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.
A Virus Stronger than Covid-19
Last week brought a flurry of disturbing news. Not that it was necessarily different from previous weeks. Perhaps only in that it forced us to swallow pills other than our cherished Vitamin C these days. On Monday, May 25th George Floyd was killed by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. That same day, Christian Cooper was threatened by modern day 'Karen', Amy Cooper, simply because he is a black man. Then on Wednesday, May 27th Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a 29-year-old black Canadian woman, fell to her death from her apartment balcony in Toronto’s High Park neighborhood during a visit by the police. The officers’ involvement in the scene remains unclear. Last week we were reminded for the umpteenth time that racism remains long after the abolishment of slavery, and it is sadly still the norm in many households, towns, cities, and countries.
Maria Paula SerranoPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp- Top Story - June 2020
Say His Name
High off of our pain that we continue to be belittled as if our lives don’t matter. To march for our lives to be visibly as equal as the lives of those whose skin looks just like yours. There are whites protesting with us peacefully as there are white people tagging buildings and looting, but some are not even doing it in the name of George Floyd. To walk among roads to shout an innocent mans life that was taken, because he was seen as a threat, feeling the need to silence us when we have been silent for too long. When we live in a world that is unjust and bite our tongues as if it is okay, as if it is safer to be quiet but we still can die by your hands even when we are quiet. To hear my brothers and sisters crying out in pain because, us turning our backs and walking away was not enough for you. To see the media focus our story on people that allow you to believe we are vicious animals needing to be tamed. To feel the need to put extra force on black people because the color of our skin alone is threatening to you even as we lie on our backs to be detained. To hear them cry out “ I can’t breathe” and not be showed mercy.
UNpretentiousPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp Dear Lorelei: I Can’t Explain
Dear Lorelei, It's June first, twenty-twenty and the world is in chaos. We've been in quarantine or bored in the house and in the house bored since March thirteenth or at least, that's when my job sent me home. But I truly believe that is for the best right now. You will be four in two short months and trying to explain the world to you has been hard and heartbreaking the entire year. I've been telling you the world is sick but it's more than that and getting so much worse. The day you came to me and asked me if you were super good, if you could go back to school the next day, I cried and I prayed harder than I've prayed in a long time.
Michelle SchultzPublished 4 years ago in The SwampNo Half Measure's
As 2020 began the people of America were bombarded with the collective might of everything that had been suppressed. The government did not have any plan of action when it came to a pandemic. People were afraid and suffering which led to a spike in issues that had been easy to ignore up until then. Police brutality, racism, corruption, and able-ism all played a part in the current turmoil. If it wasn’t for social media there is a chance that there wouldn’t be any conversation, much like in the past, but that is what makes this the revolution that will change the future.
Respectfully SandraPublished 4 years ago in The SwampIf you plan to use violence, vandalize, or loot
If you're someone who is planning to use violence, vandalize, or loot in our current circumstances. I'm not here to yell at you. I'm not here to be another scolding post on social media that is filled with critism.
The Fear To Protest
Putting my feelings to words lately has been the most the daunting task these past three weeks. Finding the words to express apathy, numbness, anger, and sadness over the murders of Amaud Arbery who was hunted down shot and killed while doing something most of us do everyday, jogging. Breanna Taylor who was shot eight times in her own home by police who didn’t even have the correct address and the straw that broke the camel’s back the cold blooded murder of George Floyd.
Shanda GanttPublished 4 years ago in The Swamp"To be silent is to side with the oppressor"
On the 25th of May 2020, George Floyd was murdered by Derek Chauvin who was a Minneapolis police officer at the time. Chauvin has since been fired from his occupation and has officially been charged with third degree murder and manslaughter. Since the horrific events that occurred on the 25th, millions of people have come together to raise awareness of the continuation of police brutality and racial injustice towards black people in America. The Black Lives Matter movement has been prevalent on the streets of Minneapolis, many other cities in America, as well as on social media. Floyd's death has caused anger, grief, and general uproar to rise up from America, as well as other countries such as England.
Liesha MapiyePublished 4 years ago in The SwampDear George Floyd,
George Floyd, I’m breathing fire, the air my body is taking in right now. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen, oxygen, that flows into my lungs, coaxed inside from the downward vacuum pull of my diaphragm. The flubbing of my heart, continuing to pound, giving me Life, feeding my grieving body. I am not particularly worthy of this air; it belongs, as all atoms do, to the World, to the Things, to Us, to everything of, with, and by the World. And yet, a World in which Human Worth, Black male human worth, has to be fought for. A social World, fucked up: violating, killing, raping, murdering, harming non-(White, male, cis-gendered, heteronormative, citizen, wealthy) bodies from which it elementally consists.
MINDSOCKETPublished 4 years ago in The SwampGeorge Floyd's Death is a Tragedy, So is the Response
Let’s get this straight. NOBODY thinks that what happed to George Floyd is not a tragedy. Nobody thinks that it is in any way acceptable. It was 100% a criminal act and deserves to the prosecuted to the full extent of the law. At the same time however, no reasonable person could ever think the response has been appropriate.
- Top Story - May 2020
Lana Del Rey and White Clumsiness
I will start by saying that I absolutely love Lana. Discovering her discography in high school truly felt like an enlightenment, and her album Ultraviolence is, to this day, one of my favorite albums of all time. However, miss Lana dropped the ball a few days ago, severely. In an attempt to confront her critics and haters, she, in the eyes of many people, shaded a handful of female artists who are either Black, part Black, part of an ethnic minority or… Ariana Grande. While I don’t think her intention was to be racially insensitive, there were several missteps in her rant, and we will take a look at them in this piece.
Lonely Allie .Published 4 years ago in The Swamp Activism vs Governance
If you've seen the movie "Up in the Air", George Clooney and Anna Kendrick have contrasting approaches to delivering the same message. In fact Anna's approach was supposedly a modern trend, in tune with the cost saving measures that every company incorporates, but the repercussions were severe. On the same breath, think about the message of the effects of Global Warming on the environment. The message is well known, but the way the activists vouch for it versus how governments implement them, vastly differ. An activist is selfish about their cause, people in governance need to care about all aspects. An activist is vocal, steadfast and gives it their all, but they do it solely for the cause that is near and dear to them. While in governance, you need to care about everyone, including those who didn't vote for you, then agree on a compromise that would work out to be the best. With Greta's picture profiled, you can argue isn't the environment for everyone? Hold on to that thought, I will definitely come back to it.
John FrancisPublished 4 years ago in The SwampBe Prepared to Protest because We Have to Speak Up For The Earth
America is a lot of things but it is also the place where if you do not like a law or if something is happening that you do not agree with then you can change it. This is an amazing thing when the government or business overstep and hurt American people.
Sarah BeattiePublished 4 years ago in The Swamp