Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
Thousands are on the march for a range of social justice issues this week. After 41 deaths in a detention center fire, a migrant caravan of 3,000 people is marching to Mexico City to speed up legal immigration routes. Argentines filled two lanes of a divided highway as they marched against their nation’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In Belgium, 12,000 people marched for peace, sovereignty, and for a national policy of neutrality. In France, 8,000 people literally built a blockade/wall to stop construction on a new motorway they say is unnecessary. In the United Kingdom, 60,000 people joined Extinction Rebellion’s “the Big One”, a demonstration aimed at not only pressuring politicians to take action, but also to make space for newer activists in the movement who are less comfortable with XR’s usual style of direct action.
It’s clear that people are fed up with business-as-usual. There’s growing understanding that, if we do nothing, nothing will change … and that’s dangerous for people and planet. From Azerbaijan eco-activists who have held 138+ days of an anti-mine protest to US senior citizens protesting for their social security, people across the world are taking action. Florida transgender youth dropped underwear on politicians’ heads in protest of anti-trans laws. Meanwhile, their classmates are planning “Walkouts 2 Learn” which take education back into their young hands amidst Florida’s onslaught of right-wing legislation on guns, climate, book bans, immigration, and LGBTQ issues. In Germany, members of the Last Generation, a climate group, have held 10 straight days of direct action that have disrupted Berlin and other cities. Canada’s public service workers have launched the largest strike against any single employer in the nation’s history.
Don’t miss the Knowledge Section of this week’s round-up! It’s full of interesting articles, including a brief history of pots-and-pans protests, a tribute to Civil Rights champion Harry Belafonte, an article on how Nigeria’s EndSARS campaign changed the nation’s politics, a look at the surprising science of climate protests, and a story on how women used nonviolent tactics to thwart the Nazis in WWII.
Nonviolent action is a force to be reckoned with – and you can see that reckoning in this week’s Nonviolence News.
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Photo Credit: Migrants in Mexico march to speed up the processing of their asylum applications.
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Major Victory In The Struggle Against Police Crimes In Milwaukee: On April 20, after two years of fighting by the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and victimized families, a new policy that guarantees the public release of police camera footage after critical incidents was passed by the Fire and Police Commission (FPC). Read more>>
Washington State Officially Abolishes The Death Penalty: Washington state has officially abolished the death penalty. The state’s high court struck down the death penalty in 2018, but the law remained on the books until Gov. Inslee signed a bill that removed certain state laws. “It’s official. The death penalty is no longer in state law,” Inslee said on Twitter after the signing. Read more>>
Wind Farms And Birds Are Learning to Coexist: With bird-tracking software and turbines that grind to a halt before strikes occur, today’s wind farms are safer than ever for travelers on the wing. Read more>>
When Tackling Homelessness, Prevention is Often the Best Medicine: By intervening early, often with small rent payments, a Portland, Oregon, shelter kept nearly 100 families out of homelessness last year, saving thousands of dollars in future rehousing costs. Read more>>
Nigerian School Accepts Plastic Bottles For Tuition: At one school in, Lagos, Nigeria, a plastic bottle equals one naira, so parents bring a lot of plastic bottles to be weighed and sold, paying their children’s school fees in this unorthodox way. Although it is the sole responsibility of the parents to gather the bottles for school fees payment, each student is encouraged to bring five bottles a day to teach them how to be “environmentally responsible children for the future.” Read more>>
Global Activists Win Environmental Prize: Activists from Zambia, Indonesia, Turkey, Finland, Brazil, and the United States were awarded the 2023 Goldman Environmental Prize on Monday for fighting destructive mining projects, working to protect imperiled marine ecosystems, shielding Indigenous land from corporate plunder, and holding a powerful plastics company accountable for dumping toxic waste on Texas’ Gulf Coast. Read more>>
Florida Youth Activism, From ‘Don’t Say Gay’ to Parkland to Dream Defenders: Florida is more than its politicians. There is a rich history of progressive youth organizing in the Sunshine State. What gets flattened when we slap the state with just one label is the impact of homegrown youth activists. In fact, the national attention garnered by some of Florida’s biggest young mobilizers can actually serve as an inspiration for disenfranchised teenagers all over the country. It’s just easy for this to get overshadowed because the scope of the problem renders solving it a nearly impossible task. Read more>>
In Gun-Obsessed US, ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws Blamed for Fresh Spate of Shootings: About 30 states have stand your ground laws, and the majority have been enacted in the last 25 years—with Republican lawmakers enabling citizens to use deadly force to protect themselves from criminals even as crime rates significantly declined over the last three decades. “Wrong-house shootings are a bleak reminder how many of our fellow Americans are armed and waiting for an opportunity to kill,” said one historian. Read more>>
Cities Across the United States Mobilize On Tortuguita’s Birthday To Stop Cop City: Supporters of the fight against Cop City in so-called Atlanta, Georgia are planning solidarity demonstrations, educational events, benefit concerts, and solidarity events to mark the birthday of anarchist and forest defender Tortuguita. This call for continued action comes after forty-two people now face “domestic terrorism” charges for simply “their participation in the movement, with arrest warrants citing the flimsiest grounds, including protesters having mud on their shoes and the number for a legal support group scrawled on their arms.” Read more>>
Public Service Alliance of Canada Starts Strike: After almost two years of bargaining, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) started strike action on the morning of Wednesday, April 19. PSAC says this is the largest strike against any single employer in Canadian history. Read more>>
TV Writers Flex Union Muscles: A strike authorization by the Writers Guild of America is threatening the television industry’s corporate business model of relying on an underpaid workforce to pay for its mergers. Read more>>
Oklahoma City Holds A “Stronger Together” March on Anniversary Of King’s Letter From A Birmingham Jail: A diverse group of people recently walked along a stretch of Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue to commemorate the anniversary of an iconic letter written by the street’s famous namesake. “In that year, there was a level of racism and evil and hatred that if he had not stood and responded the way he responded, we would not be here standing in a mixed crowd like we are,” an organizer said of King. “Somebody decided that they were not going to respond hate for hate and return evil for evil.” Read more>>
San Carlos Apache Take Copper Mine Fight To United Nations: The San Carlos Apache Tribe has taken its fight to the United Nations to save its traditional territory in Arizona from a massive copper mine. Chi’chil Bildagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, is home to one of the largest sources of copper in North America, and it is also the tribe’s most sacred site. Read more>>
California City Audits Police Who Sent Racist, Abusive Texts: Officials have named 17 officers who sent racist text messages, including the president of the Antioch police union, although Contra Costa County’s public defender said that nearly half of the 100-officer department was included in the text chains. Read more>>
‘They’re Destroying Us’: Indigenous Communities Fear Toxic Leaks From Canada Oil Industry: When a global demand for oil spawned a rush to mine the region, the waters that had long sustained the Dene, Cree and Métis peoples became something to fear. Recent leaks from oil sands tailings ponds have contaminated water, sowing mistrust among local First Nations people. Read more>>
Indigenous Leaders Call For An End To Environmental Destruction: Indigenous peoples around the globe agree that their health and the health of the planet are interdependent and in jeopardy. The Global Indigenous Youth Caucus—composed of Indigenous youth from all seven regions within the UN—drew huge applause on Tuesday at the UNPFII for their list of demands. Read more>>
Extinction Rebellion’s ‘Big One” Brings Out 200 Groups & Thousands Of People: Thousands of climate protesters picketed government departments and filled the streets of Westminster on the first day of the Big One, a mass demonstration by 200 different groups headed by Extinction Rebellion (XR). The goal was to build a wide coalition, including bigger groups such as Avaaz, Friends of the Earth and Keep Britain Tidy, plus local and community groups, in order to bring people to a climate crisis protest who may have been less comfortable with the acts of direct action and civil disobedience that attracted public anger. Read more>>
Chilean President Unveils Plan to Slowly Nationalize Lithium Industry: While striving for “a sustainable and developed economy,” the leftist leader must contend with legislative divisions, potential industry opposition, and Indigenous and environmental resistance to large-scale mining. Read more>>
Berlin Sees 10th Day Of Road Blockades By Climate Activists: Climate activists staged a 10th straight day of protests in Berlin, blocking key roads during rush hour and bringing parts of the German capital to a standstill Friday before being removed by police. Members of the Last Generation group glued themselves to the road, causing a traffic jam for commuters driving into the city. The group wants to draw attention to the threat of global warming and the need for governments to step up measures to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Read more>>
Peaceful Protest Of Azerbaijani Eco-Activists Continues On Lachin-Khankendi Road: The peaceful protest of Azerbaijani environmental activists on the Lachin-Khankendi road, passing near Shusha, continues for the 138th day. The rally participants continue to protest against Armenia’s illicit mineral resource exploitation. Activists started the day with the performance of the national anthem of Azerbaijan. Read more>>
Activists Rally at Illinois Capitol, Urging Lawmakers to Pass 9 Climate and Environmental Bills: Hundreds of environmental activists rallied at the Illinois State Capitol, urging legislators to support bills that advance environmental justice and protection and that address climate change. Advocates also delivered a letter to the governor’s office demanding tighter vehicle emissions rules. Read more>>
Earth Day Message to Biden – ‘End the Era of Fossil Fuels!’: The Earth Day message delivered to President Joe Biden outside the White House on Saturday was clear: do everything in your power to bring the age of fossil fuels to an end while rapidly escalating the renewable energy transition that holds the key to a more sustainable future. It was delivered by hundreds who turned out to march in downtown Washington, D.C. and rallied outside the president’s official residence despite rain and cold weather in the nation’s capitol. Read more>>
Ohio River Rights Campaign Launched by Cincinnati Residents: Rights of nature laws to protect ecosystems are increasing around the world, it is time the U.S. follows these examples. Read more>>
Argentina Holds Mass Demonstration Against Government Over IMF Adjustment: Tens of thousands of piqueteros and piqueteras marched carrying torches this Wednesday from the Pueyrredón Bridge to Plaza de Mayo to repudiate the adjustment of the International Monetary Fund. Read more>>
In L.A. Schools, Solidarity Strike Scores Big for Both Unions: When Los Angeles educators joined school support staff on the picket lines last month, the solidarity strike helped them clinch a contract with a 30% raise. Riding that wave, yesterday educators reached a tentative agreement of our own, with a 21% raise, smaller classes, and improved staffing. Los Angeles educators and support staff made clear, solidarity gets the goods. Read more>>
Senior Groups Tell Kevin McCarthy to ‘Release His Hostage’ and Back Clean Debt Ceiling Hike: An alliance of senior advocacy groups, progressive organizations, and labor unions demanded Wednesday that Congress quickly approve legislation to increase the debt limit without any conditions, warning the House GOP’s pursuit of steep spending cuts is risking an “economic calamity” and imperiling key benefits. Read more>>
Tenants Seeking Meeting Were Confronted By Police At Landlord’s Offices: Tenants and organizers were confronted by security while attempting to enter the office of their landlord, Pulis Investments Ltd. last Monday. Tenants hoped to speck to Pulis Investments about the eviction notices they received, but were then removed by police. Watch the video>>
New Migrant Caravan Heads To Mexico City To Speed Up Legal Route To US: Thousands of migrants, detained for months in southern Mexico, formed a new caravan in protest on Sunday to head for the capital to speed up their applications for U.S. asylum. The new caravan has about 3,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, though some are from China and other Asian countries. Read more>>
Cultivating Climate, Food And Land Justice: During harvest season, over 300,000 farmworkers labor in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the most productive agricultural region in the world. But these vital workers face poverty wages and inhumane working conditions. For years, AFSC’s Pan Valley Institute has stood with farmworkers in organizing for their rights. This week, PVI has convened farmers, farmworkers, and other activists to discuss these injustices and work toward a more just, equitable future for all. Read more>>
Building Autonomous Mutual Aid As the Border Continues To Militarize: El Comedor, an autonomous mutual aid hub and organizing center in so-called Tijuana, Mexico, was founded by anarchists and asylum seekers in 2018. It continues to aid migrants even as the border increasingly militarizes. Read more>>
LGBTQ Ugandans Live In Fear As New Law Looms: Gone are the days when LGBTQ Ugandans could breathe easy and be themselves. Parliament passed some of the world’s strictest anti-LGBTQ legislation, which would criminaliZe the “promotion” of homosexuality and impose the death penalty for certain crimes involving gay sex. Read more>>
‘They Can’t Win, So They Cheat’ – GOP Tries to Keep Abortion Rights Off Ballot After Big Losses: Last year, after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the federal right to abortion, voters in Kansas, California, Michigan, Vermont, Kentucky, and Montana used the ballot initiative process to show their support for reproductive freedom, both by defeating GOP-backed anti-abortion measures and approving constitutional amendments aimed at preserving abortion access. Those losses for anti-abortion Republicans and their wealthy backers have led the party to ramp up its attacks on the ballot initiative process itself in several states. Read more>>
Florida Activists Drop Underwear on Heads of Anti-Trans GOP Legislators: One Democratic lawmaker accused the state GOP of denying trans people “of their legal right to be recognized as the identity they live in every day.” Read more>>
Drag Queens Hold Glittery Protest Of Anti-Drag Laws: In a glittery protest Grammy award winning Lizzo brings drag queens on stage, protesting Tennessee law restricting performances in public. In February, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed the legislation against “adult cabaret” in public or in front of minors. Read more>>
At Walkout 2 Learn, Florida Students Will Walk Out of School to Protest DeSantis Education Policies: Florida students are taking their education into their own hands. Walkout 2 Learn’s day of action is multipronged, but the heart of the event will be the school walkouts taking place at 12 p.m. on more than 300 Florida college and high school campuses, the coalition says. Read more>>
Montana’s Sole Transgender Lawmaker Silenced for Saying GOP Has ‘Blood on Its Hands’: “When there are bills targeting the LGBTQ community, I stand up to defend my community,” said state Rep. Zooey Zephyr. “And I choose my words with clarity and precision and I spoke to the real harms that these bills bring.” Read more>>
12,000 Bulgarians March For Neutrality, Peace, Sovereignty: Before the procession went through the central streets of Sofia, the organizers collected signatures from the citizens to organize a referendum for peace and sovereignty. Around 12,000 people joined the march. Read more>>
Antiwar Message Raised At Norfolk’s Annual NATO Parade: The North American Treaty Organization, or NATO, has two Strategic Commands – one in Belgium, the other in Norfolk, Virginia. And every year Norfolk holds a NATO Festival, complete with a parade and anti-war activists. Read more>>
Direct Action Succeeds In Weakening Support For Israeli Apartheid: Over the past three years, Palestine Action’s successes in their campaign targeting Elbit, an Israeli weapons maker, have been significant. They’ve forced factories to close and created a liability for the government that led to the cancellation of of Elbit’s contracts. Read more>>
Humanity Is Not Doomed To War: Anthropologist Brian Ferguson of Rutgers-Newark University explains how research debunks the notion that war is embedded in human nature. Read more>>
French Campaigners Build Literal Block Wall to Oppose New Motorway: Over 8,000 opponents of a new motorway in southern France demonstrated near the village of Saix on Saturday to prevent the project, building a wall of people and then one from actual cement blocks as they vowed to defend local farm land and biodiversity in the area. Read more>>
An Urgent Message for Humanity (From A Worker Bee): This animation shares a climate message through the complex lens of Buzz, a worker bee in a hive near you, showing how nonviolence must play a critical role. Watch here>>
How Creative Hoaxes And Pranks Can Inspire Your Next Artistic Activism Campaign: From a Czech anti-consumerism stunt to a “gay check” spoof that raised LGBTQ awareness, these creative actions caught attention. Read more>>
Climate Art Calls For Divestment In 1,300 Towns & Cities: In partnership with our friends at People vs Fossil Fuels, we mailed 60,000 works of art to 1,300 activists in 49 states. In dozens of cities, the art was used in actions, put up onto banks, college classrooms, shared community spaces, coffee shop walls and tattoo parlor windows. Read more>>
How EndSARS Protesters Re-emerged To Upend Nigerian Politics: By channeling their energy into the Obidient movement, Nigeria’s anti-police brutality activists have turned a fringe political party into a powerful force for change. Read more>>
The Long History Of Protesting With Pots And Pans: Demonstrations against Emmanuel Macron using items usually found in the kitchen are part of a proud tradition that stretches across the world. Read more>>
Remembering Harry Belafonte: As prominent as he was in the entertainment space, he was just as significant when it came to the fight for civil rights for African-Americans. A close confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and financial backer of many important social movements, Belafonte was a key organizer for the historic 1963 March on Washington. Read more>>
With Netanyahu’s Reform on Hold, What’s Next in the Israeli Nonviolent Struggle for Democracy? With Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial judicial reform on hold since Monday, the country’s population finds itself not at ease but only at a new crossroads in their struggle to protect their country’s democracy. Read more>>
Why Do Privileged White Peace Activists Go To Prison On Purpose? A new book shows the role of intersectional identities, even for people of racial and economic privilege, in taking courageous action for radical social change. Read more>>
The Surprising Science Of Climate Protests: As an expected one billion people take part in Earth Day, Jocelyn Timperley and Martha Henriques delve into the evidence behind protest as a force for change. Read more>>
Spying, Sabotage, Subversion, People-Smuggling – The Brave Women Who Resisted The Nazis Through Nonviolence: Women in nations such as France, Germany and Holland gathered intelligence, founded resistance groups, published underground media and coordinated people-smuggling operations. Some engaged in sabotage. Their networking and people skills were invaluable, and their lack of visibility under a sexist regime was an asset. Some of these brave women sacrificed their lives for the cause. It is useful to consider their impact today and how such female-led, non-violent movements might help people around the world resist dictatorships and invasions, such as in Ukraine. Read more>>
A California Journalist Documents The Far-Right Takeover Of Her Town: ‘We’re a test case’. Doni Chamberlain’s been a journalist in Shasta county for nearly 30 years. Now she’s targeted by the extremists who are looking to reshape the region. She has learned to take precautions. No meeting sources in public. She livestreams rowdy events where the crowd is less than friendly and doesn’t walk to her car without scanning the street. Sometimes, restraining orders are necessary tools. Read more>>
More Catholics Are Embracing Nonviolence: Despite the violence that plagues the world today, an openness to gospel nonviolence is gaining ground, thanks in part to Pope Francis’ example, said speakers on a webinar panel marking the 60th anniversary of Pacem in Terris, Pope John XXIII’s encyclical on “Peace on Earth.” Read more>>
Stop Cop City: Over 70% of Atlanta residents don’t want this deadly tactical urban warfare cop training center in their city. Here are ways you can take action to keep the pressure on. Learn more>>
Ahimsa and Poetry: Danita Dodson, an amazing ahimsa fellow (from Center’s Teacher-Leadership Program in Nonviolence) and a prolific poet, will speak about writing nonviolence in poetry. (May 7) Learn more>>
Warheads to Windmills Webinar: This webinar aims to bring together some of the leading organizations and activists working on two crucially important issues – war and climate – to discuss how we can better collaborate and coordinate our efforts to save the planet from these existential threats before it is too late. There will be break-out rooms to help us connect to some of the campaigns that are already ongoing. (May 7) Learn more>>
From Conflict To Community: Join Bianca and Katie for a 5-week online exploration of From Conflict to Community – Transforming Conflicts Without Authorities written by Gandhi Institute Gwen Olton. (May 4) Learn more>>
New Webinar Series – Think Twice Before Calling the Police: Many people recognize that police violence targets certain communities and want to avoid calling the police—but don’t know what to do in case of an emergency. Our new webinar series can help you develop concrete skills to avoid calling law enforcement unless it’s absolutely necessary. We’ll also explore community-based alternatives to ensure safety for all of our neighbors. Learn more>> (May 4, 11, 18, 25)
How To Hold A Nonviolence Teach-In: Get skills and tools for holding a nonviolence teach-in. This session will cover what to teach, how to facilitate a lively discussion, where to hold your teach-in, and how to reach out to partner groups to make it happen. We will share creative ideas for your teach-in and help you feel comfortable in asking your faith center, local school, youth group, or even your workplace to hold an event. (May 13) Learn more>>
Writing Nonviolence II: Personal Stories & Memoir With Rivera Sun: From saving spiders to eating a vegetarian diet to protesting against nuclear weapons, we all have nonviolence stories to share. This 6-week course will explore how you can express your experiences in writing. We will look at personal stories, creative essays, and memoir for people of all ages. (Starts May 16) Learn more>>
24-Hr Peacewave: International Peace Bureau and World BEYOND War are planning a second-annual 24-hour peacewave on July 8-9, 2023. This is a 24-hour-long Zoom featuring live peace actions in the streets and squares of the world, moving around the globe with the sun. (July 8-9) Learn more>>
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