Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun
Nonviolent action unleashes our wild creativity. Check out the “Creative Action” section for a great story about how Australia’s Bushfire Brandalism replaced dozens of bus stop ads with giant posters protesting the government’s lack of climate action. You’ll also find a heartwarming, powerful story about how Canadian teachers on strike set up a Solidarity Camp to educate and care for kids while their parents had to work. Meanwhile, Brazilian citizens aren’t waiting for their government to deal with a coastal oil spill; they’re organizing a citizen-led DIY clean-up.
My favorite story this week? Mexican artists won unpaid salaries and an apology by mobilizing creative protests. Tired of delayed payments for over 100 artistic projects, a coalition of Mexican artists banded together. They launched months of protests, including the human pyramid above, using the slogan #NoVivimosDelAplauso (We Don’t Live Off of Applause) and finally managed to win a meeting with the federal Culture Secretary, winning some of the unpaid salaries immediately and others in installments over the next month, an apology, and a promise for change.
Got a favorite story this week? Tell a friend about it. Post it on your social media. Nonviolence grows when we share the stories with others. That’s what Nonviolence News is all about.
Photo Credit: Mexican artists protest unpaid salaries with a human pyramid, Mexico City.
Tackling Environmental Problems and Poverty Can Go Hand-in-Hand: This town in Kenya shows how a smart, nonviolent solution like local waste management can address employment, food security, environmental issues, energy needs, and poverty. Read more >>
Begin With the Children, Says Chicago Nonviolence Trainer: Have you ever wondered how to teach nonviolence in your community? Here’s how Henry Cervantes spreads nonviolence in schools and jails in Chicago using a story and role-playing curriculum he created. Read more >>
New York City Bans All New Fossil Fuel Projects: The climate movement has fought to achieve this for years. It is the direct result of grassroots pressure. Read more >>
Georgetown University Divests from Fossil Fuels: Joining the ever-growing ranks of major wealth holders who refuse to invest in fossil fuels, Georgetown University divests their endowment. Read more >>
Armenian Protests Over Soldier’s Death Halt Cover-Up: Relatives of an Armenian soldier who died in what authorities called a suicide protested against the claims and succeeded in launching an investigation that led to the arrests of 3 soldiers in the unit, including the son of a powerful oligarch. Read more >>
Cuba’s Sustainable Farming Turns Green Rivers Blue Again: While a recent report’s red flag over high E. coli levels caught headlines, there’s another story to the report: sustainable farming practices have kicked the green out of Cuba’s rivers, turning them clean and clear, once again. Read more >>
For Angry America, A New Remedy Emerges – Compassion: “Compassion” has become the buzzword for an angry nation. It is increasingly being held up by neuroscientists, corporations, business schools and psychologists as a concrete, and powerful health strategy. It’s also a nonviolent response that de-escalates violence. Read more >>
Lights On! Program Interrupts Potential Police Violence With Taillight Vouchers: Broken taillights are grounds for a police pullover, and a source of fear and suspicion between police and citizens. Even the fines burden poor people who can’t afford to fix their taillights. The new program might help break the cycle by giving taillight fixing vouchers to cops to hand out to drivers. Read more >>
Atlanta Builds Nation’s Largest Food Forest As Public Park: Instead of developing it into townhouses, the City of Atlanta recently voted to transform a vacant, old, overgrown pecan farm into a food forest. The 7-acre public park will feature fruit-producing trees, shrubs and vines along walking trails, a community vegetable garden and restored native forest and stream-side areas by 2020. Read more >>
Minnesota Pays People To Turn Lawns Into Bee-Friendly Wildflower Meadows: Bees are imperiled. Mass die-offs have been alarming farmers and researchers, alike. To save bees, Minnesota just rolled out a set of nonviolent solutions, allocating nearly a million dollars in incentives for people to transform their lawns into bee-friendly wildflowers, clover and native grasses; asking citizens to stop spraying herbicide, stop mowing so often, and let their lawns re-wild into a more natural state. Read more >>
India’s Bank Employees Hold 2-Day Strike As Warning: One million public sector bank employees held a two-day national strike to demand a 20 percent pay rise, a five-day working week and more. The workers say the strike is a warning to the Indian government to withdraw its plans for bank mergers and privatization. Read more >>
Hollywood Braces for Another Writers Strike: More than a decade after writers shut down Hollywood, studios and networks are once again preparing for another potential multi-billion dollar walkout. The 2007 Strike lasted 100 days over the rise of digital revolution. Now, writer employment is at an all-time high, but wages and salaries are lagging. Read more >>
India’s Current Mass Protests Are Larger Than Gandhi’s: Hundreds of millions of people are practically in open rebellion against the Modi Government and have been in the streets and on strike throughout India for several weeks following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). Read more >>
French Firefighters Hold World’s Safest Self-Immolations: Wearing protective clothing, firefighters set themselves ablaze in the streets, performing perhaps the safest self-immolation protest in world history. Then the riot police beat them up. Read more >>
Brazilian Unions Protest Bolsonaro’s Economic Plans: Workers are asking for the creation of decent jobs and standing against the policies against the industrial sector, promoted by the Bolsonaro administration and his Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes. Read more >>
Chilean Police Crackdown on Protests Kills Five: Chile’s protest movement has faced one of its most dangerous weeks as five people died due to the increase of violence and repression in the hands of the militarized police (Carabineros). Read more >>
Behind the Scenes With the Effort To Protect Amazon Workers: Warehouse workers are pushing for longer, more frequent breaks in their grueling schedules, injury-prevention protections, and more. Read more >>
Community Backs Seattle Nurses On Strike: Striking nurses and frontline caregivers got a big dose of union solidarity when more than 1,000 strikers and their supporters marched through downtown Seattle and rallied together. Read more >>
Scots Hold “Leave A Light On” Rally: As the United Kingdom, led by Great Britain, leaves the European Union, Scots in the independence movement tell the EU to “leave the light on” because they’ll be back. Read more >>
Chicago High Schools Students In Turmoil Over Firings and Sexual Misconduct: 200 students staged a sit-in followed by a walkout and rally where they demanded the reinstatement of their fired principal and assistant principal after a drastic crackdown following mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations on the sports teams. Read more >>
Kobe Bryant’s Death Triggered a Brazilian Campaign Against Homophobia: In Brazil, the number 24 has been shunned by athletes because of its associated in Brazilian culture with being gay. But after the death of Kobe Bryant, who wore the number 24, the local soccer club has launched an #AskFor24 campaigns. Read more >>
California Initiates Pardons For LGBTQ Arrests, Starting with Bayard Rustin, Civil Rights Leader: The California governor has launched an initiative to grant clemency to people historically prosecuted for being gay, starting with a posthumous pardon for Bayard Rustin, a celebrated gay civil rights leader. Read more >>
US Speaker of the House Tears Up Trump’s Speech as He’s Giving It: In an act of televised and live protest, Nancy Pelosi picked up the printed copy of President Trump’s State of the Union speech and ripped it up. Her action as she stood just behind him, was televised to millions. Read more >>
270+ ‘Reject the Cover-Up’ Protests Planned Across US: Citizens are outraged over the failure of the Senate to impeach Trump. Beyond disliking Trump’s racism, sexism, and xenophobia, citizens are alarmed at the breakdown of law and the failure of justice and accountability. Read more >>
RCMP Arrest Wet’suwet’en Coastal Gas Link Resisters: Six people at a camp supporting the Wet’suwet’en hereditary chiefs’ opposition of the Coastal GasLink pipeline were arrested in a pre-dawn raid by Canadian police. Read more >>
Brazilians’ DIY Oil Spill Clean-up: In the absence of an effective response by Brazil’s right-wing government to an oil disaster five months ago, civil society is rising to the challenge and doing the clean-up themselves. Read more >>
Train Blocking Campaign Escalates: By escalating from symbolic actions to obstruction, the #NoCoalNoGas campaign is mounting a serious challenge to the fossil fuel industry with a growing network of climate activists. Read more >>
Artists Ramp Up Protests Against Fossil Fuel Sponsorship At Perth Festivals: Australian artists have been staging protests around Perth’s annual fringe festival, Fringe World, calling for the organization to end its eight-year sponsorship arrangement with oil and gas giant Woodside in light of the intensifying climate crisis. Read more >>
Protesters Blockade Doors of Shell Headquarters in the Hague: Environmental activists chanting “keep it in the ground” protested the energy company’s role in climate change until police dragged them away, detaining 30. Read more >>
Protesters Stage Die-In at Chase Bank: Climate activists staged a die-in, complete with tombstones, at Chase Manhattan Bank, one of the leading funders of fossil fuels, calling on the bank to stop funding climate destruction. Read more >>
Albany Activists Resist 7-Mile Gas Pipeline: Small pipelines and utility projects are the new frontline. Activists say that fossil fuel companies are using “segmentation” strategies to try to slip pipeline projects into under the radar of an increasingly resistant citizenry. Read more >>
Girls Basketball Team Official Photos Honor Missing Murdered Indigenous Women: Dedicating their team photos to raising awareness of the issue, this high school sports team wore symbols of the growing movement to end racialized, gender-based violence toward Indigenous women. Read more >>
Female Syrian Doctor in Film Challenges Sexism: A female Syrian doctor who ran an underground hospital in a besieged rebel stronghold says she hopes an Oscar-nominated documentary showing her work will encourage other women and girls to demand equal treatment with men. Read more >>
Mixed Gender World Cup Golf Teams Challenge Pay Disparities in Pro-Golf: A startling plan to deconstruct gender separations in the sport aims to equalize disparities in the sports prizes. Read more >>
Virginia Passed the Equal Rights Amendment. What now? A Forbes writer explains the (still) long road ahead for gaining equal pay under the law for women. Read more >>
Foxes, Refugees, and a Photojournalist Shed Light on Migrants In Germany: A journalist shares the incredible images and stories of a defunct military base that went wild, and was repurposed into a refugee center. Read more >>
Writers Pick the Greatest Migration Stories: Amidst controversy over “American Dirt”, many journals are publishing lists of books that truly honor immigrants. Releasing this list is one way writers and immigrants are pushing back against the stereotyped portrayals of migrants. Read more >>
World Beyond War Uses Podcast To Build US-Iran Peace: Featuring two Iranian guests as the US tensions with their country peak, World Beyond War intentionally uses real people hearing real people’s voices to build peace. Read more >>
Dallas Protests President Trump’s Palestine “Peace” Plan: Over 100 people held a demonstration against the plan, citing that Palestine had not been involved and saying that the plan is unfair to Palestinians. Read more >>
End the US Military Draft! A bill has been introduced into US Congress to end draft registration for all genders and halt the plan to expand the draft to everyone. Here’s how to support it >>
Bushfire Brandalism: Hijacking bus stop advertisement slots, an unsanctioned, DIY, political art show is replacing outdoor ads with political posters in a protest against the government’s handling of Australia’s bushfire crisis. Read more >>
Toronto Parents and Teachers Organize a Student Solidarity Strike Camp: While Toronto teachers are on strike, the day camp is a way to provide support for parents struggling to arrange child care, but also to show solidarity. Read more >>
Crowd-sourced People’s State of the Union Counters Official Lies: US citizens are invited to be part of a month-long “People’s State of the Union” . Between March 20th – April 20th, 2020, join hundreds of people across the nation in hosting a Story Circle in your community as part of the 2020 People’s State of the Union. Read more >>
Viral “America Pie” Video Explains Wealth and Inequality: A news anchor used an actual pie to show Americans just how unequal wealth in the US has become. Basically, the billionaires eat everything and you literally get the crumbs. Read more >>
Vibrant Quilts Honor Black Men and Women Whose Stories Were Forgotten or Overlooked: Bisa Butler draws on the African-American quilting tradition to create portraits from old photographs of people often overlooked by history. Read more >>
Colleges Should Prepare for 2020 Protests: Education Dive, a journal for colleges and universities, told readers to get ready for disruptive protests this year, and released pointers and best tips. Read more >>
COP21 to COP26 – Learn From the Past, Don’t Copy It: We can learn a lot of lessons from what’s come before, but making strategic decisions based on stories about past mobilizations risks missing emerging opportunities. Read more >>
Climate Change is Scary: Here are 7 Strategies to Help You Keep Your Cool: The fight against our climate crisis is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. For this reason, we will need to protect our internal, psychic resources as much as we will need to protect the planet’s biocultural resources. Here are 7 strategies to make sure you have the stamina to keep engaged in this work for the long haul. Read more >>
“Two Hands of Nonviolence” Inventor, Barbara Deming, Is A Nonviolence Icon: Author Carol Flinders talks with Nonviolence Radio about feminist activist Barbara Deming and why we need her wisdom today. Read more >>
Can NGOs and Social Movements Be Authentic Allies? The two groups have a long -and fraught – history. How can they navigate the pitfalls to find potentially powerful connections? Read more >>
How a Volunteer’s Arrest Shows the Growing Criminalization of Mutual Aid: Pop-up kitchens by Food Not Bombs are facing a crack-down on citizens helping citizens. This volunteer chose to challenge the police by asking exactly what they would do if she didn’t stop sharing food with those who need it. Read more >>
60th Anniversary of Historic Greensboro Four Sit-In: On February 1, 1960, four freshmen students refused to leave the whites-only lunch counter after being denied service. Their action inspired a nationwide wave of sit-ins aimed at desegregating businesses and public spaces. Read more >>
Save .Org! Stop the Privatization of the .Org Domain Registry. Fight for the Future and Electronic Freedom Foundation are mobilizing people to keep .orgs in the public domain. Here’s how >>
Wet’suwet’en First Nation Pipeline Resistance Camp Supporter Toolkit: Here’s a guide to the numerous ways that you can support Wet’suwet’en and engage in solidarity actions. Read more >>
How To Replace War with an Alternative Global Security System: Join this free webinar from World Beyond War on February 19 at 4:00pm EST about the alternative global security system laid out in World BEYOND War’s book. Presenters will explain the frameworks, processes, tools, and institutions necessary for dismantling the war machine and replacing it with a peace system based on common security. Learn more >>
United National Anti-War Coalition Aims to Unite US Peace Movement: UNAC has a big vision for their upcoming conference, Feb. 21 to 23 in New York City at The People’s Forum. Read more >>
Stop Deadly Sanctions: The new Sanctions Kill campaign is organizing to educate and mobilize to stop the sanctions. The first set of actions is March 13 to 15. Learn more >>
Solidarity With Palestine: Palestinians are calling for a global week of solidarity actions March 24 to 30. Find information on how to participate >>