humanity
Humanity topics include pieces on the real lives of politicians, legislators, activists, women in politics and the everyday voter.
A New Era Begins
Greetings My Friends; Please forgive; sometimes I find myself projecting my opinions on other, this I know is a flaw I must correct. However, this one time, I feel my projecting is justified. I think it is safe to say, this has been one of the wildest weeks ever.
By Erik DeSean Barrett5 years ago in The Swamp
Please Disagree with Me
Here in the US it is election season, in fact the day I am writing this is Election Eve. Across the country people have been voting early in precincts that allow it and, due to the pandemic, millions of Americans have chosen absentee voting this year. I don’t know the actual numbers, but I know all the reports I have heard indicate that absentee and early voting are setting records. That is a great thing. Being engaged in the political process, when you have an opportunity to influence, even in a minor way, the direction of your community, state and nation please do so.
By Gary Hauger5 years ago in The Swamp
Thoughts For My Neighbor
November 3rd, contrary to what political propaganda tries to make you believe, our country will not change. However, we the people of this country must continue to do so. On and after Election Day we must remember we decide our own fate, but also set the tone for generations to come after us.
By Dan-O Vizzini5 years ago in The Swamp
Social Stratification
Social stratification is the way society categorizes its people into socioeconomic strata, based on factors of their occupation, wealth, income, and either social status or any form of derived power (“Sociologists,” n.d.) Social stratification sets limits and boundaries on what certain groups of people or societies have access to, including healthcare and education, both which are essential components of one’s well-being. Sociologists have recognized that stratification is a society wide system which makes inequalities present in a given society especially apparent. Social stratification peaks a special interest in sociology because of the fact it represents a larger social pattern.
By Paranneting/Anne Reboa5 years ago in The Swamp
Continuing to Accomplish Small Things in a Great Way
In the days leading up to the upcoming Presidential Elections, it seems to be no coincidence that I would finish reading “Small Great Things”, a 2016 novel by best-selling author Jodie Picoult (known for novels like “The Pact” and “My Sister’s Keeper”) which discusses racism in America. It’s a story about an African American Labor and Delivery nurse by the name of Ruth Jefferson with twenty years of experience who is ordered not to act as the nurse for the newborn baby of a White Supremacist. When there’s an emergency with the newborn and Ruth is left alone with the child, being the only one around in the moment, she is forced to decide whether she should act and help the child, or risk disobeying her supervisor’s instructions; all of which will lead to a criminal case where Ruth is put on trial for her actions. This story is told from three first person accounts, Ruth Jefferson, the African American Labor and Delivery nurse; Turk Baurer, the father of the infant and White Supremacist; and public defender Kennedy, who is white, who doesn’t consider herself to be racist despite her more than apparent racial ignorance and biases. What these voices bring to the story is a realistic and believable account of the issue from all sides with one important point ringing true once you come to the end of the book. That racism isn’t just the angry white supremacists, though they do still exist as we’ve recently seen. Racism is also our own ignorance to the big picture, the way a white person might cross the street if they see someone color walking in their direction. The way a white woman might clutch her purse a little tighter if a black gentlemen steps onto an elevator with her. Or the way a white person might go out of their way to overcompensate how they speak around a person of color so the white person will not come off as racist.
By Chloe Medeiros5 years ago in The Swamp
Quarantine
Like many people in the past month, I have forgotten what the sun looks like. Our current quarantine as a result of the Corona virus and the disease Covid-19 has led to many living a sort of half-life where many our unable to perform activities thought to be essential to life as they knew it. This climate is bound to breed the question of when this is going to end, but the answer is fairly complicated. Many states have opened public places under the #Liberate, only for a rush of new cases top spring forward as a result.
By Alex Brown5 years ago in The Swamp
Why keep up the fight for Racial Equity day after day? This white dude’s WHY…
Recently, one of my best friends — whom I also consider to be my mentor within the vital human Work of Equity & Antiracism — asked me to record a vlog episode with him wherein we’d dialogue on the aforementioned subject of “WHY?”, as it pertains to our ongoing journey within our respective (and sometimes collaborative) efforts to continually battle for racial and cultural equity, both near and far. What follows are just some of the thoughts and feelings I put to “paper” in preparation for our discussion. I sincerely hope that You, my fellow Advocates and Co-Conspirators from all walks of life, can benefit from this in some form or fashion as you/ we continue to march proactively FORWARD toward a brighter future for our people. Thank you for reading. I hope to see you in the Work…
By Orion Bradshaw5 years ago in The Swamp
Beyond the Vote
Every election is very important as we are choosing people we believe will make differences in our community, our state, our country, our economy; all aspects of our lives. The options on who to vote for are not going to be Ideal for everyone, yet the voting is necessary for putting someone in charge of specific tasks.
By Jewel Gottschlog5 years ago in The Swamp
The Great Lie
To say I’m sitting at a crossroads would make my mental state seem more emotionally drastic than it is: a blasé apathy would be a more suitable label. I am complicit in a lie, which I have had drilled into my mind for as long as I can remember, and one that I continued to tell myself. In short, it states that in this economy, the work you put in is directly proportional to the outcome, i.e. income. I can’t think of a great analogy, but the amount of resources invested versus the outcome would be like pouring in the best octane fuel into a gas tank but the results unfold as if coal was stuffed in the tank instead.
By Holly Katie5 years ago in The Swamp
