Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in The Swamp.

Differences Do Not Divide Us.
This is a story about one of the most incredible, inspiring humans in my life. In the interest of protecting their name, I am going to refer to them as “Nike”. I chose this name because to me it means strength, after the Greek God/Goddess of Strength and they are truly the strongest person I know. From a photographer and a best friend’s perspective, this is an experience that both broke my heart and gave me just a small insight into the experiences of BAME people. This story is so important to tell, and it is a story not only about friendship, but also the realisation of white privilege and how much of the world we are completely blind to. Nike has given me a better perception of the world, to know that I will never understand what they have and will go through in their lives but what I can do is support, love and stand by them.
By GeeGee6 years ago in The Swamp
Can U.S Presidents Deploy US Troops on American Soil?
George Floyd’s suffocating death at the hands of four Minneapolis Police officers generated so many demonstrations across the United States and many other countries across the world. Some of the protests in the United States turned violent and looting became rampant in many cities at the early stages of the rally. Lately things have settled down to peaceful demonstrations in the US.
By Paul Oranika6 years ago in The Swamp
A vocal student...
"I hope you and your families are doing great during these tough pandemic times" - Greetings for the day in the current COVID world. I am Tushar, a master's student from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal.
By Tushar Patel6 years ago in The Swamp
Revitalization Movements
Indigenous people always seem to continuously defy odds, refuse to assimilate, and be forced into the hegemonic powers. This is amazing considering how often than not colonization has made conscious efforts of ethnocide and genocide. The act of this defiance and resilience is known as the structure of Revitalization Movements.
By Chantel6 years ago in The Swamp
When Your Heart Stops
Before Memorial Day weekend of this year (2020), I was quiet. I didn’t protest, I didn’t say much about matters I cared about, I stayed out of everything that was debated. Why? Because I was convinced that no one would listen to the voice of a young woman who was barely an adult and had little more than a high school diploma and a certificate that said I was a certified nurse aid. I started sharing information about the pandemic, but that was the most I ever did.
By M. Fay Williams6 years ago in The Swamp
Is Donald Trump Inciting Violence?
The issue at hand is President Donald Trump is being accused of inciting violence at protesters in Minneapolis who were protesting over the death of George Floyd while in police custody. The protests were created by the Black Lives Matter movement due to the increase and exposure of police brutality against black people of America. The people want justice to be served and for the arrest of all the cops involved in the incident, including the other three officers who stood around and watched as George Floyd struggled due to breath underneath the officers knee on his neck.
By Chantel6 years ago in The Swamp
It is exhausting to be a woman of color in America.
It is exhausting to be a woman of color. Not only do we need to handle people being racist towards us and costing the lives of members of our communities, but we need to handle the idea of sexism and rape on another level as well.
By Chantel6 years ago in The Swamp
The World Would Be Better if We Lived like the Indigenous People of America
The Indigenous People of America are not alone in their struggles- I believe that America has tormented multiple groups with their existence and growth of their nation. With power, it seems that others must suffer and blood must be shed.
By Chantel6 years ago in The Swamp
No Justice, No Peace
As I sat down to write this, I searched on Unsplash for BLM, specifically looking for Black Lives Matters Signs wielded by Black protesters. It was important to me that none of the images contained the full faces of protesters and that the sign in question was in the hands of a Black person. As you can see the image I found contains no sign, but it does center a Black person and features no full faces. Why is this? Because through the thousands of images that I went through there was not a single image of a person holding a sign that wasn't white. Now don't get me wrong, I am not trying to diminish the importance of Non-Black POC or white folks in this fight, because it is a fight that we are here to offer aid to, not to center ourselves in. It is vitally important that we remember that for the duration.
By Paige Graffunder6 years ago in The Swamp
The year of 2020
At this very moment, the world you have lived in has turned upside down. At the beginning of January, World War III was at stake and in the tongues of every American in social media due to the tension rising between The United States of America and Iran. By the end of January, the basketball idol Kolbe Bryant, friends, and daughter Gigi Bryant passed away before their time. This was a tragic accident that hit many hearts of an entire generation that grew up loving him.
By Irma Mejia6 years ago in The Swamp
A Reflection on Racism
I cannot say I am writing this piece in a vacuum, because recent events have sparked a movement that should have happened long ago. Still, after hundreds of years of oppression, black lives are unjustly treated as less valuable. This is unacceptable.
By Silvana Martinez6 years ago in The Swamp
Your Privilege Makes You Complacent
It’s almost like when you’re white everything else is blotted out. Or least the things that don’t apply to you are blurred, a little more challenging to visualize. Fuzzy around the edges and the muffled sound like when you’re coming up from underwater. Coming up for air.
By Emily the Period RD6 years ago in The Swamp