controversies
It seems every time one racially-charged incident ends, a gender or religious controversy takes its place; Ruminate on the issues dividing our nation and world.
Liberate African Hair
2016 was the year Zulaikha Patel (A South African teenager ) took a stand against the discriminatory hair policies at Pretoria Girls High school. A 13 year old at the forefront of a protest, she most certainly discarded the narrative that labels young potentials as future leaders. Such a term is a contradiction to the resilience that characterises us. We are not future leaders. We are leaders. Being a leader is like being dead, you either are or you are not. Ageism is one battle we are yet to fight and overcome.
By Shirley Makurumidze 6 years ago in The Swamp
The Speakeasy
Conservatives are the new counterculture. Or are we? Either way, I like it. Do you know what I love about us? Many things, but my absolute favorite is how we come out swinging when we’re backed into a corner. You can take comfort knowing that when your fundamental rights get trampled on ~ like freedom of speech ~ we’ll buck.
By Miss Charlotte6 years ago in The Swamp
Political Pandemics
Vast swathes of humans becoming infected by a micro-organism such as a virus is what we call “a pandemic”, and it is important to notice that it shares a very strong parallel with pandemics of a political nature, which are ideological movements or “Revolutions”, in a word.
By James Sirois6 years ago in The Swamp
Ghislaine Maxwell, Sarah Kellen, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell - This Picture is Worth About 1000 Words.
On a background of a red flag with yellow stars, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sarah Kellen are captured by photographer Patrick McMullen at an extremely exclusive event in New York. The photograph will be used again and again on articles all over the globe covering Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and their gang of child trafficking pedophile helpers and enablers. But how much do you know about a photo that you’ve seen over and over? Let me provide you with a little context to understand what you are actually looking at.
By Johnny Vedmore6 years ago in The Swamp
The New Civil Rights Era
In the immortal words of Dr.Martin Luther King, "Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere." We live in a time, where police brutality is ever-present in our communities. Most people are wondering if they will ever feel safe in their community again and if their children will survive. We cannot demonized officers and we should advocate for their education because knowledge is power and accountability. However, the news shows a constant reminder that minorities are not entirely free when the enforcement of the law is unjust. When the people of the community cannot hold accountable fellow officers for unjust acts, this is a weakness in democracy. The point of a democracy is everybody contributed, everybody matters, and everybody has rights. We must work together or we will fail. Too many countless victims from incidents that required less force. What do we do in a crisis like this? Where do we turn in what seems like a race war? "Be the peace you want in the world," proclaimed Gandhi. The protest must be peaceful as activists must foster new legislation with those that hear the people's demands. We have to use the tools and foundations of the Civil Rights Era resisting weapons and rioting. If there's one thing that prevents justice then it is rioting because it causes a force against bringing peace, we must understand and fix the justice system. We have to denounce racial profiling. We cannot judge someone based on the color of their skin and what others did who are apart of that race. If we are to win this new Civil Rights then we must fight all "ism" dividing us. We must stand up for the poor who doesn't have housing and healthcare. We must stand up for women, who received their rights a hundred years before and now maybe force to have children without consent. We must fight for all to choose who they love and to be what they desire to be because it is every one of our birthrights. We can make it possible to live in a world, where we will be fully and duly protected from hate. Hate should never be lifted, never given a place in society otherwise it will evoke chaos. For decades, oppression has been instilled into our communities and now it must be confronted by justice. You can break the chains of bondage,you can tell someone they are free, and you can proclaimed liberty but if their minds are bound and they are given no tools of that liberty then they are bound and not free. It is time that we free everybody living in peace with one another. Love is the greatest weapon for peace and proof of that love is hope in each other that this nation can be a better place. All this plays into the bigger picture, a better democracy, and hope for the future. We must show the children how to survive, not teaching them ignorance and blind obedience but civility and nobleness. In the fulfillment of Dr.King's dream, we must take the evil in this world which robs us of life and turn it into good that gives everlasting peace. One day police officers will be looked again as heroes and heroines. One day all children will be allowed to live freely and equally. One day people will remember to love always and never hate but it's going to take all of us to win this fight, every last ounce of strength and we shall overcome.
By Distinguished Honorary Alumni Dr. Matthew Primous6 years ago in The Swamp
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter is not a terrorist organization. It is a movement whose narrative has been hijacked like any other activism that promotes social change. Unfortunately, there will always be opportunists ready to re-write history as they see fit. Propaganda in the media is nothing new. In fact, it’s dependency of content thrives on negative press. However, it is decided upon the people on how you you choose to respond.
By Carly Tillotson6 years ago in The Swamp
The Worthless Black Life
I’m sure some people might get mad about what I’m about to say. Which to each is it’s own. Everybody is entitled to think what they want to and say what they want to right? Not that my two cents matter but speaking for myself and from experience of losing loved ones to senseless violence leads to what I’m about to say. A lot of violence is going on is the world currently a lot of innocent babies lost their lives to senseless violence over the holiday weekend. There is no march, there is no protest, there is not enough outrage. Everybody live to jump on the bandwagon when it comes to Black lives matter, or Us vs. the Cops, or Black vs. Whites and so on. Take a long look in the mirror and reflect upon yourself and what you have do towards other people that was not right. I’ve heard so many people say it’s different because this and that. At the end of the day the results are the same no matter who does anything harmful towards another human being. I’ve lost my brother, my cousins, my uncle, countless number of friends to gun violence and I’m only 33 years old. Going to a funeral is the new normal gathering nowadays. When will it stop. We have to value ourselves first before we can tell someone else to value us. People rather say RIP or free this person or that person in a hashtag before they tell their loved ones no don’t do that, don’t kill him or her. Police brutality is a problem. Injustices on the minorities is a problem. Black on black crime is a problem. I’m not going to pick and choose which is worse than the other it’s all bad. I don’t want to hear about statistics and rates. The fact of the matter is innocent lives are being taken away on both sides. People shouldn’t be planning a child’s funeral unless it’s a natural cause of death not due to a bullet ripping throw their bodies. I can imagine my heart goes out to the families of the babies that this is currently a reality for them. New generations aren’t even living beyond the age of 30. Who will be the elders once everybody born before 1970 are no longer with us, because at this rate it’s just going to be kids running around with no parents if they even make it through to the next day. Don’t be scared to speak your mind out of fear of losing friends. Right is right and wrong is wrong. I wrote this poem a couple of weeks ago when the protest was going on.
By Poetry Lover6 years ago in The Swamp
Black Lives Matter : Why is it So Hard to Infer the Meaning Behind This Simple Phrase
Photo by Chris Henry Inference : Deduce or conclude from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements. Seizing on the latter part, I’m amazed by how much vitriol has exploded over a simple inference : Black Lives Matter. Oh my, this Blue Lives Matter rally really captures the rage. I wonder what William Shakespeare himself would think of our inabiltiy to grasp a basic linguistic vehicle and have the ugly residue spread like Murder Hornets. On the other hand, in the interest of calm, let me give the dispossessed, angry hordes the tools that they need to get by.
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in The Swamp
An Immigrant, Not By Choice
First, I would like put any assumptions to rest about my home town. It is not the starving, drug-riddled war zone that comes to mind when people hear "Mexico". Our little town lies on the coast of Baja California, only a two-hour drive from San Diego,California through the US border. It was a poor, little town 30 years ago, which was why my father came to the US in the typical search for wealth. It has changed a lot since then; it is now home to various restaurants, craft breweries, AirB&Bs (one which belongs to my mother), wineries, spring breakers, cruise ship stops, and as always-the world's best fish tacos. My family has been blessed with successful careers. There is not much to complain about when you live next to the beach.
By Leslie Ramirez6 years ago in The Swamp
My Experience With The Police
I have witnessed domestic violence since a young age. The first time I remember I was five years old. I went out to dinner with my father and another woman, who he claimed was his friend. When we arrived home, I told my unassuming mother I enjoyed dinner with this woman and my father. After an argument, I helplessly watched my mother being choked by my father. The cops were not called. The guilt of this situation weighed on me for years.
By Jenna Bushspies6 years ago in The Swamp
