Items

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  2020-10-28

  Indigenous sovereignty and shared solidarity at heart of national art campaign

  Indigenous land stewardship is a relatively new term, forged to compel more people to live in closer relationship with the land. As our world passes through multiple crises of our making, racial justice is the ultimate issue, and goal. As such, across many of the pieces commissioned by Nia Tero is the relationship between Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty. A key message in these posters is the encouragement for people to get out and vote, use their voices to effect change on these critical issues and uplift diversity in leadership. The poster on the back of this newspaper page that you’re currently reading is part of a new series made in collaboration with Nia Tero, IllumiNative, and Amplifier Art, which debuted on Indigenous Peoples’ Day 2020 to elevate the work of Indigenous land stewardship, and to promote support of Indigenous peoples every day. The purpose of this collaboration is to demonstrate how coming together now, in this moment, is critically important for racial justice, climate action and collective liberation.
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  2021-03-18

  Disparities in Healthcare during Covid-19

  This article is about the disparities in populations that have been impacted by Covid-19. The CDC found that American Indian, Alaska Native, African American, and Latino people were almost three times higher than non-Hispanic white people in hospitalizations during the pandemic so far. These numbers are, unfortunately, more a reflection on our healthcare system as a whole, not just specific to Covid. Dr. Felicia Collins, a distinguished graduate of Harvard Medical School, is the keynote speaker at the 2021 Alvin F. Poussaint, MD Visiting Lecture and will be discussing these healthcare inequalities. On top of having an MD, Dr. Collins also has a Master's in Public Health (also from Harvard), which gives her a unique perspective into healthcare at the individual and population levels. Analyzing healthcare data through the lens of a physician must give her the ability to contextualize healthcare disparities in a way that others would not. This sounds like it will be an interesting lecture on a very important topic, and will of course be held over zoom.
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  2020-06-25

  Proud Boys Clash With BLM

  "The Proud Boys, who claim to espouse "Western chauvinism," are a fratty, white power-y redux of the Men's Rights movement—except they say it's not about race, and that honoring a traditional patriarchal domestic structure isn't sexist. Less central to their beliefs but mostly just hilarious, their name comes from an Aladdin song called "Proud of Your Boy." They also happen to be led by mustachioed Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes. And if the rumors are true, their initiation proceedings include getting a tattoo and abstaining from masturbation, getting jumped in in a ritual, and beating up an antifascist." - Emma Grey Ellis, Wired
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  2020-07-16

  I Came to the Protest to Defend Human Rights

  "I came to the protest to defend human rights. This movement isn’t about race versus race, it’s about dissolving the negativity that our world is creating. The Black community is struggling, literally fighting for their lives, and everyone needs to stand with them to help bring a better world so Black people don’t walk the streets in fear of being a victim of the system." - Oz at the Roll4Justice rally on July 4, 2020
• 
  2021-03-09

  Justice for George Floyd

  From Drew Arrieta: As court proceedings for the trial of Derek Chauvin were underway, hundreds of community members, activists, and students demanded justice for George Floyd outside the courthouse. Judge Cahill, who is overseeing the trial, yesterday said he would proceed with the jury selection despite a dispute on the potential reinstatement of a third-degree murder charge that could potentially delay the case. The prosecution criticized the judge's decision, arguing the lack of clarity on charges when selecting a jury risks the case being thrown out on appeal.
• 
  2020

  COVID-19 - Racial Equity and Social Justice Resources

  The Fundamental Equity Tools website has resources and tools for people looking to get involved with social justice issues surrounding Covid-19.
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  2020-05-15

  Why Covid-19 is a Social Justice Issue

  From the article: People are like gardens: they require the right seeds to be planted, watered and nurtured in order to grow, but if neglected, will never produce the full harvest of their potential. For decades, Black people have been starved of the investments, the systems of care and quality environments that are needed for sustained, healthy growth and development as a people. For even a rose, as the writer Nikki Giovanni reminds us, can bloom from the concrete, if we give it the resources, care and love it deserves.
• 
  2020-03

  A Year Without Rowing

  The end of my freshman (2019-2020) spring semester of college was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic gradually growing more and more. Not being able to have a normal freshman year and sophomore year (2020-2021) was not what I was expecting going into college. I have always expected my college years to be full of fun times and rowing but instead they have been full of the COVID-19 pandemic and online school at home. Traveling has been cancelled due to the pandemic which is what stopped studying abroad chances in different countries around the world. Not only was my college years cut short but also my college rowing career as well. Freshman year the spring season was cancelled due to COVID-19 as well as my sophomore fall season and maybe spring. The spring break has been cancelled for the school due to the pandemic which meant the teams spring break training has been taken away which is where we get into racing sprint pieces on the water. Being able to race and perform in regattas at a collegiate level is something I have always looked forward to throughout my high school years. Not being able to have the chance to compete against other colleges especially in the main season of rowing which is spring is something that is upsetting to myself, the rest of the team, and the rowing community. Having limited rowing opportunities for practice such as small boat rowing, small group pods, and the location. Strict policies from the athletics department have been guiding what we can and cannot do for rowing. There are plans for my sophomore spring season of competing against other college rowing teams if the COVID-19 pandemic begins to decline. If the pandemic begins to decline it will lead to less policies enabling the team to practice as a whole team and in bigger boats like 8s and 4s. This will allow the teams to practice at a higher degree on and off the water to become ready to compete in the regattas. The picture that I have attached is from my fall season of freshman year when there was no pandemic going on. I picked this picture because it is special to me because my collegiate rowing season has only been a semester long. Wishing that my next two years of rowing will be COVID-19 free and full of races and regattas. Hopefully the vaccine will help fix the pandemic and move towards the future into a COVID-19 free life.
• 
  2021-01-18

  Stories of Resilience

  As Covid-19 continues to rage and take lives, there are also the lucky ones that survive. This article shares the stories of 14 Covid-19 survivors. Though the people featured come from different age groups, races, socio-economic statuses, and geography, they all share the common experience of coming out on the other side of a lengthy hospital stay. The stories range from an infant who has spent most of his life in the hospital and has survived both a liver transplant and Covid-19, a woman who is now considered a “long hauler” with debilitating symptoms that plague her long after diagnosis, a nurse who caught the virus saying goodbye to own mother who was dying of Covid-19 and regrets nothing, a man who fought two weeks on a ventilator determined to live to see his daughter get married, and a couple who survived together and were able to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. These stories remind us of the seriousness of Covid-19, as one survivor states "This is not a joke. This is for real. Take it seriously. It can happen to anybody." However, these stories also remind us of the tenacity of the human spirit, the skills of the medical staff, and the hope that is still alive within this pandemic year.
• 
  2021-01-07

  THE COLOR OF CORONAVIRUS: COVID-19 DEATHS BY RACE AND ETHNICITY IN THE U.S.

  This data sheet looks at the affects of Covid-19 mortality rates by race in North America. They do not interpret the data but the site says the following: We call on state and local health departments to release timely data about COVID-19 deaths with as complete racial and ethnic detail as is possible. As the data reporting improves, so too will our understanding of the devastating impact of this disease. This will inform states and communities about how to direct resources more equitably as well.
• 
  2020-10-30

  Race and social justice in the 2020 presidential election

  In the interview, Rashawn Ray discussing race and voter suppression. He discusses the history of voter suppression and how it can be used against various communities of color and how it is being used today. He also discusses the many ways this practice affects communities and our country as a whole.
• 
  2021-01-13

  We are in the race of our lives.

  This video is compelling people to keep in mind the best interest of all during the pandemic. A combination of collective struggles and necessary actions if we are to get out of this.
• 
  2020-06

  June of 2020: a quarantine journal

  This past June, for the first time in my life, I began keeping a daily journal—composed in formally identical declarative sentences—as a record, not only the events of the world that were on and affecting my mind, but also my domestic observations of home, of family, the creatures in my yard, the blooms erupting throughout the garden. In a season of isolation and upheaval, it in many ways helped to keep my brain from total dissolution into quaking depression. Once this month-long record was complete, I launched a Kickstarter campaign in support of the limited publication of *June of 2020: a quarantine journal*, with all profits being donated to Black Girl in Maine, a social-justice blog founded by writer, educator, and activist Shay Stewart-Bouley. While my skill has always been the construction of narratives that allow the reader to feel what it’s like to experience the characters’ experiences, Shay’s talent lies in taking the complex abstractions of social justice and explaining them in a way that is not only immediate and concrete, but also grounded in the experiences of both herself and her audience (in other words, she takes the cultural phenomenon at large and makes it directly relevant to you and your life). She has an ability that I lack. So I’m using my abilities to help support her and her work.
• 
  2020-12-12

  Nurse Fighting for Racial Equality in Healthcare

  This is a video of a nurse who volunteered to go to New York and help out with the COVID-19 pandemic in hospitals. She was overwhelmed at the number of patients she had that were Hispanic, Black, Latino, and Middle Eastern, and other people of color. It was clear to her that they were being disproportionately affected by this pandemic and chose to march in protests along with them. The acts of Becca Cooper, and the stories she told her audience about, amplify the voices of marginalized groups by speaking out about it and making people aware of these communities and how heavily they are being affected. I think 2020 has also been a year of protests to fight for equal rights and that speaks out to my generation as well. I know a lot of people who have participated in these protests and it goes to show how my generation is standing up for what we believe in, much like Becca Cooper did for her patients.
• 
  2020-12-07

  Connecting the Past to the Present

  This is important to me because I see so many people disregard events of the past and assume we are so much better now. But that is not true as we all have flaws that we must work on. Flaws that many assume are ancient history and would no longer exist in 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/29/women-better-off-far-from-equal-men https://globaledge.msu.edu/blog/post/54484/working-conditions-in-the-textile-indust
• 
  2020-09-30

  Who Will Win The Vaccine Race?

  Who will win the vaccine race? With so much money on the line. Watching these events unfold live as tensions with United States and Russia are flagarant, have been interesting. The US denounces Russias vaccine yet, Egypt trusts it enought to purchase 25 million doses. Will the vaccine cause problems? Is the race to a vaccine truly about saving people? Perhaps the race for the vaccine is all about monetary gain? As the race for a vaccine continues, it is interesting to watch national debates and alliances crafted and dismantled.
• 
  2020-09-17

  The Hands of Our Mothers: The Survival of Black Motherhood Through COVID-19 & the Uprisings

  My project sought to examine and understand the historical resilience of Black motherhood and its relation to the life altering pandemic, COVID-19 and racially driven uprisings against systematic oppression; How Black motherhood and resistance through Black motherhood adapted, how it’s changed and what new radical resistance through motherhood was conjured in face of the pandemic and race clarity. As an autoethnographic account this research project was centered around my experience of motherhood and communal connections, as well as the experiences of Black mothers and birth workers. The political positioning of Black mothers was considered through essays and poetry written, as well as photos during the lockdowns in relation to the concepts of birth and death, the idea of radical mothering and activism, and the umbrella term of community.
• 
  2020-08-01

  "Too Many Black Americans Are Dying from COVID-19"

  From the article: "The U.S. has been roiled this year by two crises that seem on the surface to be unrelated: the coronavirus pandemic and law-enforcement killings of black Americans—the latter leading to mass protests and police violence toward protesters. Although the immediate causes of these two tragedies seem distinct, both have their roots in structural racism. The virus has killed a disproportionate number of black people (as well as other people of color), and black people are by some estimates 2.5 times more likely than white people to be killed by the police. Support is building for police reform, and we can take concrete steps immediately to protect the health of black Americans."
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  2020-06-17

  The Legacy of the Duluth Lynchings

  Video created by the Minnesota Historical Society to commemorate and remember the 100th anniversary of the murders of three African American men: Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhie who had been falsely accused of rape by a white woman. The video reflects on the continued trauma or white racial violence and terrorism in the United States, as well as the failure of the education system in Minnesota to focus on this event and its significance in the context of the recent murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. In the midst of the pandemic and the protests related to the murder of George Floyd, museums are grappling with how to commemorate important moments in the nation's past. This is especially true of moments of racial violence and trauma, which hold increased significance with current discussions surrounding white supremacy.
• 
  2020

  Letter to the Community

  Letter posted on the Science Museum of Minnesota website, addressing the killing of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Museums and cultural heritage sights, especially those in Minnesota, have sought to stand in solidarity with protestors demanding justice for George Floyd. This has been complicated by social distancing and pandemic related closures that prevent museums from physically holding events tied to issues of race in the United States. This particular letter highlights the museum's own complicity in perpetuating racial injustice.
• 
  -2020-06-18

  HERMIT HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 40

  pandemic and racial commentary
• 
  2020-06-16

  HERMIT HERALD VOL 1 ISSUE 39

  pandemic and racial related entries
• 
  2020-05-31

  Covid vs. Racial Tensions

  In the middle of America trying to mismanage its Covid-19 response, racial tensions have bubbled over after the death of George Floyd. As the entire country shifts its focus towards the protests, we all seem to be collectively forgetting that there still is a health crisis occurring at the same time. America has a lot on its plate right now.
• 
  2020-06-09

  George Floyd Funeral

  This is an image of the funeral of George Floyd, whose death from police brutality has sparked a wave of protests across the world against police brutality even in the midst of pandemic.
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  2020-06-07

  Hipocresía domestica

  Un dibujo político que muestra un hombre con un laptop investigando o publicando sobre el tema #BlackLivesMatter, al fondo se ve una mujer de la clase baja, seguro una empleada que trabaja en la casa. Esta sentada y se ve la escoba, cosas de limpieza, su cama y un tanque de agua. Se trata de la hipocresía que la gente tiene, y la realidad que hay mucho discriminación según líneas de clase, genero, y raza.
• 
  2020-06-03

  Cops need to do ayahuasca

  Image of a black man holding a sign saying "Cops need to do ayahuasca," referring to the recent protest over George Floyd, which has also sparked conversations about race worldwide. In Peru, social media accounts are posting memes, statements, and declarations against racism and the current situation in the U.S.
• 
  2020-05-01

  The Impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ Communities of Color

  From the report: "It is distressing, but not unsurprising, to see how the pandemic is impacting vulnerable populations. New research from HRC and PSB now demonstrates the devastating economic impact COVID-19 has had on LGBTQ communities of color in particular."
• 
  2020-05-21

  A flyer shared on the Los Angeles subreddit stating their area is high risk for COVID-19.

  This is a flyer that seems to have been passed out in the Westlake and Pico Union neighborhoods of Los Angeles. Currently these neighborhoods have the highest death counts for LA County. Many of these people are lower socioeconomic status and non-white. Many of them have front lines jobs that cannot be done from home and live in more crowded neighborhoods.
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  2020-05-09

  "The First 100"

  "In Chicago, 70 of the city’s 100 first recorded victims of COVID-19 were black. Their lives were rich, and their deaths cannot be dismissed as inevitable. Immediate factors could — and should — have been addressed."
• 
  2020-03-31

  Staycation Races

  A link to register for a virtual running race