turkey Devonshire
It’s technically an open-faced sandwich, but that’s like calling the Empire State Building an office park.
“Somebody Call Cleveland?”
On Pittsburgh, United Flight 93, and twenty years of war.
Reducing Recidivism and Building Green Industry Skills in Detroit
For programs like Goodwill's Greenworks, it starts with engagement.
Rust Belt Labor: A Reading List
Stories of Rust Belt workers--their lives, histories, memories, and resistance.
The Fight Against Chicago’s Largest Warehouse Isn’t Over
On Chicago's southwest side, activists say a massive new distribution center needs to benefit the community.
When the Buckeyes Played in Cleveland
The original Buckeyes were a championship-winning Negro League team that played in Cleveland in the 1940s.
Wisconsin’s Black Farming Tradition
Since the mid-1800s, agriculture has created a path to agency and freedom for Black people in Wisconsin.
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From the Archives
Climate Emergency and Environmental Justice in the Rust Belt
Stories on climate change, industrial legacies, and planning for a just future.
The Rubber Industry’s Toxic Legacy in Akron
The stories of workers and their families reveal "unintended consequences" for life and health in the community.
Belt News
Call for Submissions: Indigenous Rust Belt
In search of features, essays, and poems that engage with the Indigenous Rust Belt.
Centering Community Narratives in the Rust Belt
Watch the full video of our March 31 event "Documenting Home," in partnership with PEN America.
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