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.
How to Make the World a Better Place
Most of us are too busy working to think of making the world a better place. Then again people who have more money than I do, like Ashton Kutcher, are busy rescuing human trafficking victims. Now, how does one person change the world? It could be as easy as signing up to be a reading tutor. You see, I’ve always wanted to do something more productive with my life besides knowing the pen is mightier than the sword. I don’t go to protests for one, because I do not want an arrest record following me around every time I apply for a job. The thing is that I need more energy to volunteer my time with. I would like more energy anyway, from sleeping the whole night if that becomes possible. I’m caught up with my knee injury from nine years of yoga down the toilet in one second of a bad move on the part of my left foot. I injured myself and that was the last day anybody saw me at the gym for a very long time. I’m not sure if yoga can make the world a better place, but it does calm me down, and has a similar effect on everybody who has ever taken a yoga class before.
By Iria Vasquez-Paez7 years ago in The Swamp
What It's Like Living as a Slaughtered, Lied to, and Persecuted People
Living as a Native American or First Nations person, depending on which side of the border you are on, is not really that amazing. You hear people talk about casinos, money the government supposedly gives you, and lots of other silly things, but never really anything good. With each shift in the government, there are some truths that remain and a feeling that never goes away. In this article I'm going to explore how I, coming from a Rez, feel and think.
By Jessica Riffle7 years ago in The Swamp
The Not-So-Woke Black Girl
By the title, you can assume one of two things: either I spend a majority of the day sleeping as a Black girl or I’m not as informed (or knowledgeable) of my culture as a Black girl. If you guessed the latter, you’re right. If you guessed the other, you aren’t entirely wrong, but for the purpose of this article, I will be talking about my knowledge (or the lack thereof) of my ethnic background and my personal struggles associated with it.
By Erika Hunter7 years ago in The Swamp
What Is Natural? The Environment Is Now Political
What is not natural? The environment is now political. Evolution does not stop. The ecology of planet Earth is rightly a topic of vigorous discussion; great claims are made that the world will end if we do not reverse modern industrial practices and stop the use of “fossil” fuels. There is often, in the media reporting of scientific claims, confusion between fact and opinion, the borders between actual, scientific evidence-based knowledge and an expectation based on a theoretic extrapolation of unverified data. These concepts get very blurred in the media. Modern popular journalism and, especially, the unrestrained social media posts do not expect the reader to actually think about what is being claimed. Persuasion without being restrained by truth is the accepted norm. The various “causes” from climate change, from air quality to social degradation to species extinction, get all interwoven in a confused tapestry of ideologies. Many of the slogan uttering advocates of social change claim we must get back to nature to save the world. Politics with all its mix and ideology and deceit, with its greed and its ability to distort truth to suit a leaders stance, has taken over all debates about environmental issues. So, let us attempt to express some rational thoughts.
By Peter Rose7 years ago in The Swamp
Save Lives—Requesting that All Police Departments Have Domestic Violence Units
So, I Finally Did the Thing. The thing I kind of said I would never do. I got “political.” If you can call it that, which I myself do not. I made my first petition to ask for change that I think could save the lives of many women that would likely otherwise end up dead. I am really hoping this thing works. Here it is:
By Samantha Clarke7 years ago in The Swamp
Children's Homes, Foster Care, and the Social Care System. Creating Already Damaged Children into Even More Damaged Adults
After hearing Alex Wheatle's story about his time in a Lambeth children's home in the 1970s, he wrote a book called Brixton Rock, where he told his heart-breaking childhood in a care home where he was racially, sexually, and physically abused my the staff member's at the care home.
By Trina Tuthill7 years ago in The Swamp
