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.
Hug a Nazi
I’m almost finished with the first draft of a book titled How to Stop Feeling Afraid, in which I use all my experience as a high and middle school disciplinarian to show how nearly all aberrant behavior has its roots in fear. Why did that guy call you names? He’s afraid. Why did your girlfriend snub you in public? She’s afraid. Why were you robbed, threatened, hurt, dissed, cut off in traffic? All, all (except for the sociopath) because that person’s fear was powerful enough to overcome their natural human tendency to get along with others.
By David Bulley9 years ago in The Swamp
The Alt-Right and the Right to Be Wrong
Albert Camus said, “There is only one really serious philosophical question, and that is suicide,” and Albert was not entirely alone in his quest. Sartre, Schopenhauer, and the existentialists as a whole accept as a premise that right and wrong are relative—that there can be no absolute in a world defined by absurdity and entropy.
By Triple Decker Sandwich9 years ago in The Swamp
I Was at the #PhoenixProtests.. Top Story - August 2017.
We wore anti-Nazi "45" shirts. We were turned away from the doors of the convention center for our shirts. The guy said, "we have the right to refuse anybody from entering the rally," but we also heard him say, "yeah, not with those shirts."
By Luis Ramos9 years ago in The Swamp
Why This Weekend Is a Cry for Help
This past weekend has really pushed folks' limits on racial identity and racial hate. With the death of Heather Heyer and others being literally targeted by the white supremacist and neo-Nazis, you'd think those saying racism came about when Mr. Obama was president would wake the f**** up. (Get better soon, Deandre Harris). This problem has been going on for far too long.
By Jocelin Leige9 years ago in The Swamp
Attitudes Over Statues
The headlines across the nation have been absurdly screaming and I can’t help but wonder, “What is going on in my U.S.A.?” Apparently, protesters have been holding rallies at many sculptures all across the country that have long stood as symbols of our nation’s heritage. A heritage that is not pretty and is still controversial yet it has made our country what it is today. Through tribulations, we have triumphed. The truth of tragedy, the humility of loss and the progress derived from victory are important aspects of our history that we should respect and take pride in.
By Amanda Spradlin9 years ago in The Swamp
Why Being in the Middle Is WRONG
Picture this. You’re on the playground, and there’s a smaller kid from your class trying to play on the swings. He was always timid, shy, and just wanted to keep to himself. Well, you’re next to him on the swing set, but you’re much bigger. The kids in class would never do anything to bully you. They come over and they push the kid next to you off his swing, and start calling him names like weakling and scrawny and these kids really start laying into him.
By Nicole King9 years ago in The Swamp
The #SupportSystem for #Racism
As many of us are watching the USA's response to Charlottesville, VA, the media has begun to pick and choose what information becomes forgotten by the public. While we all get over saturated with White House quotes and contradictions, I have begun to enter into conversations that (up until recently) I have worked to avoid.
By Regina Stone-Grover9 years ago in The Swamp
Two Missouri Kids Feel Back in Closet After Quote Removal
Receiving the high school yearbook is perhaps one of the highlights of a student's scholastic career. The photos, both goofy and serious, the signatures from friends and teachers, and the memorable quotes all play a role in how everyone remembers their high school experiences.
By Christina St-Jean9 years ago in The Swamp
America Needs More Than Denial Right Now
A friend posted "Beaumont to Detroit" written by Langston Hughes in 1943 on her social media profile the other day. For anyone unfamiliar with this piece, it is a very powerful reflection on America during WWII. Comparing the propaganda that was publicized about Hitler to the likes of the Ku Klux Klan and very powerfully speaking against the actions of white America through comparisons with Mussilini and Hitler. It's a powerful read and is very appropriate for the current climate.
By Regina Stone-Grover9 years ago in The Swamp
'Refuse Fascism' March
In response to the death of thirty-two-year-old Heather Heyer and the injuring of nineteen other non-violent counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, the outspoken organization known as Refuse Fascism organized a march August 13th in Downtown Chicago, Illinois’ Millennium Park with over five-hundred plus citizens. The protest took statements from concerned and angered Chicagoans that came out to condemn the violence of the Charlottesville riots, murder of an innocent woman and the Trump administration’s indifferent response to the uproar, going so far as to label the administration as the Trump/Pence Regime! Like all too many Americans, the Trump Presidency has continuously chosen not to condemn the actions of the Ku Klux Klan, Neo-Confederate and Neo-Nazi rallies spewing unethical racism and bigotry then try to disguise it as nationalism. The Refuse Fascism march had garnered media attention and support in the past, I myself have participated in many of their rallies in response to police killings, support of building a Civilian Police Accountability Council and especially now demanding the impeachment of the 45th president, Donald Trump.
By Myles D. Goethe9 years ago in The Swamp
