Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun
Nonviolence isn’t a football match, where we line up on two sides and charge in. At its best, nonviolence encourages us to engage the fullest sense of our humanity in navigating a conflict toward a resolution that gives all parties a way forward. And to achieve even a glimmer of that potential, we need to embrace richly-nuanced narratives about what’s unfolding in the situation. This kind of reporting is critically important in a media world of sound bites, headlines, and oversimplification. It’s especially illuminating when the conflict in question has competing just grievances, complex nuances, multiple perspectives on the social justice issues, and situations that are not cut-and-dry.
In Nonviolence News this week, we chose to uplift an article in Global Voices that explored the multilayered aspects of the Twitter/X ban in Brazil. On Aug 31, Brazil blocked Twitter/X over its refusal to comply with a federal investigation into fake news and militia groups. The conflict highlights the entanglement of political factions, national sovereignty, corporate power vs. accountability, the limits of free speech, and protection from political violence and misinformation. Thousands of right-wing supporters of former president Bolsonaro marched in the streets in protest, claiming that they’re being censored. Meanwhile, millions of other users made the switch to BlueSky, a platform started by the founder of Twitter. Each of these choices can be looked at as a nonviolent action, one protesting the situation, the other finding an alternative that provides the same service.
You’ll also find an article on Venezuela’s democracy crisis that similarly acknowledges the many dynamics that make the still-unverified elections a tense and fraught political upheaval, one that Venezuelans are saying can’t easily be reduced to ‘left’ and ‘right’, ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’. In this article, the interviewee honestly acknowledges his position and/or slant (he’s a Chavista) and then carefully critiques the choices of the Maduro government, speaks to pressures felt by citizens from international sanctions , and warns about the long-term consequences of not publishing the election results. This is the kind of story that I find helps me understand conflicts better – and contextualizes the mass movements erupting amidst them.
In other Nonviolence News, 100,000 people marched in France against Macron’s right-wing prime minister appointment. Around 33,000 Boeing workers rejected a 25% pay raise and went on strike for 40% increases and other benefits that they say are long overdue amidst rising cost of living. On Wall Street, the Summer of Heat campaign ended with 50 arrested while demanding fossil fuel divestment outside Citibank offices. The quiet rollout of Cop City urban warfare training facilities across the US is meeting resistance, led by Black and Indigenous-led campaigns.
You’ll also see a pair of stories on renters and landlords that show how nonviolent action can be used to oppose an injustice or build a solution. In one story, Canadian renters are furious that a mega-landlord has been caught using the illegal, rent-spiking, AI-driven software that is coordinating increases across the US. So, they’ve been hanging protest banners off apartment balconies and taking other actions. In the other story, an eviction-prevention program in Philadelphia is using face-to-face chats and mediation to resolve conflicts between renters and landlords, hoping to keep people in their houses. Both stories exemplify the versatility that makes nonviolent action such a powerful force in our world. It’s an enormous toolbox that can aid communities in responding to their situations in tailored and unique ways.
A favorite story? Well, last week, we reported on the UK’s 8,000-person experiment in “nature prescriptions” that are led to improved mental health. This week, I found a fascinating article on Denmark’s Kulturvitaminer – Culture Vitamins that helps people deal with anxiety, depression, loneliness, and social isolation. Unlike traditional group therapy, the 10-week program doesn’t ask people to talk about what’s wrong. Instead, they coordinate access to concert tickets, sing-a-longs and read-alouds, museums, art galleries … trusting that arts and music unlock human emotion, help people process their deeply held feelings, and offer the tonic of social connection in the process. To me, this is a perfect example of nonviolence. What do you think?
In solidarity,
Rivera Sun
Solar Power Quadruples At K-12 Schools In US: Solar power at K-12 schools in the U.S. has more than quadrupled in the past decade, a new report found. Published by Generation180, a clean energy nonprofit, it found that one in nine K-12 schools in the United States now use solar energy to power their buildings. Read more>>
GM Battery Plant Workers Get 35% Raise By Joining Union: About 1,000 workers at a General Motors joint venture electric vehicle battery plant in Spring Hill, Tennessee, will get big pay raises (around 35%) now that they have joined the United Auto Workers union. Read more>>
In a First, Brazilian City Grants Legal Rights to Waves: The city of Linhares, Brazil, has granted legal rights to the waves at the mouth of the Dolce River, the first instance in which a government has conferred rights upon part of the ocean. The city is aiming to better protect its coastal waters in the wake of the 2015 collapse of the Fundão dam. Read more>>
Miccosukee Tribe Signs Costewardship Deal With National Parks: Miccosukee Tribe of Florida signs landmark co-stewardship with National Parks while awaiting wilderness designation decision: Under the agreement with Everglades National Park, the tribe will actively participate in wildland fire management, water resource management, and hydrological management. Read more>>
“We’re Making Progress” – Teen Vaping Hit a Decade Low, Survey Shows: Public health officials (and likely parents) are celebrating a recent survey indicating that teens are finally vaping less. Under 6% of middle and high schoolers self-reported that they vaped this year, down from 7.7% in 2023 and the lowest level in a decade. “This is a monumental public health win.” Read more>>
Brazilian Judge Orders Slaughterhouses and Ranchers to Pay for Harming Amazon: “The invaders and their main business partners—loggers and meatpacking companies—make the profits their own while passing on to society the costs of environmental damage,” notes one of numerous lawsuits. Read more>>
Youth-Led Protest Against Corruption And Nepotism In Indonesia: Indonesian legislators withdrew two proposals related to regional election laws after thousands of mostly young protesters organized rallies in at least 16 cities across the country. Protests continued even after the withdrawal of the bills in Congress. On August 28, students protested outside the government guest house in Yogyakarta to denounce corruption and nepotism under the Jokowi administration. Read more>>
Brazil Bans Twitter/X Some Users Flock To Alternatives. Others, To Protests: Brazil banned Twitter/X over its refusal to reign in far-right conspiracies and hate speech. Supporters of the right-wing former president Bolsonaro held large protests. Others simply moved to BlueSky, a platform that provides similar services and upholds basic content standards. But the situation presents a conundrum. On one side, the banishment of a popular social media platform is far from ideal; on the other, a country’s judiciary tries to find a way to ensure that a foreign company follows the local law amidst a challenging investigation that impacts its democratic system. It is a difficult balance to negotiate. Read more>>
Why Are Los Angeles Activists Organizing Against the 2028 Summer Olympics? NOlympics LA, one group of many in a loosely affiliated network of anti-Olympic activists, warns of the lasting impact the Games have on local residents. Read more>>
“Trail to Zero” Ride For Mental Health: Last week, a group of horses and their riders walked 20 miles along Lake Michigan in Chicago to raise awareness about the mental health struggles of veterans and service members. The distance was chosen mindfully, as 20 is the number of veterans who die by suicide each day — and the walk marks an effort to bring that number down to zero. Read more>>
100,000+ People Across France March to Decry Macron’s ‘Denial of Democracy’: In cities and towns across France on Saturday, more than 100,000 people answered the call from the left-wing political party La France Insoumise for mass protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s selection of a right-wing prime minister. Read more>>
From Ancestors to Action, Liberation Obon Calls to Shut Down North West Detention Center: Liberation Obon took up the street for an entire block in front of NWDC with a blend of diverse multi-cultural and multi-faith traditions. On September 1st, Tsuru for Solidarity organized the first-ever Liberation Obon outside the Northwest Detention Center (NWDC) in Tacoma, Washington. (Obon is a Japanese Buddhist festival to welcome back the spirits of our Ancestors each summer season who return to visit the living briefly). Read more>>
A Measured Take – A Chavista Speaks On The Democracy Crisis In Venezuela: “This is the first time in Venezuela’s recent history that, 38 days after an election, we still do not have verifiable results broken down by polling booths.” Gerardo Rojas walks us through the protests, contested elections, and unusual pressures that Venezuelans face in ensuring democracy keeps working. Read more>>
As the Planet Warms, Activists in North Carolina Mobilize to Stop a Gathering Storm: A liquified natural gas processing facility, four natural gas plants, multiple compressor stations and a clutter of pipelines are all now in the works, awaiting approval from state regulators. Can any of it be stopped? Read more>>
Inside the International Uprising Disrupting Air Travel: An unprecedented alliance of climate groups is targeting airports on three continents to demand a binding treaty to end fossil fuels by 2030. Read more>>
Massive Coalition Urges Biden To Stop Exporting Gas: A coalition of more than 250 climate, environmental, and frontline community organizations on Monday urged U.S. President Joe Biden and Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm to reject all requests for approval to export liquefied natural gas to non-fair trade agreement countries. Read more>>
50 Arrested in Final ‘Historic’ Summer of Heat Protest at Citibank: Closing out a “historic” summer of civil disobedience—but with no plans to back off their demands that Wall Street divest from planet-heating fossil fuels—the “Summer of Heat” campaign blockaded the entrance of Citibank’s headquarters in New York for an hour on Thursday. “We’re here for you and your children,” one campaigner told a police officer who was arresting her. “We’re here for our world.” Read more>>
Colleges Are Becoming ‘Living Labs’ to Combat Climate Change: From business schools to English departments, professors are increasingly combining classroom instruction with efforts to “green” campuses. Read more>>
Canadian Mega Landlord Using AI ‘Pricing Scheme’ As It Massively Hikes Rents: Software the U.S. government says is illegal gives landlords ability to coordinate rent hikes. “Tenants in the building are furious about learning that Dream is using the same technology that corporate landlords use in the United States,” said Chiara Padovani, co-chair of the York South-Weston Tenants Union. Read more>>
Instead of Eviction, Landlords and Tenants Talk It Out: In Philadelphia, face-to-face mediated chats help both parties get what they need. Tenants and landlords who may have rarely spoken directly are given space to discuss nuanced details that would likely be left out of an eviction hearing. And unlike eviction, trained mediators help landlord and tenant hammer out a payment plan that benefits both parties. Read more>>
33,000 Boeing Workers Strike: About 33,000 union members at Boeing have started to walk off the job on Friday after they overwhelmingly rejected a proposed four-year contract with the troubled aircraft manufacturer. Workers want better job security, more time off and higher wages to make up for rising prices during a period of high inflation over the past several years. Read more>>
Buffalo Medical Residents Are Striking for Fair Pay and Better Conditions: The labor action by medical residents in Buffalo is the latest in the medical worker unionization wave sweeping the US. Read more>>
Detroit Marathon Refinery Workers Strike For Better Pay: Marathon Refinery workers of Teamsters Local 283 in Detroit are on an indefinite strike to fight for cost of living increases in wages, better working conditions, and an all-union shop. This is the first time the refinery has been on strike in 30 years and looks to take advantage of recently-repealed “Right to Work” legislation. Read more>>
The Quiet Rollout of Cop Cities Across the US Meets a Growing Resistance: As Cop Cities spread to nearly every state, grassroots activists are pushing back by forming coalitions that press for investment in communities over militarized policing. Read more>>
From Genocide To Activism – The Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe’s Battle For Land And Justice: The chairman of the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe of Texas discusses the similarities between the first colonizers and today’s oil and gas companies. Read more>>
We Should Listen to Rev. Barber on White Poverty and Multracial Organizing: The latest book by the Poor People’s Campaign co-chair shows how racial division keeps both Black and white communities poor—and lays out a real vision to defeat it. Read more>>
Feminist Activist’s Journey In Thailand: In a new series of movement articles, a Thai feminist shares her journey through activism from protests to doxxing to shaving her head for democracy. Read more>>
Podcast & Photography Project Connects Trans Women & Pacific Rivers in Colombia: Each protagonist in this audiovisual project has a unique relationship with the river. If for Ana Gamboa the river is the cradle and home of all her childhood memories, for activist Maria del Pilar Escoba, Cauca was a haven, a place of recreation that was denied to trans women. Twiggy, as she is known in Colombia, grew up in Cali and fled to Europe in the eighties, when paramilitary groups carried out what is sinisterly known as social cleansing, murdering sex workers, homosexuals, homeless people and other marginalized people. Read more>>
The Private Pilots Flying Abortion Seekers Across The Midwest: What if recreational pilots could volunteer their skills to get abortion seekers the care they needed? That’s what one activist pilot thought. Elevated Access now has a network of over 400 vetted pilots, has flown abortion seekers in and out of more than 40 states, and is partnered with about 80 abortion and other practical support funds, including numerous organizations working to expand gender-affirming care access. Read more>>
Captured Catastrophe – Preserving Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Visual Legacy: The Visual Archives of Hiroshima atomic bombing consists of 1,532 photographs and two films recorded in Hiroshima between August 6 and the end of December 1945 by citizens directly affected by the atomic bombing, as well as by photographers from Japanese newspapers and news agencies and those accompanying scientific research teams. The photographs document a wide range of effects from the use of nuclear weapons, including the city reduced to ruins, severely burned victims, and effects from radiation on the human body. Read more>>
Massive London March Demands Israeli Arms Embargo After Police Drop Restrictions: “We demand our government completely stop arming Israel and push for a cease-fire now,” said the Palestine Solidarity Campaign. Read more>>
Labor Raises Collective Voice Against Genocide in National Network for Ceasefire: Over the last year, recognizing the widespread opposition to the war among their membership and the potential for dissent inherent in cross-union solidarity, representatives of over 200 U.S. unions — from many dozens of participating locals, to the leaderships of multiple leading national unions — banded together to form The National Labor Network for Ceasefire (NLNC). Workers in Gaza “need us to push back through our unions” to demand an arms embargo, union leader Mark Dimondstein said. Read more>>
Remote Southwest Communities Resist Dangerous Combat Flight Training Expansion: Since early 2022, communities have been organizing against a plan by the Air Force to increase combat flight training which poses numerous environmental and human health risks. Read more>>
Cops Look On Bemused As Palestine Action Block Elbit Factory For Whole Day: Palestine Action have blocked all entrance roads to the ‘Instro Precision’ factory in Discovery Park, once again shutting down the Kent factory of Israel’s largest arms company, Elbit Systems. Activists have used vehicles to obstruct the entrances: They have climbed on top of security boxes and the ledge of Discovery Park House. Read more>>
In New Zealand, Live Performance Is for Everyone: The island country has pioneered cutting-edge advancements in arts accessibility, allowing people of all abilities to participate in cultural events. Read more>>
Asian American Literature Festival Severs Ties With Smithsonian, Returns With Decentralized Community Events: The Asian American Literature Festival (AALF) is scheduled to return this September after the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center unilaterally canceled it last year. But this year’s festival will feature some major changes: the festival will no longer rely on a primary institutional sponsor as it did in the past, which organizers say helps create a better festival grounded in community and inclusivity. Read more>>
A Farm In Rural North Carolina Provides a Refuge And Radical New Possibilities For Formerly Incarcerated Women: The 13 acres of farmland nestled in North Carolina’s Alamance County that comprise Benevolence Farm serve many different purposes: an active body care business harvesting herbs for natural soaps and soy wax candles, a hub for social advocacy about issues impacting formerly incarcerated women across the state, and a home and a refuge for a handful of those very women. Read more>>
The Therapeutic Power of Denmark’s ‘Culture Vitamins’: Danish doctors prescribe collective cultural experience to treat emotional stress. The results are astounding. Read more>>
Culture As a ‘Weapon’ of Peace: September 21, 2024 marks the International Day of Peace, an occasion established by the United Nations to promote peace around the world. This year, more than ever before, it is crucial that the voice of international culture rises loud and clear against the din of arms. Read more>>
Art And Activism Flourish In California’s Central Valley: In the heart of California’s Central Valley, a group of young artists and activists recently concluded a transformative journey. AFSC’s Pan Valley Institute wrapped up its 2023-24 ArteVism fellowship, a nine-month program that brings together local young leaders working for social change in their communities. Read more>>
Mapping Israeli Protests Since October 7: More than 1,200 protests have taken place in Israel since October 7, most calling for a ceasefire deal. This project maps them. Read more>>
To Address the Climate Emergency, Foundations Must Spend Big On Movements: The only way philanthropy can spur the society-wide mobilization necessary to avert climate disaster is by betting big on social movements. Read more>>
What Organizers Have Learned From Years of Organizing For Palestinian Liberation For Years: Lessons from our work at Jewish Voices For Peace are very relevant to multiple communities, especially those that share an emphasis on collectivity and identity while fighting internal right-wing and nationalist currents at the same time. Read more>>
For Our Movements to Win, We Must Learn How Not to Let Our Grief Destroy Us: Unprocessed grief can lead us to lash out at each other, rather than dismantling the systems that cause our pain. Read more>>
TidalWave2024 w/ Dissenters: Join the Dissenters’ annual membership conference, where young people from across the country will convene in Chicago for three days of connecting, learning, and taking action to build the movement to defund war and militarism. From October 25 – 27, Dissenters from across the country will arrive in Chicago to strategize about how they can organize young people in the heart of U.S. empire and build our power to wage anti-imperialist campaigns and dismantle the U.S. war machine. Learn more>>
Tell US Congress To Impose An Arms Embargo On The World: No more weapons to anywhere. The U.S. accounts for over a third of the global arms trade. Most wars have weapons on both sides made by the same U.S. companies. Join World BEYOND War in calling for a global arms embargo. Learn more>>
Tell The UN: Use Your Power To End The Genocide! After 11 months of genocide in Gaza the UN Security Council has yet to make any effective action to halt Israel’s attack on Palestinians. On Monday, September 16 during NYC Peace Week, we will deliver this petition to UN Member States DEMANDING they take action now! Sign below and demand immediate peace in Gaza! Learn more>>
The Women – Our Impact on the Vietnam Antiwar Movement: The ultimate success of the movement to stop the war in Vietnam was due to the mobilization of multiple segments of society. This webinar features the experiences of women peace activists who helped to transform the movement into a broad coalition that reached into a majority of American households and influenced the movement for women’s liberation. (Sept 19) Learn more>>
Tell the Navy and Air Force – No More Air Shows! Ending the outdated, expensive military air shows, which many Americans oppose because of air and noise pollution they create, as well as climate impacts, would signal to the country the resolve of the military to take specific actions to mitigate its overall climate impact. Concluding this program would not be to the detriment of operational readiness or the military’s avowed function to protect us from threats. The Navy’s and Air Force’s jets are not playthings. In a climate-changed world, it’s time to get serious. Learn more>>
The Framework of Nonviolence – Alternate Socio-Political Models: In this course, we will explore texts and films to understand what the major components of an alternate socio-political framework are, or ought to be. If nonviolence is an oppositional interpretive framework to the one in which we are presently living — in which violence is the norm — then what would comprise the essential components of alternate models? (Starts Oct 7) Learn more>>
Teach Truth Pop-Up Displays During Banned Books Week: In this election year, the Zinn Education Project developed an interactive Teach Truth pop-up display to raise awareness about the threat of anti-history education laws and book bans. While supplies remain, you are welcome to request a pop-up display box for events such as Banned Books Week (September 22–28). We ask that table hosts describe their plans for using it and commit to sharing photos and stories about the response to the display. Learn more>>
#NoWar 2024 Conference – Resisting US Militarism: Ending all wars means closing all military bases. The United States of America, unlike any other nation, maintains a massive network of foreign military bases around the world, over 900 bases in more than 90 countries and territories. Join World BEYOND War in this global conference on resistance to US militarism. Learn more>>
Global Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice: The first annual Week of Action for Peace and Climate Justice will address the links between war, militarism and climate injustice, promoting grassroots action and policy making for peace and climate justice. This year’s theme is divest from war – invest in climate justice!(Sep 21-28) Learn more>>
Campaign Nonviolence Action Days: From Sept 21 to Oct 2, 2024, (Int’l Day of Peace to Int’l Day of Nonviolence), join tens of thousands of people in creatively building a culture of peace rooted in active nonviolence. Last year, people held over 5,000 actions, events, and marches across the USA and in 20 countries. Over 60,000 people participated in these events. In 2024, join us in advancing peace and nonviolence, and addressing the entwined issues of violence, war, poverty, racism, and environmental destruction. (Sep 21 – Oct 2) Learn more>>