Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun
The Nonviolence News “Great Reporting of the Week” Award goes to an AP news article on Little Rock, Arkansas teachers struggling to win back recognition of their union by the state. The AP reporter managed to mention and define 3 types of nonviolent action that are specific, little-known, and very useful: sick-out, walk-in, and work-to-rule. This is great reporting, in my opinion. When reporters are savvy enough to include these details, it helps the rest of us remember how many tactics and methods are available to us in our own struggles.
In other news, Kuwait and Tanzania are the latest nations resisting government corruption and corrupt elections. China may launch a boycott of US brands on a consumer sales day that is bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined. REI is urging people to take environmental action on Black Friday instead of shopping. Thousands of Romanians are rising up to protect Europe’s oldest forests. In New Hampshire, 67 protesters were arrested outside a coal power plant while calling for it to be shut down.
What’s my favorite story this week? Berliners trolling Trump. Noticing Trump’s obsession with walls, Berliners sent a nearly three-ton chunk of the Berlin Wall to him. It’s called “The Wall To End All Walls” and is slated to arrive on the 30th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. Touché, Berlin. Well played.
On a personal note, when I’m not editing Nonviolence News, I’m writing novels that center nonviolent movements in the plot. This week marks the launch of the Community Publishing Campaign for my latest, Desert Song, which features strong women and mighty girls standing up for their rights. Curious? Check it out. I believe that when we follow the real life stories and weave those inspirations into compelling fiction, we’re on the way toward building a culture of active nonviolence. Thanks for being a part of this movement.
Enjoy this week’s news,
Rivera Sun, Editor
Photo Credit: The inscribed piece of the Berlin Wall preparing to be shipped to Washington, DC. (OFFENE GESELLSCHAFT)
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Here’s what you’ll find in
this week’s Nonviolence News:
Victory! Success Stories
Actions & Campaigns
Climate Action
Peace Action
Constructive Program
Creative Action
Knowledge & Reflection
Calls-to-Action
462 inmates walk out of Oklahoma prison in the largest commutation of sentence in state and national history. Read more >>
Woman who was fired for flipping off Trump’s motorcade on her bicycle just won a county supervisors election. Read more >>
New Zealand passes landmark climate change law with zero carbon plan. Read more >>
UK High Court rules that the ban on Extinction Rebellion protests is illegal. Read more >>
Airline Lufthansa grounds 1300 flights due to massive worker strike. Read more >>
Unist’ot’en camp supporter arrested for enforcing agreement about access between CoastalGas contractors and First Nation. Read more >>
PG&E shut-offs sparked an East Bay disability rights campaign. Read more >>
Iraq’s protests explained: demonstrators are objecting to the failure of Iraq’s political system. Read more >>
Tanzania’s opposition party says it will boycott local elections later this month, accusing the government of impeding its candidates from running and making a mockery of democratic processes. Read more >>
Hundreds of Kuwaiti protesters demonstrate against government corruption. Read more >>
Chinese shoppers may boycott US brands on Singles Day – a sales day that’s normally bigger than Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined – due to simmering tensions over tariffs and other issues. Read more >>
Deadspin – a website focused on high-performing political, cultural and sports stories – saw its entire editorial staff quit after management told them to “stick to sports”. Read more >>
‘All Eyes On Nestlé’ Campaign draws attention to the commodification of water. Read more >>
Hundreds take part in ‘Don’t Extradite Assange’ Rally in London. Read more >>
Lecturers and support staff at 60 UK universities plan to strike for eight days in disputes over pay and pensions. Read more >>
Little Rock, Arkansas teachers hold demonstrations and walk-ins to protest the removal of their collective bargaining rights by the state. These actions follow an earlier “sick-out” and a “work-to-rule” action where the teachers refused to work any extra hours. Read more >>
San Francisco City Hall lit up with trans colors for Transgender Awareness Month. Read more >>
Students hold solidarity demonstration with survivors of sexual assault as new allegations of fraternity assaults come to light. Read more >>
Italians make climate change science lessons mandatory in schools. Read more >>
Thousands of Romanians have marched in the capital Bucharest and other cities to protest against illegal logging. Read more >>
Updates and photos from Extinction Rebellion groups around the world, including India, Austria, Chile, Spain, UK, and the US. Read more >>
REI urges environmental action instead of Black Friday shopping. Read more >>
Portland, Oregon city officials tell Zenith Energy they will not reverse their decision, and continue to block new pipelines.Read more >>
Washington activists block shipment for Transmountain Pipeline expansion. Read more >>
Climate protesters demand Chase Bank divest from fossil fuels at branch opening ceremony. Read more >>
67 protesters arrested outside New Hampshire coal power plant, calling for it to be shut down. Read more >>
Boomer Grandmas take up climate protests. Read more >>
Jane Fonda continues getting arrested weekly with #FireDrillFridays. Read more >>
In Detroit, a new type of Agricultural Neighborhood has emerged. The Michigan Urban Farming Initiative is focusing on food insecurity and community investment. Read more >>
Hispanic Congressional Caucus installs a Dia De Los Muertos altar at the US Capitol for those who died in US custody. Read more >>
A member of an unarmed accompaniment team at the US-Mexico border reflects on the nuances of not over-working in order to avoid setting up unrealistic expectations for the broader team of migrant justice workers and volunteers. Read more >>
Activists protest at US-Mexico Border against construction of Trump’s wall, citing migrant justice and environmental impacts. Read more >>
South Sudan builds literacy, making the connection between literacy, ending poverty, and stopping resource-scarcity-based conflicts. Read more >>
Stirred up over the conflict in Syria, stifled free speech and oppressive machismo, rappers in Turkey are speaking out to hold their country – and themselves – accountable. Read more >>
Do nuclear weapons make us safe? Metta Center’s Nonviolence Radio interview Anna Ikeda from the Office for UN Affairs of Soka Gakkai International, a lay Buddhist organization dedicated to peace, culture and education. Read more >>
Dozens of US museums will be filled with feminist art ahead of US 2020 election. Read more >>
Berliners send #BuildAWall Trump a 2.7 ton chunk of the Berlin Wall. Read more >>
Giant Greta Thunberg mural will keep watch over downtown San Francisco, reminding people to keep striving for immediate climate action. Read more >>
“Climate strike” named 2019 Word of the Year by Collins Dictionary. Read more >>
Movement violence can lead to a decline in public support, harming your movement’s ability to achieve its goals. Read more >>
How to limit violence by activists and states amidst nonviolent campaigns. Read more >>
How a growing movement made impeachment politically feasible. Read more >>
To confront effects of trauma, start with self-care. Resilience practices and culturally rooted health traditions show promise for overcoming trauma in real-life settings. Read more >>
Coca-Cola workers in Haiti, Indonesia, Ireland, and the USA ask for your support in opposing unsafe and unjust labor practices. Read more >>
Take action to stop harmful US sanctions on Venezuela. Read more >>
Join #FireDrillFridays with Jane Fonda in Washington, DC, to oppose militarism and the climate crisis. Read more >>
Flight Free Movement expands to the United States. Find out how to participate in large and small ways. Read more >>
Boycott PUMA sportsware! Over 200 Palestinian teams and athletes are calling for a boycott of PUMA because the sportsware company is the largest sponsor of the Israeli Football Association (IFA). The IFA is in breach of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) regulations which prohibit member associations from holding competitions on occupied territory without permission. Find out more and sign up for action here.
Sunrise Movement offers chance to get skills to make your next strike, rally, or sit-in visually stunning and ready to capture attention in the media. Apply to join the Sunrise Action Art Skills Training, December 13-15 in Kansas City, Missouri. Read more >>
Feb 3-7, 2020, Black Lives Matter At School Week – engage your local school in participating! Read more >>
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Nonviolence News is a sister project to Nonviolence Now. The Nonviolence Now campaign is intended to introduce and share stories of nonviolence, and to ignite the potential of principled nonviolence globally.
Author/Activist Rivera Sun has written many books and novels, including The Dandelion Insurrection and The Way Between. She is a nationwide trainer in strategy for nonviolent movements and her essays are published in journals across the country and around the world. www.riverasun.com