This package consists of articles, videos, resource webpages and online event information all provided by Bridge Alliance member organizations.

Social media networks are full of hashtag battles between #BlackLivesMatter and the response of #AllLivesMatter. Strong opinions on both sides insist that they are expressing a desire for justice and human dignity. We take a look at both sides of the debate, asking whether it is effective for the BLM movement to protest only for Black Lives, or if the winning call to arms should instead be All Lives Matter.

Social Security has become the largest single government program in the world, accounting for 24% ($916 billion) of total US federal spending in 2016. Since 2010, the Social Security trust fund has been paying out more in benefits than it collects in employee taxes, and is projected to run out of money by 2034. One proposal to replace the current government-administered system is the partial privatization of Social Security, which would allow workers to manage their own retirement funds through personal investment accounts.

Whether alternative energy sources such as biofuels, hydrogen, solar, geothermal, or nuclear energy can meet energy demands better than finite fossil fuels such as oil and coal remains hotly debated.

Proponents of alternative energy argue that fossil fuels are inefficient, unsustainable, environmentally destructive, and the primary contributor to global climate change. They say renewable energies are a viable and immediately needed alternative to fossil fuel use that could boost the US economy and reduce reliance on foreign energy sources.

Proponents of legalizing prostitution believe it would reduce crime, improve public health, increase tax revenue, help people out of poverty, get prostitutes off the streets, and allow consenting adults to make their own choices. They contend that prostitution is a victimless crime, especially in the 10 Nevada counties where it remains legal.

"I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out," the late comedian Rodney Dangerfield once joked. [1] In the 2016-2017 National Hockey League (NHL) season, there were 372 fights out of 1,230 games – an average of 0.3 fights per game. [2] Fighting in hockey has been banned nearly everywhere outside of the NHL, including youth games, college play, and the Winter Olympics. [3][4]

The lengthy Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a major problem in the modern Middle East. Many people argue that the "two-state solution" of creating an independent Palestinian state alongside the existing state of Israel would be the best approach to ending the conflict, although there is some disagreement over borders, refugees, settlements, Jerusalem, and other challenging issues. Many other people oppose a two-state solution for various reasons.

More than half of US adults, over 128 million people, have tried marijuana, despite it being an illegal drug under federal law. Nearly 600,000 Americans are arrested for marijuana possession annually – more than one person per minute. Public support for legalizing marijuana went from 12% in 1969 to 66% today. Recreational marijuana, also known as adult-use marijuana, was first legalized in Colorado and Washington in 2012.

Whether sexual orientation is a trait we are born with (nature) or is caused by the environment we are raised in (nurture) has been debated by scientists, religious leaders, elected officials, and the general public.

Proponents argue that sexual orientation, much like handedness or tongue curling, is determined by natural, immutable biological factors such as genes or hormones, and therefore gay people should be entitled to the same legal rights and protections as other human beings.

Free college programs come in different forms but generally refer to the government picking up the tab for tuition costs, while students pay for other expenses such as room and board. [50] At least 38 states have existing or proposed variations of free college programs. [48]