Dustin Havens
Bio
Executive Director at Heartland Equality, Activists, Philanthorpist, and Social Engagement Specialist.
Stories (4/0)
Personal Finance: A Must for High School Students
The world has changed drastically since the formation of the public school system. Along with these changes the course requirements for graduation have changed minimally. There are several courses that need to be revamped or added to these requirements. To be better prepared for entering the adult world, all education systems should require a personal finance class as a requirement for graduation. Personal Finance would offer students valuable lessons in tax preparation, budgeting, and credit management.
By Dustin Havens2 years ago in Education
A Simple Guide To Getting Evicted
Sometimes in life people just want to get evicted; in times like these there is a simple guide to achieve this goal. Eviction is a delicate process that people must try very hard to attain. To get evicted from an apartment, tenants must simply follow the following: party, never pay their rent, allow squatters, become an animal sanctuary, and do some DIY remodeling.
By Dustin Havens3 years ago in Lifehack
Voices of a Shattered Generation
In the late 90's it was common for youngsters to stay out all hours of the day, and night and come home at an agreed-upon time. Without truly knowing what time it was, as we did not have the constant knowledge of time with us as we have now with cell phones. Who really wanted to wear a watch anyways (now we cannot leave home without our smartwatches or Fitbit)? It was a different time we were lucky to have our discman's with the latest Spice Girls, Britney Spears, or NSYNC album jamming in our ears. The nineties were not a time of huge stress for our kids, we didn't have to worry about what our favorite Tik-Toker was doing, or what was streaming on Netflix. We could ride our bikes across the county, and play in the cattle fields, or we could go hang out in the abandoned buildings in town. There were no overtones of terrorism or economic downfall. There was no public outcry of kidnapping and human trafficking. We were in a constant state of bliss, and just living our best lives. The times were full of happiness and adventure, we thought we were young Huckleberry Finns exploring the wilderness of rural Oregon.
By Dustin Havens3 years ago in Humans
The dawn of an equal tomorrow (maybe)
Equality seems like a basic right, like something that all people are naturally born into. Something that makes our nation unique and outstanding, a qualifier for being "the number one country in the world". Yet for far too many people this is not the case. Sure, we get monumental breadcrumbs every decade or so, thanks to an uprising in public approval ratings, or politicians wanting to check off a demographic on a ballot in any given November. While others will argue in the back of the room that we have "gay marriage" or the "transgender bathrooms are appearing at big box stores", or that "blacks have their own scholarship programs". Is this equality? Should equality have so much anguish that comes with being a member of the minority in the United States? Should we truly be scared for our lives if we happen to see a Ford F150 coming down the road this that blue flag that says Trump 2020? No, my friends, this is not equality, this is not the land of the free. This is a land where the older generations that came from a time of suppress, hide, and deny are still the majority in the controlling bodies of our upper government. We are not truly Equal when hate crimes can be committed against us the minority and they are swept under the rug as vandalism or harassment. Until all localities in the United States recognize that we are not all White Heteronormative Christian Males and that we do come from different races, cultures, backgrounds, religions, identities, and orientations then we are not equal. You cannot silence generations and communities and then brag that you are number one. This is not how equality works and anyone that says otherwise would be sorely mistaken. We see people every day that work for equality from the local level to the national level, and far too often they are forgotten as "the silent heroes". These organizations need our help to make a brighter tomorrow full of true equality. It is time that we all rise together and ensure that tomorrow is full of equality. In 2020 we saw a surge in community-based organizations being called upon to do good works in their communities and many of these organizations rose to the occasion. Sadly, the need for the organizations to be present and provide services came with a steady decline in community giving. Staying true to the calling of community service, and outreach goals these organizations are the grassroots connection to the communities and without them, many of these communities will have no safe zones, or locations to be their true selves. According to a recent study, one in five hate crimes committed in the United States is motivated by a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender bias. These numbers must come down we cannot leave this world full of hate for the generations that will come after us. While PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians and gays) report that hate crimes with an LGBTQIA+ bias are down to 18.6% from 20.8% and these numbers on the decline is a great sign, we still have much work to do. When you add in the .5% that is targeted towards people based on their gender identity (according to the FBI's Hate Crime statistics) that leave the total at 19.1% only coming down a mere 1.2%. This also factors in that nearly 48.5% is based on a racial bias and we are seeing an ever-growing trend in these organizations working together to solve hate crime targeting rather than focusing primarily on just LGBTQIA+ issues. This is in large part to the studies and statistics showing that if we work together on all issues of inequality, we are building a better future for all citizens of the United States and not just one specific community.
By Dustin Havens3 years ago in Humans