A magazine about race, culture, money, power, and what gets passed down.

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Through reported essays and lived experience, INHERITANCE begins with something specific — a place, a transaction, a cultural pattern, a personal rupture — and pulls back to reveal what’s underneath.

New essays every week.

Featured Work

Cultural Contracts

Why OnlyFans Makes Sense

Only when the promises break do we see how fragile they were. 

Inherited Beliefs

The Algorithm Doesn’t Owe You an Explanation


How AI systems are normalizing decisions no one has to justify. A Black woman is flagged at self-checkout in London. A man is ejected from a store for a match that wasn’t his. The technology is new. The experience is not.

Cultural Contracts

Assembly Line

What a nail salon in Vietnam revealed about labor, currency, and shifting privilege.

About the Author

A man in a black suit and sunglasses standing on a sandy beach with ocean waves and a blue sky with clouds in the background.
A man in a black suit and sunglasses standing on a sandy beach with ocean waves and a partly cloudy sky in the background.

Ethan Ward is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in USA Today, NPR, Slate, Fast Company, Marketplace, and PBS SoCal.

INHERITANCE is where he examines what he inherited as an American, a Black man, and a journalist — and what he’s choosing to carry.

Read the Magazine → whatweinherit.com

Sign directing to the Old Senate Chamber at a government building.
View through glass door showing motorbikes and scooters parked outside on the street with two people riding scooters passing by.
A two-story brick house with a front porch and a white door, surrounded by trees and a well-kept lawn, with a sidewalk and parked cars visible.
Painting of a person with dark skin, short blond hair, wearing a black turtleneck, and bright red lipstick, against a light background.
Large digital screen at USC Annenberg School displaying a quote about a chatbot and AI, with chairs and people sitting in front of it inside a modern building.
A busy scene inside a train station with a large crowd of people waiting. The station has modern architecture with concrete and glass elements, digital screens, and signs indicating directions and services.
Open French door leading to small balcony with decorative iron railing, outside view of green trees, neighboring building with arched window and balcony, parked cars, room with yellow curtains and part of bed with textured bedspread.
ETHAN WARD standing on steps in front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., under a blue sky with clouds.
A small laundry shop with laundry baskets filled with clothes, a drying rack with clothes, and a man sitting on a motorcycle outside.
Interior of a coffee shop with a coffee grinder, bottles, and coffee supplies on the counter, two people working in the background, and a decorative pink stained glass ceiling lamp.
A wooden display box filled with broken blue and white porcelain bowls with intricate designs, some scattered on a yellowish sand-like surface, with a large weathered ceramic vessel and smaller porcelain pieces nearby.
Empty seating area in an airport waiting lounge with a few passengers seated and some standing, with large windows in the background.
Empty baggage claim area at an airport with a curved conveyor belt, illuminated ceiling, and a digital advertising screen.
Two large black bells hanging from a stone archway, viewed from below.
People walking along a busy sidewalk at night near a body of water with floating lanterns, some lit with candles, reflecting on the water's surface.
View from inside a ferris wheel cabin with rain-soaked glass, showing a cloudy sky, green landscape, and distant mountains.
ETHAN WARD standing on a wet cobblestone street, looking down at a circular manhole cover with a metallic letter 'Z' embossed in the center.
Inside a vintage-style store selling bags, accessories, and leather goods, with two customers browsing.
A bamboo walkway crossing a reddish pond in a lush green landscape with mountains in the background and partly cloudy sky.
A table with a menu, a glass of water, a cocktail garnished with a cucumber slice, and a bottle of sparkling water in a restaurant with natural greenery in the background.
A person working with a blowtorch on a metal piece in a workshop, with tools, jewelry rings, and boxes nearby.
View from inside a car during rainy weather showing the dashboard, steering wheel, and the driver with their right hand on the wheel. The rearview mirror has hanging decorations. The windshield is covered in raindrops, and outside the rainy window, t
Crowded street with shops and restaurants along both sides of a railway track, decorated with colorful lanterns and flags, with people walking and sitting at outdoor tables during evening.
Travelers with luggage walking up an airport escalator towards gates 60 to 68, with flight information displays in the background.
A brick building with boarded-up windows and graffiti, along with a display of framed photos and a protest sign reading 'St Teresas G.D.N.S Jobs Not Drugs'.
View from inside a bus looking out at a city street with buildings, trees, and traffic. The bus has yellow handrails and displays a Wi-Fi sign on the back.
View of an underground subway station platform with a subway train on the tracks, seen through a metal railing. There is a sign with the word 'Sortie' indicating an exit, and a few passengers are waiting or walking on the platform.
Black leather menu cover with gold lettering reading "The Ivy Dawson Street Dublin" placed on a restaurant menu, with a bread basket partially visible at the top.
Two elderly people sitting on a yellow bench, observing paintings at an art gallery with a vibrant blue wall behind them.
A vinyl record album cover for "The Wizard of Oz Over the Rainbow" with colorful illustrations of characters from the movie, including Dorothy and others.
A green park bench with peeling paint, situated outdoors among lush leafy trees and bushes. On the bench, there is a tote bag with red and white items inside, a closed book, and a lighter.
Black and white photo of a person standing outside a building with a sign that says
A large banner with the text 'WHO IS HOUSED WHEN MONEY TALKS?' displayed on a building in an urban area with cars parked in front, palm trees, and a partly cloudy sky.
A historic archway with intricate sculptures and gold lettering up top, framed by a street scene with a white car and pedestrians. A street sign points to Saint Denis boulevard.
People sitting on the floor in front of illuminated screens displaying digital artwork in a dark room.
A red double-decker bus with advertising for Pride Edinburgh, supported by Lothian, with route number 3 to Corstorphine, parked on a city street.
Person sitting near a river with a glass of red wine, a small wooden table, and a beer keg with a chalkboard sign. In the background, there's a modern building labeled 'Piscine Joséphine Baker' and trees along the riverbank, under a partly cloudy sky
A stack of three books on a laptop, with a window and blinds in the background. The top book is titled 'The 1619 Project,' the middle book is 'A Theory of Justice,' and the bottom book is 'The Memory Librarian' by Janelle Monáe.
A breakfast scene on a white marble table with a cup of coffee, a glass of orange juice, a glass of water, a croissant on a plate, sunglasses, a cigarette pack, and a lighter.
A black and white photo of a magazine stand with multiple shelves filled with various magazines and newspapers.
Street lamp with Garda badge and logo, mounted on a decorative black wrought iron bracket attached to a beige stone wall.
Childhood ETHAN WARD sitting at a dining table with friends and family with plates, yogurt, and snacks, celebrating around a cake with pink frosting.
A top-down view of a wooden table covered with stacks of magazines and books on art, cinema, poetry, and culture in a room with hardwood flooring. The photographer's shoes are visible at the bottom of the image.
Book titled 'Ballot Boxing' by Lucy Santora with a boxing glove decorated with an American flag pattern, and an image of a ballot being inserted into a cardboard ballot box.
Historical monument with columns near a cityscape, featuring clock towers and numerous buildings during overcast weather.
Travel luggage consisting of three black suitcases and a black backpack standing on a train station platform with a Luxembourg sign and empty blue seats in the background.
Bookshelves filled with old hardcover books arranged in a vintage bookstore or used book shop.
View from an airplane window showing a city with a large bay, a bridge over green water, and an airplane wing with a colorful logo.
Portrait of a dark-skinned man with dark curly hair, wearing a red and black garment, gazing upward, framed by an ornate gold oval frame, hung on a plain wall.
A long set of worn stone stairs ascending a hillside surrounded by bushes and grass, under a cloudy sky.
People waiting in line at the UK Border immigration checkpoint in an airport.
sitting side by side, smiling, wearing sunglasses, with a gray wall in the background. One person is a young girl with pigtails wearing a colorful jacket, the second is a woman with a headscarf and glasses, and the third is a man wearing a brown coat
Black background with the word 'HEATDRAWN' in bold white letters.

INHERITANCE is published by HEATDRAWN, an independent media studio.