Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun Like many of you, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia is on my mind. I’ve been getting a lot of requests for “nonviolent strategies” that could be (or are being) used in Ukraine. I’m keeping my eyes and ears open, but I think a key struggle to lift up at…
Tag: nurses

South African Engineers Strike, Garden Blockade Targets Coal Plant, Brazil Demands Impeachment
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun The repercussions of the pandemic lockdowns are still echoing in shockwaves through the global labor movement. Workers flexed their power during the early stages of the pandemic, walking out en masse for stronger health and safety protocols, going on strike for hazard pay, calling-in-sick to stop hasty reopenings, and much…

Defying Injustice: Guatemalans Vs. Corruption & Olympic Women Vs. Sexist Dress Codes
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun These are tumultuous times. And that’s a good thing. People around the world are defying injustice-as-usual. Guatemalans took to the streets after the president fired a top anti-corruption official for looking into the president’s wrongdoings. The Olympics are – yet again – a platform for unexpected protests, from Simone Biles…

300 Victories in 2020, Peru’s Farmer Protests, & India’s Record-Breaking Strike
Editor’s Note From Rivera Sun When I read that India’s farmers led a record-breaking, 250 million person strike against corporate agriculture laws, I cheered. Then I found out that Peru’s farmers rose up against a similar farmworker-abusing law and got it repealed. Double cheers! I come from a farming family. When I train people in…

Got Dictators? Never Fear, Nonviolence Is Here
Editor’s Note: The United States is going through some growing pains. (Understatement of the year.) With secret police snatching protesters off the street, journalists being arrested for doing their jobs, and the Portland mayor being simultaneously tear gassed by federal agents and booed by his constituency (for doing the same thing to the protesters the…

Strikes Grow Bigger, Bolder, Broader
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun Rent strikes, worker strikes, debt strikes, shopping strikes . . . they’re all building toward the goal of a general strike. On May Day, hundreds of organizing groups held strikes to support the many campaigns for healthcare, PPEs, hazard pay, paid sick leave, decarceration, keeping stay-at-home orders while increasing economic relief…

Epic Heroes = Nurses In Nonviolent Action
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun Nurses are badass heroes in scrubs. Period. But when they step into traffic to halt a car protest of gun-toting “astroturf” protesters demanding that social distancing end, they reach heroism of epic proportions. In Michigan, “Reopen Protest” car demonstrations blocked an emergency room entryway. A few days, Denver medical workers had zero tolerance. They…

“Rosie The Riveter” Remake Honors Frontline Heroes
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun Creativity, laughter, tears, horror, and hope: it’s all here. Weaving through these stories are the acts of nonviolence – large and small – done by people like you and me to help care for people and planet. Car motorcade protests are increasing. Worker strikes for health and safety are sweeping the…

Car Protests, Solidarity Tables, and Strikes … Oh My!
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun To say nonviolence is on the rebound this week is an understatement. With protests banned in most parts of the world due to the COVID-19 crisis, we’re seeing an eruption of other types of action . . . actions that are often far more powerful than public protests. “Essential” workers…

The Power of Relentless Persistence
Editor’s Note from Rivera Sun This week’s news is full of the power of relentless persistence. You’ll find many stories of people who continue to rise up despite the odds, keep going despite obstacles, and simply won’t give up on justice. For example, the Immokalee Workers (pictured above) have been organizing for nearly a decade –…