Ben Jackson

Cognoscenti contributor

Ben Jackson is a writer, activist and producer of "Alyssa Milano: Sorry Not Sorry." He lives in Natick with his daughter, Emma. Follow him on Twitter at @bjacksonwrites.

Recently published

Protesters from the Center for Popular Democracy Action, dressed in Handmaid's Tale costumes, walk across the plaza of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2020, to voice opposition to Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Mass. Should Become A Reproductive Health Care Sanctuary State

We must create a safe place in Massachusetts for those who are being unjustly persecuted by state or federal governments gone rogue, writes Ben Jackson.

Cognoscenti

Oct 26, 2020

One month after February 2018's deadly Parkland, Fla. school shooting, Massachusetts students gather at the state house to express concerns about gun violence. Many called for stricter gun laws. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

A Parkland Father, The Son Of A Suicide Victim And The Case For 'Red Flag' Laws In Mass.

The Massachusetts Senate is considering a bill that would allow a judge to take guns away from someone who poses a risk to themselves or others.

Cognoscenti

Jun 6, 2018

The tombstone of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun S. M. Khan is seen in Arlington National Cemetery on Monday, Aug. 1, 2016. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Gold Star Grief: Donald Trump's Attack On One Veteran's Family Is An Attack On Them All

If Trump wants to attack veterans, well, we’re tough. We can take it. It is quite another thing to attack those families who have sacrifice thrust upon them in the...

Cognoscenti

Aug 3, 2016

A six-month jail term for a former Stanford University student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman is being decried as a slap on the wrist. In this photo, a student walks on Stanford's campus on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016. (Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP)

Brock Turner, And What We Talk About When We Talk To Our Kids About Rape

We need to teach our daughters and our sons that consent is sacrosanct. That there are consequences to violating it.

Cognoscenti

Jun 7, 2016

Opioids And Guns: Does The Race Of Their Victims Drive How We Combat Them?

Two epidemics. Thousands of deaths. So why aren't our leaders attacking these crises with equal urgency, funding and legislation?

Cognoscenti

Apr 11, 2016

Saving Emma: A Daughter's Life, A Father's Powerlessness To Save It

In the face of real emergency, I was only able to help her by surrendering to those who knew better and trusting in their expertise.

Cognoscenti

Mar 10, 2016

Muddling Through The Season Of Joy

We are chided to smile, to feel joy, to hide the sadness that mixes with the other, warmer emotions of this cold season.

Cognoscenti

Dec 21, 2015

Ben Jackson: "Without a national primary, we deprive the vast majority of Americans -- especially non-white Americans -- of the opportunity to shape the future of the nation." Pictured: Voters listen as Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during a campaign stop at Robie's Country Store Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Hooksett, N.H. (Jim Cole/AP)

Primary Colors: Why Do Two Of America's Whitest States Hold So Much Electoral Sway?

Without a national primary, we deprive the vast majority of Americans -- especially non-white Americans -- of the opportunity to shape the future of the nation.

Cognoscenti

Nov 4, 2015

Ben Jackson: "The adjustment from having a home to being homeless is a conglomeration of realizations swift and slow, empowering and terminally depressing." (Gudbjörn Valgeirsson/Unsplash)

4 Months And Counting: Lessons From Homelessness

The adjustment from having a home to being homeless is a conglomeration of realizations swift and slow, empowering and terminally depressing.

Cognoscenti

Oct 19, 2015

Dear State And Federal Representatives: A Hotel Room Is Not A Home

As a society, we must fight for people like me and like my daughter.

Cognoscenti

Jun 19, 2015