activism
Grassroots campaigns have proven instrumental in bringing about political, social or environmental change; you've got to start somewhere-might as well start here.
The weight of lives
*This story was written in 2016 after Dallas Incident. “Don’t shoot”. A young boy who is wearing a snapback hat holds his hands up in the air. During the New York City trip, Bushwick gave me the deepest impressions. And especially this mural painting, which was painted by Brooklyn-based street artist Lmnopi, was the number one.
By Han Jolene Katrin Shin5 years ago in The Swamp
Volunteering at the border before Trump’s family separation policy
It was 2018 when I was asked to help with an asylum case for an anti human trafficking organization Abolish Slavery Coalition. I volunteered on both sides of the border, between San Diego California, and Tijuana Mexico. The volunteer work as a victim advocate, and bilingual translator was to help a father who had petitioned for asylum at the border after risking his life to testify against a corrupt leader involved in organized crime who had exploited his daughters, he was separated from his family at the border at a time when family separation had yet to make the headlines and well before Trumps family separation policy was in full effect.
By Gia Santos5 years ago in The Swamp
The War on the Uyghurs
Since 2017 the Uyghur people — the largest ethnic group of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of northwest China — have been systematically detained in secret concentration camps, tortured, forced to work against their will, and coercively re-educated by the Chinese state in order to erase their Muslim identities and distinctive cultural heritage. The Uyghurs are an indigenous Turkic people of China who converted to Islam a thousand years ago. Closely related to the Kazakh, Uyghur is a language written in the Arabic script with a long and developed literary tradition. In recent decades, when Uyghurs sought de facto political independence from China, the Chinese state has responded by accusing these “separatists” of “terrorism.” Although the atrocities currently being perpetrated against the Uyghurs are now public knowledge, significant activist initiatives have yet to emerge from the left. This should change, because the oppression of the Uyghurs is as urgent an issue as others on which the left is more active, such as Palestine.
By Rebecca Ruth Gould5 years ago in The Swamp
“The Cold Winter War”
The Year was 2017. The month was January. And we were seven days into the new year. Embracing for the launch of the 45th Presidency of these states united. And that was the last time, snow feel in my section of these states untied. It was then that five point three inches fell from the chief executive of the universe. And today some four years and twenty days later, nine days into the 46th Presidency, this time headed by Joe Biden. The head of the universal kingdom decided once again to send me a late Christmas gift? I am so excited, but it seemly like I’m hiding it, because I am curious today why this snow storm occurred? Was it just because the atmospheric temperature is at or below freezing (0 degrees Celsius or 32 degrees Fahrenheit) and there is a minimum amount of moisture in the air? Or was it because the atmosphere is freezing because some of souls of those who occupy it is contributing.
By Erik DeSean Barrett5 years ago in The Swamp
We are David, the system, Goliath
The police murder of George Floyd reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and the fight against police brutality, redirecting national attention back on the egregious acts of violence by law enforcement prevalent across America. While every few years instances of police violence flood national headlines, the spotlight eventually fades, and the issue is never seemingly resolved.
By Nissa Tzun5 years ago in The Swamp
The Black Media & Black Perspective: American Democracy's Top Mockeries
By Bashir Muhammad Akinyele “Whoever controls the media, the images, controls the culture.” -Allen Ginsberg As Afrikan people, we need to establish more cable news media platforms in America - to force the world to respect the diversity of Black perspectives, especially the radical, progressive, socialist, communist, Afrocentric, Black nationalist, and Pan-Afrikan views.
By Victor Trammell5 years ago in The Swamp
Democracy in Action
My dad grew up in Spain under the Franco dictatorship. To this day, Spaniards of that era still remember the day, Feb 23rd, 1981, when armed Guardia Civil officers stormed the Congress of Deputies in an attempt to overthrow Spain’s first democratically elected government.
By Nathalia Ramos5 years ago in The Swamp
The People's Problem: Population
Did you know that the U.S. government, in entirety, consists of less than 1% of the American population? It is true. I added up the most recently published populations of congress, local governments, police, and military for a calculated sum population of about 2.1 million. If you take out the military of 1.3 million, the “government” is only about 800,000 people. In retrospect, according to data in 2020, the total U.S. population is currently about 331 million. How does such a small number of people, have so much power and hold so much authority over such a massive population?
By Amanda Spradlin5 years ago in The Swamp
Unjust Incarceration & Social Stratification
Social stratification is the way society categorizes its people into socioeconomic strata, based on factors of their occupation, wealth, income, and either social status or any form of derived power (Lumen Learning). Social stratification sets limits and boundaries on what certain groups of people or societies have access to, including healthcare and education, both which are essential components of one’s well-being. Sociologists have recognized that stratification is a society wide system which makes inequalities present in a given society especially apparent. Social stratification peaks a special interest in sociology because of the fact it represents a larger social pattern.
By Paranneting/Anne Reboa5 years ago in The Swamp
