A Luta Continua
Today marks two years since our friend David Kato, a Ugandan human rights hero and openly-gay activist, was murdered in his home. Today, we remember him for many reasons, namely his incredible work to liberate his Ugandan LGBT brothers and sisters. May his legacy be immortal.
had to leave early to catch my bus to Chicago, but glad I made it to local @amnesty group 78’s vigil to mark 11th anniversary of #Guantanamo. #humanrights #closegitmo #ndaa #endindefinitedetention #notorture #callandresponse #activism
people power.
tonight at 11pm.
watch The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Gigi Ibrahim will be on. she helped spark the Egyptian Revolution via social media sites like twitter, and has been on the cover of Time, featured in Vanity Fair and much more. oh, and she’s just 25 years old. {GOOGLE HER}
she came to my college a week ago. her lecture was sponsored by a club i’m in.
she is freaking incredible.
Amnesty Int’l bulletin board = updated. success.
at the amnesty int’l northeastern conference!
what if our love never went away?
what this individual did is all i want to do with my life.
care to join me?
take a stand against injustice. assume a leadership position, not for its prestige, but for the opportunity to use your power to make a difference in the lives of the hungry, infected, afflicted, discriminated and marginalized. be an advocate of peace. create change. love others. be a voice for the silenced. make a difference.
“what about now? what about today?”
start now. start today.
(click here to watch a music video, which i hope will inspire you, too.)
"Change comes from power, and power comes from organization. In order to act, people must get together."
Saul Alinsky
wow.
after reading just the prologue to “Rules for Radicals” by Saul D. Alinsky, i can tell this book is going to be incredible.
i see why two books i’ve read on activism and peace have referenced him/it.
if you are at all interested in activism, i’m going to make an early recommendation and say that you should pick up this book, which has been hailed as the guide to effective/constructive social change.
"The trouble with many of us, and with our culture as a whole, is that we don’t take time to “relate,” to connect formally but meaningfully with others…We forget or deny that the appetite to relate is fundamental, and that the willingness to relate is nearly universal. People who have ideas and drive are on every street, in every project, every workplace and school, waiting in the wings, ready to be discovered. Someone has to reach them and recognize them. Someone has to ask them to step out, not to be consumers of props or spectators but to be players in the unfolding drama of public life. And that someone is what we call a leader or organizer."
Michael Gecan
Ten Suggestions for Effective Activism By Paul Rogat Loe
Got this from my sociology professor, who is one of the coolest professors, let alone people, that i know. they emailed it to me and thought that i’d enjoy it. they clearly know my peaceful/activist-self too well…
——————
Suggestion #1: Start where you are. You don’t need to know everything, and you certainly don’t need to be perfect.
Suggestion #2: Take things step by step. You set the pace of your engagement. Don’t worry about being swallowed up, because you’ll determine how much you get involved.
Suggestion #3: Build supportive community. You can accomplish far more with even a small group of good people than you can alone.
Suggestion #4: Be strategic. Ask what you’re trying to accomplish, where you can find allies, and how to best communicate the urgencies you feel.
Suggestion #5: Enlist the uninvolved. They have their own fears and doubts, so they won’t participate automatically; you have to work actively to engage them. If you do, there’s no telling what they’ll go on to achieve.
Suggestion #6: Seek out unlikely allies. The more you widen the circle, the more you’ll have a chance of breaking through the entrenched barriers to change.
Suggestion #7: Persevere. Change most often takes time. The longer you continue working, the more you’ll accomplish.
Suggestion #8: Savor the journey. Changing the world shouldn’t be grim work. Take time to enjoy nature, good music, good conversation, and whatever else lifts your soul. Savor the company of good people working for change
Suggestion #9: Think large. Don’t be afraid to tackle the deepest-rooted injustices, and to tackle them on a national or global scale. Remember that many small actions can shift the course of history.
Suggestion #10: Listen to your heart. It’s why you’re involved to begin with. It’s what will keep you going.
Human Rights Defenders Seek Protection in Mexico
“I’m not going to be silenced…”
