Posts Categorized: Civic Engagement
White People: Here’s How to NOT Respond to the Election
Sit down and buckle in, because this past week has proved to be extremely bumpy with extreme turbulence between activists and “activists.” After the election, we have a president-elect in Donald Trump, and the world has not slowed down ever since. Protests have been popping up, news outlets have been voicing their disappointment, and — of course — many people have found the worst way to attempt solidarity and allyship. Just one week and the conversation has largely shifted to calling-in those that do more harm than good with their efforts, enforcing and encouraging damaging ideas and false narratives to avoid discomfort, accountability, and conflict. I’ve unfortunately noticed a lot of reoccurring patterns in white people that not only prove being an ally is a walk and not a talk, but… Read more »
Post-Election Activism Crash Course
It’s been a long week. Instead of using this article to get out all of my emotions, I decided to do something else. Many people are re-energized after the election, and are trying to look for ways to get involved in activism. I may be a little salty, that this is what it’s taking, but I also realize that people fight for justice in a variety of ways. Maybe you’ve been doing that in your community, and you’re now looking for another avenue. Outside of smashing the patriarchy on this URGE blog, I also have a day job. I’m a state organizer for a national LGBTQ org that aims to shift the narrative around LGBTQ rights away from marriage equality. I’ve also been in several organizations, participated in a ton… Read more »
It Is Our Duty To Fight For Our Freedom
Thursday morning at 2:00am, I was holding my housemate as she sobbed after the news reported that Hilary Rodham Clinton had conceded to Donald J. Trump and that he had become the president-elect. I couldn’t bring myself to cry because a small part of me knew that America couldn’t be ready for another eight years of change. I sat there in silence as I saw the world around me crumble. I thought about the countless vulnerable populations that would be subject to discriminatory laws and have their civil rights threatened. I thought about the anti-trans bathroom bill in North Carolina and Gavin Grimm‘s upcoming Supreme Court case. I thought about the Indigenous families who have held their ground at Standing Rock in defense of their land and their water. I… Read more »
Is POTUS the most important election tomorrow?
Tomorrow is the Big Day! The final day for US voters to cast ballots for the 2016 election. While the hype around the elections has reached and sustained a fever-pitch in the mainstream media, many young and marginalized communities still feel…uninspired. Fear not, I am here to inspire you! *charm bomb explodes* There are 101 reasons you should go and vote tomorrow and they are spelled: down ballot races. Wtf is a down ballot race? “Down ballot” refers to the elections listed near the end of the ballot; in other words, the last few elections/names/propositions listed on your ballot. In even more words: the races at the bottom of the ballot-list. Typically, ballots are organized with the most “senior” elected positions listed at the top, such as federal elections like… Read more »
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Is Boring Me
Beginning in August 2016, 49ers Football player Colin Kaepernick sat down during the national anthem as part of a symbolic protest against police brutality and systemic racism in our country. In an interview, Kaepernick said, “I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color.” Many people found solidarity with Kaepernick, and soon began to stage their own protests during the national anthem. His movement is sweeping the country, starting dialogue, and also gaining the attention of haters. One of those haters just so happened to be the second woman in United States history to serve as a Supreme Court justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. In a recent interview with Katie Couric, Ginsburg called Kaepernick’s protests “dumb,” “arrogant,”… Read more »
Kansas Experiment Fails Again, Students Likely to Pay
Kansas has been my home for all nineteen years of my life, made obvious by my talent of reciting almost every line to The Wizard of Oz with ease. Born, raised, and now bleeding Kansas State purple, I know that this place will always hold a feeling of safety for me. That is why I’m not afraid to be blunt about this; Kansas has failed their students and youth, and is setting up the stakes to fail them again. As a Kansan, as a student, and as a human being, this fact both infuriates me and worries me for the future of education in Kansas. Any student in the Kansas school system can tell you the main two words that pop up every school year; budget cuts. As of Monday, the… Read more »
The Perils of Black Motherhood and Police Violence
“We are black people and we shouldn’t have to feel like this,” “We shouldn’t have to protest because you all are treating us wrong. We do this because we need to and have rights.” “Our fathers and mothers are killed and we can’t even see them anymore,” “It’s a shame that we have to go to the graveyard and bury them. And we have tears, and we shouldn’t have tears.” Zianna Oliphant, a young girl from Charlotte, NC spoke at a city council to bring awareness to the injustices black children are facing due to state-sanctioned violence against black bodies. Zianna is seven years old, and is already well aware of the inequalities she, and her friends, will face. When I see young black girls like Zianna, I feel a… Read more »
Betty Shelby & the Sacrificial Lamb
I usually start my day off by avoiding breaking news that reflects how far our nation still has to go on the road for social justice. Unlike white Americans, I don’t have the privilege of ignoring a threat to my human rights, since I have the dual jeopardy of being black and a woman. Whenever I scroll down my Facebook timeline, I see images of the black body either being dehumanized by being shot “on the spot” or, quite simply, criminalized for doing things that any normal person would do. A few days ago, my social media timelines erupted as news outlets reported that Terence Crutcher, a forty-year old black man who was waiting for roadside assistance, was shot and killed by a Tulsa police officer. A few days later, Betty Shelby’s name… Read more »
The Supreme Court Decision That Will Keep Police Violence The Norm
To date, 123 people of color have been killed by police in 2016. After the formation of the Black Lives Matter Movement and unprecedented political engagement from presidential candidates on conversations surrounding racial justice and criminal justice reform, the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile in such steady succession cuts to the quick. Our nation has become too comfortable witnessing state brutality against non-violent black people through the grainy footage of cell phone and soundless police dashboard cameras. We know the names of the 123 people who have lost their lives. We know what their families’ suffering sounds like. What we may not know is that, this past June, the Supreme Court made it much easier for these acts of violence to continue without legal consequences. With such landmark cases on… Read more »
The Anti-Trans Bathroom Bill in Kansas is Dead…But for How Long?
The Kansas State legislature adjourned their 2016 session early Monday morning until their ceremonial adjournment in June. This means that any legislation which was not brought to the floor was automatically killed. In that group of now-dead legislation was the infamous bathroom bill, HB 2737. It may seem like good news, but I would caution otherwise. The way I see it, the legislature has seen the backlash restrictive bathroom legislation has received in recent news. With it being an election year, no one in a swing district wants to do something too controversial; North Carolina provided enough warning. Effectively, the legislatures will just be waiting out the tide of media coverage on the issue, so if and when it is brought back to floor, the same kind of media pressure will probably… Read more »