Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in The Swamp.
The Legacy of the Confederacy Part I
One of the questions immigrants must answer correctly when taking the test to become a U.S. citizen is “What was the Civil War fought over?” There are three “acceptable” answers:
Robert WellsPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
Trump and the Trouble with Authenticity
We're told the secret to good PR is authenticity. To be a great communicator, you have to be true to yourself and speak from the heart. By focusing on authenticity, you can really connect with your audience and build meaningful relationships that are mutually beneficial. Well, as with most advice about communication and leadership, Donald Trump rather confounds that belief.
Michelle UlyattPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
Charlottesville
Charlottesville. The name of the town alone sounds so welcoming, or at least, it used to. It's a Southern city that has now been tainted by alt right, neo-Nazis, and other vile groups that want nothing more than to see the freedom, equality, and unity America had worked so hard to see disappear dissolve into hate and turmoil.
Ossiana M. TepfenhartPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
So Wrong They're Alt Right
The first thing that needs to be said: the alt right is just a fancy name for Nazis. Offended, don't be a Nazi. It's as simple as that. I have no patience for those that try to defend themselves with insipid excuses for being hateful, racist, insecure people. One person actually tried to tell me they were on the alt right because of Black Lives Matter. Are you kidding me? The two are literally not even the near the same thing. The Nazis, as they will be called from here on out, think that white is the superior race. BLM was standing up against their children being killed needlessly by police officers. This is the hell the Trump hath wrought and it is so stupid that if it were a movie, people would walk out on it.
Edward AndersonPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
Violence Is Not Allyship
It is an understandable impulse to want to physically hurt white supremacists. It is a matter of analyzing when it is worthwhile and not.
Clayton M. DavisPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
An Internal Reaction to an External Issue
It's been 86 days since the Manchester Arena was attacked by a British-Muslim whose name I refuse to type into this article. I refuse to type this man's name because it gives him more publicity than I feel is necessary. It's sickening to think that an attack like this will leave people, more specifically the people of Manchester, England, with the memory of his name and not the names of the lives he took.
Ryan Anthony BaxterPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
Caught in the Middle
In the wake of the events of Charlottesville, I have seen, as well as been, the target of an alarming amount of hate on social media, especially from a group of people that are “opposed to hate.” Due to this, I have decided to say the things that most do not want to hear.
Lyss BordenPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp- Top Story - August 2017
Why You Should Remove My Ancestor's Statue… And All the Other Confederate Monuments
My ancestor was Commander Matthew Fontaine Maury, the Pathfinder of the Seas. You may have never heard of him, but he is buried between presidents James Monroe and John Tyler at the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, VA.
Justin @ VocalPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp 
What the Attacks on Our Monuments Truly Means
The attacks on our national monuments have less to do with history and social consciousness, and more to do with control over today's political climate. Allow me to explain. We hear of statues in the south pertaining to the Civil War being removed or defaced, particularly those depicting Generals Robert E. Lee and J.E.B Stuart. As a youngster growing up in the north, I was taught of the evils of slavery and the costly war to end it. However, as I grew up and moved around for my profession, I learned of the culture of the South and the pride of its citizens. They knew they lost the war and learned to live with it. For over a hundred years, they honored their dead for their spirit. Now, suddenly, such symbols are under attack. Even this misplaced Yankee, who now resides in the South, is alarmed by the determined push to deface our history.
We the People...
I don't give a shit how long its been or how far Black people (and others) have come since 1789. NO. FUCKING. BODY... should be allowed to hide behind freedom of speech to spew and express racial, religious, gender-based, and non-heterosexual hatred towards others. Hiding behind a 228-year old document? Cowards.
Dre JosephPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
White Shock in the Face of Racism
Growing up in suburban Utah, I didn’t give much thought to race. I didn’t think of my whiteness as a luxury or think about the fact that despite attending a school that was in a primarily Hispanic neighborhood, I didn’t have any Hispanic friends. Although the Mormon church had a rocky and troubled history with black members, that was in the past—during the civil rights movement, church policy had been changed to be more welcoming. It was over. Civil rights had solved racism. It was important to be polite to people, but it wasn’t like those few suburban black kids I knew had experienced a dramatically different life than I had. Though I had relatives who complained about those “immigrants” who wouldn’t learn English, obviously their complaint had nothing to do with skin color.
Haybitch AbersnatchyPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
Dear Theresa: Don't Be A Trump!
Dear Theresa May, I am not a British person, despite one of my grandparents being from London. I was born and raised in the US — and I have a decently thick New Jersey-New York accent to prove it.
Skunk UzekiPublished 6 years ago in The Swamp
